Book Review: Pour Choices by Adrian Andover

Hello readers! I’m back today with a fun book review to share with you. Last year I reviewed Whiskey Business, the first book in the Mixology Lounge Mystery series. And I’m back today to talk about the newest release in the series! To find out more about what happens next to Reece and his friends, keep reading for my full book review of Pour Choices by Adrian Andover.

To read my review of book 1, click here.
And if you are looking for more cozy mystery recs, click here.

What is Pour Choices by Adrian Andover About?

When a comedy show takes a deadly turn, there’s nothing funny about it…

As a humid August heat wave descends upon the cozy town of Hope Mills, Pennsylvania, mixologist Reece Parker hosts the first-ever Comedy and Cocktails event in Subplot, his bookish speakeasy.

The evening’s talent, comedian Meghan Spencer, shakes up controversy when she takes a joke too far during her crowd work segment. But when she’s found floating in the nearby Delaware River the next morning, it’s no laughing matter.

With his best friend stirred up in the investigation, Reece takes a shot at solving Meghan’s murder. But as he sniffs out clues on his quest for justice, will he end up on the rocks himself? (from Amazon.com)

My Initial Thoughts? The Vibes are So Good…

If you’ve visited my blog before, you know that I always start off my reviews with my initial thoughts. This is often my first impression of the book as a whole. And I have to say that I just love the vibes in this series. Adrian Andover really does a great job of creating a cozy atmosphere in his books.

I’ll give you a few examples.

Because it’s a small town, everybody generally knows each other. I like how there are plenty of scenes with Reece going out for drinks with his friends. Or meetin gup with his parents for breakfast. Or grabbing coffee with his ex fiance. There’s lots of interaction around town.
Subplot is such a cozy business. I said in my review of book 1 that I would love to go there, and that opinion remains! Lol. Whenever Reece is at work, there’s these great scenes discussing the care and attention to detail that he puts into his cocktails and his menu. It’s nice to see in book 2 that his business is really picking up.
There’s humor. One of the things that always makes me laugh is when Reece has an interaction with Heidi, the restaurant owner who he shares a building with. In her defense, a lot of weird stuff does keep happening at Subplot! Lol.

The Mystery

As mentioned in the book description, this book opens with Reece preparing for the first comedy show to take place at Subplot. It’s a sold out event and he hopes it will go well. But there’s a lot of interesting details going on with the comedian. So when she is found dead the next morning, there’s a lot to look into.

A big reason why Reece involves himself in this case it because his best friend finds the body. I think we can all relate to wanting to clear the name of a loved one. Especially when you know that there’s no way that they did it.

The author did a good job of making it a difficult mystery to solve. The comedian (named Meghan) had a lot going on in her life. And a lot of people who may or may not have had issues with her. So it was very interesting to watch Reece collect information because every time he talked to someone new I was like, Oh! Was it them?

Who Would I Recommend This Book To?

I would recommend Pour Choices to cozy mystery fans, although I do think it would be best to read Whiskey Business First. That way you get all the background information on Hope Mills, which is where this book takes place.

It’s a really fun mystery series so far, and I look forward to seeing where it goes next. It’s a great book to check out if you like cozy mysteries. And if you love books and reading, I think you’ll enjoy the ambience at Subplot.

There’s an Overarching Romance that is Very Cute

Reece has his eye on the local book shop owner named Julian. And it’s very cute. I like that the two of them have a lot in common, what with loving books and being business owners. I say their romance is overarching because in book 1 we first learned about Reece’s interest. And in book 2, they get to know each other better.

As much as I love a mystery, I also love a romance. So I look forward to seeing how their relationship develops in future books.

I Enjoy the Sense of Community With the Characters

I like to read cozy mysteries (and some romance series as well) because I like the community of small towns. I think that’s something the author captured really well in this book. There’s this scene near the end that made me really happy, with Reece and his friends and his parents all hanging out at the coffee shop together. You don’t always see that in real life, so I love to see it in the books that I read, and the TV shows that I watch.

In Conclusion

Thank you for stopping by today for my Pour Choices book review. In the end, I felt that it was a satisfying cozy mystery that kept me guessing (and laughing at times). It does make me worry a little bit because if there is a book 3, I don’t want the murder to be there. Then Reece is going to get yelled at by Heidi again.

So maybe it could take place somewhere else in town. Haha. I say that, but it doesn’t really matter to me. Now that I’m sucked into this series, I’ll be reading whatever happens in the next installment. I’m locked in.

If you want to start reading today, consider starting with Book 1 so that you’re all caught up by June 30th, when Pour Choices is released. 🙂