My Thoughts and More on A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham

 

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for A Brewed Awakening by Pepper Basham, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

About the Book

Title: A Brewed Awakening 

Author: Pepper Basham 

Publisher: Thomas Nelson 

Release Date: May 5, 2026 

Genre: Small Town Contemporary Romance 

Daphne dreams of Mr. Darcy. Finn serves up pints and rock music. Can opposites attract when a tea shop princess meets her pub-owning rival? 

In the charming mountain town of Wisteria, North Carolina, Daphne Austen clings to tradition like cream to a scone. She's built her life--and her late grandmother's tearoom, Tea Thyme--around all things English: delicate china, Jane Austen novels, and the comforting predictability of routine. The only thing threatening her perfectly ordered world? The loud, aggravatingly handsome Brit opening a pub next door. 

After his ex-wife broke his heart and his business partner nearly destroyed his career, Finn Dashwood packed up his six-year-old daughter and left England behind. He's looking for a fresh start, and the last thing he needs is a fussy, tea-obsessed neighbor criticizing his every pint and playlist. It doesn't matter that she's ridiculously kind (to everyone else) and that his daughter is utterly fascinated by her. Finn's heart is not open to being broken again. 

But disagreements turn into prank wars and then a competition when a high-profile wedding needs a last-minute caterer. The townsfolk are thrilled--Wisteria hasn't seen this much excitement since the county fair lost a goat. 

When the wedding demands both sweet and savory fare, Daphne and Finn are forced to put down their swords and pick up their serving trays. Between burnt pastries, brewing tempers, trending hashtags (#SipsAndSpats, anyone?), and one very adorable little girl, rivalry soon gives way to reluctant friendship--and maybe something that feels suspiciously like chemistry. 

Can a tea shop princess and a pub owner with a past mix their lives as seamlessly as clotted cream and jam . . . or will their differences keep them steeped in rivalry forever? 

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Thomas Nelson | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook | BookBub | Bookshop

Also Available:

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About the Author

Pepper Basham is an award-winning author who writes romance “peppered” with grace and humor. Writing both historical and contemporary novels, she loves to incorporate her native Appalachian culture and/or her unabashed adoration of the UK into her stories. She currently resides in the lovely mountains of southwestern VA, where she is a wife, mom to five great kids, a speech-language pathologist, and a lover of chocolate, jazz, hats, and Jesus.

Connect with Pepper by visiting pepperdbasham.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

My Thoughts:

This novel serves up Southern hospitality with British charm, kind of. She is Southern and he is British and neither can get along. Humorously their war with words and their respective businesses clash one too many times, quite possibly made worse with their underlying mutual attraction. But will either wave the white flag of surrender?

Daphne Austen has inherited her grandmother's tea shop. Still grieving over the losses in her life, this latest one has really set her back. She really wanted to keep everything the way her late grandmother had things, in a way to preserve her memory. But Daphne needs to realize that she is also valuable and it is ok to add new ideas and maybe shake up what has always been. She is her own person, and her grandmother would be proud of her.

That is exactly what her new business neighbor Finn Dashwood is doing. He has moved from England with his little girl to open an English pub in a little Southern town in North Carolina. He is ready for changes, and he is not going to let his cute, but frustrating neighbor derail his plans when she insists on keeping things the same.

This was a fun read of when opposites attract and how not to start a neighborhood war of businesses. Hanging on to the old traditions and branching out to the new are both important topics. So is letting down your guard and being loved and giving love. Their love match was a battle of wit and humor, tea and coffee, but they both lost anyway, to each other.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will receive a signed copy of A Brewed Awakening, and winners choice of a Literary Beverage Mug or a Storming Castles mug!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight May 13, 2026 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on May 20, 2026. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!