You had me at happy hour

Passing the Advance Sommelier Course will allow Julien Boire to finally break away from working at Martin's Place, his uncle's restaurant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and land a job somewhere more sophisticated and prestigious. In the meantime, Julien's uncle has just brought in TikTok mixologist Greg Harlow to reinvigorate sales and shake things up liquor-wise at the restaurant. Julien is determined not to let anything or anyone, including a sexy drink-slinger like Greg, sidetrack him from his ultimate career goal of becoming a master sommelier. However, the more time Julien spends with Greg at work, the more he realizes the drinks Greg is pouring are not the only thing being shaken and stirred. Janovsky (The Fake Dating Game, 2024) serves up another tartly humorous and deliciously spicy love story imbued with an abundance of crackling sexual chemistry, which ultimately leads to several unabashedly sensual, vividly descriptive love scenes. Adding another layer of depth to the story is Janovsky's empathetic incorporation of real-life, relatable issues like dealing with OCD, anxiety, and financial debt.

In this charming contemporary from Janovsky (You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince), sommelier Julien Boire can't help his attraction to Greg Harlow, the newly hired "muscular mixologist" at his aunt Augustine and uncle Martin's bar and restaurant in Bethlehem, Pa. Though the men get off to a rocky start, quiet Julien soon becomes a "puzzle" Greg's "dying to solve," while Julien is jealous when he sees gregarious Greg give his phone number to a patron. After customers complain about Julien's "spacey" service and Greg's boundary-crossing flirtations, Martin insists the men host happy hours together, hoping to force them to cooperate and learn from each other. The scheme works: the men bond when Julien reveals his OCD and Greg explains his own anxiety disorder. They soon act on their mutual desires, forming a "sex pact" to indulge in casual but exclusive hook ups. As their relationship intensifies and the happy hours become a success, Greg feels he's found a home in Bethlehem. Julien, however, is looking for a ticket out of town. With a "storm of bad timing" threatening their happiness, can the men make it work? Janovsky delivers a salient message about trust and, in the spicy scenes, extols the merits of sex toys. The result goes down as easily as a glass of Sangria. Agent: Samantha Fabien, Root Literary. (July)