Trashed

In Mia Hopkins's Trashed, the 2nd installment in the Eastside Brewery Contemporary Romance novel series, this will make you believe in second chances. Meet Eddie "Trouble" Rosas. Six months ago, he's been released from prison and out on parole. He served his five-year stint for gang-related crimes and is ready to start fresh. But it isn't easy for Eddie, ever since she stepped outside of the prison doors and looked for work. Five years ago, he met a woman in the garden and made love to her. Ever since he had gotten out, he's been looking for her until he landed a plum dishwasher job at her restaurant. That's when he met Chef Carmen Centeno, and had gotten to know her name for the first time. Besides the sparks growing between them, it had cost them their jobs and back on the street to look for work. But when the Eastside Hollenbeck gang learns of his release, they make trouble for him and want him back in. Ever since his brother Sal gotten out of the gang, he wants the same thing for him too. But first, he needs to find their no-good father and get answers for him, then he would make a promise he intended to keep to go straight and be with Carmen, even though her parents like it or not.  Though when trouble strikes at his brother's home, he needed to cut his losses and never look back to step forward and stay clean from the gangster life for good.

This contemporary romance was fantastic and told from Eddie's POV only on how the life outside of prison was for him and for his family. I did care for him and how he would deal with so many issues right in front of him between the gangs and his brother's business and looking for his father, Dreamer.  He had so much emotional baggage that he kept and carried for so long. I also cared for Carmen on how she wanted to be with Eddie and how she wanted to be her own person too. You can see how much they care for each other when the sparks flew between them. I did love the California and Washington state dual locations for the mesmerizing scenic settings for this contemporary romance. This would make you want to root for Eddie and Carmen with red-hot steamy romance, plenty of non-stop action and lots of drama, and sparks of intrigue on every page.

Will you be there to check out Eddie's story today in Trashed?