A Taste of Chardonnay by Heather Heyford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is Heather Heyford's debut novel and I'm already looking forward to follow-up books in the Napa Wine Heiress series!
This book focuses on Chardonnay "Char" St. Pierre, the middle child of the famous French vintner Xavier St. Pierre and the late actress, Lily d'Amboise. Char's sisters are Sauvignon (aka "Savvy") and Merlot (aka "Meri'.) My first impression when I realized the sisters were named after wines was that these women were going to be uptight, snooty brats. I was pleasantly surprised that they all seem to be likable characters.
Char is a charitable person who helps out in local soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and collects donated clothing for the less fortunate. She has a degree in public service from the University of Connecticut and has a plan to get a charity organization up and running. Her plan involves winning the McDaniel Foundation's Napa Charity Challenge so that she can start up her charity without the help of her father's money. The challenge involves running a half-marathon, raising funds from local businesses and a charity auction. Char is determined to win.
What Char doesn't foresee is another competitor by the name of Ryder McBride. He's a famous actor who has come back to the area to participate in the Napa Charity Challenge for his own cause. Although they don't see eye-to-eye when they first meet, they both admit to themselves there's an attraction there.
There are family secrets intertwined in the story line and the shining of light on some great charitable causes. Neither character comes off self-centered, which was a breath of fresh air.
I would've liked to see more relationship development between Char and Ryder, as it felt like it happened quickly. All in all though this was a quick read and I'm looking forward to reading Char's sister's stories in the forthcoming books.
A Taste Of Sauvignon will be available on April 14, 2015
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