Book Review: A Taste Of Merlot By Heather Heyford

I received this book in exchange 

for an honest review from NetGalley.

A Taste of Merlot by Heather Heyford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A Taste Of Merlot is the second book in Heather Heyford's debut series, the Napa Wine Heiresses.  This book follows the youngest sister Merlot 'Meri' St Pierre.

The story opens with Meri accepting the Purchase Prize at Gates College Of Art And Designs art exhibit.  After her speech she heads to the ladies room. Shortly after she's in the stall she hears two classmates enter the room as they begin bashing her; saying things like she doesn't deserve to win because she doesn't have to work for a living since she's a wine princess, that she only won because her father donated money to the college and that art is only a hobby to her and she'll never be a real jeweler.  Meri recognizes the voices as Rainn, a graduating senior and Chelsey, a junior like herself.

Meanwhile, Mark Newman is at Gates' at exhibit scouting new talent for Harrington's, his family's high-end jewelry conglomerate.
He comes across Meri's purchase prize and is intrigued.  He's disappointed that only the name 'Gilty' appears on the prize-winning piece.  He decides to ask two girls passing by (Rainn and Chelsey) if they know whose work it is.  of course they lie and tell him they have no idea.  Mark gives Rainn his card and she is amused to find out he is from the well-known Harrington jewelers.

Meri decides not to return to Gates to finish her degree because she is humiliated by what she overheard her classmates say.  Instead she decides to open an online boutique and find a place to work on her jewelry.  Months go by and Mark still cannot locate who Gilty is, but once Meri gets her website up and running he finally gets in touch with her.

This is where the deceptions begin.  Meri does not tell Mark her real last name because she doesn't want him knowing she's a famous wine heiress.  Mark doesn't reveal he's an heir to the Harrington business.  Rainn continues to intervene between Mark and Meri because she rents a space at the same co-op where their jewelry workshops are located.

Without giving too much of the story away, Meri and Mark are attracted to one another and there's a lot of secrecy and mistrust between them because they are both wealthy, but don't want one another to know this.

I enjoyed this book except for the character trait of Meri being portrayed as promiscuous.  The author tied this in to Meri being lonely when she was sent away at a very young age to boarding school.  I just felt this wasn't a trait I necessarily wanted to see in Meri's character.

Here is Heather Heyford reading an excerpt from Book 1 in the Wine Heiress series:

                                          

The third book in this series, A Taste Of Sauvignon, will be available on April 14, 2015

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Posted at 8:27 PM  |  by Elle

Book Review: A Taste of Chardonnay by Heather Heyford

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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Posted at 7:30 PM  |  by Elle

Book Review: Finding Home by Tammy L. Grace

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from

In Tammy L. Grace's debut novel called Finding Home, we are introduced to Sam Cooper who has recently divorced from her husband Marty after 25 years of marriage due to his unfaithfulness. Sam decides she needs a fresh start away from the home in Seattle where they resided.

Along with her dog Zoe, she relocates to a community called Friday Harbor on San Juan Island where she owns a vacation home. She purchases a coffee shop/book store and hires Jeff, the local handyman, to update the shop.  They quickly become friends and Jeff introduces Sam to many of the locals on the island.

There are many charming characters throughout the book, young and old. You can't help but want to get to know everyone in this small, quaint town a bit more! It is a very sweet and inspiring read.

In the future, I hope to see a series of books focusing on the different shops, their owners, updates on characters in previous books and some of Sam's mouth-watering pie recipes! I hope that is what Ms. Grace has planned for her readers!

I would be remiss if I did not mention that this book reminds me of Debbie Macomber's 'Cedar Cove' series, which I loved!!!! If you're also a fan of that series I would suggest you read Finding Home by Tammy L. Grace. 

Buy her books here:

Click on the book cover to visit Tammy's website.

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Posted at 7:00 AM  |  by Elle

Book Review: Precious Words by Leigh Fleming

I received this book in exchange for an honest review through

An excerpt from Precious Words:

Annie reached for Emberly’s arm. “Oh, he’s too hot to resist. We’re getting his

autograph, and you’re coming with us.” Emberly felt herself being propelled

forward as Annie and Kate firmly tugged on her wrists. Embarrassed by her friends’ exuberance but refusing to make a scene, she decided to hide behind Annie and Kate as they approached the table.

The four swarthy men were huddled at a round table tucked in the corner of the

pub, eating sandwiches and talking rapidly in Italian. Nico was sitting in the

corner facing the three girls, sipping what appeared to be lemonade. His head

jerked up as Annie boldly announced, “We’re sorry to bother you gentlemen, but our friend here would like to get Nico’s autograph for her mother, who is probably his biggest fan.”

Nico appeared amused at this unusual request and smiled at his companions.

“Sure. Which friend are you referring to?” His confused gaze fell on Annie and

Kate. The two girls quickly stepped apart and pulled Emberly forward despite her resistance. She smiled timidly, mesmerized by Nico’s inky dark eyes and glowing smile. Nico’s smile faded and he stared silently at Emberly. She watched his eyes trail from her face to her long blond hair, which lay casually across one shoulder.  He seemed to be drinking her in as his gaze settled back on her face. It felt like an eternity before he spoke. “Hello,” he said softly without taking his eyes off her.        

Emberly Fallon is an attorney who is on vacation in London with her friends Kate and Annie.  They find themselves in a pub with the famous pro-tennis player Niccolo Bartoli and get invited to sit at his table.  There is a natural connection between Nico and Emberly, but she tries to deny this because she does not want to get involved with a celebrity.  Her biological father is a high profile celebrity and Emberly vowed to herself and her mother that she would steer clear of self-centered men who live to be in the limelight.

Emberly cautiously agrees to a date with Niccolo and continues to have mixed emotions.  Their date doesn't end on a high note and Emberly and her friends soon return back to their lives in Washington D.C. Oddly enough Emberly and Nico continue to run into one another in different cities by chance.  First when Emberly has to fly to Miami for work and a second time when she is attending a family member's wedding in Cincinnati.  Eventually she gives into her emotions and finds herself meeting up with Nico in New York for a weekend getaway.  She has a run in with some paparazzi and is not feeling comfortable with this aspect of the relationship.  She then begins to receive threatening text messages from someone.  She believes 'The Messenger', as she refers to her or him, is either an ex-girlfriend or someone close to him, possibly on his team.  The texts become quite serious and the messenger has blatantly told her not to tell anyone about the texts.  She is afraid for Nico's safety, as well as her own.  Will Emberly end her relationship with Nico in order to keep them both safe?  Will she ever find out who's sending the texts?

This was the type of book that I looked forward to each time I read more and more of it.  I couldn't wait to see what happened next!  I also enjoyed that there was travel involved to different cities.  It was a very quick read for me and I almost didn't want it to end!

Leigh Fleming is the owner of the Scrapbook Cottage, a weekend retreat center for craft enthusiasts. She lives with her husband, Patrick, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and is mom to adult children, Tom and Liza, and two beloved dogs, Lula Belle and Napoleon. Precious Words is her first novel.

                                  

         Click On The Book To Visit Leigh Fleming's Website:  

Connect with Leigh via

 

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Posted at 8:00 AM  |  by Elle