Contemporary Romance published by Montlake 27 Jun 23
I’d have given this book five stars because I absolutely loved traveling through Tuscany, tasting wine with Gio and Emma. The true gold here, however, is in the emotional connection and the beautiful relationship that develops between this couple. The friendships, the families all just add the cherry on top.
Gio works as the sommelier at his family restaurant in Little Italy, San Diego and dreams of traveling to the wine regions in Europe and someday creating his own wines. For his thirtieth birthday, his family gifts him with a wine tasting vacation trip to Tuscany.
Emma is wine royalty, though her family could be considered pretty dysfunctional. Her father is a dictator, and no matter what Emma does, she can’t seem to please him. Divorced and trying to figure out a future where she can prove herself, she takes this wine trip to Tuscany. Sometimes it seems things just can’t go smoothly for her, when the airlines lose her luggage and she’s forced to wash and rinse and wear the same clothes. But the silver lining in everything is that Gio D’Angelo is in the same group, and they strike up a wonderful friendship with some sparkles.
Back home, when things do not appear to be going well with her father, Gio comes to her help with his family and friends, investing in her business and helping her get started with her own winery. I absolutely loved how this story unfolded, the family secrets that explain her father’s distance from her that eventually heal the wounds and help her develop the same closeness in her family that she envies in Gio.
Another winner in an absolutely fabulous series.
Grade: A
Summary:
Tasting wine is not enough: sommelier Giovanni D’Angelo wants to create it. To put his family first, he’s always deferred his dreams—a vineyard to run, a woman to marry. But a three-week vineyard tour in Italy could set him back on track.
For Emma Rutledge, wine is in her blood. Intent to run the family wine business one day, she finds that the men in her family are only intent to push her out of it. But that’s fine—she’s got a plan.
When Gio and Emma meet on a wine tour in Tuscany, their shared aspirations fuel an undeniable chemistry. Returning home to California, they work toward setting up Emma’s vineyard and a label of their own. But when Emma receives a life-altering diagnosis, she worries it’s all been for nothing.
As Emma works to cement her family legacy while dealing with this unexpected challenge, Gio tries to convince her that their future isn’t just wine.
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