Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Luke Scherer has turned bad romance into an art. When he catches his latest deadbeat boyfriend selling Luke’s belongings—and his own body—to cover his debts, Luke decides he needs a vacation. He just doesn’t expect his Napa Valley retreat to be a step into his past.

Eight years ago Mal Kuijpers was grieving his wife while his vineyard floundered. Hiring Luke for the summer put the business back on track and a smile back on Mal’s face.

Nineteen-year-old Luke had just gotten out from under his father’s thumb and started saving for his education, his last screw-you to his old man. Then he made the mistake of falling for his boss, his dad caught up with him, and Luke panicked—and fled.

Now they have another chance. Mal has his own share of closet skeletons, including a family he doesn’t talk to and a dead wife he sometimes does, and he’s gone without romance for years. He works hard to convince Luke he’s worth more than a casual fling and asks for nothing in return, but Luke needs a relationship of equals. If Mal can believe in himself and Luke can believe in love, two hot summers might yield a lifelong reward.

 

Book Review

Hot men, wine, good food, love, and some angst. What more could I possibly ask for? 'A Good Vintage' by Ashlyn Kane is the third book of this author's works that I've read and due to how much I enjoyed the other two, I fully anticipated getting the most that I could from this story.

Luke is the saddest, most miserable person I've ever met at the beginning of this book. He's twenty-seven, has a good job, but he is horrible at relationships, with men and women, and judging character. His most recent boyfriend, Luke caught him selling Luke's belongings and himself to pay off his gambling debts. Just one more loser in a long line of poor choices. Luke's heart has been broken more times than he can count. He's still trying, unsuccessfully, to deal with his anger at his dad and the way his childhood turned out. His very well meaning, loving, but worry wart brother and his wife, Val and Julie, send him on vacation to a vineyard in Napa Valley. Luke spent a summer working at a vineyard when he was nineteen and it was the best and worst time of his life. Turns out this is the same vineyard, a little bigger, with a new name, but still owned by Mal, his boss he fell for the summer he was nineteen.

"Why didn't I know you'd be this persistent?"
Because Mal suspected, Luke didn't think he was worth the effort. But what he said was "I just know what I want."
Luke flushed a little. "I guess you came to hear the rest of the story."
"I came because I wanted to spend time with you."

Oh. My. Goodness. Mal and Luke were so amazing together, and not just sexually, although they could've set fire to the vineyard with their lust, but in all the ways that make a strong and lasting relationship. Scary for Luke because he doesn't know how those kinds of relationships work. A little scary for Mal, too, because he hasn't been with anyone in nine years since his wife died, and maybe he won't be good at the day-to-day. It doesn't help that Luke's time at the guesthouse is very limited and then he'll return to Los Angeles and his life, what there is of it. Two men, both new to relationships, who stink at communicating, begin a long distance relationship. Yeah, I know. Where's the punch line, huh?

I adored how the author fashioned the story with intertwining short vignettes from the past. Normally I'm not a big fan of back and forth, past and present, in a book, but these were done supremely well and were short enough that they didn't distract me from the entire tale, while simultaneously giving me the insight I needed at the time. This was definitely one of the better love stories I've read. It was gentle and sweet, with some drama, but overall it just rang true for me. I thoroughly enjoyed both Luke and Malachi and was happy to see them each get what they needed. Thank you, Ashlyn, for another winner!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 220 pages/69698 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	06-December-2013
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle, $19.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-good-vintage-by-ashlyn-kane-645-b