ARC Review & Giveaway….Autumn in the Vineyard by Marina Adair

I was so lucky to get a chance to read Marina Adair’s Autumn in the Vineyard before release day on October 29 and Marina was sweet enough to offer a signed paperback to one lucky winner.

Enter to win in the rafflecopter below and thanks for stopping by! 

Book links:

Goodreads  ~  Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble 

Synopsis:

Frankie Baudouin has a hundred reasons not to trust Nate DeLuca. First, he’s a DeLuca. Second, he kissed her—in front of the entire town—and then never called. Oh, and he’s after her land. Sorrento Ranch is Frankie’s last chance to prove to her family—and to herself—that she has what it takes to be an award-winning winemaker. And she will stop at nothing to ensure her success—even if it means playing nice with the starched, sophisticated, and oh-so-sexy Italian.

For Nate, Sorrento Ranch is more than just soil and grape vines; it was his father’s dream—a dream Nate is determined to make a reality. So when he finds himself forced to cohabitate with a hot-headed, irrational, and incredibly gorgeous Baudouin, Nate is surprised to discover that chaos could be so much fun.

My review:

Autumn in the Vineyard is the third book in Marina Adair’s St. Helena Vineyard Series, a series that I have loved since book one.  Well, this third book was just as amazing and really showed Marina’s talent….I’m sure Frankie was no easy gal to write, but she ended up being a gal I adore.

One wouldn’t call Frankie Baudouin girly, and that’s exactly how she likes it.  Frankie was raised in the vineyard, working amongst the vines and wouldn’t have it any other way.  Some might say she’s got a pretty big chip on her shoulder, but after being tossed out of her family’s business, how can you blame her?  Now she’s out to prove to everyone that she has what it takes and that wine runs in her blood and is what she was born to do.  Her family, the town, and even that Nate Deluca will all see what she’s made of.  She’s especially looking forward to rubbing Nate’s nose in it.  He’s been a thorn in her side since high school and after he had the nerve to kiss her in front of everyone, that thorn is digging deeper.  Now she finds out that he’s after the land she plans on using to make her wine, the wine that is going to prove her worth, and no way will she let that happen.  Unfortunately fate has a different plan and she finds herself forced to spend entirely too much time with him, and soon finds her resolve softening toward him.  Is the attraction worth risking all she’s ever worked for?

Nate DeLuca has lusted after the rough, terse and spit fired Frankie for as long as he can remember.  He made a move on her not that long ago and it ended up with her kneeing him in the family jewels.  A move that still stung.  He knows she’s had a less than ideal family life and he knows it’s part of what’s turned her into the woman she is today.  But the gruff exterior can’t hide her beauty or the fact that she’s loyal and has a heart bigger than she’d ever let on.  Yep, he’s got it bad for her and now after finding out they technically own the same land, he sees this as an opportunity to show her just how wonderful she is in his eyes.

Where to even begin?  I loved this book.  The dynamic between Frankie and Nate was amazing.  The push and pull was positively perfect for the personalities they have and it was shown so well.  There can’t be any two completely different people than Nate and Frankie.  She is totally un-girlie, flies off the handle at the drop of a hat and has a screw you attitude the size of Texas.  Nate is kind and caring and calm. She wears combat boots and he wears loafers.  He comes from a tight knit family and she’s the outcast of hers.  But you know what they say, opposites attract!  Nate knows Frankie better than she knows herself and his determination to show her just how amazing she is to him melted my heart.  He did so much for her, but kept the credit hidden all just to make her happy, and he knew if she found out he had taken care of a problem, she’d run.  He is patient with her and in the end she knew what he had known all along…that she was worth it.  There were so many times my heart broke for Frankie while I read this book, but Nate’s actions made everything better.  He is a knight in shining loafers without a doubt.  The end scene was one of the best scenes ever and it played out like a movie in my head while I read it.  *dreamy sigh* Marina does romance so flipping well!

I could gush about this book for many more paragraphs but instead of boring you, I’ll just say this:  buy this book! It’s another fabulous read from Marina and I will continue to look forward to more from the St. Helena Vineyard Series!

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About the author:

Every author can identify the exact moment of inception, when the skies parted, the heavens sang, and a divine being came forth, anointing them one of the chosen, blessed to spend the rest of eternity weaving stories of ‘ever after’ for mass consumption.

For me, it wasn’t so much a moment, but an intervention.

Sophomore year, my fellow Blockheads sat me down and explained that I had an addiction. I was a NKOTB–A-holic. Afraid of becoming enablers, they refused to listen to another one of my never-ending stories about our passionate intrigues with Jordan, Joe, Jon, Danny, and Donnie. What they didn’t understand was that New Kids on the Block wasn’t my obsession—they were my current romance-medium of choice.

Twenty years later, my romance addiction is a hard, bodice-ripping, half-dozen books per week. When I’m not reading it or watching it, I am writing it—or workshopping it—or editing it—or strategizing how my hands to get more of it.

In 2010, I realized I was closer to menopause than prom and got serious about my career, writing my way toward a post-graduate degree in creative writing (in the off chance that the first one didn’t stick) and becoming a published romance author.

January of 2012, I sold my first novel, TUCKER’S CROSSING, to Kensington Books and The St. Helena Vineyard series to Montlake Romance.  KISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE, the first in the series is a National Bestseller and #1 Romance Series bestseller. SUMMER IN NAPA releases May 14, 2013 and AUTUMN AT THE VINEYARD releases October 2013. In 2014 the first in the Sugar Series, BUT SUGAR’S TWICE AS SWEET, will release from Grand Central’s Forever line.

I live with my husband, daughter and three neurotic cats in Northern California.

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