This is a complex story of love, betrayal and courage told with exceptional skill. Written in heart wrenching prose “The Winemaker’s Wife” goes back and forth between time and the present: Champagne, 1940 and 2019.

1940

The story gives us a different perspective of Germany occupied France. As it opens Ines has just married Michel, then owner of the champagne house Maison Chauveau when the Germans invade. As the danger mounts Michel joins the resistance. When rumours about Jews being deported… fear sets in… Celine, Michel’s chef de cave’s wife, is half Jewish….. They are afraid of being exposed…

Ines and Celine are the main voices and tell their point of views in alternate chapters as the war moves on. Celine tends to follow her heart and Ines eventually makes a dangerous mistake with a Nazi collaborator….Their side is told with warmth and emotions…

2019

In New York Grandmother Edith shows up at Liv Kent’s home insisting on a trip to France, she has something in mind and wants to share her tragic story with her granddaughter. 

Edith and Liv are the driving voices when the story moves to the present. 

More thoughts:

Actually we have two stories and at first I was wondering where the connection might be. The author keeps giving tidbits of information teasing till the denouement. The suspense is held throughout and very well-done. Although the plot moves very slowly and nothing melodramatic happens well into the novel I was nevertheless deeply engaged from the get-go. This tragic story inspired by real events tells how people make desperate choices in order to survive and is one that offers many twists which I did not see coming. 

War stories are my favourite, even if they are fictional there is always some truth to them. “The Winemaker’s Wife” is set amid the champagne vineyards of northern France and we have a small view of how it may have operated during this hard time…right or wrong I do not care, the description is vivid and the drama lively….

Eventually the past and present merge and we are back to the caves of Maison Chauveau. Well-done.

I received this ARC from the publisher Simon& Schuster via NetGalleys for my thoughts

Winemaker of the North by J.T. Williams is the first installment in the Saints of Wura trilogy. Sviska is an assassin disguised as a winemaker.

I had a hard time with this book. It starts out good, but ends up being a bit slow. I felt as though Sviska was not an assassin at all. I know he was in disguise, but he had several opportunities to show me that he was, in fact, an assassin. There was action at the beginning and action at the end, but not much going on in the middle. I would have liked to see more character growth.

Purchased from Amazon.

This is the 4th book in the Love In Wine Country series.  This book can be read as a standalone novel.  For reader enjoyment and understanding, I recommend reading series in order.

 

Sarah & Sam have been best friends for so long, they do not have room to think of more.  Now, with this sudden surprise he has thrown her, she is re-thinking everything.  She hates that he is trying to control her life and she is so done.

 

Sam does not know where these feelings are coming from.  He only knows he has never thought of Sarah this way before.  The future looks bleak without her in it.

 

Interesting story.  I felt drawn to both characters early on.  I was rooting for them almost right away.  This series is just so sweet and the pace moves right along.  I give this book a 4/5 Kitty's Paws UP!

 

 

***This ARC copy was given in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley I have to say that this is the first Winemaker Detective book that I have disliked. Undoubtedly, it is because I read it during an American election cycle that, in part, has to do with characterization and portrayal of women. Perhaps if I had read it at a different time, I would feel differently. The writing hasn’t suffered in terms of characterization. Benjamin, Virgile, and Elisabeth are as always. One of the best parts of the book is Benjamin and Elisabeth’s visit to a restaurant/tea room. The problem isn’t even the mystery per se, it is the sub-plot that is paired with the mystery. The mystery concerns the death and possible rape of a young women. To the attentive reader, the big reveal is hardly surprising and, to a female reader, can come across as slightly troubling considering that the behavior of one of the supporting male characters. It also comes across as a variation of women shouldn’t play with the boys. This is something that almost seems out of character for the series. Paired with the subplot involving Benjamin’s father, one is left with a book with plenty of male characters who most defend themselves from women. Normally, this wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but considering how few female characters there are (two with detailed speaking roles, and two who effect the plot by absence) compared to the male characters (six with detailed speaking roles). However, my reaction to this could simply be because of timing. I read the book while watching one presidential candidate admit to sexually assaulting and implying that his opponent doesn’t have a perky ass. My tolerance is low at now and even the charm of Benjamin doesn’t do much to help

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

                This entry in the Winemaker Detective series is the most disappointing.  It is not because Benjamin Cooker goes on vacation with his lovely wife Elizabeth.  The most rewarding aspect of the novel is in the greater role that Elizabeth has within in the pages.  The second is the leaving of French soil.  This always is a risk because it changes the setting, and for series like this, the setting is part of the charm.  Alaux and Balen show that they are just as good at keeping the charm of the setting outside of France.  The widening of the Benjamin’s world as well as shifting the primary interactions of the series for this novel made a nice change to the setting.  Of course, because Benjamin is a French Miss Marple/Jessica Fletcher, murder follows him. 

                Benjamin has left his shop in to some disarray because Alexandrine has been attacked.  It is Virgile’s job to figure who would want to harm the charming woman.  And it is here that the book falls down a bit.  While it is about time that we learn a bit more Alexandrine, here her plot seems to be simply a nod to Virgile, and what transpires out of that plot seems forced (and is wisely dropped at the end of the book).  It was disappointing because Alexandrine is now no longer different than many of the other women who have passed through the pages of this series.  That honor really only belongs to Elizabeth now.

                Cooker’s mystery makes up for this in some ways, but it is hard to get over the disappointment that the use of Alexandrine causes.