Romance

wiggs does not disappoint in the summer romance reads for me. It was strange having read book 1 after book 2. Both novels can stand alone, but if you are going to read both, then read in order! ( )

Tess Delaney.
Resident of San Francisco, California.
Single.
Provenance expert returning stolen treasures to rightful owners.

Dominic Rossi.
Resident of Archangel, California.
Divorced.
Banker. Grower of grapes. Vintner.

Tess can’t figure out how an out-of-town banker knows a piece of her family history that she’s never known. How is that even possible?

I loved this novel. I love Susan Wigg’s writing as she excels at character development in writing their relationships as family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. The dialogue is genuine. I also love that the stories unfold and celebrate ordinary days that sometimes, in retrospect, become even more treasured than birthdays or holiday gatherings. In this novel, the unexpected leads to exploring what was thought important differ from what was anticipated. The family drama, thought never to change, takes a new direction. Family history told was not to deceive but to protect, self-discovery doesn’t solely happen to the young, and when all are blended with forgiveness, healing, and the sparkles of romance, it becomes magical.

My book reviews do not include spoilers, but I’d like to share that this novel was all the more meaningful for me reading it immediately following an eARC of "The Lioness of Leiden" by Robert Loewen (Release Date: April 4, 2023).

Chapters are sectioned into 10 parts. Each part begins with an epigraph followed by a recipe. Discussion questions are provided at the end of the novel. ( )

There are two books in the Bella Vista Chronicles series. I liked the WW II background of the grandfather and the beginnings of the relationship between the two separated sisters more than I did the other threads of the storyline. Parts of the second book were very unbelievable for several reasons, not least the elephant in the room whiich is never explained in any way. Really! ( )

Just couldn't get into this. I may try it again when I'm in a different frame of mind. ( )