Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
About the book:
Thirteen years ago, Natalie lost a part of herself when her twin sister died. Will traveling back to the family winery finally put the memory to rest, or will it completely destroy her?
When Natalie Mitchell learns her beloved grandfather has had a heart attack, she’s forced to return to their family-owned winery in Sonoma, something she never intended to do.
Tanner Collins, the vintner on Maoilios, is trying to salvage a bad season and put the Mitchell family’s winery back in business. When Natalie Mitchell shows up, Tanner sees his future about to be crushed. Natalie intends to close the gates, unless he can convince her otherwise.
But finding freedom from the past means facing it.
My Review:
Do you ever read a book that leaves you a bit feeling “hung over” when you are done? You don’t really want to pick up another book, because this one was just so good?
That is how this book was for me. The main character, as we dug into her past, her heart and her struggles, we see the breakdown of PTSD for laymen. We can see what it did to her, how it harmed her life, even years after the incident.
I felt like this made this book unique. It was not the setting, but the people that made this book uniquely special. If you are not someone that has known someone in your everyday life that has PTSD, this may help you understand it, but also relate to the story of a normal, everyday person, not off a battle front, that struggles, but is gifted in many ways still.
I loved the setting in wine country, and learned a few things about wine making that I did not know before. Catherine West has given us another masterpiece of fiction. It is more than fiction, it is a tale of forgiveness, grace, and overcoming when everything is against us.
You can purchase this book here. I highly recommend you do so!
What a lovely review. I am starting this book tonight, so you have definitely inspired me to read!