Hallie Welch fell hard for Julian Vos at fourteen, after they almost kissed in the dark vineyards of his family’s winery. Now the prodigal hottie has returned to Napa Valley and when Hallie is hired to revamp the gardens on the Vos estate, she wonders if she’ll finally get that smooch. But the grumpy professor isn’t the teenager she remembers and their polar opposite personalities clash spectacularly.
One wine-fueled girls’ night later, Hallie can’t shake the sense that she did something reckless—and then she remembers the drunken secret admirer letter she left for Julian. Oh shit.
On sabbatical from his ivy league job, Julian plans to write a novel. But having Hallie gardening right outside his window is the ultimate distraction. She’s eccentric, chronically late, often literally covered in dirt—and so unbelievably beautiful, he can’t focus on anything else. Until he finds an anonymous letter sent by a woman from his past.
Even as Julian wonders about this admirer, he’s sucked further into Hallie’s orbit. Like the flowers she plants all over town, Hallie is a burst of color in Julian’s grayscale life. For a man who irons his socks and runs on tight schedules, her sunny chaotic energy makes zero sense. But there’s something so familiar about her… and her very presence is turning his world upside down.
Release Date: Feb 7, 2023
Series: Vine Mess
Book: 2
Heat Level: Hot
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Avon
Price: $10.99
Hallie and Julian have a history. The two shared a moment when they were fourteen that was worth everything to Hailey. They haven’t seen each other in years. Julian is back in the vineyards. Hailey is there because his family hired her to take care of their gardens. The sparks between them remain, but the sexual tension is high.
Julian is so strait laced and focused that it is hard to see him with Hallie. She is all over the place and funny. They are the perfect blend of opposites attract. The more Julian tries to resist his own temptation, they more drawn he is to her.
Hallie, on the other hand, is a bit too bubbly and kid-like for me. I think the author was aiming for the small-town girl vibe, and she came across as immature. She had been pinning for this guy for years with no real dating history. I found it hilarious, but at the same time, it was why I wanted her to get the guy.
The plot centered around the secret admired letter could have been tightened. The author really didn’t have to use it because it got lost after a while in the storyline. Then it got pushed back out there when I didn’t care. I also believe the storyline is a bit scattered. The thing that kept me interested was the chemistry between the main characters and not so much everything surrounding them.
Overall, fans of Ms. Bailey will get the same steam factor that we are accustomed to, with a hint of fun in this story. I see the potential in the book of the series, and I hope she brings the heat.
~ Samantha
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