Saturday, January 30, 2021

Excerpt Tour - The Vineyard at Painted Moon

The Vineyard at Painted Moon
by Susan Mallery
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: February 9, 2021


Step into the vineyard with Susan Mallery’s most irresistible novel yet, as one woman searches for the perfect blend of love, family and wine.

Mackenzie Dienes seems to have it all—a beautiful home, close friends and a successful career as an elite winemaker with the family winery. There’s just one problem—it’s not her family, it’s her husband’s. In fact, everything in her life is tied to him—his mother is the closest thing to a mom that she’s ever had, their home is on the family compound, his sister is her best friend. So when she and her husband admit their marriage is over, her pain goes beyond heartbreak. She’s on the brink of losing everything. Her job, her home, her friends and, worst of all, her family.

Staying is an option. She can continue to work at the winery, be friends with her mother-in-law, hug her nieces and nephews—but as an employee, nothing more. Or she can surrender every piece of her heart in order to build a legacy of her own. If she can dare to let go of the life she thought she wanted, she might discover something even more beautiful waiting for her beneath a painted moon.

Excerpt #11
The Vineyard at Painted Moon
Chapter 3
  

They danced for another three songs before going to get something to drink. Several of the female guests stopped her to admire her ring. Barbara hadn’t had much of a chance to study it herself. She would guess the diamond was at least three carats. A little large and flashy, but she was confident she could carry it off.

 Stephanie met them by the bar.

“That was amazing,” she said with a happy sigh. “I’m so thrilled for you both.”

 “You did a very nice job,” Barbara told her, doing her best to keep the surprise out of her voice. “The moment was perfect.”

Stephanie hugged her. “Next, the wedding. Let me know if you want my help planning that, Mom. It’s one of my skill sets.”

A wedding? Barbara hadn’t thought that far ahead. Obviously she and Giorgio would have some kind of ceremony. At their age, it made sense to make it small—family and a few close friends.

 She immediately recalled her first wedding. She and James had been young and there hadn’t been any money to waste on something as frivolous as a wedding. They’d been married in a small church and the reception had been in the old farmhouse where they’d lived. It hadn’t been the wedding of anyone’s dreams.

She looked at the ring glinting on her left hand, then at the crowd enjoying themselves. She was the matriarch of Bel Après, and the owner of a successful business. Money was no object.

“Giorgio, what do you want for a wedding?”

He drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. “I want whatever makes you happy, my love.”

He was such a good man.

 Barbara considered her options. Having the wedding at Bel Après made the most sense. There were spaces for large events. Even though the winery wasn’t gauche enough to pimp itself out as a destination anything, they did host parties for major customers or special occasions. Still, a wedding required planning.

Barbara looked at her oldest daughter. Stephanie managed the retail store and tasting room. She could, in a pinch, manage the wine club, as well, and she planned whatever parties were held on the property, including a handful of weddings. While Stephanie didn’t have anything that could be considered talent, she was organized, and honestly, how hard could it be to plan a wedding?

“All right,” Barbara said. “Stephanie, you can plan my wedding. I want a real one,” she added. “Traditional. Nothing ridiculously modern. I’ll accept fun and elegant and a little over-the-top, but that’s all.”

 Stephanie grinned. “We can make that happen. We can even talk about a lot over-the-top.”

Barbara held in a sigh. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now I want to dance with my fiancé.”

 She turned to Giorgio and held out her hand. He pulled her close, then led her to the dance floor. So much happiness, she thought, leaning against him. The night was perfect, and the rest of her life was going to be just as wonderful.


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7 comments:

  1. Sounds very good thank you
    Penney

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  2. I'm sure I'll be reading this

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  3. This sounds lovely. Thanks for introducing me to this story.

    I hope everyone is taking care and staying well.

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  4. This sounds like a good exploration of what is lost when a marriage dissolves. You may be married to person, but you are bound to much more by marriage.

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  5. Thank you for featuring this! Sara @ TLC Book Tours

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