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Today, we're teaming up with TLC Book Tours to spread some PRE BOOK BIRTHDAY BUZZ about the latest Susan Mallery title coming your way via HQN Books this February! It's a work of Contemporary Fiction that sounds like it blends equal parts family, friends, and heart...and who couldn't use a good dose of that?! Ready or not, here comes today's title in the spotlight...
by
Susan Mallery
HQN Books
About the book...
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.
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~~~ EXCERPT ~~~
“How
does it feel to be a magnificent blessing?” Four asked with a grin.
Mackenzie
did her best not to groan. “It’s better than last year when she
said I was a miracle brought into the family to take Bel Après to
greatness. Although technically I’m pretty sure she said I brought
a magnificent blessing, not that I was one.” She looked at her
youngest sister-in-law. “Sorry about her enthusiasm.”
“Don’t
be. We love you just as much. Or maybe more. Our love isn’t
conditional.”
Four
was right about that, Mackenzie thought. Barbara always claimed
Mackenzie was her favorite, but that affection was very much tied to
her work in the winery. If she hadn’t been interested in Bel Après,
Mackenzie wasn’t completely sure Barbara would have allowed the
wedding to take place.
“She
is a challenge,” she murmured. “She is,” Four agreed. “She’s
my mother and I love her, but there is something deeply wrong with
her. I can’t figure out if she was traumatized as a child or if she
was just plain born mean.”
The
stark assessment surprised Mackenzie. “You think she’s mean?”
Four’s
eyes brightened with amusement. “Do you think she’s nice?”
“I
wouldn’t say nice. She can be…exacting. But she’s always been
good to me.”
“She has, and you deserve her affection.” Four hugged her. “You
have an open and giving heart that warms us all. You are the fairy
dust that allows us to fly.” She waved her glass. “Oh, and you’re
magnificent.”
“I
agree.”
The
male voice came from behind her. Mackenzie turned to see Bruno
Provencio walk up to join them. The man knew how to dress, she
thought. Like Rhys, Bruno wore slacks and a long-sleeved shirt, but
somehow the clothes were more elegant on him. Barbara said his
clothes were all custom—a concept Mackenzie understood
intellectually but made no sense to her on a day-to-day basis. Why
take the time when you could buy stuff online and have it delivered
with just a few clicks?
Something
she would guess that Bruno had never done in his life, she thought,
trying not to smile. Bruno came from money. He was good-looking, with
dark hair and brown eyes, and carried himself with an air of
confidence that added to the appeal.
One
day she would be confident, too, she told herself. If not in this
life, then maybe the next.
She
groaned. “Don’t say magnificent, please. Barbara was just being…”
“Her usual charming self,” Bruno said, taking Mackenzie’s free
hand in his and leaning in to kiss her cheek. He did the same with
Four.
“Successful
party, as always,” he said.
“It’s
all Stephanie,” Mackenzie told him, setting her empty glass on the
passing server’s tray.
Bruno
held out his hand to Mackenzie. “A dance?”
She
smiled and nodded. She wasn’t sure if she gave off a nondancer vibe
or if it was her position as Rhys’s wife and Barbara’s
daughter-in-law, but almost none of the men at the party wanted to
dance with her. But every year, Bruno asked and she happily agreed.
They moved toward the dance floor and joined the other couples there.
Rhys was dancing and chatting with the owner of a local fashion
boutique. Barbara and Giorgio were wrapped in each other’s arms.
Bruno
put his hand on her waist, keeping a respectable distance, and they
began to move to the music.
“Perfect
weather for the party,” he said.
She
glanced toward the setting sun. “It is. We were lucky it wasn’t
too hot.” The high eighties were manageable, but a day in the
nineties would have made for an uncomfortable event.
“We’re
seeing more of you than usual,” she added. “Do you have new
business in the area?”
Bruno
was a wine distributor—at least that was how he described himself.
She knew he also invested in a few wineries and had more money than
God, and when he flew into town, he did so on a private jet. But
aside from that, he was a mystery. A handsome mystery, but still, an
unknown. “I’m thinking of buying a winery,” he admitted.
“You
are? I knew you were an investor, but I didn’t think you wanted
more than that.”
He gave her a half smile. “I like being in charge.”
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#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives-family, friendship, romance. She’s known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur.
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Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
