Title:  A Touch of Chardonnay
Series:  Love In Wine Country
Author:  Pamela Gibson
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  July 28, 2015
Publisher:  Entangled Bliss
My Rating:  4 stars
Source:  NetGalley
Cover Description:

Cultural archeologist Lindsay Reynoso is in a small seaside town in California to evaluate an old mansion. When the home’s owner shows up to “help” the evaluation along, Lindsay is furious. Especially as the owner is former bad-boy tennis star Christopher Brandt…her one-time fling and the father of Lindsay’s son. Only he doesn’t know it.

As far as Chris is concerned, the old mansion is tied to a past he’s better off leaving behind. He’d rather bulldoze the thing and move on. If only his gorgeous consultant would let him. Even while fighting over the demolition, the chemistry that once brought them together is smoldering stronger than ever.

But honesty is very important to Chris, and Lindsay has an eight-year-old secret.

Read on for my thoughts on A Touch of Chardonnay.  No true spoilers, promise.

The history of buildings has always been a fascination of mine.  I look at old estates, mansions, cliffside homes or huge monstrosities and wish that their walls could talk, telling an interesting tale of the building’s life.  So it was with particular interest and delight to discover that this is actually Lindsay’s life work – to seek out secrets and listen to the walls talk in evaluating older properties for their historical values.  It is during a consultation over an old mansion’s future that Lindsay once again runs into Chris.  They also have a history with secrets untold… to Chris.

A Touch of Chardonnay is an entertaining journey of a couple who have strong chemistry, emotional history and secrets.  We are taken on a journey of rediscovery with this couple.  Yes, at one time Chris was a not so nice, self-centered playboy professional athlete who thought nothing of the lives he might have changed through his careless actions.  But if we’re lucky, life happens to us in a way that can make us see ourselves in a different light, and make the decision to change or continue on a destructive path.  Chris had his moment, and he’s not the man that Lindsay knew almost a decade ago.  What she has to decide now is if he wants to be a part of the life he helped create.  Is it in the best interest of father and son and yes, mother to tell Chris of the secret that she has held onto for so long… and should she tell him, can he forgive her for not coming to him sooner.

I enjoyed this story very much and would recommend it to any romance reader who loves that long sought after happy ending.  I would consider this a clean, fade to black type of romance.  You certainly know there is a strong attraction between this couple, you just aren’t hit with detailed blow by blow accounts of their sexual attraction.  I could say that I wish the ending had not felt so abrupt.  That is a personal impression, the author gave me her story and it’s not up to me to change it in any way – there was simply so much rich details in other parts of this story that I wished for that at the ending as wall.  But again, that is my impression.  As with all authors, the story ends.. when the story ends.

*I received an e-ARC of A Touch of Chardonnay from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Available for the Kindle