The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery: Book Review

The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery publishes today!  Susan Mallery has become one of my favouriteauthors. Her books explore some of life’s most important events and she does so with care and compassion. I also enjoy wine and live in an area of Canada with beautiful vineyards and amazing wines which I enjoy visiting. It was therefore an easy decision to choose to read this book which is set in a wine area of Washington State.

Mackenzie Dienes is a woman in her late thirties who has become a prestigious winemaker at her husband’s family run winery. She loves her career, her life on the estate, and her husband’s family. Her mother-in-law Barbara is the matriarch of the family and has high standards for both the winery and her children. She also has a reputation of being verbally abusive to her children. Mackenzie’s marriage has become more of a friendship over time, with each spouse having slept in separate bedrooms for the past five years. After an attempt a bringing some intimacy back to the relationship, it becomes apparent to the couple that their marriage is over.

Mackenzie’s whole life for the past twenty years has been with this family and she has some difficult decisions to make. She could stay working at the winery as if nothing had happened. Alternatively, she could take this opportunity to set out and create her own winery – an adventure she has given some thought to in the past. This is time of great change for Mackenzie in more ways than one. Will she have the courage to take a chance and find a life that she truly desires?

Book Review

I really enjoyed this book. I love a book that speaks of life-altering events such as the end of a marriage with the empathy and sensitivity that this author employs. Her characters are well-developed and relatable. I learned about the life of a winemaker while reading the book and could feel the passion that Mackenzie had for her chosen career. I admired this character for her strength and tenacity and sheer drive to succeed. I thought the way that Barbara’s character evolved throughout the book to be realistic and somewhat expected given her inability to process change. The author nailed the dichotomy of these two women’s personalities and resilience.

• Strong Female Characters
• The empathy and sensitivity that the author employs
• The wine country setting

• Somewhat predictable storyline 

 I recommend this book to those that enjoy General Fiction or Women’s Fiction with strong female characters.

Thanks to Edelweiss and Harlequin Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5.

• The Friendship List by Susan Mallery
• On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe
• A Walk Along the Beach by Debbie Macomber
• Sisters Like Us by Susan Mallery

Thanks for reading and supporting my blog!  I hope you have a wonderful day!