Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Fun book. After her short-lived and disastrous marriage, Brenna Bellini has no desire to get married again. She loves her life working at the family winery with her dad, mostly leaving the wedding side of the business to her two sisters. She's excited to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding until she discovers that her ex's new wife, who was also her high school best friend turned worst enemy, is the maid of honor. Which means Allison's husband will be there too. Dreading the prospect of the gloating she'll face if she shows up alone, Brenna hatches a plot. She'll ask her friend Finn to pose as her fake fiancé.
Finn is the son of Mrs. Bellini's best friend in Ireland. When his mother died, Mrs. Bellini brought him over from Ireland to live at the winery. While he always looked at Brenna's sisters Hope and Erin as his sisters, too, his feelings for Brenna were much different. When Brenna asked him to play the part of her fiancé, Finn jumped at the chance. Perhaps now he can show her that they belong together.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Finn and Brenna grow and change from friends to so much more. Because they've known each other for so long, Brenna and Finn are very comfortable with each other, and their conversations show it. What Brenna didn't expect was the strength of the attraction between them. She'd always been aware of Finn but ruthlessly suppressed it, not wanting to make life at the winery awkward. Finn likewise buried his feelings, but now he seizes the opportunity to let them loose. He also knows that Brenna is skittish about relationships, so he exerts a great deal of patience in his pursuit. I loved seeing them together as Finn uses their "engagement" to spend quality time with her. It isn't long before the chemistry between them burns out of control, but will Brenna see the emotion that forms the basis for it?
I admit to wanting to shake Brenna more than once. She knows she's falling for Finn, but she's so afraid of trusting her emotions that she pulls back whenever they start to overwhelm her. There's one instance where the pull-back coincides with a misunderstanding over his whiskey business. Brenna's reaction was petty and excessive, but fortunately, she realized it. I liked that she admitted her mistakes and apologized and that Finn has a healthy attitude toward letting go of incidents like that. When the "need" for the fake engagement ends, Brenna freaks when Finn wants to make their relationship real. I felt that Brenna earned her misery and loved her sisters' "intervention." I had to laugh when she realized that he wasn't right there for her to go back to. I loved how his friends helped him see what he needed to do. His decision to get away for a while was just what he needed, and I wasn't at all surprised at where he went. The ending was great as Brenna finally let go of the past.
I also loved the closeness of the Bellini family and friends. Though each family member has a particular role in the family business, they are always ready to jump in and help each other. I loved how Brenna's sisters provide not just support but also the occasional kick in the pants when she needs it. The friendships among the men in the story are strong enough to weather anything from busted weddings to health issues. I loved watching them insult each other over silly things then rally around when one of them needs help.
I loved seeing more of both the winery and wedding businesses. The behind-the-scenes looks are fascinating. It's always fun to see some of the shenanigans brides get up to when planning their weddings, the things that go wrong, and the lengths people go to fix them. One of my favorite winery scenes was on the harvest day as Brenna got roped into grape-stomping on television. I also liked the bits we saw of Finn's whiskey distillery. Having visited a few in Ireland, Scotland, and the US, I have some idea of how complex it is.
#netgalley
Finn is the son of Mrs. Bellini's best friend in Ireland. When his mother died, Mrs. Bellini brought him over from Ireland to live at the winery. While he always looked at Brenna's sisters Hope and Erin as his sisters, too, his feelings for Brenna were much different. When Brenna asked him to play the part of her fiancé, Finn jumped at the chance. Perhaps now he can show her that they belong together.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Finn and Brenna grow and change from friends to so much more. Because they've known each other for so long, Brenna and Finn are very comfortable with each other, and their conversations show it. What Brenna didn't expect was the strength of the attraction between them. She'd always been aware of Finn but ruthlessly suppressed it, not wanting to make life at the winery awkward. Finn likewise buried his feelings, but now he seizes the opportunity to let them loose. He also knows that Brenna is skittish about relationships, so he exerts a great deal of patience in his pursuit. I loved seeing them together as Finn uses their "engagement" to spend quality time with her. It isn't long before the chemistry between them burns out of control, but will Brenna see the emotion that forms the basis for it?
I admit to wanting to shake Brenna more than once. She knows she's falling for Finn, but she's so afraid of trusting her emotions that she pulls back whenever they start to overwhelm her. There's one instance where the pull-back coincides with a misunderstanding over his whiskey business. Brenna's reaction was petty and excessive, but fortunately, she realized it. I liked that she admitted her mistakes and apologized and that Finn has a healthy attitude toward letting go of incidents like that. When the "need" for the fake engagement ends, Brenna freaks when Finn wants to make their relationship real. I felt that Brenna earned her misery and loved her sisters' "intervention." I had to laugh when she realized that he wasn't right there for her to go back to. I loved how his friends helped him see what he needed to do. His decision to get away for a while was just what he needed, and I wasn't at all surprised at where he went. The ending was great as Brenna finally let go of the past.
I also loved the closeness of the Bellini family and friends. Though each family member has a particular role in the family business, they are always ready to jump in and help each other. I loved how Brenna's sisters provide not just support but also the occasional kick in the pants when she needs it. The friendships among the men in the story are strong enough to weather anything from busted weddings to health issues. I loved watching them insult each other over silly things then rally around when one of them needs help.
I loved seeing more of both the winery and wedding businesses. The behind-the-scenes looks are fascinating. It's always fun to see some of the shenanigans brides get up to when planning their weddings, the things that go wrong, and the lengths people go to fix them. One of my favorite winery scenes was on the harvest day as Brenna got roped into grape-stomping on television. I also liked the bits we saw of Finn's whiskey distillery. Having visited a few in Ireland, Scotland, and the US, I have some idea of how complex it is.
#netgalley
