Review by Sandi for Love Romance Books Blog

I was asked by the author or publisher to give an honest review of this book.
I give this one 4.5 tiaras:

I really liked this book and read it quickly. I have some likes and dislikes of this book. Overall, this book was a very good and very quick read.
This book is a military/winery romance; it is well written and interesting to have a poli-sci agent and a psychiatrist. Having known a few of them, they take a very special person to be able to get close to them—the way that Sam is portrayed is very much the correct way –in some ways. They can seem standoffish and aloof.
I also love that the person in love with him wants him to open up about his past and his military career. She finally comes to terms with how his mind works. The truth is any person that is involved with a military person has to come to those terms at some point or the “relationship” is not going to work. I think that is portrayed very well in this book and I can tell that the author has either been around or studied the military relationships.
I felt like this book is very well written and that it flowed well. I was able to read it all in 4 hours and without having to break. It was easy, it didn’t have many mistakes, and I enjoyed reading it.
I would definitely read more of these and I would re-read this one.

It had been a while since I'd read the first two books of this series, and if I'd had time (and my TBR list was shorter!) I would have gone back to refresh my memory. I loved the first book, and liked the second one but this one was just so-so. I felt like we were dumped into the middle of their relationship without the benefit of knowing the beginning, and I love couples who have a history! I know that Sam's issues were mentioned in the first two books, and again, if I'd just read them, that would have been fresher in my mind, but it seemed like a lot of their issues would have been resolved if they'd just TALKED to each other.

The best part of the third book in a series is that we get to see what the characters from the other books were up to, so it was nice to see Junie and Malono &Poppy and Heath were up to.

I enjoyed the story and read it in a couple of sittings. Having said that, there were some problems. Their relationship constantly being sneaking around and sex in weird places didn't sit well with her, her obsession with a house she remembered from childhood to the detriment of her real life and the way the nursing home treated his dad was bizarre. Overall, I would give this series another shot and read Heather Heyford again.

Red longed for permanence of four walls surrounding her. A refuge where she could curl up at the end of the day and feel safe and protected from the outside world. If it wasn’t for relationship problems would have no practice she was a psychologist. Red was having breakfast with Sam who was charming almost to the point of arrogance. If you had known Sam when he was younger he was the scruffy kidgorgeous in the classic sense. who came to school with uncombed hair, wearing clothes that looked slept in. He was never gorgeous in the classic sense and Sam had more issues than Vogue magazine. But lately Red;s heart beat rapidly every time she seen Sam. Lately Red stumbled over her words to Sam. It was Red’s fault she had pursued Sam starting the night of Sam’s homecoming celebration. For over a year Sam and Red casually hooked up but lately Red’s feelings had changed and weren’t casual when it came to Sam anymore. Red was always looking for her perfect home and saved her money for it. It had something to do with growing up in trailer parks and free school lunches and thrift store clothes. After breakfast Sam suggested they take a little ride on his harley and Red knew what that meant,. Sam didn’t do movies or romantic dinners for two or any of the other things official couples did. The real Sam was the most loving, giving man. All Sam’s problems originated when he was a kid at home and his psychodad. The face Sam put on for the outside world was a competent business man with an endless supply of jokes. But Red had gotten a glimpse behind the facade: the rages come and gone quickly, using work as an avoidance tactic and not wanting to let anyone close. But Red had to have a change in the way She and Sam were.
I had mixed feeling on these one. I liked the plot and pace a lot and it wasn;t a hard book to read. But something just didn’t click for me. How did Red not figure out Sam’s childhood wasn’t great - the way he came to school should have told her some things about Sam and he would grow up with problems even another kid would notice something wasn’t right at home for Sam if they thought about it. I just don’t believe many women would accept wham bam thank you mam { Sam had said it had taken all of five minutes} and that sounds like Sam and Red when they went off on his Harley. Until Red demanded more from Sam and to be a couple. I did like Sam and Red together. But I think Red shouldn’t push Sam so hard she acts more like a therapist to Sam then a girlfriend other than the sex. I liked the relationship Sam had with Manalo. I think Red needs a therapist herself. So this wasn’t really for me but I am sure someone else will like it.

I'm a big fan of thus series but Sam and Sophia (Red) story didn't work for me. Sam suffers PTSD and from a miserable childhood. Red grew up poor but had a loving grandmother. The two are already friends with benefits but they both have some deeper feelings. Red pushes and pulls Sam away. Making her hunt for a house the main focus. There is a breakdown in the story and a to me I just wasn't able to get vested into, their story like the other books. It wasn't bad but just didn't work for me. You'll get the happy ending so I don't want to deter you away from the book. I just thought there would of been more. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book NetGalley.

I wanted to like this story more than I did.

This is a friends-to-lovers story and when we start out with the book they are already sleeping together. For some reason, I just never felt connected to them and found myself flipping and skimming through the pages.

They do get their HEA. I won’t say that their story was bad, but I was just never drawn to them and didn’t connect to them for some reason.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

This story starts out with Sam Owens and Sophie “Red” McDonald already sleeping together in a friends with benefits relationship, unbeknownst to their friends.

Sam has returned to his small hometown from the service and started up his own business. He was welcomed back as a military hero. He’s supposedly had a crush on Red since they were kids.

Sophie is a psychotherapist. Her upbringing caused her to want to fix everything and everyone. She agreed to Sam’s no strings attached relationship, went along with it for over a year and then decided she wanted more.

I had so many issues with this book. It’s written in dual POV. LOTS of talking in their heads, more hers than his. Every time they hooked up he picked her up on his bike with a blanket roll on the back, some bread and cheese and they headed out for some back road or vineyard for a quickie. Sam supposedly couldn’t survive without Red in his life but she knew nothing about him, even having grown up with him. Everything was superficial, supposedly to protect her. Military inaccuracies, nursing home inaccuracies. Red’s focus on finding “her” house above anything else, her treatment of Sam. Do you really think it’s possible to keep the fact you have a friends with benefits relationship going on for over a year quiet in a small town, and within a supposedly pretty tight knit group of friends?

I never felt their connection. She was pushy and he was a hot mess.

The story actually ends at 74%. The rest is excerpts from the first two books in the series and blurbs from 4 books in another series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher

A great story of love on many levels. Red and Sam have an interesting relationship that blooms into something special. It was nice to watch the story unfold as they dealt with challenges many have faced.
Lots of great characters in a beautiful setting. Great details to help you paint a scene in your mind. I want to read the whole series for sure! Can't go wrong when the setting is wine country!!

When I requested this book from Net Galley, I didn’t realize it was book 3 of a series. I prefer reading a series from the beginning, even when the author and/or publisher says the story can be read a standalone. To be fair, I didn’t see anything stating this particular book could be a standalone, I’m just explaining my reading habits. Because I had requested the book and received the ARC, I didn’t feel right not reviewing the book. I figured that if my only beef ended up being that some story points were lost due to not reading the two previous books I would write a review but not rate it on Goodreads or Amazon with a star value. (One of my pet peeves is when people rate a book 1 star and say “I don’t like romance.” Well, they why did you decide to read the book? Ugh!)

There were a couple of things that could have been more fleshed out with the characters of Sam and Red if I had read the previous stories, but I don’t think it really affected the story too much for me. Most people who read regularly will catch on pretty quickly without having to be told exactly how things are working. Unfortunately, there were so many other issues with this book that have nothing to do with any pieces I may be missing. Therefore, I decided to rate the story by those merits alone.

Before I get into the problems I had with the story, let me tell you that I love Sam. He has some issues and at first seems like he won’t be a very likable guy. Once we get to see the inner workings of his mind a bit more and get to know the depth of his feelings for Red (even though she has no idea really) he really endeared himself to me. And although, as you’ll learn soon, I wasn’t a huge fan of Red, I know she really cares about Sam and isn’t a bad person. Plus, I really loved the character of Manny. From what I gather his story was told in the first book of this series.

Now the not-so-good stuff. I’m not going to go through the book and pick apart every little detail that was driving me crazy. Just know that if this author actually has close family in the military I would be surprised. There are quite a few things that are inaccurate, some drastically. I understand changing things up a bit to serve the story. Yet some of the areas where things were incorrect could have had true to reality information without changing the story in any way. This is something I feel strongly about with all the military in my family.

Then we have Red. Although later in the story she acknowledges, at least to herself, that she had gone about things in an inappropriate manner, her pushing and pushing at Sam drove me crazy! (No pun intended.) She came across as judgmental and snobbish with the way she treated him. That, along with her blindness to anything other than “her house”, was enough to turn me against her. It’s quite dangerous to a story when the reader is not rooting for the heroine through a good portion of the book.

Last, the way the nursing home situation was handled was so outlandish I couldn’t even believe the author thought it was okay to include it in the story. I’m sure there are plenty of cases that a resident of a nursing home or assisted living center is not a good fit for particular person. But in this story the facility was absolutely at fault for the events that were occurring. The residents are their responsibility. If this is how a nursing home was allowed to act there would be a lot of people with no place to live. I know I’m being vague but I hate spoilers. I already feel I gave too much away with this paragraph. I can only say that the part of the book I’m talking about here put the nail in the coffin on this story for me.

As much as I liked Manny in this story, I don’t believe I will be going back to read this series from the beginning. I can see where many people would enjoy this story. But I have too much background knowledge on military matters and healthcare matters to be able to ignore the blunders I came across while reading this one.

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine by Heather Heyford
Oregon Wine Country #3

Sophia “Red” McDonald and Sam Owens have been friends with benefits for some time when this book begins. Both were happy with the arrangement UNTIL Red started to have feelings and wanted more. Sam is ex-military with PTSD from childhood and his time in the service. Red has a PhD in psychology, has done therapy herself to deal with her abandonment by both parents, and she helps others in her job and any time she has the opportunity. She is a fixer and eager to listen – and she wants to hear what Sam is not saying. Sam is more than willing to be in the moment without talking about his past and yet he really likes Red and he is filled with secrets – one that is almost a deal breaker. Red is a person who dreams and saves ideas and one of her dreams is to settle down in her dream house because she is sure finding “the house” will make everything right – no matter what anyone tells her. Red’s desires and demands for the relationship to progress and Sam’s secrets might destroy what they have…or…dealing with the issues they face may just provide healing and a HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Lyrical Shine for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4.5 Stars

There is a place where the wine flows freely. The people care deeply and the setting is as beautiful as the romances that develop there. It's Clarkston, Oregon, better known as Oregon wine country to Heather Heyford fans. Kisses Sweeter than Wine provides the chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones as well. Sam and Sophia bring modern to an otherwise small town. He's a soldier with a wounded heart. She's an independent woman with no plans to change. Can his broken heart break the walls she's erected around hers? Sweet memories are a priority when a Heather Heyford novel is close at hand.

An excellent book. This story deals with a lot of issues but at the core of the story the message of following your heart and fighting for what you want rang out to me. Sam Owens has seen and experienced a lot in his life. Years of active service got him away from an awful childhood home but left just as many scars on his soul. Sophia/Red and Sam have known each other all their lives. When they start what is suppose to be a no strings hookup everyone is happy with the arrangement. Then Sophia's feelings begin to change and she wants more. Will she ever be able to get through to Sam??

A very well done book with great characters and an excellent story. Definitely a book I recommend.

3-3.5 stars - This is a friends to lovers story that begins in the middle. The two friends are already sleeping together when the story begins. So this is primarily a story about self acceptance and owning up to your true feelings.

The hero has PTSD and that's in addition to a childhood that you wouldn't wish on an enemy. The heroine never had much growing up in a trailer, but she always had her grandmothers love. Abandoned by both parents, she became a therapist to make sense of her childhood and help others in need. The story breaks down for me, and this only scores 3-3.5 stars, because I never got invested in the characters. Likewise, as good as the therapist is lauded to be by everyone in town, she seems like a loon to me. For example, for the beginning half of the story she frequently drives around looking for a house she saw as a kid. Then finding the house, she decides to peer through the windows and trying to open the front door which is secured with a deadbolt - sans invitation or knocking mind you - and there's even someone's truck in the yard while she's trespassing. I'm reading this and thinking, "what are you doing crazy lady!"

There is a HEA, a bit of skimmed over sexy time and no cliffhanger. All in all the story wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read the previous stories of this series, and have enjoyed them not only for their storyline , but because of their deeper message.
I have to confess, that it wasn’t till about 1/3 of the way into the story that I got into it. Basically, because from the beginning the couple is already having a friends with benefits relationship without the knowledge of their friends. Red, the female character, changes the rules and of course Sam, the male character, is not happy with the change. All that said the story picks up and , once again, it was the deeper , subplot the author presents, was what really got to me.
These are two individuals whose childhood was less than ideal. Even though they have risen above and beyond what would have been expected of them, they still carry the emotional scars. Even more so Sam, a highly decorated ex-military Captain, that was also in the Intelligence side (aka spy) and suffered even deeper scars.
This is a story not only about heartaches, dysfunctional families, dementia, emotional scars, but also about hope , faith, and love.
Truly another winner from this very talented author/
I was gifted this copy by Netgalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

3☆
What I liked:
The writing style
The humor
Standalone
HEA

I will post the link to my review on Amazon when the book goes live.