Tricia Stringer has done it again! Loved everything about this book, absolutely fabulous and highly recommend to others.

I have had this one sitting on my TBR pile for a while now, and have really enjoyed other books by Tricia Stringer, I do enjoy a good rural romance and this one I did as well, although it took me a bit to get into this one and to get to know the characters but once I did there was no putting the book down the setting is just so beautiful, I really need to visit the Margaret River area in Western Australia.

Keely Mitchell is a high school art teacher from South Australia she still lives at home with her parents and has decided that it is time that she has a holiday on her own she is off to Western Australia and plans to head up north but once she arrives in Perth things don’t go as planned when she ends up in hospital and is taken to the Margaret River vineyard by Euan Levallier to recuperate, here Keely will find peace and happiness and maybe love.

Euan has lived in this beautiful area for many years he is widowed and with his son Flynn they run and own Levallier Dell Wines a very popular winery they make award winning wines but he and Flynn don’t always see eye to eye on the way the future should go.

It is not long before Keely is feeling much better and is helping on the vineyard and making friends with Flynn but there is a lot of tension between father and son and with Flynn also getting closer to neighbour Kat Keely’s emotions are all over the place. When she is offered relief work at the local high school past memories are bought to a head.

Levallier Dell on the river in this beautiful area seems to have healing powers for Keely and she is loving being here, her art is helping but will she move on or will things turn out for the better, this one was hard to put down there are lots of emotions running throughout the story so many characters that add to the story the grumpy neighbour the interfering friend, but the journey for Keely and Flynn to find that happiness and love was an uphill battle, but so worth it. I do highly recommend this one.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy to read and review

Over ten years ago, Tricia self published a short story which has now been refurbished into ‘Something in the Wine’. This story is set in the glorious Western Australian wine region of Margaret River. In essence, this is a sweet tale of learning to follow your heart.

This is an easy read, incorporating family dynamics and romance. I think the real enticement here though, is the wine growing region itself. Tricia beautifully captures the locality from the vines to the coast, including the flow of tourism to the area. If you are at all interested in wine making then this is the book for you! Much research has been undertaken and it is very interesting to learn about grape growing and the problems that can arise. It provides a wonderful backdrop to a story that was quite simple.

I struggled with some of the characters. I found the main female lead, Keely, to be too meek (given her age) especially when dealing with her parents. Also, as many other reviewers have noted, the family bickering between father/son and neighbouring wine growers, grew a little thin at times.

So whilst not my favourite Tricia Stringer book, it still makes for a interesting rural read, inclusive of all the necessary ingredients of fear and hope, rejection and love and the journey to learn to follow your heart and do what makes you happy.

“I was a little girl then.”
“The same Katerina lives within.” He reached across and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Follow your heart.”



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

I was a little bit disappointed with this read, I read to the end but not because it was grabbing my attention but I used it as a sleeping tablet to stop my brain before bed. You might think that is harsh but it's the truth and I give my true review of each book I read. The characters had the potential to be great but the storytelling was a bit slow and repetitive at times. I would not call it a rural romance at all it was just a rural story what I really loved with the setting of the story as it's a play I would love to visit. I have been to Perth so I could visualise what the author was describing as the places I had been to and just dreamed of the countryside she was describing in the lovely wine country of the Murry River.

I did read at the end that this is a rewrite of an old book by this author so this might explain the missing depth of this story. I still have it a three-star review as it was readable but just not to a high level that I expected by this author. Then the ending of this book was the complete opposite of the whole book it was super fast.

Keely Mitchell has left her home and her job to travel the Western Australia state with her first point of call being Peth than to travel up the coast to all the places her beloved Grandfather spoke about. Great plan but as we know the best plans can always have a few bumps in the road, with a trip to the hospital on her very first night Keely finds herself needing help and somewhere to recuperate. She soon finds herself at a Margaret River vineyard with the kind man she meets on the plane.

Flynn Levallier has been running his family vineyard "Levallier Dell Wines" while his dad Eaun has been away. Father and son do not agree on how to run the family winery and butt head throughout the books. Flynn has dreams of new wines but his father wants things done his way the old way.

Can Keely help the two Levallier man to work together for the best of the vineyard while she is visiting or will she just keep hiding the true reason for her holiday from her real life?

We will travel the journey of two vineyards and two families of the Margaret River and the small town that help with the growing tourist industry of this region.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re looking for a straight rural romance then Something In The Wine is not the book for you. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a wonderful Australian rural story with romantic elements, something that is complex and layered and filled with intriguing secondary plots and well rounded characters, then look no further.
This book is not a fast read, but nonetheless it drew me into the lives of the family, friends and neighbours of the Levaliers. Set in Margaret River, Western Australia, this story gives readers a tantalising glimpse of the beautiful countryside in and around that part of the world. I’ve never been there but having read Something In The Wine, I have added Margaret River to my travel bucket list.
I think it was the characters who really drew me into this book. Keely is very much the star of this show. She is clearly trying to get away from something and perhaps rediscover her inner self as she sets off on her Western Australian holiday and I certainly felt like holding her hand and helping her at times. As I got to know Keely I sensed that she was facing a crisis of confidence of some sort, though at first I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. I loved the way she slowly integrated into life at Levalier Dell, learned to lean on Euan, whom she’d met on her flight to Perth and who reminded her of her grandfather.
His son Flynn was another matter altogether and I watched with fascination as he and Keely danced around each other, firstly avoiding each other and then demonstrating the art of miscommunication to a T. While Flynn is the hero of Keely’s story, there were so many times I wanted to clip him around the ears and tell him to show Keely how he felt about her. For a smart man he was unbelievably inept at sharing emotions.
I felt for both Euan and his neighbour Theo, both talented winemakers but at loggerheads over each other’s approach to the business. There were other characters who stood out for me, among them Euan’s sister Maggie. Around each of these people little stories swirled, yet all were intertwined in the overarching story.
This book is so well structured. It is clear author Tricia Stringer has done her homework. She did an excellent job of giving enough information about the winemaking process and the wines of the Margaret River region to demonstrate her knowledge and make the story believable without forcing information down my throat. I came away feeling I’d learned something as well as having enjoyed the story.

Keeley Mitchell is just starting out on her Australian adventure. At 27 years of age, she’s never lived away from home and she’s excited to leave her stifling life. But on her first night in Perth she is struck down with a medical condition. Not wanting to admit defeat to her parents, she remembered the kind gentleman called Euan on the plane giving her his contact details. So it’s on his winery property in Margaret River that she finds herself recuperating.
And here Keeley finds herself caught up in life on the winery and the tensions between father and son with old and new ideas.

I really enjoyed this gentle book, as Keeley finds herself and has the strength to make certain decisions. I haven’t been to the Margaret River but being familiar with the South Australian wine regions, I could imagine the setting described well.
A very easy read and one I wished I had the time to just sit and get caught up in for a number of hours. Unfortunately life got in the way but it was easy to pick up and become immersed quickly.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

This is my first read by this author and it had many ups and downs for me.
Overall I enjoyed the story but at times I think it dragged on. I guess I have no real interest in wine, I was just invested in the characters stories. Everyone seemed to be squabbling all the time, some lighter moments would probably have kept me glued to my kindle more.
It sounds like a beautiful area on the other side of Australia and the author gave us a wonderful insight to the country life.

OK, I know I'm going to be in the minority here, but I did not like this book. I was excited to get a hold of a copy after reading Tricia Stringer's 'Table For Eight', but this offering has none of that book's charm.

Keely has travelled to Western Australia, obviously to get away from something in her past, when she finds herself in hospital, and then is at the mercy of a stranger. Euan runs a winery in the Margaret River with his son Flynn, and he kindly offers Keely a place to stay while she recovers. Keely finds herself becoming immersed in the local lifestyle and falling for Flynn.

All standard rural romance fare, so what didn't I like about it? Well father and son are at odds on how to proceed with the winery, all well and good, but they spend the entire book bickering, and it got very tedious. I also found Keely far too timid to be an engaging heroine, I much preferred lively neighbour Kat. Add to this an amateurish plotline and clunky dialogue and for me the writing was on the wall. Even the subplots designed to add drama felt flat. Plus everyone seemed to be under pressure from others expectations all the time. There was no light moments at all to counteract all the seriousness.

I wont write this author off just yet, as I really did enjoy 'Table For Eight', but this book didn't work for me. However others have rated it highly, so please make up your own minds about it.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Keely Mitchell was looking forward to her holiday in WA; to following her dreams and going where she wanted. But the day of her arrival in Perth, she had an unexpected medical emergency and it was only luck that had her remembering the note with the phone number in her jeans pocket. Heading to Margaret River was the last thing she thought she’d be doing, but recuperation was paramount and her respite at Levallier Dell Wines seemed fortuitous.

As Keely slowly regained her strength, her discomfort at the situation in the face of the father and son who quite obviously didn’t see eye to eye was enough to make her want to leave. But gradually, the beauty of the vineyard; the wine and food; the friendliness of the locals – all made Keely realise she loved the area. But of course she couldn’t stay. Her sketches and jewellery making kept her occupied, but she wasn’t sure it was enough.

Would Keely leave Levallier Dell with just her memories to add to her holiday experiences? Or was there more, much more that she could experience?

Another fabulous read from the pen of Aussie author Tricia Stringer! I thoroughly enjoyed Something in the Wine, as I have all this author’s work. Her descriptions are so well painted, even though I’ve never been to the area, I could visualize it all. I could see the volatile and passionate neighbour Theo; the gossiping café owner; the frustrations of both father and son – all written in an easy-to-read way. An excellent novel which I have no trouble recommending.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really sweet story set in the Margaret River wine making area of Western Australia. The setting is sublime and is described so well. It really made me want to visit and as soon as possible. The other thing Tricia did well is her knowledge of wine making, I also wanted to taste the wines she describes. She also creates a cast of lovely characters including of course, Keely and Flynn but also their extended families. The romance is a very slow burn but they get there in the end. I enjoyed it..

Keely escapes the trappings of her stressful job-life with a holiday around WA. Only nothing goes to plan, and she finds herself befriending Euan 'Scarecrow' Levallier Dell, which is mistaken for a romance by his aloof and distanced son Flynn. Ensuing attraction between characters and many hit and miss moments in between made for an entertaining read. Many likeable characters in the story added emphasis to what was a good read depicted against the backdrop of the Margaret River vineyards. Another good read by author Tricia Stringer.
Review copy received from Harlequin MIRA via Netgalley

Keely Mitchell has taken three months off from her teaching career in South Australia with the intention of traveling north up the coast of WA. Instead she finds herself recuperating from a medical emergency and accepts an offer from Euan Levallier, a friendly stranger she met on the plane, to come and stay with him and his son Flynn at his winery in Margaret River. As she recovers, she finds herself getting involved in the life of the town and helping out in the winery. She also can't help noticing the tension between Euan and his son as Flynn wants to try out new wines and techniques and Euan wants to stick with what has worked for them so far.

This was an enjoyable romance set in the vines of Margaret River. It's a beautiful region I have stayed in many times and I felt the author got the vibe of the district, the tourism, the surf beaches and the local people just right. She was also very well informed on grape growing and wine making and the problems that wine makers face and this made for an interesting backdrop to the story. It was good to see Keely's personality growing as she fell in love with the town and its people so that she had the strength to face up to the things in her life that were making her unhappy before and look ahead to a much happier future.