A light and easy read historical fantasy. I enjoyed the world building, felt like a bit of a good mesh of Deborah Harkness' 'A Discovery of Witches' and Joanne Harris' 'Chocolat' but with the more unusual setting of a vineyard. I liked most of the characters, it's just that most of the character interactions were a bit flat. There was lots of build up to all sorts of potentially exciting scenes, romantic as well as confrontations with suspected enemies, but it was all rather anticlimactic and a little predictable. I am intrigued enough to see the world building hopefully developed more and expanded on, and curious to see what happens next, especially with the two female fellow witches the main character meets towards the end of the novel.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

3.5 Stars

THE VINE WITCH is one of those books that immerses you in its setting, historical with a touch of fantasy. The characters are likable with a mystery and touch of danger that keeps the story engaging from beginning to end. Recommended to historical fantasy readers who like their stories on the lighter side.

This reminded me just a little of A Discovery of Witches. It has that same kind of old world feel with a mystery that unfolds as the protagonist, Elena, comes back to herself after a spell. She finds a man has taken over her beloved Château Renard vineyards and she has to piece together what happened and find who cursed her. There are plenty of twists and the story keeps you guessing as to who exactly the villain is (I had a guess, but then I questioned it). There is romance, but it's a bit of a side story, which was just fine.

I enjoyed both the character development and the plot of this story. I liked the way Elena has to find herself again and then undergoes a bit of character development as she figures things out. I also really liked the whole idea of a vine witch and how they coax the vines with magic while partnering with nature. The magical aspects are woven into the story in almost an instinctual way that just feels natural, and don't become an intense part of the story until the climatic ending. The whole story just builds to it as the pieces fall into place. And that ending... marvelously done.

There were parts of the story that were crude and blunt. There were references to drinking and making love, etc. It's to be somewhat expected in an adult novel, but I would have been okay without the content.

In the end, was it what I wished for? I enjoyed reading this. It was easy to fall into and want to stay until the end. Likable characters and an intriguing plot with just the right amount of romance and magic.

Content: Closed door scene, references to love scenes, drinking.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through the Fantastic Flying Book Club, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.

Loved reading the engaging and enthralling romance. When Elena, a vine witch, breaks free from her curse after 7 years, she comes home and finds out Grandmere sold the winery, and meets the new owner, Jean-Paul, who believes in only scientific methods. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written with captivating characters and a riveting story line.
I reviewed a book through NetGalley.

In the Vine Witch, we meet Elena who has spent the past 7 years under a curse, living as a toad.
She returns to the vineyard where she grew up to find it has been sold to a city lawyer, Jean-Paul, who, because he shuns magic, has been unable to produce a decent bottle of wine. Chemistry blooms between the two of them and he is willing to have her help him, but of course, doesn't want her to use magic.

I loved the idea of there being different kinds of witches that had different connections to different trades. There was a pastry witch also, and there are potion witches and a fire-Jinni.

There is however some black magic going on, with animal exsanguination, and Elena must solve the mystery before she is implicated. I thought a lot of the plot was very predictable, and I could see many of the action points coming a mile off. (so why couldn't they?)

I did like the idea of magic going into making a delicious wine, because maybe it really does, and the bits of French were delightful, but it just didn't quite rise to 4 stars for me. I could maybe go 3.5

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, my opinions are my own.

4/5 stars for this Witchy Fantasy book!

I received this book in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.

I was expecting this book to be a cozy mystery, however it is a bit darker than that genre tends to be. I'm just gonna put this out there....this book will be great for fans of Box of Frogs, and Discovery of Witches! I didn't realize this was going to be a series, but so glad it is! The characters were great, it's just dark enough, and the story was so good! The only downside is having to wait for book 2 ;)

Romance and magic combine in a story set in France that I really should have liked, but found I never quite got into. The world building is strong and the story moves along at a healthy clip but I never found a way to engage. Your mileage may vary, of course.

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

So, I'm not a wine "Snob", so this book wouldn't have been my first choice, but it was both an ARC I received and an Amazon First Pick... However, this book was GOOD and was SO MANY THINGS - romance, historical fiction, murder mystery, etc.- and I loved every bit.

The concept that there are specific witches that focus on specific trades was so interesting, and I'm surprised I don't see it more?? Like, witch-made pastries, wine, clothing, etc. So cool!

The dynamic between Elena and Jean-Paul was sweet and fun; it didn't feel like insta-love, but was borderline.

The murder/mystery/antagonist was pretty obvious, but it was well done how all the plot points tied together.

The story begins with a toad. Elena has been cursed to live her life in a fetid pond as a toad. She figures out a way to break the curse and returns home only to find she’s been gone for seven years and the winery she grew up on has changed hands and is not successful anymore. Her Grand-Mere is still there working for the new owner, John-Paul. Elena agrees to help turn the vineyard around but the new owner tells her that science is best and he won’t allow any magic. She discovers that someone has hexed the vineyard and she must use magic to save it. In the village, animals are being ritually killed and someone is practicing dark magic. Elena investigates but is soon accused of being the dark witch and is imprisoned. She must find a way to prove her innocence and find out who the real dark witch is before she is executed. I’m a wine drinker so I liked the idea of a vintner infusing magic into wine making to create renowned wines. The magic aspects are interesting and I liked the way Elena spoke with the vines and the way she uses magic. The writing style is a bit simplistic but the story telling is good. The only thing I found irritating was the random insertion of words in French. if someone is handling matches just use the word matches, it doesn’t need to be in French. Also, one of the characters kept saying “oh la la” it was annoying. Other than that, I liked the story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A paranormal story about Elaina a vine witch and Jean Paul French winery owner and their problems with the vines. Witches,spells,curses,and demons.
The. Problems are caused by a curse.
Good drama,mystery twist and romance.
Voluntarily reviewed.

This season is perfect for witches' stories and for sure The vine witch has a fall vibe. The unique beginning makes you to fall in love with the story. It is first time when I am reading about a vine witch and her magic and I really enjoyed the plot.

The writing is easy to follow and I love the simplicity of the cover. Though it is a bit predicted, the book catches you in its grip and doesn't let you go till the end. Especially that it has black magic and a twisted ending.

This book has everything you want: romance, mystery and murder in a fantasy world. I am glad I had the opportunity to read this lovely story and I can't wait to read the second book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

In this fun fairy tale novel , a “vine witch” in France at the prior turn of the century is gifted with wine-making magic. Witches in this world can have different kinds of magic, including baking magic; sex magic; or brewery or vineyard magic (I’ll take some of each, please).

Naturally, there is also black magic, with blood and demons and pentagrams. At the beginning of the book, Elena Boureanu, the vine witch of Château Renard—specializing in Pinot Noir–has been turned into a toad by someone using the forbidden black arts, and changes herself back after seven years hopping around in the swamp. Elena vows revenge against her enchanter, who has also hexed her entire vineyard, which was once legendary but hasn’t turned out a decent bottle in precisely seven years. The grapes mold on the vine and the oldest vines are literally depressed. If any grapes are actually harvested, a resident gargoyle pisses on them, just to make sure the wine will be extra sour.

It’s up to Elena to save the vineyard, and the gargoyle is only one difficulty. While Elena was a toad, a distractingly handsome vigneron, Jean-Paul Martel took over the vineyard from her grand-mère, and he isn’t having any of this superstitious magic nonsense with the new Age of Science dawning. Great wine, Jean-Paul insists, is a simple matter of weather, chemistry, and timing. Elena runs into many other magical obstacles as well, but she finds some magical allies along the way, with both astonishing powers and gutsiness in a crisis.
This is Luanne Smith’s debut, and it shows considerable promise within the fantasy genre.

While I was “all in” the Chanceaux Valley, and didn’t want to put the book down for even a minute, I felt that the novel was rushed and possibly over-edited. Elena is a great character but the other characters were insufficiently fleshed out, the romance was rushed, the friendships were rushed, the showdown with the enemy was rushed, the plot twists at the end were rushed. The only aspect of the book that was not rushed was the magic. Various spells are described in scrumptious detail, and I wanted more of the same for the whole book. I hope that in the sequel, "The Glamourist" (to be released in June 2020), the author takes it nice and slow, as her talent certainly warrants.

I was very interested in this title because I just thought it was an interesting idea and I'll be honest I was completely let down I may or may not continue the series it was just not cup of tea and it felt as it drug on. I think I've heard a lot of mixed reviews so I think it's a toss up on how people will feel about it.

There are so many reviews for this already, I can't add any value other than to recommend it for paranormal and fantasy fans.

I really appreciate the copy for review!!

I thought this was a delightful fall read, it added some new elements to the halloween witchy books, but it would also be great any time of year. It completely lived up to its lovely cover and I enjoyed it right from the very opening sentence.

'I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.'

A witch, Elena, tries to rediscover her magical abilities while uncovering the truth about who cursed her and why. A story about love, loss, revenge and betrayal. I love the unique magic system in this book. I haven't read anything similar, at least nothing that I remember. I liked the self discovery Elena had at the end. I hope that it's explored further in the next book. The writing and descriptions were beautifully done. It painted the picture perfectly. Sights, scents and more. The plot was good. A little predictable, but I still really enjoyed the story. Just enough suspense to keep you wanting to read more. I would have enjoyed more relationship building between Jean-Paul and Elena, but that could be because I'm a sucker for romance. The ending was wrapped up nicely and they were finally able to create the perfect wine. Excited to see what's next.

A cute little tale about a vine witch called Elena who just recently turned back into a human after seven years as a frog. She comes back to her "grandmothers" estate and vineyard to find it in bad shape, and quickly sets out to make things right. During her status as a frog her grandmother sold the estate and grounds to a rich man from the city who doesn't believe in the "oldways" e.g. the magic the vine witch has over the vineyard. Seems like magic is well understood in the countryside buy slowly being forgotten about in the city where the people are leaning towards science more and more than the old, traditional (and magic) ways of farming the lands.

Like stated, the story was sort of cute but oh so predicable. I feel like this is my issue with so many books but that is why there has to be some romance? This could have been so good without any romantic elements and the pages could have been more focused on the world Smith has created with the different types of nature witchcraft which I found very thoughtful and entertaining. More witchyness, less boring romance, please!

S U M M A R Y
The Vine Witch is a perfect October read that emanates a spooky, autumnal atmosphere. We follow our main character, Elena after she emerges from a curse that has left her as a toad for the past 7 years. Elena is a vine witch who lives in France tending to the vineyards of Château Renard. When she returns, she finds out the vineyard has been taken over by Jean-Paul, a city man who dismisses the country folk's belief in witchcraft as backward thinking and superstitious. But despite all his knowledge of the science of winemaking- his wine is not working. He will have to put aside what he thinks he knows to save his vines, but more sinister forces are lurking in the shadows.

✔ L I K E S ✔
✔ The magic!
I love love loved the magic in this book. It was so interesting to see the different abilities of all the types of witches!

✔ The atmosphere and descriptions
This is where Smith excels. I could practically taste the wine, smell the goods from the boulangeries, see the historical french landscape.

✗ D I S L I K E S ✗
✗ The characterisation
This book had so much potential for me to love it, but the characters fell flat for me. I didn't feel as if I knew any of them, or cared.

✗ The romance
I know, I'm shocked too. I am usually a sucker for a good romance, but this one just felt as if there was no chemistry. They touched hands once and BOOM they were in love. ugh.

✗ boringggg
It took me so long to finish this, especially considering that this is a relatively short novel. I also found myself skimming it near the end.

O V E R A L L
I wanted to love it. I really did, but I just had a detachment from everything that prevented the book from reaching its full potential. I will continue with the series (because it is only a duology, and I do want to know how Elena and Jean-Paul's story ends.)

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this E-ARC!
2.75 stars

DNF. It's not terrible, but the mystery elements are too predictable and I was getting bored. Your mileage may vary, so check out other reviews.

3.5

The writing style is gorgeous. I loved all the descriptors it really lends itself to wine and witchery.

Our main character Elena is bound to the vineyard from a young age. She helps curate and make the wine taste divine. That is until one day everything literally changes and she is cursed to live as a frog.

She manages to remove said curse and thus beginning the story. I am pleasantly surprised with how enraptured I became. I read it all in one sitting because I had to know how it would end. They mystery elements aren’t hard to figure out but it’s about the journey. And this was an incredible journey.

The romance aspect was really great. I loved how they each had each other’s back.

This is a standalone which I am kind of bummed about because the world with all sorts of different witches is very interesting, so hopefully more will come.

I received a free copy for an honest review from 47North

With her mind lifting from a deep fog, and years of her life stolen; a woman covered in filth and rags vows vengeance on the one who cursed her. But a dark shadow is descending upon the Chanceaux Valley. Conspiracy mixed with the pungent smell of fresh blood lingers in the air over the vineyard of Chateau Renard. If this young witch hopes to have her revenge, she must first survive the impending dangers to come.

From a young age Elena had a way with the earth; feeling the breath of life flowing from each living thing. Her talents, harvested by Chateau Renard’s acclaimed wine vineyard, turned her into a skilled and powerful vine witch; blossoming like a fresh spring harvest.

Or, at least they did until a dark force stripped her of everything she knew. Ambushed by a sorciere and placed under a transmutation curse, Elena fights for years to rid herself free and return home. In order to survive and keep her mind from sinking to a toad, Elena kept two important principles clear: 1) to be sure to eat her shredded yet poisonous skin every day, and 2) take revenge on the one who cursed her.

After seven long painful years, Elena is free but her return home is nothing as she imagined. The famous vineyard Chateau Renard has lost all prestige, and worse, it’s been sold to a disbeliever of the supernatural. A man of science and technology, Jean-Paul Mortel is more than a little surprised by Elena’s claims that Chateau Renard is her home. And against his better judgement, Jean-Paul contracts himself into an agreement with the beautiful and odd cat eyed woman.

With limited access to the world around her and fearful of the one she believes cursed her; Elena must piece together the events of her past if she hopes to survive to enact her plans of vengeance.

Luanne G. Smith’s debut novel, The Vine Witch narrates a riveting and mystical tale of witches during the ‘turn-of-the-century-France’. The language woven into the descriptive imagery and dialogue present a rich introduction into a new world of witchcraft.

I hung onto every word that dripped like honey narrated by Susannah Jones on Audible. Even without the smooth and in-depth voice by Jones that match Elena’s character perfectly, the novel holds it own as one of the most acclaimed new debuts of 2019.

I for one am excited that this book has been made into a series because Elena’s character is powerful. Not only does she recognize how/when to be patient, she also presents the fierceness to find the answers she seeks no matter the danger. Her strong character development and passionate views on the world around her, make her an excellent heroine in this debut novel.

Even the relationship between Jean-Paul is a lovely and natural touch. Their attraction is first pitted off as annoyance and frustration until an outside third party shows the growing feelings between the two.

I greatly appreciate when authors decide to follow the “show, not tell” rule in writing. This simple formatting technique allows readers to be incorporated into the story’s arc direction, instead of being directly told; leaving a feeling of disappointment and lack of awe. The act of being told and not shown further extracts from a key part of a reader’s experience to be fully immersed and committed to a story’s development and characters.

The imagery also immediately deepens and grows as the story progresses. The vivid world building heightens the plot to unravel Elena’s mystery and a more hideous plan brewing in the Chanceaux Valley. The body language that Smith adds to her characters’ behavior and personality flows naturally. Nothing in the novel felt forced or out of place. From Grand-mere’s rubbing of her fingers to test for magic, to Elena’s light touch of the soil; all movements give the essence that magic is taking place.

I highly recommend this fantastic read! I loved every second of it and can't wait for the second installment, The Glamourist.