Does Mackenzie really have it all? She has a great husband, a lovely home, and an envious job as a winemaker. Then the cracks appear. Mackenzie and her husband, Rhys, decide to divorce and she is suddenly left without a home, family, or job. Does Mackenzie go on her own or does she stay with a family that loves her and do a job for a family that is no longer hers. Oh, there is also her mother in law, Barbara, that will sabotage her at every turn to keep Mackenzie from getting any of the family business.

Once again Susan Mallery writes a story where the main character is so likable that you would give your right arm to be friends with. This book would be best read by a fire while sipping a glass of wine.

I read all of Susan Mallery's Fools' Gold books. I feel those are more contemporary romance, and this book is more women's fiction although there is some romance. The two main female characters adjusted to big changes in their lives and learned to re-define family.

This book can be read as a stand-alone; however, Bruno did appear in a previous book by this author. I liked how the author established the setting, and I could picture myself walking among the grapes. I have already went back and re-read the story.

If you looked at it from the outside, Mackenzie Dienes really does seem to have it all. A job she adores, a handsome husband, and a family that has welcomed this orphan into their ranks. But if you look a little harder, you'll see that there are cracks in the perfection. Yes, she has been working her ass off to develop the family's wines but there always seems to be something keeping her from truly becoming a part of the family legacy. Then there's the fact that she and her husband haven't really been together in years. And she is somewhat doubting whether it was ever truly a love match.

When she has the chance to reach for her dreams, it threatens to upend her entire life.
Like many of Mallery's non-series books of late, this book is a little lighter on the romance and more on the plot development. Even with the plot development, the book was a slooooooow build and I kept putting the book down and picking it up again trying to figure out why we needed exactly so much back story. I wish we could have learned more about some of the other characters - the main focus was on Mackenzie with a bit more about her best friend/sister-in-law Stephanie. It did eventually pay off with a satisfying ending.

Three stars
This book comes out February 9th
ARC kindly provided by HQN and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Mackenzie worked at the vineyard for 16 years as part of the family but not. When her marriage ends, her mother in law makes life difficult ARC from NetGalley.

This is a very involved book. There are a lot of characters in this book. Mackenzie is the central character and then the rest of the family she is married into. It’s not a happy family. There’s a lot of moving parts to the story but it’s easy enough to follow. Lots of family drama. It’s kind of like reading a soap opera. I enjoyed it though and really enjoyed the ending. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is a book about family, love, and revenge. Susan Mallery has another hit with this novel, I couldn't put it down. Thank you netgalley for an ARC.

Mackenzie Dienes is a very talented winemaker, who has been married for a number of years to Rhys, one of the owners of Bel Après Winery. His mother, Barbara, is the real power behind the winery, and she makes it abundantly clear that spouses will never be owners in this family-run winery. Mackenzie just wants to be part of the family, and she and Rhys are more roommates than spouses, as they haven’t shared a bed in five years. They finally reach the point where they realize that there is more to life than staying married to a roommate, instead of to someone who is an actual partner willing to share all aspects of life with you. Rhys has had a long time to think about things and he is ready to move on, but it comes as a shock to Mackenzie and she is reeling.

When she accepts that she and Rhys are divorcing, she has some major decisions to make regarding the direction that her life will take. She gets help in expected and unexpected places, and as things start looking up for Mackenzie, things take a turn for the worse with Barbara. As Barbara spirals downhill into despair, she makes some choices that have long-term ramifications for her life.

This book starts with a slow build-up, as readers learn about each of the major players in this story. However, there comes a time when this book becomes extremely compelling and gets very tough to put down. Susan Mallery weaves the threads of each life together so expertly, that this book ascends from the masses of good stories being published regularly to the distinctive strata occupied by phenomenal stories. These characters are multi-faceted and complex, and the reader gets drawn into the flaws as well as the beautiful attributes of each one. Readers will find beauty and wisdom and strength in certain characters, and jealousy and insecurity and weakness in others.

The pacing starts off slowly, until it reaches a certain point where it doesn’t let up. The conflicts and motivations are clearly defined for each major character, and the story arc is richly detailed and feels fully realized. The complexity of the major characters is part of what makes this story so compelling. These characters are memorable, and readers will be reflecting on them long after finishing this book.

The Vineyard at Painted Moon
by Susan Mallery
HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada)
HQN
Romance | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 09 Feb 2021 | Archive Date 09 Mar 2021

Admittedly, I read all the books Susan Mallery writes... but I loved this book! Felt fresh and interesting. Kept me reading throughout the day. Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. It helps me give guidance when the book is released.

5 STARS

Another win for Susan Mallery, who (IMO) is at the top of her genre! She will make you cry, laugh, and believe in the power of love. Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this title.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I love all of Mallerys books but I just could not get into this one.

Our readers always ask for new books by Susan Mallery and I'm sure this one will be a popular addition to our library. While it is an interesting story, it was a sad one in many ways. Several of the characters were very unlikeable. I wish the ending had not been quite so abrupt. Mallery could have smoothed out more of the tangled threads.

This book is women’s fiction with a bit of romance, so isn’t as lighthearted as most of Mallery’s novels. The Vineyard at Painted Moon opens with an extremely happy event that shines a light on the holes in the lives of two sisters-in-law and best friends. Mackenzie and Stephanie both work at the family’s vineyard, which is ruled by Stephanie’s mother. Both friends are in both professional and relational ruts, but change comes at a price. Mallery expertly weaves information about vineyards and making wine with the story of personal growth. While Bruno was a minor character in Sisters by Choice, this is a stand alone novel.

Spoiler alert: I enjoyed reading the development of Stephanie’s and Mackenzie’s characters, but for me the mother became an over-the-top caricature and brought the book down. That being said, I respect Mallery’s decision in the resolution of the mother’s storyline.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Classic Susan Mallery! What a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Definitely recommend adding this to your TBR shelf.

Thank you #netgalley and #harelquin-trade for the opportunity to read this eARC.

An in-depth look at a family and the winery they have run for generations. Mackenzie needs to figure out who she is and where she belongs when the family she married into is no longer hers. I loved the family values and the friendships that lasted, and was disturbed by the evil of Barbara and Lori; I was waiting for them to come to some sort of realization of how wrong they were, but that never happened. Mackenzie did find where she belonged and is happy and content , which is the way endings should be.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of this book. My review is my own.

There is so much going on in this story for a woman who is faced with starting a completely new life when her husband and she decide to divorce. Her whole image of herself is shattered, along with her job, her relationships, and her home. Well worth the read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The book follows Mackenzie, a winemaker in Washington state, as she realizes that not only is her marriage not what she thought and her relationship with her mother in law, and her place in the family winery were a mockery. She must reevaluate and learn to create a life true to herself. Her sister in law, Stephanie follows a similar theme. The characters are well drawn and the plot and subplots are classic Mallery: engrossing and ultimately satisfying.

Another awesome Susan Mallery story with family love, dysfunction and healing. If wine isn't your thing it doesn't matter. The story is still really good.

I love Susan Mallerys books. Her style, her ease of friendships, her small town, bog characters.
Every book gets better and better !

Susan Mallery is a gifted storyteller and this book is definitely another to add to her collection. I did begin to read this book and I thought it was a romance, and I found out soon that I was wrong. This is one of her women’s fiction books so it has more complicated life issues throughout the plot, with just a touch of romance. Although I was looking forward to a light, easy read, this book full of difficult life circumstances, was still enjoyable.

Ms. Mallery creates well rounded, true to life characters. Almost each character is going through life changing situations. The characters are mainly strong women, which in most cases is a good thing. Unfortunately, one character builds her strength to the equivalent of a brick wall and nothing good comes from that.

The plots are well interwoven and the story flowed very smoothly. I was drawn into the book immediately and this was a page-turner for me, to see how the book would end.

I want to thank NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for allowing me to read the advanced reader copy of this book with no obligation to write a review. My review is my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

Mackenzie was openly acknowledged as the daughter of my heart by her mother-in-law Barbara the matriarch of this family of vintners. When Mackenzie married the only son Rhys she was immediately enveloped in this wonderful close family with whom she shared knowledge and affection for the business of harvesting and processing wines. There was no doubt that Mackenzie was going to be a great asset to the business and of course the family.
You know there is an expression – the blush is off the rose. Well I couldn’t help thinking of that phrase when I started reading THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON. Susan Mallery doesn’t mince words or suffer fools and so there is little or no subterfuge in THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON. From the first page Susan Mallery alerts you to the fact that not all is what it seems. And then truth begins to unfold before our very eyes. That blush was diminishing from the marriage of Mackenzie and Rhys even if they were reluctant to admit it. Mackenzie describes it as a routine and a life but not really a marriage.
The Annual Summer Solstice Party at Bel Après seemed to be a very pivotal moment for this family. Observing relationships and emotions looking closely this was pretty evident. But in THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON you don’t have to look very hard to see that change is on the horizon. Not sure if that is good or bad but it is definitely going to be impactful on this family and their business.
Have you ever looked at a family owned and operated enterprise with envy? It looks so idyllic – on the surface. But in THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON Susan Mallery takes us behind the scenes and much of that is really eye opening and juicy like really good gossip.
After many years of marriage Mackenzie would be the first person to admit that not much of what she has and who she is belongs to her. Ownership has never been important. She loves what she does and is paid well. But perhaps that is the gnawing insecurity that pierces her mind on occasion. Mackenzie considers herself an employee. She has love and respect for the folks at Bel Après but no ownership. Her marriage lacks romance – more like a wonderful friendship in reality. If she were to leave Bel Après just what would she take along? What is hers? And why now is she starting to think about the prospect of leaving.
Mackenzie isn’t the only character forced to take an honest look at themselves in THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON. It seems as if each member of the family and extended family is finally going to make an unguarded assessment of their life and expectations. Some will fall short and others will surpass those expectations.
THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON is a prime example of the talent of Susan Mallery. THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON is a study of human relationships, emotions, expectations and spirit. We meet some wonderful multidimensional characters complete with flaws and witness some of their best and worst moments. Susan Mallery paints this tapestry with an awareness of their joys and sadness. Life is full of ups and downs and so is THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON. This is what fans of Susan Mallery expect and in THE VINEYARD AT PAINTED MOON she delivers with panache.