I usually do not give out one star reviews, but after seeing a distasteful, arguably racist comment made by the MMC, I could not continue further with this book. Immigrants have been facing issues in America much longer than just this year, and to include the MMC making a “joke” about visas left a bitter taste in my mouth. Please do better and realize people’s livelihoods and awful experiences are not punchlines.

So the choice to send this out to readers was not a good one. To continue on with publishing after the author decided not to take out racist content, was a poor move on Bloom’s part. But ultimately, the author’s decision to make that part of the story in the first place is diabolical.

As others have stated, the disgusting line in the book about "questionable visas" and the fact that the author has not apologized or said she regrets putting that in, I will not be finishing this book. I will not support this author in the future based not only on what she wrote but because of how she reacted to her critics - unacceptable.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited by the description of this book. I had heard some of this author's other books were good, but unfortunately, this book was very off-putting to me with the insinuations (racism) and references and support to people in today's world that are controversial.

Perhaps the author meant this for certain politically inclined people, but I was very disappointed and will not try reading another one of her books.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I give this book 0 stars. The things I read in this book made me question if somebody even edited this book beforehand. Very disgustingly racist book. Won’t be recommending it.

Sophie lark… this book was incredible. I am a huge fan of the brutal prince series and this was *chefs kiss* - yes please, thank you!!!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Source Books Bloom books for the ARC to review; However, this book has been pulled due to problematic and racist content that I do not want to support. Maybe if the edits are done and the author gives a better apology. 2024 is not so long ago that the comments aren't offensive. Thank you.

As many others have stated, the authors gross negligence is what ruins this book. I've read a few other books by the other and liked them so this was quite shocking to me to see her make such hurtful comments toward certain minorities. I DNF'ed this book before I even made it half way through.

Hi, due to light being shed on certain lines in this book. I do not feel like it aligns with me, morally. So I will leave this as my 1 star review (bc it’s making me) otherwise I’d leave it unrated until SL rewrites.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

THANK YOU so much for an ARC copy of this book! This was my first Sophie Lark book and I want to read MORE!
This was a solid 3.50 star book for me. It wasn't super revolutionary but I really enjoyed the relationship between Sadie and Monroe and how it progressed. I felt like the ending was a bit rushed in how the big issue was solved, and it almost felt too easy. I figured early on this would at least be a trilogy with each sister pairing up with one of the (other families) brothers. I am excited to keep going because I think Heath and Hazel will be AMAZING together!

I did read the statements about the racist and hurtful things in this book. Those comments aren’t okay, a political agenda was definitely a poor choice. I’m reviewing this book as if these elements have been removed. Thank you, NetGalley and Bloom Books for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.

Sadie Sparrow, the FMC has returned to the family vineyard to help with it since the family is dealing with the grandfather’s dementia. Monroe Beaumont is the MMC who is one of the descendants that also has claim to the land, but his grandfather is also dying. There is a trust that could be unlocked if a person from the Sparrow family and the Beaumont family married, so this brings in the marriage of convenience trope.

The writing was okay, but not great. It felt kind of amateurish, and used many lines over and over, and the banter felt forced. The character development had some depth, but they still felt a bit shallow. If the racist comments aren’t removed, I can’t honestly recommend this to anyone. Even if the comments are removed, I would only give this book a 3 star rating. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

Thank you for selecting me for this ARC. Unfortunately, I am not comfortable reading and reviewing it as it is due to the racial dialogue present. I'd be happy to read and review the revised copy when it is completed. Thank you for your understanding!

Overall very disappointed... and that genuinely breaks my heart considering Sophie Lark has been one of my favorite authors for quite some time. With whats going on in the world right now, I can't get behind reading Elon Musk propaganda. Nor can I look past some of the blatantly racist remarks.

As a woman with Hispanic roots, this book doesn’t align with representation that I can support. It’s tone deaf and belittling of the contributions that migrants make to our society. Its support of Musk, who is dismantling our government and affecting the livelihood of many in order to increase his wealth is also appalling.

Sparrow and Vine by Sophie Lark

Summary:
The wedding that never was…
Sadie Sparrow loves the beautiful overgrown winery of Sparrow and Vine. It's her family home, and she's willing to do anything to inherit it: even marry her worst enemy. It's the only possible solution. Or at least, Monroe Beaumont makes it seem that way when he corners Sadie with his offer. Intimidation is what Monroe does best for the pack of pirates he calls brothers. And after all…somebody has to get married to unlock the family trust.
Sadie's sisters are furious. They're sure that everything they love is about to be stolen from them by Beaumonts. But Sadie's the one who actually has to live with one of them. The biggest one…who smells like cinnamon and insists on sharing a bed… Sadie's always known she'd have to fight for Sparrow and Vine. She just didn't know she'd be fighting her own husband...

Review: 4-Star
While this story has so much that makes it a winner, it’s not a page-turner. I was able to sit the book down for over a week, before picking it up and finishing. The editing, flow, character development is all spot on, but it’s just has that spark missing which turns the story into a page-turner that you can’t put down.

Conclusion:
Would I buy this book for a friend? YES
Would I recommend this book to others? YES
Would I read more books written by this Author? YES

This author has written very disgusting things in the book and I hope to never see her on NetGalley again.

I thought the premise would be great but the racist remarks and also the overall gist that both just immediately don’t trust people in their lives but each other - who they just met. It’s just not it.

The racist comments + Elon Musk praise was NOT it. I was so excited to read this and was so disappointed. Thank you netgalley for giving me this ARC but unfortunately it was not a good read :(

I wasn't the biggest fan of the Brutal Prince series but I've heard a lot of praise for Sopgie Lark's books. So I decided to give this a second shot but the racist comments truly distorted my enjoyment.

So the racism and Elon Musk worship are a major ick and reason enough not to finish.

This one had a lot of potential. I loved the setting and the idea of the family rivalry. However, the romance just didn’t hold up for me. At the beginning, Monroe says that Sadie is nothing special and it’s alluded that these families don’t get along.

Suddenly, the two main characters trust each other over their siblings and families without us seeing them actually build their relationship. It felt very insta-love without building on their connection and relationship. We hear very little about their background and relationship before the book and honestly I was more interested in what was going on with the other siblings (who I’m sure will be the main characters in the next books).

For the length of the book, the resolution felt rushed and the decisions made were confusing and felt like they were not aligned with what we had previously learned about the characters. The epilogue was cute and definitely sets up for more questions for the rest of the series.