This family driven novel takes us to the beautiful Tuscan valley where the lush vineyards are the holy grail of life. Fiona learns about an inheritance from a man who is her biological father whom she never met or knew about until recently. Fiona travels from Florida to the quaint town in Tuscany after his death where she meets up with 2 half siblings who are none to happy to learn about her and the rivalries begin.

What begins as shock, Fiona begins her search for the reasons behind the mysterious relationship between her mother and biological father 31 years earlier. Why did her mother not tell her? Why did her father never reach out to her? Fiona grapples for the truth while learning to fall in love with the land herself.

I really enjoyed this novel. Rich detail with the landscape have certainly made me want to book a flight to Italy ASAP! I like plot and character driven books and the dual timelines between the present and 1986 with her mother and father explain their relationship and what happened to ultimately decide this life for Fiona.

This book was recently published on June 1st. Thank you to #netgalley and #lakeunionpublishing for an ARC copy.

Wow!
Julianne MacLean is one of the most amazing authors I have read todate. She always delivers a story that grips and astounds me with its cleverness, pure beauty and absolute readability and this was one such a story.
The emotions it evoked was like a roller coaster, from happiness to tears and back again. The characters are very lifelike and I felt as if I personally knew them.
I definitely enjoyed this one and highly recommend it!
I read an Advance Readers copy of this book and this has been my voluntary and unbiased review of it.

This is a beautiful and captivating tale about one woman’s journey to Tuscany to uncover the secret her parents wanted to keep buried. MacLean deftly explores the double edge sword of secret-keeping. This delightful dual timeline, set in 1986 and 2017, is a tale told from a mother and her daughter’s point of view and focuses on love and family. The love just emanates from the pages, and you’ll be left with a better understanding of sacrificial love.

There have been many stories written about a character who discovers they’ve been left a vast inheritance from previously unknown people, but Julianne MacLean has definitely poured her heart and soul into this tale and given it soul, making it stand out from the rest. Yes, you’ll read about a greedy character with a sense of entitlement, but you’ll also read about a girl who has always put other people’s needs first. A girl who discovers that love is the greatest of all gifts and that her most important inheritance is love. Added to this ‘lovey-dovey’ mix, is a great mystery, full of hairpin turns you won’t see coming, prose with tongue in cheek sarcasm, and the essence of Tuscany with its old-world wines, vineyards and great food. I guarantee you’ll feel the tension and attraction between the main characters and your emotions will take a roller coaster ride as they struggle to make sense of their future.

“What is that you’re wearing? Eau de Gigantic Inheritance?”

Let MacLean sweep you away to Montepulciano where you’ll visit Maurizio Wines, one of the oldest and largest wineries in Tuscany, and have a front-row seat to an emotion-filled love affair. As you turn over the last page, you’ll realize what could have been if characters could turn back time.

One tiny disappointment: the story could have had a plot adjustment and still have shock value without the text ‘message’ episode including a minor.

I was gifted this book by Julianne MacLean, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Fiona starts another day of taking care of her paraplegic father when she receives a phone call from Italy- her biological father has passed away and has written her into his will. Fiona’s mother confessed that her father, Freddie wasn’t her real father on her deathbed years before, but Fiona has never really thought too much about this man. She makes arrangements for care of her father and flies to Tuscany to a town called Moltepulciano. Her biological father, Anton owned a massive vineyard and met her mother when she was working as a tour guide and Freddie was attempting to write a book. Freddie goes away to Paris for research and Anton and ⁣
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The book follows Fiona in the present day, trying to navigate her new family and all the emotional turmoil stirred up by this news. It also follows Fiona’s mother, Lillian, in flashbacks to the 1980s Italy where Anton, Lillian, and Freddie all meet. Fiona feels that she has to prove that she’s a legit heir to Anton’s fortune against her half brother Connor. She’s also trying to figure out how Anton fits into her life even after he’s passed.⁣
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This was an epic story and it was fascinating to see all the family drama. Her father’s health plays a large part of this since he was paralyzed in a car accident in Italy. Fiona’s family has lived a tight budget with her father’s handicap and medical bills and knowing what Anton’s money could do really helps, but also feels disrespectful to her father. ⁣
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4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⁣

Fiona’s life has revolved around her quadriplegic father ever since she can remember, but even more so since her mother passed away unexpectedly when she was 18, but not before dropping a bombshell secret that she has had to keep from him. When a call from a lawyer asks her to travel to Tuscany for the reading of her biological father’s will, she understandably shocked and confused. Her arrival surprises her new siblings, who promptly looks for ways to contest their father’s will.
With her inclusion in her father’s will, and his bequest, Fiona is determined to untangle the mystery of her mother’s visit to Tuscany and her relationship with Anton Clark, her biological father. Told via a dual timeline from both Fiona’s and her mother, Lillian’s point of view, we are immersed in the beauty of Tuscany, the food, and most especially, the wine.
I love Fiona and her openness to her new family, despite their past actions. Sloane needed the ally her sister provided and I enjoyed her re-evaluation of her life and the difference of her perceptions of the past versus what she found to be the truth. Her mother was a piece of work, and her brother’s entitlement and actions left me wanting him to be taken down a few pegs. I felt for Lillian, my heart broke, she really found her place in Tuscany and it was tragic for her, all-around. Fiona carried a lot on her shoulders and as she uncovered more about the past, there were things that were hard for her to reconcile. From Lillian’s POV, I really got frustrated with her husband and the man who ultimately raised Fiona.
Juliana MacLean’s THESE TANGLED VINES was full of family, secrets, and beauty. I enjoyed every page I turned. Grab this one and escape to the beauty of Tuscany while you enjoy the untangling of decades of secrets.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#TheseTangledVines #JulianneMacLean #LakeUnionPublishing

These Tangled Vines by Julianne MacLean is a great dual timeline women’s fiction/historical fiction that I truly enjoyed.

This book weaves between current day and approximately three decades prior in Tuscany, Italy. Fiona is forced to face a tough family situation when she is called back to Italy when her biological father passes to be confronted with a family and situation that no one truly knows the full spectrum of truth. What then follows is an unraveling of mystery, deep-seated confusion, sifting through complicated relationships, feelings, and facts.

Through it all, Fiona learns the meaning of family, truth, love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

A romantic and lush description of a picturesque location and landscape amongst the darker and more complicated actions of the characters make a nice balance for the story. I enjoyed the mystery, twists, and resolution.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Lake Union Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Bookbub, Amazon, and B&N accounts upon publication.

A will, a secret affair, Italy.

Fiona gets a call that changes her trajectory.
Her mother had a secret affair years ago, and well.
She's now in the will and a trip to an Italian estate is required.
There's secrets and mysteries.


Recommend.

This has definitely been one of my favorite reads in years. The way it is written, the detail of how everything looks, sounds, tastes, smells and feels, incredible. I felt myself being transported into a different world full of beauty and nature's best parts, even though I've never been to Italy it felt so very real. The story itself has so many layers, twists and turns it made me want to keep on reading at the end of every single chapter.

This is a beautiful, heart filled journey between two people. Their families need to learn the path of their relationship many years ago.
This story is told in dual timelines. One in 1986 and the other in 2017 as mysteries and secrets are being spilled!
This book was such a rollercoaster ride! Full of emotions! I was in awe!

Overall I devoured this amazing heartfelt book and I'm not one to re-read any books but this is one I would definitely re-read! Its that good!

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this great ebook copy!

Julianne takes us on a journey where we sometimes go back in time, and sometimes we see what is happening in the present. Fiona, lost her mother when she was 18 and just before she died, she told Fiona that her father wasn't her biological father and asked her not to tell her father because it would kill him. She kept the secret, and when she was 30 she received a phone call from an attorney who said her biological father had passed away and asked her to come to Italy for the reading of the will.
She made the decision to go and when she arrived in Italy, she learned she had a half-sister and a half-brother. After the reading of the will, her siblings were going to contest the will, but somewhere there were letters from Fiona's mother to Anton, and she had to find them. Her siblings were also trying to find them for other reasons, but Fiona is the one who got the letters. Through the letters, we learn of a love that lasted 30 years even though Fiona's mother and Anton never again saw each other because they kept a promise. We learn the sacrifices that were made because of that love. After reading the letters, Sloane, Fiona's half-sister started to cry and her brother got mad still thinking Fiona or her mother had forced his father to change the will or had his signature forged. Sloane said I am not crying about the inheritance, I am crying because I never knew a love like that existed, and she had never felt a love like that.
This is a journey that will inspire you, as you are reading you feel it because it is like it is coming straight from within their hearts. After reading the letters, Sloane knew why her father changed his will, and she accepted it. She wouldn't have to live with the regret of not going to see her father or spend time with him because Fiona showed her that even though she had never met her father, they both could get to know their father through stories, photos, and the winery.
We can't go back and change anything but this book to me said, accept what happened, learn from what happened and the things they didn't do, and when Sloane said I couldn't imagine if my kids did what I did to my father, try to do better as your journey continues.
I received an ARC from the author Julianne MacLean and Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley.

I enjoyed this story very much. The author transports you to Tuscany and her description of the Tuscan countryside is spot on. It felt like I was actually visiting Tuscany. When Fiona receives a phone call from a lawyer telling her that her biological father has passed away and left her a fortune in Tuscany. So, Fiona hops the next flight to Tuscany. When she meets with the family who knew nothing about her, they contest the Will. The twists and turns of the plot were very engaging.

I loved the descriptions of Tuscany and the vineyard. It made me want to visit Italy again The author described the characters in a way that I could imagine what they looked like. Fiona was an interesting main character. I was rooting for her and felt she needed to have things turn out her way. All and all, this was an easy weekend read.

As a frequent visitor to spend time with family in Italy, a good book that is set in beautiful Tuscany, is automatically on my list. These Tangled Vines exceeded my expectation, even though I have read and enjoyed, several novels by Julianne MacLean.
Fiona was told by her mother right before she died, that the man that raised her, was not her birth father. A man she had never heard of, that her mother had worked for, on his Tuscan vineyard, was the father she never knew existed. She made her 18 year old daughter promise that she would never tell the man who raised her, that he wasn’t her father.
For the next twelve years, she dutifully cares for her invalid father, until she receives a call, asking her to come to Italy, because her birth father has died and she is included in the will.
So begins her quest to find out what actually happened 30 years ago on that beautiful Tuscan vineyard estate. This has all the elements that make for a wonderful story. A love story that ends tragically, strong likable characters, the questions that keep you turning the pages, a fractured family that is resentful of this unknown love child that they never knew existed, and the search to find the answers. I loved it!
My thanks to NetGalley, Julianne MacLean and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own. Truly, a wonderful and enjoyable read, that will tempt you to book that trip!

Do I have a book for you! I loved everything about “These Tangled Vines” by Julianne Maclean, and would highly recommend this to other readers. First of all the title is just perfect. Vines, standing for the beautiful vineyards, and also as the connection to family. I appreciate the way the author vividly describes the vineyards and Italy. I am ready to pack my bags and go on a tour to see the beautiful scenery. This is a riveting, captivating, intriguing, memorable, and heartfelt novel. The genres for this novel are Literary Fiction, Mystery and Suspense, and Women’s Fiction. The author describes her dramatic characters as complex and complicated. There are betrayals, secrets, greed, and suspense.

Fiona Bell, one of the protagonists in the story takes care of her quadriplegic father, making sure that he has full-time help, and everything to make him comfortable. When she gets a call from Italy to tell her that her “biological” father, that she has never met has passed away, she gets very anxious. Fiona is asked to come to Italy for the reading of the will. Lillian, Fiona’s mother has passed away years before telling Fiona a major secret about her biological father, Anton, and making her promise to keep it secret from the father that she has grown up with.

With a heavy heart, Fiona leaves for Italy and meets Anton’s helpers and friends, as well as his two children, who are as shocked as Fiona is. When the will is read, both of Anton’s children are very upset. As Fiona looks for any information about her mother and Anton, she has no idea what is in store for her.

Kudos to Julianne Maclean for discussing the meaning of love, honesty, forgiveness, the importance of family and friends, and hope. This is an amazing thought-provoking novel.

This was a wonderful and heartfelt story about what happens when secrets are kept in a family and are done so to protect and not hurt anyone. But secrets always end up becoming reality and this was what happened with Fiona Bell. On her mother’s bedside before she dies, she learns that that the man she called dad was not her biological father. It turns out her real father was an owner of a vineyard in Tuscany, Italy, where her mother worked one summer before she was born and that, the man she called dad was writing his first novel. She learns all of this when she gets a call to say that her biological father has died and left her an inheritance, but she must come to Italy for the reading of the will. And not only is this a shock to her but she also learns that she has siblings, a half-brother Conner and a half sister Sloane. As Fiona navigates through Anton Clark, and Lillian and Freddie's summer in Tuscany, she also learns just what her what drew her mother to this wonderful Tuscan valley. How the vines and the earth get into your soul.

I really, really loved this book and I think it was one of Julianne MacLean’s best books written. She makes the vineyard, it’s people and Tuscany jump of the pages and into the reader's heart. Makes you think that you are right there walking through the vines, savoring the aroma of the food served and the fragrance of the wine as it’s uncorked for your tasting. But most of all she it makes you keep turning the pages to find out the what the secrets of the Tangled Vines reveals.

I give this a 5+++ star rating.

Thank you, Julianne MacLean, her publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the pleasure of reading and review this wonderful book.

I adored this book! The setting was magical, the characters were relatable and thougful. The story was fast paced and carefully curated. This is such an atmospheric read! I loved learning more about winemaking in Italy, the other family members involved, and XXX,  and I thought this may be a heavier read initially but while there is much depth to the story, I flew through this one in two quick sittings and was deeply invested in both timelines. I highly recommend to add this to your summer reading list! This has similar vibes to The Inheritance Games and Knives Out - but set in Italy!

After reading this book I want to go to Tuscany. The author describes Tuscany so well that I felt like I was there. This book is heartfelt and sad. I did enjoy reading both Fiona and Lillian's story. Secrets in a family can change people and not always in a good way.

"Life is rough for everyone, and it's complicated. It's full of hairpin turns we don't see coming."

I highly recommend THESE TANGLED VINES by Julianne MacLean which is set in picturesque Tuscany, Italy. The cover is gorgeous and the story is beautifully written.
This emotionally charged novel about love, secrets, sacrifice, courage and the true meaning of family is told from dual timelines and different points of view. I was so involved with the characters, the relationships between them, and the scenarios and situations that I read it in one setting.
Fiona Bell, her mother Lillian, Anton Clark and Maria were my favourite characters. My heart broke for Fiona, Lillian and Anton. I disliked Kate Wilson, Alan and Connor and their selfish ways.
I like this quote spoken by Fiona to Sloane.
"...though it's important to look forward, not back...it's important to reflect on past mistakes and learn from them. It helps you move forward in the right direction."
Julianne MacLean is an amazing and excellent author and I eagerly look forward to her next book.

Special thanks to author Julianne MacLean, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of THESE TANGLED VINES which was my pleasure to read and write an unbiased review.

#TheseTangledVines
#NetGalley

Posted on Goodreads May 9, 2021

THESE TANGLED VINES by Julianne MacLean is a stand alone story of romance focusing on thirty year old Fiona Bell, and her journey of discovery.

Told from first person (Fiona) and dual third person (Sloane, Lillian), following two times lines (1986 and 2017) THESE TANGLED VINES follows thirty year old Fiona Bell as she discovers that everything she thought she knew about her life and her family is predicated upon a lie. At the age of eighteen, at her mother’s deathbed confession, Lillian revealed Fiona’s biological father is a wealthy vintner who owns and operates a vineyard in Tuscany, Italy. Fast forward to 2017, wherein, Fiona will be called ‘home’ to Tuscany upon the death of her biological father, where she will learn that she has inherited the bulk of her father’s estate but her half-siblings (Sloane and Connor) are none too happy, and Fiona is left struggling to prove she is her father’s heir, and that her mother was the love of Anton’s life.

Flashback to 1986, Lillian Bell and her wanna be author husband Freddie, travel to Italy in an effort to find Freddie his writing muse but left alone for extended periods of time, Lillian, now living and working on the Maurizio Wine Estates, is seduced by, and falls in love with owner Anton Clark, where they will embark on love affair that will end when disaster all but destroys everyone involved.

THESE TANGLED VINES is first and foremost a love story; an impassioned tale of enduring love, loss, and betrayal; of secrets, lies, revelations and regret. Julianne MacLean pulls the reader into a heart breaking, passionate, intoxicating and sorrowful story of beauty and destruction, of tragedy and regret. An emotion-filled love affair THESE TANGLED VINES will leave you haunted by what was and what could have been.


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BINGEBOOKS (Sandy Sch) posted

From the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a sweeping and captivating tale of one woman’s journey to the lush vineyards of Tuscany—and into the mysteries of a tragic family secret.

If Fiona has learned anything in life, it’s how to keep a secret—even from the father who raised her. She is the only person who knows about her late mother’s affair in Tuscany thirty years earlier, and she intends to keep it that way…until a lawyer calls with shocking news: her biological father has died and left her an incredible inheritance—along with two half siblings.

Fiona travels to Italy, where the family is shocked to learn of her existence and desperate to contest her share of the will. While the mystery of her mother’s affair is slowly unraveled, Fiona must navigate through tricky family relationships and tense sibling rivalries. Fiona both fears and embraces her new destiny as she searches for the truth about the fateful summer her mother spent in Italy and the father she never knew.

Spilling over with the sumptuous flavors and romance of Tuscany, These Tangled Vines takes readers on a breathtaking journey of love, secrets, sacrifice, courage—and most importantly, the true meaning of family.


Review to come, closer to my blog tour stop!