This was my first book by this author and overall, I liked it, but had a hard time getting into the book.

Lace Reynolds owns a sex toy shop who refuses to date a woman longer than 3 months because it gets messy, but she meets Tessa, who becomes her best friend and has her questioning her rules.

Tessa Williams is a single mom, who runs a vineyard and opens a tasting room, which happens to be right next door to Lace's store. They talk everyday, through text or on the phone, and grow closer before it all comes to a head and they sleep together.

There was a lot of buildup to this moment, but it seemed to skip time gaps a lot and it was hard to connect with either of the characters. Not to mention the end, it was too rushed. The ghost thing seemed interesting at first, but it felt rushed and sporadic rather than a thought out plot.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Rounding up from 3.5 stars.

If you enjoy cozy sapphic romance novels with a lovable cast of characters and a little bit of spice, definitely pick this one up. The story is delightful, sweet, and empowering, and made me feel like I was surrounded by community. I flew through my reading of the novel. It was easy to get emotionally invested, and the pace was quick and fun.

The evolving relationship between Tessa and Lace is lovely. Their attraction begins with small acts of kindness and compliments, spending time together, and sharing jokes. They communicate with each other - at least as much as they communicate with themselves - and support each other as their businesses grow (Lace has a sex shop, and Tessa has a winery!). Their friendship, unintentional flirting, and mutual support are palpable. It’s easy to relate to Lace and Tessa, as their motivations are so clearly evident in their actions. Both characters experience shame in different ways, and the novel’s exploration of their histories and how they move forward is powerful.

However, the narrative is occasionally cheesy. There are moments when it is hard to be fully immersed in the story, such as when dialogue includes unnecessary information or when characters speak in lengthy paragraphs without pauses. This, combined with too much exposition, which often “tells” rather than “shows” the story, can make the reader feel like an outsider looking in, hearing about events after they have happened instead of witnessing or experiencing them as they occur. This happens a few times when the relationships between different characters are established and when plot points are wrapped up neatly at the end after the novel’s drama has already concluded.

The side characters have depth and their own subplot. At times, these story fragments felt like seeds for other books in a series or like references to previous ones, but without more context, they don’t fully land. But these characters do add richness to the novel, making it feel like Tess and Lace are not just two characters on a stage.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tessa is a winemaker and Lace owns a sex toy store and has a 3-month maximum time limit on any sexual/romantic relationships. Best friends to lovers who haven't realised that they have been in love with each other for an unspecified length of time. I would have loved to get to know more about the wlw ghost that haunts Lace's shop but unfortunately she was only in a few parts of the book. All of the women in the book were portrayed as strong and independent with multiple small business owners (including the main characters).

(3.5 Stars) I happily return to Owen Station for another romantic adventure. Owen Station is a small town between the Tuscan and the Arizona border. I enjoyed Vintage and Vogue (June 2023) where we got to meet the town and its inhabitants. This is a best friend to more romance. Lace Reynolds, runs a successful adult toy shop. She doesn’t date anyone more than three months and never someone from town. Her best friend is Tessa Williams. Tessa came to Owen Station five years earlier, purchasing a vineyard. She has a 20 year old daughter (I really liked her) and a dog Beau. The vineyard is becoming more and more successful and is 90 minutes from town. Tessa and Lace text and call daily.

There are some funny moments in the story. Visiting a Boot Hill cemetery is a highlight. But the story gets messier as the two realize they may be feeling more than friendship for the other. I liked having a romance with women hitting 40. But I was less clear on Lace’s motivation for her rules or feeling that relationships couldn’t last. Or why she struggled to communicate that to Tessa. But I still had fun reading the story and especially liked the ending. I also like the historical story and how it ties into the modern day one. Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

I really wanted to love this one. While it was a cute story and I love the premise and even the tropes that were set up, the execution wasn’t there for me. It was an entertaining read and I liked a lot of elements of it but there was just something missing for me.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book is fun with it being set in a vineyard and a small town and the tropes such as friends to lovers and small-town romance are done... okay. The main problem I had with this book was the dialogue which felt very choppy and immature at times for people in their 40s. The dialogue the whole time put me on edge and just didn't feel natural. The plot in the middle also fell apart. It wasn't completely unraveled but rather it felt messy and rushed. The two spice scenes however were very well written. The scenes involving spice are placed well and do not overwhelm the plot. It's a cute book but nothing extraordinary. An easy read if you're looking for an inclusive, sapphic romance.

Let me start with, I didn’t read the first book in this series before diving in here but I didn’t feel like I was missing anything in the overarching thread.

Lace and Tessa couldn’t be more different but somehow they’ve become incredibly close friends. While Tessa heals from a nasty divorce and Lace maintains her “three-month rule” they still manage to become the kind of friend to one another that you want there for all of the biggest things in your life. Through big exciting change, freak outs over long past trauma, can the manage to find love or disaster?

Whiskey and Wine is a book that brings a charming small-town romance to life, perfect for the fall season. While I found some aspects to be less to my personal liking, I still believe it has its merits.

The first point that influenced my rating was the title. I personally didn't resonate with it.
Regarding the characters, their personalities weren't exactly to my taste, and I felt the story was a bit lengthy.

What truly stood out for me were the ghost story intertwined with the main narrative. I found this aspect of the story engaging, and the way it concluded and merged with the central plot was a highlight.

In sum, I've rated it 3 stars due to my personal preferences, but I genuinely think that if you’re seeking a heartwarming small-town romance, might find this book to be a delightful autumn read.

As a romance reading wlw, I am the target audience for this book. Unfortunately, it fell flat. Firstly, any romance novel should put its love story front and center. Here, the story of the local businesses/business owners felt more important. The love story became a sideshow. Second, it was almost impossible to become invested in a love story where the characters were wooden caricatures. Beginning writers are told to “show not tell,” but the love story between these characters was all “tell” and no “show.” The scenes of intimacy swerved between clinical and cringeworthy…Bottom line: this book is a swing and a miss! Sorry, Firesides, better luck next time!

I love a good sapphic romance so was really looking forward to this book. I loved how many strong female characters there were, the knowledge of the wine that was shared throughout the book and the relationship between the two main characters. The book was cute and cosy, a great low-stakes romance that you know is going to have a nice ending.

A few things did let the book down slightly, however. I found a lot of the dialogue to be heavy and unrealistic. Often dialogue was used to put across quite a heavy-handed point that realistically didn't need to be made in the particular moment. In terms of spice, there are two scenes in the book, the first of which is great but the second seemed over thought, which took the passion away.

I appreciate that the book handled a number of aspects of the queer experience but it seemed quite preachy at points and didn't seem to fit with the lighthearted fun of the rest of the story.

I did enjoy the read and managed to get through the book in a day as I wanted to know how it would resolve and a lot of the banter was super fun.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

DNF at 43% (~100 pages)

I was lucky enough to receive an e-ARC of Firesides' first book in the Owen Station series, Vintage & Vogue and thoroughly enjoyed it (4 star rating). When I found out there would be a 2nd, I was very hopeful to get an e-ARC for it as well and then became very excited when I got the approved email.

While I love the continuation of the cute, small mountain town setting, the writing in Whiskey & Wine fell a little flat for me. The story follows Lace, a sexy toy shop owner who's afraid of long term relationships, and Tessa, a recent divorceé vinyard owner who doesn't have time to go looking for love. The two have built a friendship since the moment they met but, unfortunately, I did not reach the point of the story where their friendship turns to more.

As I was reading, especially at the start of new chapters, it was unclear to me how much time has passed since the ending of the previous chapter. Sometimes it took a few pages to gain enough details and sometimes it took almost the entire chapter. The writing was choppy and sometimes hard to follow. Since the book is written in third person POV, the distinction between external events and internal thoughts wasn't always made clear. This made it hard to follow what was actually happening between characters.

While I loved the first novel in this series, the writing and flow of Whiskey & Wine harder to follow and therefore influenced my choice to not finish this story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I really enjoyed the friendship aspect of the book. I absolutely devour a book with strong female leads. And strong female leads who are business owners? Yes!
The spicy scenes were good but the overall romance to me personally could have been better. They had amazing chemistry as friends though! I do recommend this book if you want a light, breezy book. A great palette cleanser! And ofcourse the LGBTQIA+ representation was chefs kiss.

slow start but once you get in the story, it's a easy read. I really liked the vinery setting and I kept capturing the parent's trap vinery.

some things are a little bit confusing..  they could have been explored a bit more (i.e the move for tessa to be lace's neighbors or even the fact that tessa was married and madison was grown, because for the first 3rd of the book I thought Madi was a kid...)

I really enjoyed the friendship portion of this book and how funny, present and loving they were towards each other but

i knew that from the second they slept together the book would be a disaster in my opinion.

they never really dated but go hitched and it was just all very messy. I understand that they had been dating for months without realizing it but a discussion still needed to happen instead of this grand gesture.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for the eARC of Whiskey and Wine, set for publication on November 14, 2023.
This book fell a little flat for me as a romance, but as an example of powerful women doing exciting things each chapter, the book killed. In fact, if I had one critique of the story as a whole, it would be that it felt like it had too much forced business: all of the characters were so busy living their dreams that they never seemed to slow down and it was a little exhausting seeing that much excessive perfectionism in one place. It felt performative, not idyllic. That seemed to be the problem with the romance angle as well. Tessa and Lace both had perfect lives. Neither one needed a partner to complete them, which is great because that’s not what romance should be, but they each had the other on a ridiculous pedestal and had such childish expectations of the other for what they expected in a partner that the first time one failed the other they had meltdowns to such an extent that their behavior went from perfectionist to toxic. The authors delivered a happy ever after, but it felt forced, formulaic and forgettable.

I was so excited for this book. There were so many strong female characters, in a story of female empowerment. Whiskey and Wine shared a great body positive message throughout. I really loved these characters and their story arc. And the first sentence of the book was, “I think you should give the buttplugs names.” 10/10 starting sentence.

Lace Reynolds has a 3-month rule for relationships to avoid long-term complicated problems. She's messed up once before in that department before, and never again. Tessa Williams moves to Arizona wine country to escape her cheating ex and to grow her own vineyard. Tessa and Lace become immediate friends.

Their relationship as normal friends is okay, but they get to the point where they are texting or calling just to say good morning and good night. They really have become bestest friends who can't live without each other. For me, the romance aspect just didn't work at all. Their lack of communication (as far as feelings go) was non-existent, and the whole evolution of things at the end was rushed and weird.

That being said, I really enjoyed Lace and Tessa's characters, their internal struggles, and the way they complemented each other as friends. I loved their group of strong female friends, and Tessa's daughter Madison and dog Bleu were perfect to round out the cast!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Whiskey and Wine could have been more interesting for me. I enjoy that it is set in a small town with small town businesses and personalities. I also love to see the bond between mother and daughter (and dog) and that the dog can pick up on good characters. I didn't enjoy the repetitive trope stating if not being able to get into a relationship to not hurt the other person. I like the boothill cemetery and ghosts of the past story.

2 stars. This was my first LGBTQ+ romance and I was so excited to read it. Unfortunately, this book fell a bit flat for me. This book has two spicy scenes. One of them worked for me and one didn’t so I’ll give it one jalapeño level of spice.

✨Things that I loved in this book:✨

💞Female empowerment
💞So many strong female characters
💞A frisky ghost
💞That the first sentence of the book was, “I think you should give the buttplugs names.” 10/10 starting sentence.
💞How Lace viewed relationships at the start of the book.
💞How body positive this book was.


🤷🏻‍♀️What I didn’t like:🤷🏻‍♀️

💋I didn’t feel any chemistry between Lace or Tessa.
💋Lace and Tessa handled conflict like teenagers.
💋I wanted more of the frisky ghost interspersed throughout the story. Not just in the prologue and at the very end. Elizabeth was such a cool and interesting character; I was upset I didn’t get more of her story.
💋Miscommunication trope. People falling to the ground crying because of said miscommunications.
💋The pacing was too slow for me. I picked up a few other books while reading Whiskey & Wine because I was too bored waiting for something to happen.
💋The quote, “____ let out a sound that would have frightened a pack of coyotes.” In the middle of a spicy scene this sentence just made me stop and say WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???
💋That a character said “Sorry. JK” out loud. Over text that is fine, but I don’t know anyone who talks like that in real life.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for giving me the opportunity to read Whiskey & Wine. This book did not work for me, but I’m sure that there are many other people out there who will enjoy it.

Lovely!

Lace doesn’t do long term relationships, until one day she can’t resist her friend Tessa, when she opens a wine tasting room next to Lace’s business. Tessa isn’t looking for love either, and the last thing she needs is a messed up friendship but denying the attraction isn’t as easy as either of them think.

Really enjoyed Lace and Tessa’s story. They had this great connection as friends, so it was easy to relate to their hesitance to dive into their feelings and risk everything when they were both certain they were happy as they were. There was a lot going on that kept bringing them together for longer periods of time than they’d typically spend together. Their friends, which if you’ve read other Kelly & Tana Fireside books were familiar faces, also gave them a few nudges in the right direction after witnessing the chemistry for themselves.

I love the community feel surrounding the story. Everyone was helping Tessa get her tasting room together and supporting her efforts when she was having a difficult time with her ex, other’s in the wine business, and getting everything up and running successfully. Lace was by her side the whole time, which proved how wonderful and supportive she was, so I really hoped they’d take a chance and act on what I knew would be amazing for them both!

Lovely story that had my heart melting and just hoping there will be more from Lace and Tessa in future stories.