Happy Aloha Friday! It was a long but busy week that went very fast if that makes sense. I am excited to be today's TLC Book Tours stop on a quick audiobook tour for A Vineyard Valentine by Nina Bocci. Although I didn't have time to make a recipe inspired by this rom-com novella, I do have a couple of dishes that would pair perfectly to enjoy!
Publisher's Blurb:
An unforgettable night of romance awaits in this funny, charming novella by USA Today bestselling author Nina Bocci!
The annual Valentine’s Day singles soiree is always a big money-maker for Eloisa Giordano’s winery. What could be more romantic than looking for love at a quaint family vineyard on the most romantic night of year? Well, just about anything as far as Eloisa is concerned. She’s a Valentine’s Day Grinch who thinks it’s the lamest, most clichéd holiday ever invented.
Fortunately, she’ll get to hang out with like-minded folks this year by hosting an Anti-Valentine’s Day party on the same night. She’ll just need to alternate between events to keep them both running and she’ll be raking in the profits. But Eloisa is thrown for a loop when a sexy, self-described hopeless romantic shows up at the singles soiree and keeps her captivated. Will he change her mind about the holiday…and about love?
Only Available on Audible
My Review:
I jumped on this tour for a few different reasons, the first being that I love audiobooks. On Sundays, I do "audiosouping" and listen while I make my weekly soup. I also listen on my commutes to work--even if it's only 25-30 minutes most days. I have an audible membership and love choosing from their selections. I also really enjoy the author, Nina Bocci. I have read and reviewed her On the Corner of Love and Hate and Meet Me on Love Lane, and then her third book, The Ingredients of You and Me on book tours early last year. Finally, for me and audiobooks, it's all about the narration. A narrator can make the story come to life or have me increasing the speed or abandoning a book altogether, so I was extremely excited to find this novella narrated by Amanda Ronconi. She has illustrated several of my favorite series books by Molly Harper and actually is a very prolific narrator. I knew she would make the most of this story with her voices and skills at books with a comedic edge.
So what did I think? It all came together well--cute story, good romance and excellent narrating, all in under two hours. It's a sign when you want a novella to be longer and are sad to leave the characters. The story is set mostly on Valentine's Day, when the main character, Eloisa (Elo) Giorando who inherited her family's winery business is hosting two very different Valentine's Day parties to draw business to the winery. The traditional party, planned by her marketing person and best friend is always a hit but Elo HATES Valentine's Day (for a good reason) and wants to hold an Anti-Valentine's Day party the same night for like-minded singles, and to hopefully attract a slightly younger demographic. A mishap has her running both events and running between them and she also meets a very hot guy. It's a rom-com for sure and it made me smile. You don't need to listen to it on Valentine's Day either, it would be good for any time you want a quick, sweet and funny listen. If you haven't listened to an audiobook before and aren't sure if you'd like them, A Vineyard Valentine would be a great introduction.
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Author Notes: Nina Bocci is a USA TODAY bestselling novelist who loves reading and writing about swoony, relatable heroes and smart, witty heroines. If it’s set in a small town, even better. You can always find her chatting on social media about her massive, crazy Italian family, and her favorite person in the world, her son.
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Food Inspiration:
There was definitely food and wine to be found in A Vineyard Valentine. Mentions included plain boring toast (to describe an unsuccessful date), food trucks called Pasta Queen and Crooked Lobster, wine and chocolate pairings, a bagel with homemade jam, bad Seafood Alfredo, chardonnay, appetizers, pinot and steak, hearty pasta and burgundy, spicy cheese, risotto, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a charcuterie board.
For my bookish dish inspiration I chose risotto which was Eloisa's favorite food and chocolates, because...well, Valentine's Day and all the chocolate and wine pairing going on at the vineyard party. I chose two recipes I enjoy of each from previous posts on my blog and paired them with types of wines. Click on the titles for links to the recipes.
From Top Left:
I don't think you can wrong with any of these recipes, or this fun audiobook!
Note: A review copy of "A Vineyard Valentine" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for my review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.
You can see the other stops for this TLC Book Tour and what other bloggers thought of the book here.
It's always a happy accident when you can pull from previous posts to perfectly fit with a book review. (I recently did the same for an upcoming TLC post.)
ReplyDeleteBe safe and well!