Wine. Weddings. Romance. It only takes those three words to describe my new trilogy. Of course I came up with a premise using a few more of them: One failing winery, two feuding families, three unforgettable pairings. And the first book of the three, CRUSH ON YOU, is out this month.
Alessandra Baci is the youngest of three sisters and is known affectionately around her town as the "Nun of Napa," after a wedding-that-didn't-happen five years before. She's concocted a new revenue stream for the 100-year-old family winery...offering it as a wedding venue. But with the first event scheduled for the end of the month, she's desperate to get the construction finished on the historic cottage where the nuptials will be held. When her contractor runs out on her, she's forced to turn to the man-next-door, Penn Bennett, who is the star of Hollywood's hottest home renovation TV show. Though they rub each other the wrong way--mostly because they want to rub each other the right way too much--Penn agrees if she'll be the second in a two-person crew. Oh, that creates opportunities to get to know each other and to get close...close enough for these too wary people to fall in love.
This is romance without guns or fangs or a historical backdrop. But there are family legends, a missing treasure, and most of all, the unfolding story of two engaging people falling in love. I've had a blast doing research (drinking wine! Watching movies like Bottle Shock! Spending a long weekend with my husband exploring Napa!) but imagining the winery weddings has been the most fun of all. I've been asking everyone their fantasy wedding--mine is barefoot on the beach in a flowing dress.
Yours? A lucky commenter will win a duo of Christie Ridgway books.
You can learn more about Christie at her website and also follow her at Riding with the Top Down where she blogs with nine other fabulous authors.
