Review: Twice in a Blue Moon by Laura Drake

Title: Twice in a Blue Moon by Laura Drake
Publisher: Harlequin Superromance
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 384 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Author

Summary:

Wanted: one master winemaker

Indigo Blue is starting over, again. Following the death of her husband, she’s rebuilding her life around her only inheritance—a California winery. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t know a thing about wine. Enter brooding vintner Danovan DiCarlo.

Eager to put his own painful past behind him, Danovan is the perfect partner. And not just in business. As they work side by side, Indigo can feel more than the vineyard coming back to life. Falling for Danovan is a scary prospect. But how do you say no when you find love twice in a blue moon?

Review:

In Laura Drake’s Twice in a Blue Moon¸ the Tippling Widow Winery is the perfect setting for Indigo Blue and Danovan DiCarlo to pick up the pieces of their lives after they each suffer tragic losses. For Indigo, the bucolic location is where she shared many happy moments with her husband Harry. For Danovan, the winery is his last hope for resurrecting his shattered career. For both Indigo and Danovan, the peaceful surroundings heal their wounded hearts as they unexpectedly begin to fall in love while rebuilding the winery to its former glory. But will the baggage from their pasts destroy everything they have worked so hard to build?

Indigo’s happy life comes to an abrupt end after her beloved husband Harry passes away and with nowhere else to go, she moves to Widow’s Grove to run the Tippling Widow Winery. She is a little adrift and struggling to find the confidence she needs to make well-informed decisions about the business. She is also unsure she is making the right choices since some of her earlier experiences before she married Harry leave her doubting her judgment. Indigo has a lot of ideas for revitalizing the mismanaged winery, but she needs an experienced vintner to make the venture a success.

Danovan learned the hard way that mixing business and pleasure can sometimes have disastrous consequences. Although his reputation as a winemaker is impeccable, gossip and innuendo make him virtually unemployable. The job at the winery is the opportunity he needs to salvage his career so Danovan convinces Indigo to hire him without checking his references from his previous employer.

Despite a few misconceptions about one another, Indigo and Danovan have an excellent working relationship. Indigo becomes more self-assured as she masters the intricacies of winemaking and Danovan proves to be a patient and knowledgeable teacher. Both are taken off guard by an unexpected attraction to one another, but initially, neither is ready (or willing) to act on it. Their friendship deepens as they begin confiding in another and a delicate dance ensues between them after a passionate kiss. Indigo is uncertain that her instincts are leading her in the right direction and when she learns about that Danovan was less than truthful with her, she pulls away from him. Danovan is determined to regain her lost trust and once he reveals his heartbreaking past to her, Indigo is quick to forgive him for his deception. They quickly move past this minor hurdle and their relationship soon takes a romantic turn but Indigo remains hesitant about fully committing to a future with Danovan. Just as she puts her faith in him both personally and professionally, Danovan makes a fateful decision that jeopardizes their future.

Twice in a Blue Moon is beautiful novel of love and healing. Indigo and Danovan are vibrantly developed characters and although flawed, they are sympathetic and easy to like. The setting is idyllic and provides the perfect backdrop for love to flourish as they make peace with their respective pasts. Another heartfelt and engaging love story by Laura Drake that old and new fans are sure to love.