The Vineyard at Painted Moon: A Novel

The Vineyard at Painted Moon by Susan Mallery has Mackenzie Dienes living and working at Bel Après. She has been married to Rhys Barcellona for the last sixteen years. Her family is his family since she lost her parents when she was a child and her grandfather right after she graduated from high school. The one thing that she has wanted is to own a piece of the winery, but the proves to be elusive. The matriarch of the Barcellona clan, Barbara holds tight to the reins. She controls all aspects of the winery, and she is determined it will only belong to those with Barcellona DNA. At a special event at the tenth annual Solstice Party, Mackenzie realizes that her life is lacking. Evidently, Rhys feels the same way because he asks for a divorce. Mackenzie must make some important decisions regarding her future. She could stay at Bel Après as the winemaker or she strike out on her own. What happens when something unexpected throws a wrench in Mackenzie’s plans? I thought The Vineyard at Painted Moon was a good escape novel. I needed a break, and this book was just what I needed. It is well-written with developed characters and it moves at a steady pace. While the story focuses on Mackenzie, we also get to see how Barbara’s other children are doing, especially Stephanie Barcellona. Stephanie is not happy with her job and she wants a change. She is not sure, though, that she has the courage to do it. The author captured the dynamics of a family and a family run business. This is an emotional novel as Mackenzie goes through the various phases after Rhys asks for a divorce. I thought it was realistic (as someone who has gone through a divorce). There is plenty of family drama in this engaging tale along with some good life lessons. The author presented the information on winemaking in an easy-to-understand manner. I found it fascinating all that goes into making wine (who knew). There is some repetition of details along with foul language and intimate situations (not explicit). The Vineyard at Painted Moon is a great book to read while relaxing in front of a fire with a glass of wine.

Mallery brings readers right into the wine country of the Pacific Northwest with vivid imagery and detailed descriptions of the history of the land. That in itself could be enough, but then there are the well-rounded and dynamic and dysfunctional Barcellona family. This is a wonderful piece of women's fiction with all the feels. It draws the reader from the very first pages and is hard to put down. This is without reservation, one of my favorite books.

Mallery is a master at creating towns and places that immediately make you want to pack up and move to places like Fools Gold, Happily Inc., Mischief Bay and now to the Bel Apres Winery in WA. I grew up in a family where wine was part of the family work and can not only appreciate the family dynamics of this story, but also the wonderful vineyard and wine descriptions. If you are looking for a story of friendship, family, love and wine, look no further. You won't be disappointed.