Another great read from Jamie Raintree. Read this one while drinking a glass of wine and get ready for a heartwarming story you can’t put down!

Family, Friendship, Wine, Horses, First Love, Loyalty - the new title from Jamie Raintree has all of these themes and more. It felt like I was reading about real people I would want to know.

Mallory and Kelly were the best of friends, until the summer before college when reality sets in and the girls plans unravel. It’s now ten years later and Mallory has come home to Paso Robles for a short visit from her corporate life in New York.

Mallory’s family owns The Wandering Vineyard. Her dad is a pillar of the community and of the local hardworking vintners. Her parents are the epitome of parents who just want their only child to be happy. They are kind and generous and warm people.

Even though this is very much about Mallory’s journey, the other characters were complex and memorable and genuine. Kelly’s story was heart wrenching and I loved seeing her grow and be brave. The friendship between the girls was one of my favorite parts. Mallory’s horse (named Midnight) was also an important part - both physically and symbolically. She’s completely free when she’s riding her heart out and life doesn’t seem so complicated.

The author’s writing was sophisticated and polished and had me invested in the plot and characters. There were so many gems of wisdom about doing what makes you happy and really listening to your heart, about wanting to be seen for who you are.

A story of friendship, forgiveness, and learning from one's mistake... Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard is a sweet emotion ride on the twisted turns of a roller coaster. It brings together a gorgeous vineyard, the woman it raised, and her best friend who was estranged all because of a boy. When Mallory returns home, she yearns to make amends with Kelly after lies and secrets pulled them apart, but with the return brings a reason they broke up in the first place and a host of things could go very wrong fast.

I enjoyed this story. It had heart, mystery, and a lesson on how lies can tear us down. I empathized with both characters and was glad that the story kept them in the forefront. A wonderful book club novel full of great discussion points....

***thank you to Harlequin for allowing me to review this ARC. My opinions are my own.

This book of romance, friendship, relationships and family was a good beach read for me. Mallory returns home after being away for ten years and reconnects with her best friend. She also reconnects with a guy that may have been the reason their friend ship ended. This was a well written, smooth and easy read. I enjoyed the entire story. Thanks to Grayson House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a story about two lifelong best friends, Mallory and Kelly, gone their separate ways after a falling out right before starting college. With an alternating then/now timeline, light begins to be shed on what drew their friendship apart all those years ago in the first place, and now 10 years later, how they’re finding their way back into each other’s lives again.

Filled with secrets, complex family and friendship dynamics, some romance, and a lot of wine, I thought this was sure to be a book I’d enjoy. Sadly it turned out to be a classic “didn’t love it, didn’t hate it” type of book for me. There was enough there that worked to keep me reading, but almost equally that kept me from feeling eager to pick it up. It was an easy, lighthearted read that I flew through at times, and at others found predictable and slow moving to the point it bored me. Also, I didn’t quite click with any of the characters and found myself rolling my eyes at their choices/motives at times... all the while appreciating how relatable and real their situations were, and the growth we see in them. I guess if that doesn’t prove my mixed feelings here, then I’m not sure what will.

What I especially did love was getting completely lost in the picturesque California vineyard setting. The writing made me feel as if I was right there walking along the vines or enjoying the beautiful scenery on horseback. Atmospheric writing is always a win for me.

So, there you have it. While there were definitely some redeeming qualities to this one, but it also fell short for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Graydon House for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advanced copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest, fair review.

I really wanted to like this book, and some of it was very enjoyable. The setting, Mallory's parents winery and vineyard. The complicated friendship between her and Kelly. Her family, friends. It is almost impossible to envision NYC Mallory. We may have come far in 10 years, but i think Mallory had some growing up to do. The wishy-washy relationship with Sam drove me crazy. I'm not sure what 18 yr old or 28 year old Mallory saw in him. Too much time was spent on will they or won't they. Maybe if the novel focused more on the friendship with Kelly and Tyler, rather than Sam it would have been more enjoyable.
The book is slow at times, but I kept pushing through. The 2 time frames were a device used to draw out the mystery of how the friendship ended and what happened with Sam. I cared about the friendship with Kelly, not the one Mallory had in her head with Sam. We all have crushes that go nowhere but we usually realize it way before late 20s. The formatting needs to be fixed as well as some awkward sentences.

Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard is a beautiful story of first love, friendship and finding yourself. Readers will become engrossed in Jamie Raintree's writing.

The fateful summer after high school had torn out Mallory’s heart. Her best friend felt betrayed; the man who came between them had betrayed Mallory; and since she left California for college in New York, she'd never been the same. Ten years later, home for both a celebration and tragedy, Mallory reconnects with those who hurt her, and begins to reexamine her life. Poignant, life-affirming, at times even lyrical (and featuring some gorgeous horses, and some passages on wine that will have you reaching for a good bottle of red), Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard is a charming, time-jumping rumination on regret and the power of female friendship, and throws in an enjoyable romance that you’re not quite sure till the very end is a romance, as well. -- Clara Shipman

3 1/2 stars.

Wow!! What can I say this book was GREAT. The friendship, family, romantic and some times what you want is right before your eyes. This is a very emotional book with lots of choices made , how to patch up the past and go for what you want in the future. A MUST READ.

Mallory is returning home to the vineyard after many years away. Having been thru so much in her time away she is now faced with her past, memories and old familiar faces she once had tried to push from her memory. Kelly her longtime friend have not spoken in years. Slowly they begin to grow closer again and decide to embark on completing their bucket list they created as youngsters.

A lighthearted quick read. Friendships and family and of course lots of wine!

Mallory and Kelly have been best friends since elementary school. They are more like sisters than best friends. In the summer before they leave for college they make a summer bucket list. As they were doing all their fun things, Sam came to town. Mallory spent a lot of time with Sam almost forgetting their bucket list. Mallory and Kelly have a huge fight and Mallory goes off to college without Kelly. 10 years later, Mallory comes back to town to try and fix her relationship with Kelly. Her family is having a big celebration at their vineyard and Mallory thinks it is the perfect time to fix things with Kelly. At the very heart of this amazing book is relationships. Mallory and Kelly's friendship, Mallory's relationship with her parents, and Kelly's relationship with her Mom. I absolutely loved the characters in this story. I read this book in one long sitting as I could not put it down. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Harlequin Graydon House Books. All opinions are my own.

Ten years ago, Mallory lost her best friend and first love. On the eve of a big work promotion, Mallory decides to head home to try to make amends with her former best friend Kelly.

At 18, Mallory and Kelly were like sisters. They were inseparable until Sam came along.
The girls had been planning to spend their last summer at home living out their bucket list. But when Mallory’s parents hired Sam to work at the vineyard, everything changed. There was nothing Mallory wanted more than to spend time with Sam. Mallory didn’t know quite who she was and what she wanted yet but she felt she wasn’t good enough for Sam.

Sam was 24, older, handsome, sophisticated.
Mallory and Sam spent a lot of time together at the vineyard but the interactions were confusing. When Sam had a few glasses of wine he flirted with Mallory. When he was sober he acted like nothing had happened.
And one day after the damage was done to Mallory and Kelly’s friendship, Sam just left.

Ten years have passed. The vineyard is having a celebration. Mallory comes home for the celebration but it’s more than that. She’s questioning what she wants from life. She is about to accept a promotion at work but that promotion will require a 3 year contract. She isn’t sure she wants to stay in New York.

She heads home with the intention of winning back Kelly’s friendship but it’s harder than she expected. She isn’t expecting to see Kelly at home taking care of her sick mother, she isn’t expecting Kelly at her old high school job. And she isn’t expecting Kelly to act like so much damage has been done that they can’t go back.

Now, add in the extra drama of Sam being in town for the family’s celebration at the vineyard.
Suddenly she has a chance to confront her old issues with Sam too.
He’s 34 now, he might be more aware of her feelings but do they want to take a chance on a future together? Or should they just try to get over their history together?

I thought this story was well written and very character driven. The reason you care what happens is because you care about Mallory and Kelly, you care about their loves, their families and friends. You definitely care about the horses. I think this was written by an animal lover because her description of the horse Midnight being Mallory’s best friend makes sense.

The relationships in this story are treated as the most important part and I appreciate that.

I received an early ebook edition of this book from NetGalley and I really enjoyed it.

Honest moment, when I saw the cover of Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard, I instantly fell in love and knew I needed to read the book. The cover is absolutely stunning!

The book definitely lives up to it's gorgeous cover.

I'll admit, the first chapter was a little rocky for me. I don't know why it took me a moment to kind of find my bearings, but once I was in, I was hooked. In fact, I read the entire book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down!

Mallory (Mal), is back home visiting after leaving for New York ten years prior. She and her childhood best friend, Kelly, had a fall out the summer before she left for college, and Mal is hoping to find closure and fix the past.

She doesn't realize Sam will also be back visiting at the same time she is. And he's a big reason why Mal and Kelly had a falling out. As the story unfolds, I just couldn't tear myself away. Mal wanted answers and so did I.

I related to Mal a lot more than I'd probably ever like to admit. It was like reading about my own teenage screw ups. I wanted her to patch things up with Kelly so badly, and I also was incredibly intrigued as to what happened between them that summer.

I found myself laughing along with characters during parts of the story, and I also found myself crying through parts as well. 

The book didn't end exactly the way I thought (and that's not a bad thing at all), and when it was all over, I closed the book and wished I could read more. I wasn't ready for the story to end.

This is an amazing story about growing as a person and navigating relationships.

I was super excited to get a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin, and the author, Jamie Raintree for this advanced copy.

I don’t usually read romance novels, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this one. Wow, I was thoroughly entertained until the last page and I loved the ending. This is a great story about a young woman, Mallory with so much potential and opportunity she just doesn’t know which direction to take. She went to a great college, landed a great marketing job in New York, but something was missing.

The story is set at Mallory’s parent’s vineyard, in California where she reconnects with her childhood best friend, after a falling out before Mallory left for college. She also is surprised to see the man that broke her heart before she left that summer for school.

Through the book Mallory is trying to find herself, decide who she is and what path she wants to take in life. It’s a topic we can all relate to at some point. I felt like her mother as the book went on, I wanted her to make a good decision! And she does...

I loved the characters in this book, the vineyard, how original the story was and also Mallory’s decision in the end! I wasn’t quite ready for it to end!

Have you read Jamie Raintree’s previous novel Perfectly Undone? Do you plan to read Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard? It comes out next Spring, on March 26, 2019.

It’s been ten years since Mallory was home, but now she’s returned to her parent’s California vineyard. The memories there aren’t easy to face, she’s reminded at every turn of her best friend Kelly, the girl she shared everything with. That is until Mallory met Sam, the older man she fell head over heels for. Keeping Sam a secret from Kelly (who had secrets of her own) led to a perfect storm that left Mallory reeling and running away from all her heartache. Now she’s back, and coincidentally, so is Sam. Can they regain what they once had, or has too much time with too little said passed? This story is first and foremost a romance with a little mystery thrown in; not normally my cup of tea, but Raintree does a good job building and establishing her characters, making them realistic and relatable