I've read a lot of books that take place during the late 1930s and 1940s in Europe during WW2. I will have to put this one up there with my favorites in that genre. There are two stories you follow, Edith, Inez, Michel, Celine and Theo, who live on a vineyard in the Champagne region of France and Olivia (Liv) and her grandmother, Edith. It's not a secret from the beginning that the young Edith from the 1940s is the very same Edith, Liv's grandmother, from present day. The author draws characters you really care about and like and makes you feel part of history. Ms. Harmel is correct in the author's note when she says I will never drink champagne again without thinking of its history. I am looking forward to reading her other books.

Liv has just gone through a divorce when her 99 year old grandmother from Paris arrives to bring her back to France. Her grandmother Edith, has a story to tell,of love and loss, light and darkness, during WWII in Nazi occupied Champagne. There are some twists to the dual timeline story, and much to tug at your heartstrings, including efforts by many owners of the vineyards to Resist. Recommended.

The Winemaker’s Wife is a wonderful story set in Rheims, France...settings and characters alternating between 2019 and World War II. The author’s exhaustive research sheds light on a chapter in French history involving the French Resistance and wine country. Rheims actually helped save France from German occupation. Of course there are several love stories woven throughout the book which shows what length people of this era had to go through during this horrible time in their history. Will there be redemption for some? This historical novel is an excellent read and I would recommend it highly. I would give it 5 stars.

The book started a little slow for me. Having been to this area of France, I enjoyed the overall storyline. If you like love triangles and WWII stories, I would suggest this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Set in the Champagne region of France during WWII, there are rich characters and a love story that has surprises around every corner. In 2019, Olivia has just gone through a messy divorce, and a few days later, her 99-year old French grandmother Edith shows up on her doorstep and whisks her away to France, where she tells her a story spanning decades. There's intrigue, romance and the making of very expensive champagne. There is beauty and there is sadness. This story will completely draw you in.

I just finished this book. Actually, I finished a little bit ago, but had to stop crying before I could write this.

This told a story about events that happened during the war. It also told a story during current times. You know how they are going to intersect, but you might be wrong.

The chapters alternated the story between the past and now. Every time it switched I was happy to get back to the other story...at the same time I needed it to keep going. In these cases, i often like one story more than the other. But in this case I loved them both.

I was drawn into the story, the characters, the history...

Thank you to net galley for an advance copy. This didn't affect my review at all. I couldn't put this book down.

I love all of Kristen Harmel‘s books and look forward to starting The Winemakers Wife. This book partial historical fiction with some chapters set in 1940, and others set in the present day. I enjoy books that have dual timelines like this one!

Champagne, 1940: Inès has just married Michel, the owner of storied champagne house Maison Chauveau, when the Germans invade. As the danger mounts, Michel turns his back on his marriage to begin hiding munitions for the Résistance. Inès fears they’ll be exposed, but for Céline, half-Jewish wife of Chauveau’s chef de cave, the risk is even greater—rumors abound of Jews being shipped east to an unspeakable fate.

When Céline recklessly follows her heart in one desperate bid for happiness, and Inès makes a dangerous mistake with a Nazi collaborator, they risk the lives of those they love—and the champagne house that ties them together.

New York, 2019: Liv Kent has just lost everything when her eccentric French grandmother shows up unannounced, insisting on a trip to France. But the older woman has an ulterior motive—and a tragic, decades-old story to share. When past and present finally collide, Liv finds herself on a road to salvation that leads right to the caves of the Maison Chauveau.

Kristen has several other novels available to hold you over until this one comes out. I enjoyed The Room on Rue Amélie and that is available right now!

Order The Winemakers Wife here.

Loved this book. I enjoy historical fiction, and am always interested to learn more about World War II, but this novel has wider appeal than that. It is romantic and suspenseful and truly touching. It reminds us of the humanity that exists even amidst the world's greatest challenges. A beautiful and heartbreaking book, I highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity!

I loved this book! The story weaves itself through two time periods, modern day and World War II and ties it all up in a suprising bow. The story is a love story in many ways but it's mostly a story about survival and resistance in the time of war.
Inès is a young naive wife who can't find her place in her husband's winery. She feels useless and insignificant on the winery and feels ignorant about the truths about the war. She wants to feel important and needed so goes looking for love and attention elsewhere, not realizing that affairs during wars have terrible consequences.
Inès husband Michel and Celeste, the half-Jewish wife of the chef de cave, find themselves growing closer as the German's start to invade France's countryside. Their developing relationship puts them in great danger with even greater consequences.
The results of the actions of these 3 during the war span a lifetime. The tale tells of the love, heartaches, struggles, and regrets of those decisions.
This story touches your heart. It makes you cry for those who struggle and smile for those who survive. It will stay with you even after the story ends.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher  for providing this advanced copy.  The opinions are my own.

This book is beautifully written and a true page turner. Kristin Harmel is a master of creating a setting so that you feel you are right there watching everything up close. I loved learning about the champagne industry and how its leaders led the resistance in France. I am inspired to read more!

The story started out and ended very well. The middle seemed to go on and on and it was tempting for me to stop reading. It sometimes felt like the author tried to make the story longer and have more depth but all it did for me was to distract from the story. It was hard to put down in the beginning and I did enjoy the story. Thanks for sharing it with me.

The Winemaker’s Wife
My thanks to #NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Set in Champagne, France in modern day and WWII, The Winemaker’s Wife follows the story of the women of one of the great wine making houses in France. As with many WWII stories, The Winemaker’s Wife is both heartbreaking and beautiful. The reader will be immersed in the wine making process, the history of wine making in the region, and the role of France in the end of WWII. There is a lot to learn here about wine making and the French Resistance – and love and loss. It’s a beautiful book, well worth the read.

How many [pre] WWII books can one read? If the answer is not enough, this book's for you. Thankfully not bashed over the head with Nazis [though they are, naturally, a part of the story], but... Again I'm in the minority of readers.

I can't help but feelinng save for learning a bit about champagne, I'd read this book before. Nothing necessarily new or original and at times, almost pedestrian. A fast enough read with characters fairly well drawn, but not necessarily sympathetic. And a dual timeline [2019] which I like. And, as usual, I like the older story better.

Certainly a fast read, but often, I just didn't care what happened--although I did want to see how it panned out, That said, I pretty much guessed ALL the trajectories.

Some of the prose was cringeworthy [to me] and I found myself often saying: "oy" or "ugh."And all too much telegraphed. And the end--JUST. NOT. TO. MY. LIKING.

This is another wonderful book set during WWII and alternates to present day. The characters were well developed and at times, I felt that I was in the wine cellars with Celine, Theo, Michel and Ines. For me, the description of the wine cellars and passage ways was quite real and believable.

I read Ms Harmel's The Room on Rue Amelie in 2018 and found a new favorite author. I especially loved the small reference to the prior book in this one.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this advanced readers copy. This is scheduled to release in August 2019!

Another engrossing look at life and the French Resistance in the wine region during WWII. This novel will appeal to fans of "The Nightingale" and "The Lost Vintage".

Yes...I finished another historical fiction book revolved around WWII. I've read several at this point and each one has a unique story to tell about this tragic war. Kristin Harmel's, The Winemaker's Wife focuses on two winemaking couples involved in the French resistance and how their lives impact a woman in present day. 

The story is told from the perspective of three characters: Ines, Celine, and Liv

Liv's story is set in present day. She's just been divorced, her ex-husband has left her with nothing, and she's feeling lost. So her grandmother Edith whisks her away to Paris to get her mind off of things, but her grandmother also has something important she needs to tell Liv. It's something that will change Liv's life forever.

Ines and Celine's characters are set during the war. Ines is the wife of the owner of Maison Chauveau and Celine is the wife of the Chauveau's chef de cave. Both women have many internal struggles with what's going on with the war and the actions they are taking. Some of these actions are dangerous and hurt the ones they love. 

I really enjoyed this book. It captured another facet of the war that I didn't know much about and with each passing moment you can feel the danger increasing for Ines, Celine, and their husband's. While there is a lot of danger, there's still a lot of love within the book too. I don't want to give anything away, but essentially love can grow in unexpected places even during the worst of times. 

Everything comes together in Liv's present day timeline. While the ending is sad to think about, I believe it was a perfect ending. It was emotional in so many ways. Towards the end I was thinking of all the different ways this book could have gone, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Overall, I would highly recommend The Winemaker's Wife to those who like historical fiction and women's fiction. A 5 star for me!

This is a wonderfully researched and written story set in WWII and present day. The setting is in The Champagne area of France where the wineries, caves and champagne production are well-described and part of the Resistance after the Germans invade. There are also twists and turns when a modern day grandmother brings her granddaughter to France to tell the true story of that time.

I love historical fiction and This one did not disappoint! Historical fiction along with a little mystery proves to be a great combination! The description in this novel blew me away. I wonder how many readers will figure out the ending while reading. I was really surprised.

The backdrop of WWII and the present day characters were remarkable. I have to say I have another author I will be coming back time and again to read her books! I highly recommend this novel!

The last thing I really wanted to read was another two-time zone story with one time set during WWII but the champagne making storyline convinced me to give it a try when I saw it on NetGalley. I enjoyed the intrigued and story but I struggled with some of the characters, especially Ines. I found her character and other's character's behaviors a bit unbelievable at times. I also found parts of the storyline to be a bit too predictable. Having said that, I had no problem finishing this book; it held my attention to the end and I will be exploring this author's other books as I found her to be a strong writer and good storyteller.

I chose this book by accident, I thought it was by a different author, but I am oh so glad that I did. I thoroughly enjoyed this intricate tale of World War II set in the German occupied wine country of France. This saga was well woven and I found it to be both enjoyable and educational. The story revolves around a winemaker and his wife, and his assistant and his wife, during very troubled times, both personally and globally. Blended in with their story is the story of a granddaughter and her grandmother in modern day New York, which in the end all comes together nicely. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reading copy to review.