This was a fun, quick, lighthearted read. If you’re looking for a story with minimal conflict, a fun setting (wine country!), and great relationships (friendships, family, and, of course, romantic), Drunk On Love is a solid bet. Margot Noble is the co-owner of a winery, along with her brother, Elliott. She is hardworking, smart, passionate, and very dedicated to proving herself as a successful CEO and businesswoman. When she sleeps with a younger man she meets at her best friend’s bar, she assumes it was a (very hot) one night stand. So you can imagine her shock when he shows up at the winery the next morning… as the new employee hired by her brother. This was my first read by Jasmine Guillory, but I’ll definitely be checking out her earlier books now that I’ve finished this one!

A stunning setting is the backdrop to this great one. Margot and her brother run a winery but it doesn’t come without stress. After a one night stand she was shocked when in walks her new hire, the mystery man from the night before.
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Luke is looking for a break after chaos at his previous job but never expects to find love in the winery with his new boss. This was a couple I rooted for and I would love to visit this winery!
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Huge thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory was covered in my Fall Book Preview, where I share a curated list of the season’s hottest new titles including the books I’ve most enjoyed, the ones I’m most looking forward to reading, and the ones the industry is most excited about. This fun love story had such a great setting!
Our Fall Book Preview event is exclusively for members of our MMD Book Club community and What Should I Read Next Patreon “Book Lover” supporters. Our communities also received a printable of all the picks with Drunk on Love's publishing info and release date included.

I think I would immediately have to quit my job if I accidentally hooked up with my boss.
Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory is a wine-buzzed ride through Napa Valley. A you-never-know-when-you’re-going-to-fall-in-love story, Margot and Luke meet at a local bar in Napa Valley and they instantly click. After a night of a passionate hookup, they are horrified to run into each other at work the next day when they discover Luke is Margot’s new employee.

Margot is the brains behind the winery she and her brother inherited from their late uncle. Luke recently moved back to Napa Valley, his childhood home, after leaving his job in tech. Both of them feel like they have something to prove to their families and go to great lengths to try to impress them. We spend the novel watching them navigate these barriers (aside from the huge barrier of being employer and employee) in their exploration of their relationship.

Representation Matters
One thing I love about Jasmine Guillory books is that she makes sure to showcase Black women living soft lives. So many books about Black people, Black women specifically, feature trauma and mirror real life very closely. In Drunk on Love, we see Margot live a successful life as a wine seller. This isn’t to say she doesn’t struggle with day-to-day life, but she isn’t facing adversity due to poverty, sexual assault, substance abuse, or violence. She is free to be herself and live her life on her terms.

Luke is also defying stereotypes. He is a Black man in tech. And not in a tech bro way. He isn’t concerned with losing his job because he’d also lose status or money, but rather because he doesn’t want to disappoint his mom. He shows healthy masculinity (I have a low tolerance for romance novels that glorify toxic masculinity) in a way that is in opposition to so many narratives we see about Black men.

The Boss Trope Flipped on Its Head
Guillory also takes the trope of employee and employer and gender flips it. When I usually read romance framed in the context of boss and employee, it feels gross. Power dynamics can be fun to play with, but sometimes it’s a bit much when the dynamic is between a male boss and a female employee. Like we don’t get gender exploitation on top of blurring the lines of consent when someone directly supervises the person they are having sex with.

When the dynamic is between a female boss and a male employee, it adds an interesting dynamic to the power structure. This narrative challenges the structure of women always having to be submissive to male dominance, in both sexual and nonsexual contexts. It’s not quite an equal exchange, but it disrupts that norm.

I would not have the same opinion if *HUGE spoiler* Margot and Luke actually had sex again as employer and employee. Instead, they wait until after Luke quits his job. This ensures a consensual relationship, one without those problematic power dynamics. And explicit consent in romance novels is just so hot to me.

Racism Is Still Real
I can’t stand when a novel with People of Color (Black people specifically, because this is my lived experience) pretend that racism just doesn’t exist, and this has been a limitation for me in past Guillory novels. The story doesn’t have to be centered around racism, but unless this is a fantasy novel, we can’t pretend that racism isn’t woven into every fabric of all our institutions.

Racism is the uninteresting, but necessary, side character present throughout the novel. We see how it pops up in the isolation Black residents of Napa Valley feel until they make connections with other Black people. We see microaggressions running rampant in the tech world. We see it when people question the legitimacy of a Black-owned wine company. I like how Guillory has taken more of a balanced approach between the soft lives of Black people and the harsh realities and banalities of racism.

Drunk on Love was a quick and easy read. The spicy scenes were definitely hot enough for my taste, although I didn’t get quite enough swoon. I would still recommend it if you need a palate cleanser between some tough books, or just a nice vacation read (especially if you are going to Napa Valley).

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This isn't my favorite by Jasmine Guillory, but I still liked it well enough. I really enjoyed the characters and how real their relationships felt (not just the romantic relationship between Luke and Margot, but also the sibling relationship between Margot and Elliott). I felt it dragged in places because characters kept talking instead of doing things, which is why I probably didn't give it a higher rating. All-in-all, a solid offering from this author.

Sadly, I just could not get into this one. I read about 60-70 pages in 5 days and just couldn't bring myself to read more so it is time to move on and realize this book is just not for me. Not every book is for everyone and that is okay. I hope this book finds itself in the hands of someone that will love it.

Jasmine Guillory has been called, “The Queen of the Modern Day Romance” (Vogue) and I would agree that she’s more than earned that title. Drunk on Love, her latest novel, takes us to Napa Valley, where a winery owner and her tech-savvy employee find amor amid the vines.

Margot Noble and her brother Elliot always got along great – until their uncle left his winery to both of them. Working together has put an unexpected strain on their relationship, so when Margot comes home from a business trip and Elliot uses some passive-agressive language to make her feel bad, she gets a bit cranky. In her mind, there are only a few solutions for the cranks and all of them can be found at her best friend’s pub. Margot’s just planning to eat a good meal, mellow out with some wine and enjoy quality time with her bestie but then he walks in, the proverbial Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. He’s funny, friendly, a total stranger and willing to keep it to first names and some (extraordinary) impersonal generic conversation. Margot is completely surprised by how easy it is to bond with someone while discussing trivialities. There’s no work talk, which turns out to be a mistake. Because after an amazing night together, Margot goes to Noble Family Vineyards and finds that her new employee is non-other than her fantastic one night stand.

Luke Williams is the quintessential success story. From school nerd to being employed in one of the most coveted positions in the tech industry, he’s been a shooting star with all the wealth and career prestige one could hope for. But a new boss has made Luke’s dream job toxic and after a particularly bad few days, Luke turns in his resignation and comes home to Napa Valley. Only, when he walks in the door at the winery he planned to temp at Luke realizes he may have just managed to make a mess of his new position. What are the odds that the incredible lover of the night before would be his boss this morning? Both he and Margot agree to keep it professional and to never, ever repeat that terrific night. But their best laid plans just may be no match for the burning hot chemistry which sparks every time they are together.

Full disclosure: While I do occasionally drink wine, I am by no means an expert on imbibin and nor do I know anything about its production, wine tours or even wine tastings. So I am rating Drunk on Love strictly as a romance. I won’t be able to speak to the quality of research on the industry end of things.

For those who might find a workplace romance and the imbalance of power between the two characters off-putting, rest assured that issue is well-handled. I won’t go into the details but the hero and heroine are mindful of the awkwardness of the situation and manage it gracefully and successfully.

Fans of the author will recognize a lot of the elements of this story. Luke and Margot are the kind of characters she likes to write – strong, driven people who excel at their jobs and know who they are and what they want from life. This is especially true of Margot, who pretty much devotes herself to the winery. Ms. Guillory fantastically captures the details of actually holding down a job, showing how emails, phone calls, working the front room and putting out fires whether with employees or customers takes time. Margot is constantly on the go, and there is always something for her to do. I’ve found those CEOs with tons of free time that so often people romance rather laughable; this story shows what owning a company actually entails.

Luke is several years younger than Margot but he’s already experienced a lot of success. He’s questioning whether it has been worth some of the sacrfifices he has made, though. Being home reminds him of all the things he loves about a slower pace, helps him to think of all the things he hasn’t had time for (like romance) and working at the Black-owned winery enables him to really see the racism he’d been dealing with at his old firm on a regular basis.

The author does a nice job of building the relationship. I loved how Margot and Luke have a wonderful conversational connection from the start; there is plenty of chemistry and lots of sexy times but these two also really like each other, as opposed to just having the hots for each other which is what so many of the ‘met-via-one-night-stand’ books rely on. I could see why both of them want more than just the one off they originally planned on.

I also really appreciated how connected the characters are to the other people in their lives. Luke is extremely close to his mom and to his best friend Avery and he has a good relationship with his mom’s partner and with his mentor from his old firm. He makes friends easily with the people he works with at the winery. Margot has her brother and her best friend and the folks at the winery. The author writes everyone as more than just stock characters while still keeping her focus on the primary couple.

I did have a few quibbles with the novel, though. Luke makes a stupid mistake, lying to his mother about two important factors in his life and letting those lies go on way, way too long. It was dumb and lazy to lie to begin with, continuing it for the bulk of the novel just to give us a conflict between our characters at the end makes him look immature and irresponsible. That may have contributed to my second quibble with the story – I thought Luke and Margot were at different places in their lives in terms of relationship commitment. Margot is clearly looking for long-term, total devotion while Luke seems to be in a place where he loves her but is still exploring exactly what that means for him. As a result of that maturity imbalance, I felt a bit uncomfortable with the demands she put upon him only a month into their coupledom.

Those are genuinely just quibbles, though. Drunk on Love is a wonderful contemporary romance that I am happy to recommend to fans of that genre.

Drunk on Love is the latest romance from Jasmine Guillory and it is a delight! It follows Margot Noble, who co-owns a family winery with her brother. Margot goes out one night, looking to relieve some stress, and she meets a handsome stranger named Luke, who has just arrived in Napa Valley. Margot and Luke have major chemistry and one thing leads to another, culminating in a very sexy one-night stand between them. Imagine their surprise, when Margot goes to work the next morning, only to learn that Luke is the winery’s newest employee, hired by her brother. What could possibly go wrong?

I loved this story so much. Both Margot and Luke are just such easy characters to like. Luke had my heart when he immediately offered to quit his job so as not to make things super awkward for Margot. Margot similarly captured my heart when she refuses to let him do that because she thinks it’s unfair to him. I enjoyed their chemistry so much and all of those awkward moments as they tried to keep things professional between them when all they really wanted to do was jump each other’s bones, haha. I also really enjoyed the evolution of their relationship, both the professional dynamic and the personal one as they really did start to get to know each other.

In addition to enjoying the relationship between Luke and Margot, I also loved the added layers where each of these characters had personal journeys they were also working their way through. Margot and Elliot, her brother and co-owner, used to be super close when they were younger. Inheriting their uncle’s winery together, even though it was Elliot who had always worked there, created tension between them. Margot feels like she always has to prove that she belongs at, and is invested in, the winery, and it weighs on her constantly. Luke is also dealing with some emotional and professional baggage related to his last job, which was a Silicon Valley tech dream job turned nightmare. He has come to Napa to hide out for a while and regroup. I found both of their journeys equally compelling and was very invested in seeing how each of them would play out.

Drunk on Love is steamy and swoony but also filled with heartfelt and tender moments as well. The workplace romance trope is not typically a favorite of mine, but I really loved what Jasmine Guillory does with it here.

I really love Jasmine Guillory’s books. After reading her six-book series for The Wedding Date, I knew I’d enjoy whatever this book had to offer – and I was right.

I do feel as though this book could have seamlessly slipped into that series though. It felt like almost the same world, and the characters had the same voice and personalities as all the friends and family in the other series.

That said, I loved it. It was a cute reverse age gap, fling to forever romance with a bit of workplace forbidden tension going on. I always love the multicultural rep that Jasmine Guillory brings to her books. I do wish there hadn’t been so much secrecy though – even if it did provide the tension. There was little reason for the male main character to continue to lie to his mother about who he was dating, and some of Margot’s freak-outs seemed a bit over the top. I’m glad she took ownership of it eventually, but typically it wasn’t until Luke was already apologizing.

Either way, I enjoyed this one. It was a fun light-hearted romcom set in Napa Valley and filled with a LOT of wine.

The meet-cute that uncorks Drunk on Love is a classic for a reason. Strangers meet in a bar, at a party, or wherever – although in this particular case it’s a neighborhood bar with excellent drinks and great food. They strike up a conversation on one pretext or another and simply hit it off in a way that neither of them can resist.

So they don’t. A great meal, a fantastic night, and a not too terribly awkward morning after and then they’ll never see each other again. Or so one or both of them believes.

Then they do meet again, later that morning after, in the most awkward way possible. And so it begins.

In the case of Margot Noble and Luke Williams, what makes that awkward morning after into an even more awkward gift that is just going to keep on giving – at least for the reader – is that the new job that Luke walks into in the tasting room of a local winery turns out to be the family winery belonging to Margot and her brother Elliot.

Elliot Noble is the winemaker, Margot Noble is the business manager, which means Elliot mostly gets to work behind the scenes, while Margot is out front, managing the finances, drumming up business, schmoozing restaurants to get them to offer and promote Noble wines – and, you guessed it, running the tasting room at the winery.

In other words, Margot is Luke’s new boss. Which is where this romantic comedy kicks into high gear – and sometimes even gets drunk on the Noble Family Wineries’ products. Because neither of them can forget the best night either of them has had in a long, long time – if ever. And they both know it can’t happen again as long as Luke is working in Margot’s tasting room

But they both want it to. So, so bad. Because they already know it’ll be so, so good. If they can just find a way to make it – or let it – happen.

Escape Rating B: I loved the way that Drunk on Love started, and even more so as Margot was a bit older than Luke which is one of my favorite tropes.

Very much on my other hand, this one middled in places that aren’t necessarily my cup of tea – or that I just wasn’t in the mood for at the moment, leaving me with some mixed reading feelings.

The kickoff for this was a winner. Absolutely. There’s always something delicious in a forbidden romance but there are few non-squicky ways to make that happen in the 21st century. This is one that works.

That there is a certain amount of deception in this kind of romance is a given. What drove me bananas about the story wasn’t so much the coverup of their relationship but rather the lies they are telling themselves about pretty much everything else.

Luke is back home in Napa because he burned out at his high-paying, high-powered, high-tech job but can’t manage to tell anyone about it – in some ways, not even himself. So in order to cover that up he covers up more stuff until he’s at the bottom of a pit of lies and just can’t seem to stop digging.

Margot, on the other hand, is doing very well in her position but can’t believe that her brother thinks she is or even wants her there. Their relationship is filled with nothing but tension that might or might not still have a cause. They’re in the middle of a giant misunderstandammit and can’t seem to find a way clear of it.

It’s not just that Margot and Luke are standing in their own ways, but that the way they are doing so stands in the way of any potential future happiness. It’s hard to watch these two very sympathetic and likeable characters flail around at reaching their HEA, but once they do it’s very much earned.

So if you like a bit of angst mixed with witty banter between a couple of really great people who need a few good swift kicks to move them to an HEA, try a glass – or a chapter or two – of Drunk on Love. If you prefer the witty banter in your romcom to be undiluted, grab a copy of the author’s The Wedding Date – a bubbly delight from the very first sip to the last.

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio and Berkley Romance for the complimentary audiobook and gifted copy.

𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦!
What can I say, I’m a fan of Jasmine books and this one didn’t dissapoint!
Funny, sexy, sweet, a fantastic setting and great characters; an addictive story that you won’t be able to put down. Loved it!

𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 by Jasmine Guillory released yesterday September 20, 2022.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

This book was absolutely phenomenal! The characters we lovable, the story was equal parts heartfelt and spicy, and I can’t wait for more from Jasmine Guillory!

Steamy
Romantic
Seductive

I am such a huge fan of Jasmine Guillory's writing and have loved the characters, the Southern California setting, and the light hearted romance that touch the heart, and warms the soul. This time, the setting is in the beautiful vineyards of Napa Valley.


In DRUNK ON LOVE, I was transported to the gorgeous winery of Napa Valley. Having spent a month in Italy and enjoying Tuscany, reading this fun romance eased the longing I had spending time in a winery - and this time it's with the Noble family Vineyards.


I love a workplace romance - this one is a super hot hook-up with what ended up being your future boss. I enjoyed the story immensely and definitely got me drunk on this love story against the beautiful Napa Valley backdrop.


Be sure to check this out. I know this one is one of my favorite Guillory romance.

Take the common trope of falling for your boss but flip it!

Margot is the boss, co-owner of a winery with her brother. She meets Luke and they have amazing chemistry and a great night.

And then they realize that Luke is the new employee at Margot’s winery (hired by her brother).

Stay professional? Or give in to their feelings?

It’s steamy and has some great moments.

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advanced copy. All opinions shared are my own.

This is the story of Margot and Luke. Margot and her brother own a winery in Napa and while she's on a business trip, Margot's brother hires a new employee for the tasting room without her input. In her frustration, Margot ends up at her friend's restaurant for a drink and dinner. While there, her friend dares her to flirt with the guy on the next bar stool. The flirting and conversation go well, one thing led to another, and Margot went back to Luke's apartment for the night. Only to learn when they both arrive at work the next morning that Luke was the new hire at the winery. There's some frustration and holding back of feelings while they're working together, to stay professional. In the end, we all know they'll end up together.

I enjoyed this book. It was a great escape for a few days. I enjoyed the cameo at the winery by characters from Jasmine Guillory's other books. It was fun to see some of the behind the scenes of running a winery and publicizing a small family business with memberships and exclusive parties. It was also great to have the background stories on why Luke was working at the winery and why he might or might not go back to his old job.

Another fun and fabulous read by Jasmine Guillory. Always love her characters, who are a perfect combination of fun, whimsical, and down-to-earth. The winery setting was especially enjoyable to read about in this book. Tender and light-hearted and all around wonderful!

Guillory is at the top of her game. I loved this book from first to last page. The chemistry and tension between Luke and Margot was palpable. The storyline was tight. Excellent romance!

Another winner from the fabulous Jasmine Guillory. Set amongst a winery with a backstory of familial expectations, what's not to love?! I enjoyed watching Margot and Luke fall in love and I especially loved the cameo from some old familiar faces.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Jasmine Guillory's books are always fun and Drunk on Love is no exception! I loved the setting of the winery...I can just imagine being there among the hustle and bustle of the wine tastings and watching the romance between Margo and Luke unfold. This is a great, steamy romance that is so easy to lose yourself in for a blissful afternoon retreat. If you haven't read anything by Jasmine, go pick up one of her books right now. Any one will do but her latest is just as appealing as her previous ones!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Published 20 September 2022.

This was charming, and I really liked both Margot and Luke. It doesn't remake the genre, and there isn't much here that's surprising, but the cozy setting and many mentions of wine, plus great characters, make up for it.