A group of widows in a wine club, this just sounds like a good time, and it definitely was. I really enjoyed this one.

Suspenseful and adventurous!!!

Those two words describe Widows on the Wine Path by Julia Jarman. I really did enjoy this book! Jarman kept me on my toes and wanting to read more and more.

I was cheering for the Musketeers the whole time, hoping they would succeed!

This book was a mix of comedy and suspense as poor Libby meets an old love interest a year after she loses her husband Jim. Being a little nieve and lacking confidence in her ability to be alone, this poor lady gets well and truly sucked in by this naughty man!!!
Her gang of friends can’t seem to change her mind or find out enough to keep an eye on her, so can only worry from the sidelines! I felt that way too!! So much so, I had to keep reading through the night to find out what happened!!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed the plot, the characters, in fact I loved it all!!!! I really look forward to reading more from Julia Jarman!!
Many thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this arc copy for review consideration via Netgalley . My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #TheBoldBookClub, #Jarman6745.

It’s rare that finishing a book makes me feel as though I’ve run a marathon. I regularly read twisted mysteries, pulse-pounding thrillers, and even blood-curdling horror without breaking a sweat. However, Widows on the Wine Path broke me.

In the standalone sequel to The Widows’ Wine Club, author Julia Jarman returns to The Muscateers, a group centered around both their widowhood and appreciation for a solid drink, this time with an additional member. While Viv, Janet, and Zelda have all begun figuring out their new lives, Libby, after the more recent loss of her husband of thirty years, finds herself in a bit of a rut. And after running into a flirty old classmate, Monty, at a West End theatre, that rut might just turn into a sinkhole.

Therein lies the source of my sudden blood pressure problem. Monty might truly be one of the most odious characters I’ve ever come across in the history of literature. That’s a complete testament to Jarman as a writer. She carefully walks the tightrope of allowing the audience to know Monty is no better than a snake oil salesman while still allowing us to understand why Libby might not see it. After Monty’s first scene, wherein he offers to buy Libby a drink, she later realizes she’s been charged not just for her own drink, but his as well. Jarman telegraphs the exact kind of trick he’s played, and yet Libby remains enchanted. He’s attractive. He seemingly has all the right answers. How can he be bad?

Even with this intentionally obvious setup, Jarman has written an unputdownable book. Because really, while Monty is an ever-present rot, it’s not really about him at all. At its core, Widows on the Wine Path is about Libby, her attempts to figure out what her life is going to look like, and the wacky adventures she has along the way. As Libby bounces around from small personal triumphs (like attending a night at the theatre by herself) to far off escapades Monty butters her into, Jarman is careful to make all of these moments about Libby finding herself. It’s an incredibly touching exploration of not just widowhood, but humanity.

Adding to the emotional whiplash I was more than welcome to experience, it’s incredibly funny. While Viv, Janet, and Zelda offer up plenty of relief with their restaurant meetings and quips, Libby herself even sparkles as she comes into her own. A couple of cathartic moments toward the end had me genuinely laughing out loud.

Full of heart with loads of laughs, Widows on the Wine Path is a dazzling sequel. Word of advice, though: try not to get too worked up while reading it.

This might be one of the worst books I have ever read. Impossible to follow, horrible characters - bad all the way around.

Seven months after becoming a widow, Libby runs into someone she had a crush on way back in her acting school days. It feels too soon to start a new relationship, but Monty is sweet, and fun, and she can't help but develop feelings for him. But as things heat up with Monty, Libby begins to wonder if maybe he isn't as wonderful as he initially seemed.

I will say first of all that I don't understand AT ALL why this book is marketed as funny and lighthearted; it isn't either of those things in the slightest. I did like the book, but there was no humor, but based on the description I was expecting a comedy with some hijinks from Libby's friends. Instead, this book is very heavy, and includes a lot of emotional abuse. Again, I thought the book was good, but if you're looking for a light read, this is not that, at all.
I loved that there were some chapters from the other Muscateers' points of view, and Julia Harman did a great job of capturing the awful creeping feeling of something not quite being right in a relationship. While this book wasn't at all what I expected, I thought it was very good and would definitely read more by Julia Jarman.

TW for emotional abuse

2.5 stars.
This is mainly about Libby. Having lost her husband the year before, she befriends the musketeers, Zelda, Viv, and Janet.
Libby bumps into Monty at the theatre. She remembers him from her youth, and soon they are chatting, and he invites her out.
Before you know it, he's moving into her house. Then, he insists that he takes her away for a little holiday.
I didn't enjoy this at all, although I did stick with it just to see what happened at the end.
I found it completely farcical. Libby is a grown woman. I don't understand how she fell for a complete con artist and got herself imprisoned by him.
I even dispared of her friends. How did it take them so long to come to her aide?
The only saving grace for this book was the location. The villa sounded lovely, and Nikos, who adored Libby.
I'm all for books being written about ladies of a certain age, but please don't dumb them down.
Thanks to Boldwood Books for the invitation to read this in return for an honest review.

A wonderful story about a group of widows who are there for one another offering support. It all gets a little heated when Monty arrives on the scene and tries to take over. A great story of loss and friendship. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review. It was a pleasure.

I settled down to read this book in pleasurable anticipation because I had read the previous one and enjoyed it then, bham! Off we went on a roller coaster ride of emotions that made me feel a little uncomfortable if I'm honest, the controlling Monty made lovely Libby feel like she was losing her mind! Well done Julia on tackling this kind of behaviour

I hadn't read the first one in this series, but I quickly slipped into the group dynamics of the four widows and their friendship in the face of widowhood and learning to love and live again. The caring nature towards each other, their 'rules' to keep each other safe on new dates and their monthly 'Muscateers' meetings were a joy to read. It was so lovely to see how the four women supported each other.
The book centres on Libby, the mostly recently widowed, and her journey. Her growing confidence attracts a predatory male who, from her point of view is caring and loving - the other 3 widows are not so sure! Whilst dealing with an increasingly controlling relationship and a fair amount of gaslighting, Julia Jarman manages to keep the tone light-hearted enough to be an enjoyable read, especially as the other 3 (iwth the support of Nikos) come to her rescue! A great read full of warmth - you'll wish you were surrounded by an equally supportive group of friends!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Three widows befriend a fourth widow. Only relatively recently a widow. The motto is that the first year is hard.
Libby by chance meets an old college acquaintance. Swept off her feet. Is this the start of a new relationship or a conniving fraudster?
The friends are divided in opinions and actions.

This was a charming book that I really enjoyed! A story of grief, friendships, and moving on. Monty is the WORST. There are some heavier topics involved so be aware of that.

When I finished this book I found that it was the second in a series but it certainly didn't detract as I hadn't realised! The book was a little slow and wordy in places, focusing on Libby who has just lost her husband but gets bowled over by underhand Monty, a blast from the past. Beneath some 0f the lightheartedness there are the quite serious issues of gaslighting and subversive abuse. I did get rather annoyed by Libby at times as she was so taken in and trusting of Monty, so a lot of the book was a little predictable when it was pretty obvious of Monty's motives. I think I would like to have got to know the other female characters a little better namely Zelda, Viv and Janet but think I shall have to read the first book to do that. A good holiday read to while awhile a summer's day with

Libby, a recent widow, has a wonderful support group of friends - they call themselves "The Muscateers," and meet regularly for lunch to support each other through their grief. One evening, at the theater, Libby runs into an old acquaintance from drama school, Monty, who charms her. Libby's friends are wary of Monty's intentions, especially after Libby informs them that Monty is moving in to her home with her! Is Monty too good to be true? Is Libby ready for a new relationship, not even a year after her beloved husband's death?

Special thanks to Net Galley and Burwood Books for the Advance Reader Copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Widows on the Wine Path was a very entertaining and cute book that had a little bit of everything in it. We follow Libby as she joins Viv, Zelda, and Janet as part of the widows support group (with a lot of wine) called the Muscateers. While there’s some sorrow the widows take on supporting each other through grief and making things lighter was refreshing. When Libby gets caught up with obvious gaslighter and just shady guy Monty, the widows are there to suss out the truth and we embark on an adventure with them. I loved the lightheartedness and how it balanced out the bits of tension. Recommended!

I really enjoyed this book, which is mainly about friendship amongst older women. I found the story compelling if a little uncomfortable, (because events took a more sinister turn) to read at times. I loved the descriptions of the meals when the friends had their regular meetings, and the plot continues at a good pace. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends, and it should provide some great discussion points for book clubs.

I received this ARC from Blackwood Books on Netgalley for honest feedback.

This novel touches on subjects such as loss and abuse/gaslighting.

Libby loses her husband of 30 years. She meets Zelda, Viv, and Janet, or the Muscateers as they've dubbed themselves. They embrace Libby with open arms, as they have all been widowed as well, and they help give support to each other.
Libby and Zelda were supposed to go to a theater showing one evening, but Zelda had to cancel. Libby ends up going, and meets Monty Charles. She realizes she has met him years ago, when they both were in school together, and she leaves completely smitten with him. They start going to Thursday shows together, but Libby s friends are quite suspicious of him.
Monty does a lot of questionable things, but always seems to have an excuse, which Libby believes each time. After a trip to Greece ends up not being what she was told, she must find a way to get home, and free from Monty. Her friends come to her rescue, and Libby finally realizes what Monty actually was.

This is the second book in the series. I read it as a standalone not knowing it was part of a series, but I will go back and read the first one to get a better picture of these characters and what they were doing before this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoy the characters and how they rallied around Libby who lost her husband.

It balanced some heavy topics in a tactful and well-balanced manner which I really appreciated.

Libby's husband of 30 years has passed away, and she is feeling lost and lonely, when she meets, Viv, Janet and Zelda. They met at a support group for widows, and ran away from that group and started The Muscateers , a lively widows' wine club. They welcomed her to the group, and knew the first year of widowhood, was the year of making mistakes, and they are determined to protect her.
She went to theatre by herself, and met a man from her past, Monty Charles. There are red flags from the beginning, and her friends try to warn her, but she ventures out to move forward in life. This is Libby's story, that will take you through her journey of navigating widowhood, and all that happens. Her friends, are there for her, her brain is trying to give her warnings, and there is Monty. You will have to read the book, to know her journey and where she ends up, and it is a wonderful story. I liked it because sometimes I could see the smallest detail, didn't feel right to me, and I have never been a widow, but have been married for 30+ years, and if the day comes, I will have a better understanding.
I received an ARC from Boldwood Books through NetGalley.

Widows On The Wine Path by Julia Jarman is a wonderful, contemporary novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is the second book in the series and can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the previous book first, for continuity of character and maximum enjoyment.
This is a book about friendship between four widows. We meet three in book one, but now Libby is newly widowed. The first year is the hardest, one needs love and support. It is also the year in which one is most vulnerable and needs the help of friends in order to navigate the waters of widowhood.
The four friends meet regularly. In order to keep each other safe, if one of them is going out, they let the others know where, who with and for how long. Safety checks are wise.
We meet an unscrupulous character who preys on the vulnerable. The unsuspecting character finds herself gas lighted, but is clueless at first. Those on the outside can see what is happening. Bit by bit her freedom is eroded but she is blind to this. Her self esteem is questioned as it plummets. The holiday of a lifetime soon becomes the stuff of nightmares.
All for one and one for all! No one is left behind when the muscateers ride into town.
All the characters were well drawn and realistic. The ‘good’ characters were warm, welcoming and loyal. The pantomime villain of the piece elicited ‘boos’ in my head each time he appeared!
The tone is light-hearted despite some really heavy and serious themes. This juxta-positioning works well, making the novel a palatable and enjoyable read.
I love the widows series from Julia Jarman as we witness what friendship and love is all about.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.