In A Taste of Chardonnay (The Napa Wine Heiresses) by Heather Heyford, Chardonnay “Char” wants to be known for much more than her father’s scandals and wealth. Char has her own ambitions and believes in giving back to the community and the people. Looking to get her own charity off 
the ground, she has entered an elite competition where the winner will get money for their charity. A lot of money that Char desperately wants for hers.
Ryder’s firefighter father died on the job, leaving Ryder feeling responsible for his mother and his sister. When Hollywood and the money it could bring him beckoned, he could not say no. Now a famous star, he is back in Napa to prepare for his not only his next Hollywood role, but to cement the plans for his own charity. And before he knows it, he’s in direct competition with Char…a woman who he’s attracted to before he even knows her.
The attraction is definitely a mutual feeling, but so is the competition. Both of them are making assumptions about the other which at times makes the rivalry hotter, at times more frustrating for the reader. As they spend more time together and get to know one another better, secrets from the past are bared and the question of the future has never been more unclear. Will past events and misconceptions stop what they’ve found before they have a chance?
A Taste of Chardonnay is both fun and serious, blended well together for a well paced romance with a hint of mystery from the past. The characters, Ryder and Char, had a good connection that was filled with just enough drama and conflict to keep things exciting. The assumptions both of them had the habit of making were a bit annoying at times, and it’s a reminder about how assumptions are usually wrong! Ryder and Char are both admirable in what they are doing for their community, they are both determined and want to do good. This, and the fact that neither of them sees themselves as a shoe in for the prize, makes them very likable. They are not necessarily a couple of people I can relate to (wealthy and famous!) but the feelings they have are very real and believable.
The family relationships are complicated, and it was fun to get to meet their families…I’m sure Char’s sister’s will have great stories too.
I really enjoyed the setting of Napa that Heather used in A Taste of Chardonnay, and I love the cover of this book! It makes me feel like I’m already there.
The first book in a series, I will read the next one to find out more about Char’s sisters and her family! If you enjoy contemporary romance in a romantic setting with a hint of mystery, I would recommend A Taste of Chardonnay.
Book Info:
Published October 1st 2014 by Kensington Publishing Corporation | (The Napa Wine Heiresses)
Join author Heather Heyford as she uncorks a sparkling new series following the St. Pierre sisters, heiresses to a Napa wine fortune who are toasting the good life and are thirsty for love…Chardonnay St. Pierre’s father is as infamous for his scandals as he is for his wine, and it’s up to Char to restore the family name. The Challenge, an elite charity competition held in Napa, seems like the perfect opportunity for the socialite to cement her image as a philanthropist. But all eyes–including Char’s–are on the Hollywood heartthrob who’s also entered the race…
Long before his face was splashed across the gossip magazines, Ryder McBride grew up in a working-class family in Napa. He knows all about the St. Pierre sisters and their notorious father, and when he learns he’ll be up against Char in The Challenge, he assumes the grape doesn’t fall far from the vine. But the more they get to know one another, the more they begin to realize that nothing pairs better with a heated rivalry than a healthy pour of flirtation…
