We’ve been stuck inside for so long; traveling has become a novelty for so many of us.
Today is National Wine and Cheese Day and all I can think about is traveling to one of the many wine capitals of the world. Of course, I can’t go for so many reasons, like the virus, money, work, and so on. Although, if you’re still stuck at home like me, here are some books that are helping me get through some of my wino wanderlust set in Tuscany and Verona, Italy, Napa Valley, California, and Bordeaux, France.
Do you think pairing these with my wine and cheese will convince my brain that I’m actually there?
Bordeaux Housewives by Daisy Waugh
Daffy Fielding fell in love with the Hotel Marrionner and convinces her husband to buy it for them, only to have him go straight back home to be with his mistress.
The Haunt family just moved in down the road, just picked up and left their little home in London.
Bored Lady Emma Rankin is intrigued by the new people moving into her area and brings the two wives together for Sancerre in Lady Rankin’s glamorous home. Except she doesn’t seem as interested in the two women as she may be in Maude Haunt’s husband, or maybe it’s the gorgeous builder who is the only one that knows the Haunt’s secret.
Murder in Chianti by Camilla Trinchieri
Former NYPD homicide detective Nico Doyle just lost his wife. While mourning, he moves to her hometown of Gravigna, Italy, where he gets by with the help of his in-laws. One morning, Nico hears a gunshot near his cabin. Finding a body and abandoned dog, Nico adopts the dog and leaves the investigation to the local authorities. Except when the local maresciallo discovers Nico’s professional past, Nico is enlisted to help. It turns out more people are suspects of this murder than expected, including Nico’s in-laws. Now he must dig up all of the village’s painful secrets to find the truth.
The Vintner’s Daughter by Kristen Harnisch
Sara and her sister flee their home in Loire Valley, France after their mother sells their family vineyard to the rival family forcing Sara to put her dream of following in her father’s footsteps to a halt. After arriving in the United States, Sara travels to California in hopes of building her own way in the winemaking world.
Philippe’s goal is to own the largest vineyard in Napa by 1900, but he wants to bring the killer to justice after finding out about his brother’s death. Philippe could also be the one to get Sara her family’s vineyard back for her. The first time the two meet there is an instant connection in this romance about betrayal, retribution, love, and redemption.
You, Me and Italy by Sue Roberts
Maisie Knight is living a pretty good life until she catches her husband cheating with one of their employees. So when she wins a vacation to Tuscany, there couldn’t be a better time to get away with her best friends for a while. The Tuscan sun, adventures with cheeky Italians, and prosecco and pasta dinners help push the heartbreak away. On top of all that she’s getting surprisingly closer to the local farmer, Gianni. But as her past and life-changing decisions start catching up to her, Maisie just might have to say goodbye to her summer love.
The Juliet Club by Suzanne Harper
Kate has been dumped for another girl and she vows to never fall in love again. After being accepted into a summer Shakespeare symposium in Verona, it is bound to be easy to lose herself in her studies, admire the ancient architecture, and eat plenty of gelato and pasta. But can level-headed Kate resist romance in our favorite star-crossed lovers’ hometown?
Wedding Bells at Villa Limonello by Daisy James
After getting fired from her fancy London job, a vacation to Tuscany for a few weeks sounds like the perfect escape. But Tuscany holds many emotional memories for Isabella. Plus with the unfortunate handyman, match-making matriarch, and infuriating but gorgeous chef Luca, Isabella’s escape ends up being chaos. Now on a mission to pull off the wedding of a century and hopefully get her life back in order, Isabella must try not to get too distracted by Luca’s gorgeous smile.
Fairytale by Danielle Steel
A Cinderella retelling set in the Napa Valley where Camille’s parents built a charming little winery and home to raise their small family. As Camille gets older she enjoys taking on more responsibilities around their beloved estate, but when her mom loses her battle against breast cancer soon after Camille graduates from college and her dad falls prey to a sophisticate, and her two sons, Camille can feel her future slipping away. After her dad dies in a plane accident, the woman and her sons move to have more control over Camille. But with help from a French “fairy godmother,” the son of a vintner, and with the Harvest Ball coming up, Camille could create some magic of her own.
An Italian Affair by Caroline Montague
Alessandra is grieving the loss of her husband when she inherits the ancestral family seat deep in the Tuscan Hills. Moving with her daughter from their London home to Italy, it’s not long before their home becomes a shelter for those in need while the war looms over them.
Davide is hiding who he truly is when he arrives on Alessandra’s doorstep, but her daughter begins feeling her heart fall where her head tells it not to.
As war breaks out back home, Alessandra’s son enlists as a pilot to help free Italy from fascism. But as an asset to the allies, he is sent undercover and in more danger than ever before.
Death in Bordeaux by Allan Massie
A body is found near the train station and it seems like a pretty cut and dry case, but superintendent Lannes has his suspicions and continues his investigation against authority’s orders. But with his son on the front lines, his wife dealing with depression, and the Battle of France pushing refugees to Bordeaux, Lannes doesn’t have time to worry about civilian crime.
As Bordeaux becomes an occupied city, Lannes’s chief suspect becomes untouchable as a family member from the Vichy government protects them. Lannes is threatened with his connection to some Jewish friends and his wife is taken prisoner. Most would quit the investigation to protect those he loves, but Lannes’s honor keeps him on the cases. But as things get worse, it may become impossible to be solved.
Love and Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
All Lina wants to do is go back home. But to complete her mother’s last wish, Lina is in Tuscany to meet her father. What kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? But when Lina is given a notebook her mother wrote in while she lived in Italy, Lina begins to discover a new side to the story that involves secret romances, hidden bakeries, and gorgeous art. This leads Lina and the charming Ren to follow in her mother’s footsteps to uncover a secret that will change everything Lina ever knew about her parents and herself.
Treachery in Bordeaux by Jean-Pierre Alaux
Benjamin Cooker is a world-renowned winemaker turned gentleman detective in this wine plus crime mystery series. Ben and his assistant set on to find out what to a grand cru wine estate in Bordeaux, France. Was it negligence or maybe it was sabotage? The series is also a popular television series in France.
featured Images via amazon