Say You'll Be Mine

by Julia Amante

In this heartwarming novel of family and resilience, a young woman—newly named the guardian of her cousin's children—must decide if she's willing to take a chance on loving three tiny strangers, who may change her life in ways she's never imagined.Isabel Gallegos is only a handshake away from living her dream life. After years of putting everyone else's needs before her own, she's selling her family's vineyard and moving to a quiet cottage on the California coast. But just as she's about to seal the deal, a letter arrives from Argentina with shocking Her beloved cousin has died and Isabel is now the sole guardian of three young children.Still holding on to her dream, Isabel travels to Argentina. There she meets little Julieta, the cherubic baby of the family; eight-year-old Adelmo, as hot-tempered as his sister is sweet; and ten-year-old Sandra, whose heart-shaped face and quiet confidence remind Isabel so much of her late cousin. She tells herself to let the children go, to leave them in the care of their grandmother or perhaps their long-lost uncle who abruptly reappears. Or should she listen to her ex-husband, who is suddenly at her side, urging her to give the children—and him—a chance?

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Novels

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Women's Fiction author of This Is Now, That Was Then, Say You’ll Be Mine, and Evenings at the Argentine Club, Julia Amante writes emotionally rich stories about family, love, and the passion of chasing and achieving one’s goals.
Julia began her writing career in 2000 writing Latina romance under the pseudonym, Lara Rios when Kensington Publishing released a new line of Latino romance books. These books reflected the flavor and rhythm of Latino communities in the U.S. and delivered richly textured commercial fiction about a population that had been mostly ignored by publishers at the time. Julia sold four romances to this publisher before moving on to write longer Chick Lit novels for Berkley Publishing by 2006. Her book Becoming Latina in 10 Easy Steps was optioned by Disney’s ABC Family to become a future TV series.
In 2009, Lara Rios became Julia Amante when she changed her writing style to reach a new audience. Amante wanted to expand her writing to include not only romantic relationships, but the more complex bonds women have with parents, children, and friends. These novels continued to feature Latino characters and the cultural flavor of Hispanic life in America, but they also dealt with universal issues that appealed to women of all cultures.
Julia learned to value her roots and to be proud of her Latina heritage, as well as to be grateful for the life her parents built in the U.S. The beauty of America is that both cultures could be interwoven together, and Julia illustrates this in her novels. To her, being Latina is not separate from being American; her immigrant story is part of the great history of this country.
Julia’s other passion is education. She received her B.A. at the University of California, Riverside, and her M.F.A in Fiction from California State University, San Bernardino. She currently teaches writing at Crafton Hills College and California State University, San Bernardino.

Reviews

[Mary Gramlich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have to let go of your past to build a future?

Driving down the same determined path her entire life has left Isabel Gallegos worn out and ready for something new. She is the successful owner of a renowned California winery who has had enough of chasing every body’s dreams without fulfilling her own. With life altering decisions about to be made Isabel receives the devastating call that her beloved cousin in Argentina has had a fatal accident. When Isabel learns she is now the guardian for her cousin’s three young children she is stunned into silence and unable to comprehend what has happened. Isabel cannot understand how her cousin made the decision to have Isabel be their guardian she barely knows these children. Responsibility trumps all with Isabel so off to Argentina she goes.

Knowing she is the absolute wrong choice for this responsibility Isabel is determined to correct the situation and finds unexpected support from her ex-husband, Nick. Nick was a complete train wreck during their marriage and Isabel never expected him to come through but now that she is at rock bottom, he is giving her a much-appreciated hand up. After seeing the situation in Argentina has no quick fix, Isabel agrees to take the children home to California only for an extended period.

Before she leaves Argentina Isobel find a banished family member lurking in the background wanting the children. Is this the way out Isobel needed? Maybe this person is the bad seed everyone claims him to be.

After they are settled in California Isabel attempts to be a mother despite her self-doubts and questioning of every decision. Again, Nick is at her side and coming through in ways he never did before and Isabel never expected him to now. When the trial period is over, Isabel has to decide if she wants to remain a parent or send them back to Argentina. What will she do about her life, these children, and especially Nick?

What a rich, colorful, and completely heart-wrenching book written by a gifted mind. The reader is taken on an emotional ride through the soul with Isabel as she tries to free herself of the baggage she is carrying around while she tries to build a new life. The tapestry for this story is so engrossing you have to keep reading to find out how all this is going to work out for everyone you care that much about these characters.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really psyched about Say You'll Be Mine. A woman at a turning point in her harried and frustrated life has an opportunity to begin again, with a new life in Argentina when she leave the vineyards in California behind and becomes a surrogate parent to her late cousin's children. Sounds like a great plot and a fabulous opportunity to show growth and the discovery of love in Isabel's life, heart and soul.

I struggled to stay with Say You'll be Mine. I did read it and finish it, but it took several tries, as it just didn't hold my attention. I just didn't care. I thought Isabel should have grown up, developed a heart and moved in a more positive direction, especially with the children. In some strange way, Isabel reminded me in a way of a modern female Scrooge. Cold, driven, selfish and heartless. The way the character "cared for" and treated the kids just made me want to throw my e-reader across the room. OH... I wish I had been sent a printed galley as I would have tossed it.

I thought the premise was SO full of great story possibilities...and yet we got too much repetitive information. Reading over and over about the issues Isabel's ex has with her when she doesn't have the kids just got old for me. This could have been great! I mean, come on, the cover art was FAB-U-LOUS! The story? Not so much.

I am giving this 3 out of 5 stars, some parts are OK and I am sure others loved it. Maybe I just expected too much.


I was provided this e-galley from the publishers through NetGalley, and that in no way affected my review.

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't a bad read, it just didn't wow me either.

Isabel has ran her parents' winery forever and she would like to cut all ties with it and do what she originally wanted to do: live and work by the water. But just as she is about to sell the winery, she has to go to Argentina and take custody of her dead cousin's kids. Why the cousin left childless, divorced, workaholic Isabel her three children nobody knows.

Isabel agrees to hand them over to Ramiro, an uncle of the children after 6 months. She has no time for them and they need to stay in Argentina. But she doesn't count on falling in love with them.

Her ex husband also falls in love with them. Here is where it gets annoying: 1. The ex husband... nice guy but the books goes on and on way too much about his former alcoholism and the wrongs he committed. I began to say, "Okay, I got it, let's move on." 2. He only wants Isabel when she has the children. It's like they are playing house. He wants a ready made family. 3. Everyone hates Ramiro asap and really, what did he do? 4. The story got repetitive. Nick wants Isabel. Isabel pushes him away. They play house. Nice love Isabel. She pushes him away. Over and over... Then Isabel wants the kids. Isabel thinks the kids would be better with Ramiro. Isabel goes back for the kids. Ramiro and her argue. They both want the kids.. and so on.

I think it was a good story, but could have been less drawn and more to the point.

[Sonia Hdz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found it very enjoyable! This romantic novel is brought to life with a background of beautiful landscapes; California Vineyards and Argentina. The author not only enlightens us with vivid imagery but also does an exuberant job in bringing to light the challenges of finding ourselves in unexpected situations when we think our life is planned out. Isabel, a woman who took on the responsibilities of her parent’s wine business to help her family achieve their dreams, is faced with a sense of despair from the lack of accomplishing her own childhood dreams. All Isabel wants now is to sell her winery and pursue her dreams by the beach.

Isabel had it all planned out until she is faced with the death of her beloved cousin. This is when life’s unexpected gifts come to place, although she does not realize it right away. Her cousin had entrusted her three children to Isabel. These children needed a home, love and family. That home was with Isabel. Isabel now finds herself with the arduous decision of either following her original plans or taking on the responsibilities of these three children. Follow this story and take the journey with Isabel as she finds herself dealing with difficult decisions and struggling with new found feelings as love blossoms through the many issues she has yet to face. Let your eyes and heart experience this journey as I did and find out the outcome of these three beautiful children as their fate is decided by Isabel.

[Ileana Araguti · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written novel of life and love! In Say You’ll Be Mine, Julia Amante manages to connect many key aspects of a novel successfully: love, life and the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. Isabel Gallegos is the successful owner of an enchanting winery, located in a romantic setting, yet she lacked the joy of love and a family. That is until life opens up new doors that will bring her the opportunity of a ‘second chance’. The plot seductively engages the reader into the twists and turns of Isabel’s life: her fears, complications and loss of self. Until she manages to exit her cocoon, her enslaving work, and returns to Argentina—to her roots. And discovers not only what life is truly about but the importance of allowing yourself to live again, to love and most importantly—to forgive. I highly recommend this novel, particularly as a reminder that it can never be too late to live and love again. Say You’ll Be Mine is uplifting, compelling and unforgettable.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book through the First Reads program and was excited to dive into it, as the plot sounded like it would be both visual and emotional. However, the plot is more convoluted than the back flap appears. Isabel is just about to sell her family's successful California winery when she receives the news that her favorite cousin in Argentina has died and named her guardian for her three children. Isabel is divorced, though her husband is still a co-owner of the winery and often around, and has no kids, so all she can think about as she travels to Argentina is how to unload the kids as soon as possible. But as she gets to know and love the three of them, she realizes that perhaps she can be a good guardian for them after all. It also doesn't hurt that her ex-husband is around to help and wants her to give him another chance. Too bad that before she left Argentina, she signed a legal agreement with the kids' uncle that transfers full custody to him after six months - an agreement she knows no one else will approve of, as everyone seems to hate him, so she keeps this news to herself and figures she'll just lay it on everyone when her six months with the kids are up.

The best parts about this book are the scenes with Isabel, Nick (her ex-husband), and the kids. Nick is a good parent almost immediately, despite the fact that he's not legally involved with any of them, and helps Isabel out more than once. The author did an excellent job showing the dynamic between all five of them and how the relationship progresses over the course of the book. Although the characters themselves aren't completely dynamic, there is definitely a lot of charm as Isabel learns what it takes to be a stand-in mom and marvels at how good Nick is at helping out.

I thought, based on the back jacket of the book, that the entire book would simply be about Isabel's transition from being a high-powered business owner to a guardian of three kids she barely knows; as already stated, this is the best part of the book and what gives it heart. However, the plot was much more convoluted than it needed to be, and the characters - especially Isabel - were not particularly likable. Isabel comes off as extremely dumb and the problems are all of her own making, something that did not endear me to her plight. It's understandable that she feels suddenly being in charge of three kids is a completely unwelcome upheaval; it's understandable that she wants to make alternate arrangements for the kids. The problem is, no one else is in a good position to do so - except their uncle, who the kids have never met and everyone (except Isabel) hates from his very first appearance, without a real reason ever being given. It felt like a very poorly done plot device. I couldn't believe how dumb Isabel was to sign a legally binding agreement that would transfer custody of the kids over to him after they spent six months with her in America, just so she could claim she couldn't handle the responsibility. It wasn't that I didn't understand her motivation - I did. It's that the entire thing seemed like nothing more than a way to introduce more drama later in the book because, really, why would she even bother spending six months with the kids if she really didn't want them at all? And why would she sign such an agreement ahead of time? The whole thing was ridiculous.

Isabel herself was a pretty unsympathetic character for much of the book. I think the problem was, although I understand, logically, where so many of her motivations were coming from, I didn't feel any emotion toward her. For example, Nick wants a second chance with Isabel and constantly tells her how he knows he badly ruined their marriage, being a jerk and an alcoholic. He's changed now and proves it to her by being there to help in every way she needs it... but although Isabel welcomes his help and starts to enjoy having him around, she constantly reverts to a defense that she doesn't have time for him, or the kids, or for anything that she didn't plan for in advance. It got tiring. I felt like it was more "telling" than "showing", and without being shown the reasons why I should feel sympathy, Isabel came across as very cold and selfish.

Perhaps the biggest problem in the book is that there was too much going on. There was the story about Isabel and Nick's relationship; the plot about Isabel learning to care for - and about - her cousin's kids; the plot about Isabel's desire to sell the winery and retire, alone; the plot about Isabel having signed a binding (and secret) agreement to give custody to the uncle; the plot about everyone inexplicably hating the uncle on sight and how he might redeem himself... There was a lot going on, and not all of it well. I wish the story had focused more on the ways that Isabel's life changed, in a realistic manner, and the struggles as she, Nick, and the kids slowly became some sort of a family unit. The rest of the plots, while tied in to the main story, were not all necessary and actually detracted from the quality of the novel overall because how many of the plot devices felt so forced and unnatural.

This novel has a sweet story at its core, a truly beautiful cover (not that that's relevant to the novel itself, but still - the cover is great), and is a fairly quick read. I enjoyed reading about the Argentina countryside and how life worked there. However, this was also not a book that truly wowed me or got under my skin, and I felt it dragged at a number of parts. The parts I liked were sweet, but the book overall was just okay.

[Allison Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one took a while because I only read it when I worked out. I connected with it because the main setting was in a vineyard. You will like this book if you like books focused on relationships.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Not super well written, but on the plus side, now Argentina is on my bucket list. :)

[Steffanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 2.5 rounded up to 3. I’m so glad I can speed read…

[Lisarenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say timing is everything...

"Doesn't it seem like life just sort of snowballs and you start going down one road and pretty soon you realize it's too late to turn back, that you have to keep going, because you've left yourself no other option?"

Occasionally in life events change you. Something happens and you take a path you could have never foreseen yourself taking. Sometimes it's for the better and other times it's for the worse. Sometimes only you can decided what the outcome will be.

That is the crossroad Isabel is at. She was about to permanently sever her relationship with Nick. They'd been divorced for years and they were finally selling the family winery. The divorce had not ended well, but Isabel's parents had held out hope that one day the two would get back together. They kept Nick on in the business letting him know he'd be part owner when they passed away. Finally, the planets aligned and a buyer had been found. Isabel's parents had passed on a few years ago so nothing was holding them back from selling the vineyard. Then in the midst of the sale, tragedy struck. Isabel's cousin, Brenda and her husband, the last of her family, had passed away leaving Isabel her children. While Nick had let Isabel down all those years ago, he's determined not to do it again in her time of need. The question is, will their renewed closeness spark something more???

Julia Amante did something you don't see very often in romances--a rekindling of a love once lost. Isabel is determined to finally be rid of her ex. She's the type of person who once her mind is made she doesn't change it. Even though Nick has proven himself to be reformed, she still doesn't want to get back together with him. Some relationships just leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Plus, bearing the brunt of the responsibility to make and keep the vineyard a success has taken it's toll on her.

Nick is a determined individual and willing to use any opening he can get to get what he wants. Once upon a time he had wanted Isabel back, but he finally started to move on with his life and had recently gotten engaged. When he heard about Brenda leaving Isabel her children, he felt inclined to help her. He had considered her parents family even if there is no true bond and, in some ways, felt the need to look out for her since she had no one.

I wasn't sure how Ms. Amante was going to carry off this romance. She threw in quite a few roadblocks for the couple to overcome. Each felt a bit betrayed by the other and while they each still were attracted to each other, sometimes that just isn't enough. I liked how the two seemed to get to know each other again and come to terms with what went wrong with their marriage.

I loved how the kids came into play in this romance. The support Nick gave Isabel in caring for them was great. At times I wanted to shake some sense into Isabel and other times it was Nick who I felt needed a swift kick in the dairy aire. I enjoyed the drama created by the children's estranged uncle wanting to get custody of them. For awhile, I wasn't sure who would ultimately get them.

My favorite Quote:
"No, she thought. Family trees lie. Love isn't measured by by the distance on a stupid branch of a tree. Love grows slowly at first, then exponentially with each smile, with each interaction--happy or sad--until you can't imagine not having that person in your life."

On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one gets a STEAM rating - too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you look flustered and flushed. Overall, I gave this one 3 1/2 out of 5 roses.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isabel Gallegos is tired -- tired of being the responsible one, tired of running the winery that was her parents' dream, tired of being the one who puts her dreams aside to take care of other people. She's ready to sell the winery that her parents left to her and her ex-husband, Nick, and buy a house by the sea. It's too late to pursue her old dream of being a marine scientist, but she's going to at least enjoy the ocean recreationally. A larger wine company has expressed serious interest, and she's in the midst of negotiations with them, looking forward to being free of responsibility to anyone but herself. Nick will also be free of the winery, they won't have to work together, and he'll be able to move away and marry his new girlfriend.

And then her lawyer tells her that he's received notice that her cousin Brenda, in her native Argentina, has been killed in a skiing accident, along with her husband, and her will names Isabel as the guardian of her three children. She has to travel to Argentina immediately to make arrangements to take custody and bring them home to California.
Returning to Argentina is an emotional experience for her, even without the death of her cousin who was as close as a sister when they were growing up. It's where she met her husband when he was an exchange student, and the country she left only because Nick sold her parents on the dream of building an even bigger and more successful winery in America. As much as she loved Brenda, she is not willing to once again defer her own dreams to raise Brenda's children, ages ten, eight, and four. She'll transfer custody to her aunt, the children's grandmother, provide any necessary financial assistance so that the children and her aunt will want for nothing, and go home to complete the sale of the winery and buy her beach house.

But Nick insists on going with her to Argentina. Her aunt is old and increasingly frail, and isn't capable of taking permanent custody of the children. The children, grieving for their parents, are resentful of Isabel, and don't want to move to America.

And then their uncle, Brenda's husband's brother, turns up, demanding custody of the children. But her aunt doesn't trust him, Brenda's husband Andres had refused to have anything to do with his brother for many years, and Isabel's old friend Rosa shares that opinion, though she doesn't really know him at all.

Yet the man Isabel meets, while arrogant and overbearing, is a retired lawyer with a ranch in the country, well able to provide for the children, and he wants to raise them.

Caught between competing obligations and dreams, Isabel makes a decision that will affect her life, Nick's, Romero's, the children's, and even Rosa's life, forever.

This is a complex and well-developed story, with all the major characters and the important minor characters rounded and convincing. You can't help but sympathize with Isabel even when she's clearly making the wrong decision, because her dilemma is so real and so painful.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Wendy Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isabel Gallegos, owner of Gallegos Wines, can't wait to sell the place. She's worked there most of her life, and even after her parents died she continued to make the business flourish. But the winery was her parents' dream, not hers and now she is excited about selling it and getting her life back.

Nick Reeves is horrible with money, a recovering alcoholic and the ex-husband of Isabel. Divorcing her was the only thing he has done right, to stop hurting her. When Isabel's parents passed away, they left Nick part ownership of the winery. Now, he too is excited about the upcoming sell. He can move on with his new life with his new fiancée and move away from the caretaker's cottage, which is on the same property as the winery.

When Isabel is contacted by her lawyer that her cousin Brenda and her husband died in a tragic skiing accident, she is numb with grief. Her lawyer informs Isabel that Brenda has left custody of her three children to her. This is not what Isabel had planned for her new future life. She makes a plan to fly to Argentina, give full custody to the children's grandmother and return in time for her sale of the winery.

She doesn't anticipate her ex-husband Nick coming along or the fact that her Aunt Tia is not capable of taking care of the three children. Isabel and Nick tried for years to have children and miscarriage after miscarriage tore that dream from them. Now, Nick wants to help Isabel raise the kids, but she is determined to hold onto her plans. Can Nick and the children convince Isabel to listen to her heart instead of her head?

SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is aheartwarming story of family, love, loss and hope. Nick can't seem to move on with his life without Isabel and Isabel says she knows what she wants to do with her life, but does she really? The three children will capture your heart and entrance you as they struggle with their grief and the hope that Aunt Isabel will take them to America, even as they yearn to stay in Argentina where they have been raised. Refreshing and page-turning, SAY YOU'LL BE MINE is a satisfying read!

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isabel Gallegos is tired of taking care of everyone but herself. From helping her parents with their winery for decades to dealing with her alcoholic husband (now ex-husband), she’s had enough. She is tired of being selfless and thinks it is about time she starts being selfish and acquire what she actually wants for a change, which happens to be to sell her family’s winery and retire to take some time just for herself. Things are headed in that direction; she has some interested buyers in her business. Then Isabel gets some shocking news; her cousin has died and left her the guardian of her three children. Isabel sees this as just another bump in the road that she will take care of before retirement, but sometimes life and love have other plans.

My thoughts:
This story started out okay. It took me a long time to really get into it, long as in about 200 pages. However, once I did the rest of the book sucked me in and I stayed up reading until 4:30am by accident! The characters and the story just snuck up on me, and I couldn’t stop reading until I got to the end.

Isabel isn’t my favorite protagonist, but I don’t really dislike her either. I can see where she is coming from, sometimes. For example, her cousin Brenda, who died and left her the kids, lived in Argentina where Isabel is from. Isabel currently lives in America, and has for some time now. I understand that she was ready to retire and finally do what she wanted to do, but some of the decisions she made with these kids were pretty bad. Granted, she is not a mother and all of this came at her out of the blue; she was bound to make mistakes. But some of these mistakes make her seem pretty cold hearted.

As I mentioned before, the last hundred or so pages flew by because I was so involved in the story. So while Say You’ll Be Mine started out as an okay book, it ended up being good which is why I gave it 3 stars.

[Kate Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Say You’ll Be Mine by Julia Amante is a story of Isable Gallegos, a woman who is constantly conflicted with herself and where she is in her life. Her cousin in Argentina passed away with her husband on a ski trip and left their three children to Isabel. Isabel is in her forties and has no idea on how to raise children, only how to run a successful winery. To complicate matters when she returns to her home in Argentina to deal with this situation, her ex-husband, Nick, decides to come along to be there for her emotionally. He felt that he needed to return the favor, as she was there for him, ten years previously after their divorce when he went through rehab for severe alcoholism.

I instantly fell into the story and got caught up in the tumult of Isabel’s life, her struggle with trying to decide if she should keep the children or not. The characters are all fairly well-drawn, especially the children. You get a sense of who they are by their actions. This was very much a character driven story of a woman who was in a constant battle with herself and what she wanted out of life. Though, this point seemed to be belabored almost too much. Yes, we got that she felt put upon by everyone in her life and she did everything for other people, but what has she done for herself.

Please visit my blog for the rest of the review.

This reader received this ARC from netgalley.com for an honest review.

[Delila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia Amante gives us a dose of womanhood in modern day where succeeding means “sacrifice” not in the religious way, more on the tone of “it needs to be done and it needs to be done right!” Isabel Gallegos, does not struggle with being an immigrant, nor learning English, she is a successful business woman who is ready to sell her business, cash in on her success and begin living her dreams only to find out that her dreams are not far from all she knows and has lived so far.

Isabel comes to the realization that her happiness is not in tracing back to the dreams of her youth, sometimes our happiness is in what we have and what we decide to do with the opportunities in view rather than in the longings of our youth. Her parent’s dreams, her ex-husband’s unconditional love and motherhood are all at her reach to fulfill her life desires; but she must first recognize them for there is no sacrifice when doing the right thing brings love and family together.

This is a love story lived with the Latin family values and the flavors of Argentina. Prepare yourself for a treat, a delight in the landscape of the Argentine terrain, a little history, patriotism and good food. In the end if you know anything about Argentine cuisine you might end up craving empanadas or if you are a wine enthusiast you might want to enjoy a glass. If you are like me you might want both.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this through the Goodreads giveaway and what a delight this was.

Isabel Gallegos has devoted her life to helping her parents run their vineyards and winery. She also baled out her alcoholic ex-husband as he began the process of cleaning up and he continues to work for her at the winery. After her parents' deaths, she continues to run the vineyards and at the beginning of the book has decided that she has lived her life for everyone else but herself and is selling the vineyards. She has the surprise of her life when she finds out that her best friend from her native Argentina has died and left Isabel as guardian of her 3 small children. Isabel goes to Argentina and quickly makes an arrangement that Isabel will keep the children for a short time (long enough to seal the deal on the vineyard sale) and then return the children to Argentina to someone else's care. During all this her ex-husband is there to help and support her in her efforts.

The story continues with Isabel learning more about herself, the children and her ex-husband. It is a warm and very enjoyable story. The reader has the sense of being in the vineyards in California and Isabel's Argentinian home. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[Kelly Moran · Rating 2 out of 5]

After years in a bad marriage and taking over her family's vineyard, Isabel Gallegos is only a handshake away from the life she always wanted. But when news reaches her that her cousin died and she now is guardian of three young children, she flies to Argentina to form a plan. Right by her side is her ex, who suddenly wants to offer support. Isabel must choose between raising the children, leaving them with their grandmother, or maybe the long-lost uncle who mysteriously lays claim. Along the way she may just find out about herself too.

From page one I found Isabel to be selfish and hard to relate to. Here's three kids without anyone, and she's ready to pawn them on a very elderly grandmother, or worse, and uncle she knows nothing about who's estranged from the family for a reason. I understand the reason for animosity toward the ex, but the guy was trying. He was there. This book just didn't do it for me. In saying that, Amante sets her scene well and did her research on vineyards, law, and Argentina. I felt like I was right there with the characters.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of a woman who has forever put off her own dreams to take care of everyone else. Now just as she is finally free of family and business obligations, she receives the devastating news that her beloved cousin has been killed in an auto accident and that she has been named the sole guardian of her cousins three young children! What made the book very interesting to me was that Isabel had to travel back to her native country of Argentina to meet the children. I enjoyed reading about Buenos Aires and Mendoza and about both the differences and similarities of the lives of the people there to lives of the people of the United States.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was a great read and kept me reading from the beginning. I just couldn't put this book down. There are a few sad moments in this book but the good moments made the sad worth it. I loved how yes it showed the romantic side of owning a vineyard but also show the possible downside. This book is one that had me in it's grip from the very first chapter. If you are looking for a great read then I highly recommend this book.

[Annajune · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little romance. It was a bit predictable. Good discussion book about what is means to be a parent. My book had discussion questions at the end which gave me added things to think about after reading it. There is also an imagined tour of Northern Argentina at the end of the book.

Isabel owns a vineyard in California but is ready to do what she wants to with her life when she becomes guardian of children that she isn't sure she wants and her ex-husband comes along with her (back to Argentina) to be a support for her.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feel-good read about a woman originally from Argentina who had moved to California over 20 years before with her parents and her new husband, who convinced them to start a vineyard in the U.S. Now divorced and with her parents deceased, she wants to live her life her own way with no responsibilities to anyone. However, when her cousin in Argentina dies in an accident, she is named guardian of her cousin's three children.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for the Reader's Choice contest at my local library. Although the writing wasn't the best, I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice, quick, happy read. The story is about a successful businesswoman whose life is turned upside down when she learns that she was named the legal guardian of her cousins three children. Sound cliche and predictable? I guess it was - but it was still a sweet story. Sometimes that's just what I need.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is a bit misleading. It sounds like a complete romance novel, which it isn't. Isabel lives in California, but was born in Argentina. She returns to Argentina after a close childhood friend dies and has named Isabel Her three children's guardian. The book leads the reader through the journey of choices Isabel makes in the next year. The first 3/4 of the book I struggled to find anything I liked about Isabel. I felt strongly enough about the other characters to keep reading.

[Carmen Turner]

Amante weaves an interesting story about an Argentinian woman caught between the mores of South American and America. She is torn between selling her vineyard in California that her family started, taking on the responsibility of raising three young children whose parents had died, and feelings she still has for a man she has since divorced.

[Claudia (CJ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having won this book from First Reads, I couldn't wait to get the mail. I have to say don't you just love this cover?! I know I know don't judge a book........Isabel thinks her life is all planned out now, until something else makes her put her priorities in order again. Great story.

[Joleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from First Reads!

I enjoyed this book. I read a lot of YA so I know what it in the library so this was a fun refreshing book to read. A simple flowing story but still an interesting story to read. It was a little predictable but how things came about had some surprises.

[Marilyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Isabel is a very rich woman, ready to sell her business and start a new life. A phone call from Italy changes her life. The story never grabbed me and had some swearing that always ruins a story for me.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book! It was different from what I usually read. The one love scene was a bit descriptive for my liking, but even so, it was a great story about figuring out what you really want in life.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and how this lady had to grow up And take responsibility for other human beings besides herself and create a family. You can say this book was all about making choices in one's life.