The Cellar Hand

Workplace Encounters #7

by Serena Yates

Orson Digby is no stranger to loss. His family died in a house fire when he was fifteen, and he has never recovered from losing touch with his best friend, when he was made to stay with an aunt in a different state. Orson works hard to learn the art of winemaking, and finally starts a job as cellar hand at Clear Springs Vineyard—only to run into his long-lost best friend.

Geoff Robichaud, freshly out of the Marines, is in charge of security at the winery. The friendship between Orson and Geoff is familiar, but the intense physical attraction is new. As they explore their developing feelings, several acts of sabotage threaten to destroy their new employer's business and their newfound happiness. They need to rely on Orson’s knowledge of viniculture and Geoff’s understanding of security if they want to solve the mystery and build a future together.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Gay

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2012

About the author

I’m a night owl and start writing when everyone else in my time zone is asleep. I’ve loved reading all my life and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book. Although I always wanted to be a writer, financial independence came first. Twenty-some years and a successful business career later I took some online writing classes and never looked back.

Living and working in eight countries has taught me that there is more than one way to get things done. It has instilled tremendous respect for the many different cultures, beliefs, attitudes, and preferences that exist on our planet.

I like exploring those differences in my stories, most of which happen to be romances. My characters have a tendency to want to do their own thing, so I often have to rein them back in. The one thing we all agree on is the desire for a happy ending.

I currently live in Canada, sharing my house with a vast collection of books. I like reading, traveling, spending time with my nieces and listening to classical music. I have a passion for science and learning new languages.

Reviews

[P · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was plot hole in this which bugged me a little! When Geoff was talking to Abe at the start he told him that he was never really attracted to any other men just Orson and that he'd need advice from Abe, this kind of led the reader to believe that Geoff and never had a male lover but then later on in the book when he and Orson are getting it on he is thinking about how it compares to his other lovers and hookups!

Yes I know its such a small thing but I kept thinking about it and what can I say? It bothered me!

[Lena Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

How far would you go to find someone whom your heart just won't forget? Would you conduct a five year search for them and when you found them, would you drop everything just for a chance to be close to them again? Geoff Robichaud of ‘The Cellar Hand’ by Serena Yates thinks his childhood friend, Orson Digby, is worth all this effort and it pays off. They soon learn that they complement each other in ways other than in bed. United, they are unstoppable.

Orson is a lovable, good hearted person who has been dealt a very bad hand in life. What I liked about him is that he didn't give up. Orson tries his best to overcome his misfortunes, but it's hard to have dreams when everything in your life seems to go wrong. I admired the great strength of character he shows as he deals with his adversity as best he can. When he and Geoff reunite, I appreciated his ability to open his heart and finally be able give and receive the appreciation, respect, and love he deserved.

Geoff has to be one of the most romantic, charismatic heroes Serena has ever created. His quest to find Orson and his consequent consideration of him was a real turn on, not to mention that he's handsome, kind, sexy, and very good at what he does. The fact that he defends those who are in an underdog position made me like him even more. Simply put, he's an admirable person with a good moral compass. These two gentlemen definitely make a handsome couple.

In this, my second reading of the story, I focused more on the relationship between Geoff and Orson and how well they fit together. When they are reunited, it is heartwarming how they pick up as if they were never separated; the affection and trust of their childhood friendship not only survived, but is allowed to blossom into something even bigger and better. I admired Geoff for his persistence to find Orson after being separated, wanting to see if the emotions he feels as a man would be the same as when they were young. Geoff feels the connection right away but is cautious when it comes to Orson. He does not want to assume anything, but is hoping Orson has missed him and feels the same way. Fortunately the trust that they developed years ago is still intact; it's not very long before they are sharing their feelings in and out of bed. Even though the sex is very hot, they learn to simply enjoy each other's company, finding comfort in ordinary things as well. Thanks, Serena, for giving me the opportunity to read about these two inspiring, wonderful men and how they achieve their happy ending.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orson Digby knows about hard work. He knows about loss and heartbreak. Determined to learn the art of winemaking, he works diligently at the lowest paying jobs in the finest wineries to learn the job from the ground up—literally.

When his family dies in a house fire, he is sent to live with his aunt, who feels it’s necessary to cut him off from all his old ties and friends to help him move on from the loss. Unfortunately, this also cuts him off from his best friend Geoff.

Geoff Robichaud has never forgotten his best friend—one day he was there and next day he was gone. Oh, he heard about the house fire that took Orson’s family, but what happened to Orson? The loss is like a hole that never heals, and now, fresh out of the marines, Geoff is determined to find Orson and see if the spark they had as teenagers is still there.

This story is a great premise with soul-mates and childhood best friends being torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. These characters are well written, and the factual representations of wineries really make it a complete story. I enjoyed finding out what a Cellar Hand does and what kind of job Orson holds. There isn’t any angst in this story, more a mystery surrounding the winery that both men work at, and I have to admit for a short story this element was well done. Serena Yates keeps you guessing about who is sabotaging the vines, and it really is who you least expect!

The relationship between Orson and Geoff is allowed to grow and blossom like the grape vines, and I will save this book and reread it whenever I need a good, heartwarming, interesting story to read again. This book is part of the Workplace Encounters Series—each is a well done short romance with little angst and interesting bios on the men and the jobs they hold.

Reviewed by Carrie for The Novel Approach
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.co...

[Serena Yates]

Released on February 4, 2012, this is the seventh book in my Workplace Encounters series; inspired by men meeting at work - but still definitely staying away from the so-called office romance. This series looks at all types of workplace, even the occasional office may play a role, but the 'romance part' is guaranteed not to take place there.

This story is about Orson Digby, who lost his entire family to a fire when he was twelve. He has worked long and hard to become a cellar hand in a family-run winery. When mysterious acts of sabotage make him look guilty of trying to destroy their business, he knows he needs help. Geoff Robichaud, an old childhood friend, is the new head of security. After a long separation and five years as a Marine, he has finally found Orson again. Geoff is determined to catch the perpetrators. Will Orson and Geoff be in time to stop the saboteur? Or will the attacker succeed in destroying Orson's new career?

If you are interested, you can read an excerpt and purchase the e-book at Silver Publishing.

I hope you will enjoy reading this book, as much as I enjoyed writing it.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great story. I loved everything about it. Even though it was a short story, it combined everything that a great story can have and made it complete.

Orson and Geoff's love story was fantastic. Being best friends as teenagers, losing track of each other due to circumstances beyond their control, finding each other later in life, and rekindling their love for each other. Wonderful, sweet, fantastic.

The mystery in the story was excellent. I didn't know who had done it. Involving Orson in the solving of the mystery and even in the planning and capturing of the perpetrators was great. I loved it. Great addition to the story.

The plot development and the character development in this story was very well done. I applaud the author. Given it was a short story, I usually don't have high expectations for plot and character development, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I would recommend this story. It was a great romance with a wonderful mystery included.

I received this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.

[Serena Yates]

Rereleased today, 18 November 2015, The Cellar Hand is a story about winemaking, sabotage, and the discovery of a long-lost friendship. Orson and Geoff may have been separated for years, but when they reconnect, they both want more than the friendship they had when they were teenagers.

Workplace Encounters is inspired by men meeting at work - but definitely staying away from the so-called office romance. This series looks at all types of workplace, even the occasional office may play a role, but the 'romance part' is guaranteed not to take place there.

You can find the book at:
Dreamspinner Press

All Romance EBooks

Amazon US
... and your local Amazon store.

I hope you enjoy Orson and Geoff’s story!


Serena Yates

[Love Bytes Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Heart Review by Kat

I have become a fan of Ms. Yates Work Encounters series. I know that I can count on getting a good story that I will enjoy. This book, The Cellar Hand, is by far my most favorite yet.

Based in the Pacific Northwest, we are lead on a wonderful encounter with one of the top rising industries in my area, Wine! Wine tours, wine tasting, wine producing, and wine sales are a huge industry in the Washington and Oregon area. This book gave me an inside look at the complex industry that is booming around me. One of the things that I love about this series is how the author takes her time to showcase the level of research she has done in the area she is writing about. Knowing that Washington State University has jumped to the forefront of the industry and is graduating remarkable young people that are prepared to tackle this complex industry showed me that she did her homework. The Yakima Valley has exploded in the race to top the wine industry. It has some of the best growing conditions around to grow some of the more delicate and difficult wine crops. Rieslings are fast becoming famous for that region. As you can probably tell, I am a bit of a wine connoisseur and some have gone to the point of saying “snob” about my wines. That could have been a problem, if this book had wavered in any way, but I am very pleased to say that the author did not let me down.

The book centers around Orson Digby, a young man who has faced more than his share of tragedy. While on a school trip, his parents and older brothers were killed in a house fire. Orson is torn from his home and best friend, Geoff Robichaud. Geoff had not only become his closest and dearest friend growing up but also his protector against bullies. Uprooted from Tacoma, Washington, he is sent to live with an elderly aunt, who cuts off all his connections from his tragic past. Living in Sonoma, California, a wine mecca, Orson makes his life’s mission to work his way up into the wine industry. He was able to move back to Washington and attend WSU after he inherits his aunt’s estate. In the mean time, his good friend has spent five years in the Marines before returning to Washington to work in security, never forgetting his long-lost best friend. The Cellar Hand is the story of how these two men finding each other again and the journey that they travel to make their friendship into a life long relationship. There is a nice side story of intrigue with their new jobs and, I have to say, for once, I didn’t see how that played out coming!

I totally enjoyed this newest book in the series and I look forward to more in this delightful series. A bright, shining 4 hearts for this wonderful book.

This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Arthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

There are many holes in this book.

- The characters were very young when they were separated. Orson was only 12 and Geoff 14. They lost contact for 13 yrs, more than Or son's age last time they saw each other. Imagine how different you were between those two ages. Yet, Geoff couldn't forget him and spent a lot of time to locate Orson and then made plan to move to the city where Orson lived to be close to him.
- I was not sure if both characters knew or suspected the other was gay.
- There are many telling and not showing
- The mystery is really only a background. There is a nice story about finding who the perp is, but again, they are mostly told not shown.
- One of the supporting character, Abe, seems awfully close to Geof. They even planned to quit their old jobs and moved to a new city together.I know that they're close friends, but the fact that Abe came out to Geoff after they served together in the marine confused me about the nature of their relationship. Could the be unrequited love on Abe's part?

Yet, despite those holes, I liked this book quite a lot. The chemistry and the romance between Orson and Geoff are there. When they finally reconnected, it's nice.

[Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Wine and Some Cheese

I changed the rating from three to four stars when I thought about it a little more because it's really a 3 1/2 for me. This is an insta-lover-from-the-past and mystery-too-easily-solved novella in a series which can fluctuate from three to five stars.

The two MCs, Orson and Geoff, are credible on their own and especially when they get together after 10 years of missed opportunities and unrequited lust--the sex here is amazing. However, the book is supposed to be about Orson, a sweet, somewhat nerdy guy who has always come up with the wrong end of the stick. I found that his character was nicely crafted, but that Geoff, who finally stalked Orson down after serving in the Marines and getting into the security business, was the star of the show.

The mystery that they solve is quickly uncovered, at least in the narrative, and the denouement where the criminal is exposed is a bit too blasé IMHO, but overall a quick after-dinner read and, wow, the sex is really terrific.

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Orson has worked hard to advance himself in the wine business. Geoff has been looking for him for years. They had been childhood friends but lost touch. Geoff makes sure he's working at the same place when Orson gets there. When things start to go wrong they have to figure out how to fix the problem and work out their relationship as well.

[Clover · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a nice story with a bit of mystery.

[Kiki · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Workpace Encounters book 7

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this series. The Cellar Hand is definitely one of the better books in the series.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give it a 3.5

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars