Wine or Lose

Love on the Vine #1

by Amanda Chaperon

Amara Delatou has just been handed the keys to the kingdom—her family’s, that is. Everyone is excited for the fresh perspective she’ll bring to the table as CEO of Chateau Delatou, the family winery located on Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan.

Everyone except her CFO, Calvin Ryder.

Five years ago, Amara and Calvin had a moment that didn’t end well, and their relationship has been rocky ever since. Calvin refuses to accept Amara is anything more than a party princess who charmed her daddy into giving her what she wanted, and Amara struggles to work side by side with Calvin knowing he doesn’t trust her to do anything but run her family’s company into the ground.

As the summer heats up, tensions continue to rise between them until their control snaps at last. It’s easy for them to ignore everything wrong with their professional relationship when everything about their personal one is just so right.

But before long, lines are blurred and crossed, secrets are revealed, and the life they thought they’d been building together threatens to crash down around them.

Now, it’s up to them whether they win the love of a lifetime, or lose it all forever.

Wine or Lose is a steamy small town, rivals to lovers romance. It is the first book in the Love on the Vine series, but can be read as a standalone.

What you'll find

- office rivals to lovers
- boss (her) x employee (him)
- small town charm
- strong familial bonds
- meddling sisters
- summertime in Michigan
- a happily ever after

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Workplace, Contemporary, Small Town Romance

337 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 22, 2024

About the author

Amanda Chaperon realized her passion for books and writing at a young age. Growing up, she was rarely found without a book in her hands, a hobby she carried into adulthood and which ultimately gave her the confidence to begin writing her own stories. She writes what she loves to read: heartfelt, passionate characters, lots of steam, and always a happily ever after.

Amanda lives in Michigan with her Golden Retriever, Gryffin. When she’s not writing or reading, she can be found hanging out with her niece and nephew or binge watching her favorite TV shows.

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel duped. This book was marketed with the following tropes:
-workplace romance
-boss/employee
-rivals to lovers
-small town
-sisterly bonds

You know what's NOT on this list, but should be? Accidental pregnancy. Im sorry, but readers deserve to know what they're fully getting into. Tropes can be loved, hated, or triggering. I personally do not seek out this trope, and has i known it was part of the storyline, I'd have passed on this.

But I did read it. And I did finish it. And even with the accidental pregnancy, I still didn't like it.

Cal was a grade A asshole. The man hated Amara so much that he tried to undermine her to her family and stage a coup. Why would he ever think her family would go along with him and not their daughter/sister? My guy is delusional. Not only that, but he's incredibly disrespectful ALL THE TIME. He calls her Princess during work meetings, with family and other associates around! Thats fine behind closed doors when they're one on one but this was not that. The audacity boggles my mind as well as the fact that he was never fired for the way he treated Amara. You're telling me the CFO of a company never bothered to look into his new CEO's credentials or finances for the past 5 years to truly understand her education, credentials, work ethic, and experience? It's wild to me. He undermined her every chance he got and didnt understand why that would be a problem. And we are supposed to love him bc he gives good dick? I dont think so.

Amara wasnt much better. She is kind of a loose cannon. Hot and cold, happy to angry real quick. Her feelings for Cal seemed fleeting and unstable. She loves him but then hates him for various reasons. And then is quick to forgive him. If she wanted to put him in his place, she would have been up front with him about who she really is instead of allowing him to treat her like shit for 5 years.

The last thing I'll say is that it just felt like throwing tropes at the wall to see what sticks. There were too many things going on, and it was all over the place. The whole book had this chaotic energy that left little rokm for a solid plotline start to finish and lacked true character development.

The best part about the whole book was the spice. Cal and Amara had crazy chemistry and got down and dirty. Many times. So at least that was enjoyable.

1/5

Tags:
-workplace romance
-boss/employee
-rivals to lovers
-small town
-sisterly bonds
-accidental pregnancy

Spice: 4/5

First person/Dual POV

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

thank you net galley and victory editing group for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

this one fell SO flat for me. i was so excited about this book and the premise of it sounded like something i would love. however that was not the case. I'll start out with what i did like about it. i loved amara our main girl and how she was this boss bitch who was taking over her family's winery and seemed very excited to do so even though she wasn't expecting to until her older sister stepped down. i loved her personality and the relationship she had with her sisters. that was probably my favorite part of this whole book.

now what i didn't like. calvin. our hero. i however really wouldn't call him a hero. once he finds out amara works for the company he just got a job for 5 years earlier he decides not to pursue her, which makes sense. however he made it a point to hate her because of that and stereotype her just based on one night. as the chapters went on in his pov he didn't respect the fact she was now his boss and severely undermined her to do her job. he needed to grovel more then he did which he didn't. he did grow on me a little bit until about the 70% mark and that was really when it fell flat for me. there wasn't much development and a lot happened in the last 6 chapters of the book.

i did enjoy this once the mmc got over himself and i will try other books from this author in the future but i didn't really love this one.

[Cydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a little bizarre. I think I enjoyed the writing, but I absolutely despised the MMC and went through periods of really liking then being really put off by the FMC. However, I really enjoyed the setting, and while I thought the stakes concerning the business were very underwhelming and simple, it fit what this story set out to do. I like accidental pregnancy, so sue me, but not even that happening here could triumph over the many things I disliked.

I really disliked Amara's relationship with her sisters. They all parent each other—which by no means is unexpected or unfamiliar among sisters—but they all baby each other and pull one another into their laps and it was just…a lot. They are all also very involved or have some input or interact in some way with Amara and Calvin's relationship which was unneeded meddling or involvement for very wealthy women who have their own jobs and passions to be paying attention to. I have a relatively affectionate relationship with my sisters, and the way this was written gave me something close to the ick. Not because it was inappropriate, but because it was forced?

I do believe that one of the books in this series is one of Amara's sisters falling in love with someone Amara has slept with, who is the best friend of Calvin. That's very…small town of them, but I'll be sat.

Calvin is a freak (derogatory) who needed to grovel more and insert himself less. Him randomly being like womp womp, my parents never loved me, when it ultimately is resolved very shortly after that was anticlimactic. It also did not explain why he was a terrible person?

Love the cover, can't wait to read more in this series! Ladies, please wear panties at work.

2.75 ⭐️s
3 🌶️

[ladybreww · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love every man Amanda writes. I know some people think Cal was too much of a douche canoe - but his gruff and assertive personality worked for me. Like really worked. I like that he kept Amara in check - cuz Homegirl NEEDED that. She drove me absolutely bananas.

This is a true enemies to lovers. They HATE each other and are out for blood. It was fun to read. And hot. I loved that Amara had some secrets that made her really badass (don't want to spoil). She shows character growth but it takes a bit so you will definitely switch teams a few times throughout the book.

There is a small crossover with the hockey series so if you haven't read those - you should! But not necessary to enjoy this book.

The following criticisms are extremely personal to ME and do not reflect on the book or writing at all. It just doesn't work for me personally in ANY book no matter who wrote it.

There is a trope that is my absolute least favorite to read. I don't have a good explanation as to why, but when it comes up in a story part of me mentally checks out. So around 70-75% my focus wasn't as good as it was for the first 3/4 of the book.

My other minor criticism is the hatred to instalove/immediate forgiveness after the grand gesture. Based on the theme of the book - cal not respecting Amara's authority and position - I would have expected her to feel undermined or annoyed by the way he executed the grand gesture.

Thank you Amanda. Cannot wait to see what you come up with next. All opinions are my own.

[adriana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Victory Editing for providing this arc!!

The premise of this book had everything to make it an entertaining reading experience and I really tried, but this is why it didn't work out for me:

Overall the writing was reasonable, there were scenes that didn't need like 5 words or more to describe something and there were other situations that I thought that there was too much smut for my liking when the characters could've been better developed emotionally.

One side you have Amara Delatou a free spirited, smart, loveable and confident character that is the first woman in charge of her family business. In the other side you have Calvin Ryder a misogynistic, insufferable and condescending little man.

I love a good rivals to lovers story, but not to the point the man crosses the line on questioning the fmc intelligence and her competence + shaming her previous flings, when we know that he would NEVER act like that if it was a man in charge.

There were various moments Amara tried to open up with Calvin about the struggles of being a woman in power and he couldn't even acknowledge that he was part of the problem.

Amara had so much potential as a character and there situations that I felt like she nulified and ended up blaming herself for things that Calvin actually was responsible for.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for the ARC!

This was a super easy book to get through, and one that I was quickly able to finish in a few days time. I could definitely see this being set up for a series with the supporting characters (like Amara’s sisters or Cal’s friend Owen), which I’d be curious to see how that goes if that is the case.

This had a similar opening premise to the new rom-com movie Anyone But You which I loved, but I felt like Cal and Amara’s relationship never fully recovered romantically after that. There was a ton of spice in this which was great, but I found that at times this read more like enemies with smut vs enemies to lovers for me. With all the side plots needing to get established and resolved, I wish this would’ve delved a little deeper into the MCs relationship so we could really see what drew them to each other outside of physical attraction.

Overall, Wine or Lose was a fast-paced romance with lots of steamy spice, but one that left me wondering if Amanda Chaperon’s other books might be more my speed.

[krista | kristas_bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

- arc review -

4.5 ⭐️

Calvin becomes the CFO at Amara’s family winery where she is the CEO, so they ultimately can’t be together but on top of that, they can’t stand each other and everyone knows it. Slowly but surely the forced proximity gets to them and when they get together, holy balls is it hot. (If you don’t like open door scenes, there’s a Dicktionary, so you can skip em if you want!)

The Michigan setting was everything. As a Michigan girly myself, I loved hearing multiple places I’ve been to and/or need to visit soon. One of the big reasons I applied for the arc, too!

Calvin and Amara were so fun! Their chemistry from day one was off the charts and their banter was incredible! I was rooting for them from the beginning because they were just so good together.

I could say 1000 more good things about this book but this review is already long enough. But if I haven’t convinced you to read it yet, there’s two epilogues 🤭

Out 2/22!!

-ceo & cfo rivals
-rivals to lovers
-michigan wineries in the summer
-“fuck it” moments
-meddling sisters
-wine, duh

[Linna • linnareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wishes had enjoyed this more! The writing was good, I loved the setting, and the fmc was awesome and a total boss. I didn’t love them mmc though. These two definitely felt more enemies to lovers than typically seen in a contemporary romance, which was fun until it kinda wasn’t. He never really redeemed himself for me. Then came the unexpected surprise pregnancy trope and this one was locked in at a 3 star. If I’m gonna read that trope I need for the couple to be really in love with each and be fully convinced of it. For them it felt like a mostly physical connection and I wanted to see more build up for them falling in love.

All that being said, I enjoyed the writing and am curious which of the sister’s stores will be next. I do plan to read the next book in the series!

😠 enemies to lovers
🍷 she’s the boss
🐶 includes a dog
🤰 surprise pregnancy

dual POV
3/5 stars ⭐️
2/5 spice level 🌶️

[Meredith Trapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!! Run right now and add it to your TBR 💕

[Lauren O’Keefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've seen some reviews giving this one a lot of crap for not revealing the secret trope beforehand, but it worked for me! I liked that there was an added layer of tension between the characters that ultimately helped in bringing them back together. Amara and Cal were sassy, charismatic, and just generally fun characters! I enjoyed the "prove him wrong" part of Amara's personality and Cal finally seeing past his preconceived notions about her was perfect. I thought that the family dynamics were great and I'm looking forward to getting to know the other Delatou sisters throughout the series!

[book.obsessed.jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

“Don't worry, I thought. I'll love you enough for everyone who never did.”

This was cute. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters. It was so fun to read how Amara would show/prove Calvin wrong over and over again. I liked their dynamic as well. The grand gesture at the end had me kicking my feet. I thought it was a little longer than it needed to be but overall, enjoyable.

What to expect:
✨Small Town
✨Workplace Romance
✨Rivals to Lovers
✨Dual POV

[Haley Dillard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book by Amanda Chaperon and I love her writing style! Her stories are easy to follow and I really enjoyed the characters in the first book in the Love on the Vine series! Calvin and Amara’s relationship had a very rocky start and I appreciated getting to see that in the prologue. Enemies to Lovers is one of my all time favorite tropes, especially with a little bit of forbidden love! The epilogues were very sweet and a good ending to the story! I cannot wait to continue this series!

[Aimee · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a huge disappointment. The initial hate between the main characters was completely unrealistic and just dragged the story down. It felt forced and overdramatic, making it hard to buy into their supposed chemistry. Instead of adding tension, it only detracted from the plot.

Additionally, the surprise pregnancy trope was a major turn-off for me, and I really wish there had been a warning about it. It felt like an unnecessary, overused plot device that only added more frustration to an already irritating story. Overall, this book missed the mark in both character development and plot, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Kara Dobulis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wish I could give this one a better rating bc it was a spicy, northern Michigan-based story

However Cal was a narcissistic twat who didn’t deserve Amara and the fact that Amara, a 28 year old CEO, calls her dad “daddy” in business meetings just gave me the ick. 2 ⭐️⭐️

[Karissa Cratty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a good enemies to lovers book, and this did just that! I love, love, love wine, and when Amanda Chaperon posted this on her Instagram, I knew I just had to pick it up. I really enjoyed Amara, our fmc. She had so much girl boss energy, and I truly loved that for her. I also thought that it was fun that she started the book as a 23 year, and throughout the main chunk of the book, she was 28. I related to her a lot in terms of age, finding out who she is and what she wants, and also pursuing a masters degree. It would be nice if I were also passed down an entire wine empire that's worth millions, but hey, I can't complain. Anyway, Amara was doing what she needed to, and Calivn Ryder, her CFO, literally did everything in his power to undermine her, which I thought was truly shifty... in any other workplace that probably wouldn't have continued, and he would have been out before anything could have changed. I digress, Cal, was a fun piece of this book. I really think his arrogance could have been toned down a little bit, but I think that's what made him unique, and him falling hard for Amara made it worth it. I also loved seeing Amara prove him wrong all the time. I do think he got off a little too easy, (read to find out what I'm referring too!) But I guess every person has their own limits and what they find acceptable so who am I to judge!

I absolutely adored Amaras relationship with her family and her sisters. I have always wanted a big family that gets along and is in each other business but in a helpful and fun way. This book really made me laugh with the sibling interactions because it reminded me of me and my sisters! Overall, this book was a spicy little read that I would recommend to anyone who likes workplace romance, spice, and family bonding. I do warn you that there is a little twisty twist toward the last couple chapters, I did think to myself while reading eaelier in the book that something as such was going to happen due to our mc's recklessness but hey, it ended hea!!! I can't wait to read book 2 this summer!!

[Ash | bookasaurusrecs · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’ll love you enough for everyone who never did.”

spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

You will absolutely need a glass of ICE COLD water while reading this. Actually, maybe just grab a 10 gallon bucket instead. 🥵 This was HOT from the first page.. I of course expected nothing less from Amanda. This is EASILY her spiciest book yet!

This is unlike any other book I’ve ever read. I 100% need to visit a winery now. The setting was freaking perfect. And Cal and Amara are just so freaking GOOD. They just make perfect sense. Their chemistry is off the charts and their banter is fantastic (♾️/10). I was rooting for these two from the get go. Their love story isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. They’re both just trying to make it the best that they can. I just want to hug them both. Life isn’t a fairytale and neither is their story. Please don’t give up on them.

Amanda’s writing just gets BETTER AND BETTER with each book that she writes. She has a way of transporting you into her stories. Her characters are just so easy to fall in love with—flaws and all. . I’m actually really sad that I’ll never be able to read WoL for the first time again. Cal and Amara will forever be in my heart. Like I said, it’s her spiciest book yet, BUT it is equally emotional and raw.

Read if you like:
-small town romance
-she’s his boss: office rivals to lovers
-“crawl” 😉
-winery vibes
-classic Chaperon steam 🥵…don’t forget that glass of cold water….I mean bucket
-boss a$$ b!tches
-meddling sisters
-beautiful book covers
-HEAs

To Amanda my friend,

I am so endlessly proud of you. You know this. Please keep writing. Your books have made such a difference in my life. I feel like I’m best friends with all of your characters. They’ve made me not feel so alone when I felt completely hopeless. I will always scream about your books! Thank you for your friendship! I can’t wait to be there by your side for the next 4729294 books. 🫶🏻

Thank you Amanda for this ARC in exchange for a honest voluntary review!

[laura 🧸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fue demasiado descriptivo para mí, pero aun así me agrado.

La premisa de este libro tenía todo para convertirlo en una experiencia de lectura entretenida y realmente lo intenté, pero es por eso que no funcionó para mí.

Lo que si me gustó fueron las vibraciones familiares de este libro, ver cómo las hermanas se apoyan unas a otras tanto en lo personal como en lo profesional.

Me encanta una buena historia de rivales a amantes, pero no hasta el punto en que el hombre cruza la línea al cuestionar la inteligencia y sobre todo su vida sexual, eso se me hace horrible; no lo acepto ni en la vida real mucho menos en una lectura. Calvin fue todo lo que no me gustó de este libro y más. Es un idiota misógino desde el principio.

Había un montón de escenas picantes en esto, lo cual fue genial, pero esto se parecía más a enemigos con obscenidad.

Amara tenía mucho potencial como personaje pero no sé desarrollo como tal, hubo momentos en los que senti que hacía/decía cosas para que no afectaran o no terminara culpandose Calvin.

thanks to the author for the arc.

[Sav | SavtheBookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the cutest enemies to lovers book!

Imagine... you meet a hot guy at a bar, he takes you home, then you both realize right before you do *it* that he is the new CFO of your families company and he immediately rejects you and sends you away.
5 years later you inherit the company and become the new CEO and he has all the plans to take that away from you....until you both decide that maybe you should put this hate to the side and work together.
You start spending more and more time together and the tension and angst grows and he can't take it anymore, so he kisses you, and that kiss changes things for you forever.

This book was so much fun and the spice was SPICING let me tell you. I am obsessed with these two and this story had me on the edge of my seat the whole time with the twists and turns of the plot.

1000% recommend

tropes:
-enemies to lovers
-workplace romance
-small beach town
-"crawl to me"

4.5/5 stars
3/5 spice

[Shannai · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

This was fun, to begin with. I loved the whole enemies to lovers, boss employee dynamic. I thought the enemies to lovers was done really well, until we got more of Cal’s pov, and he really was just an asshole towards Amara, based on the presumptions he had of her, and for me that’s when it kind of just felt a bit artificial.

I wouldn’t say I connected with either of the characters much; the relationship felt quite like it was more on a physical level than emotional, so didn’t really feel their attraction to each other either. I thought the spice was fantastic, and really well written though.

Tropes

boss/employee
enemies to lovers
small town
surprise pregnancy

[Kaely Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boss employee romance, enemies to lovers, what more could you want?

This book was a Hallmark movie in book form.

The winery was the perfect location and I loved how perfectly she set it up for the next books in the series.

Calvin is everything, he’s full of himself but cares with all he has for Amara.

Amara has confidence I wish I could have. She is strong and has CEO in her blood, but loves to be taken care of especially when it’s Calvin.

These two grow so much in this book and I can’t wait to for the next book!!

[Macy Shea]

Sadly I had to DNF this!
I was really excited for this book after reading the description but I was put off instantly by the MMC! He was more or less in love with her after a 3 second meet outside a toilet? Not likely…

And the writing felt very clogged to me, using 10 words to describe something when 3 would’ve sufficed iygm?

Very sad I didn’t like this book!

[Lymari Yenderrozos · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars! This was adorable in every single way, with the sweetest HEA and two amazing main characters. I loved the passion and intensity between Amara and Calvin. Spice was red hot, and I adored Amara’s family so much. The winery backdrop was amazing, and I really enjoyed Calvin’s character growth. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Emma Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let’s set the scene, shall we: You’re 65 years old and freshly moved into your retirement village apartment. It’s noon, your recliner is kicked back, favorite sandwich on your TV tray, life is good. You switch the TV ON and the soap opera flashes on the screen:

Our sexy CFO just landed his dream job and he’s celebrating at the club, one too many women has come up to him and unabashedly felt up his body parts for some reason that’s apparently irrelevant because when ✨ she ✨ does it…it’s adorable. Flash forward 30 minutes and we’re nearly undressed but wait she takes this moment to tell him her full name. GASP not the bosses daughter! Her dumps her unceremoniously on the front stoop. They could have been lovers but alas now they are enemies. But it’s ok because she’s leaving for school in Europe anyway. Bye.

Flash forward 5 years and daddies little princess is being promoted to CEO! But of course our sexy CFO has words to say about such atrocities and decides to share them with absolutely anyone who will listen. What do we do to protect the company from a coup? We give him a stake in the company obviously.

Shockingly, he continues to fight our party princess because he’s decided she has no right to the golden throne. Why you might ask? Well because they met while she was partying at the club, of course! Wasn’t he also partying at the club you might ask - ugh don’t be ridiculous she also stayed in fancy penthouses in Europe, they are not the same.

But her eyes are so golden and dat ass…irresistible. So they naturally christened every surface with as much unprofessionalism as they could muster. Until sadly one day he tragically decided to call her his girlfriend. What do we do when men show such audacity…we ignore them and hope they go away!

Weirdly that didn’t work so I guess they’re boyfriend girlfriend now. But boyfriend has an ex and that makes us throw up everywhere. Plot twist we all knew was coming - she’s pregnant! And she tells her sisters who all squeal in delight while they fill her in on all the dirty details of her new baby daddies coup he tried to stage a million years ago.

Do we talk this out with him like two mature adults about to become parents? Snorts out my milk and pickles - don’t be ridiculous you goof.

We do what any proper soap opera girlie pop would do - we call an emergancy board meeting one sunny Tuesday and vote him out of the company and as we’re walking out the door we toss him a pregnancy announcement. Now we have broke unemployed baby daddy, every little girls dream.

Don’t worry about our sexy CFO. He’s a white male in finance. He’s probably also 6’ 5”. So he lands on his feet immediately…working as proud new CFO for his ex girlfriend’s ex fuck buddy. What a comeback.

Oh and then he runs through some fields for her and says you know no other man is going to do this with his fingers. So she builds them a house and it’s all fine and her labor and delivery was only 30 minutes and happily ever after the end.

The most unbelievable thing of all? That babies first word was not momma, stop lying to us.

[Leigha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wine or Lose by Amanda Chaperon Review
4.5/5 Stars
3.5/5 Spice

“Right now, I had her body. But…maybe…I wanted the rest of her too.”

Hallmark but make it spicy! I could not put this book down! Honestly, I tried! I was halfway through it and said let me stop here for the night and get some sleep. I put my Kindle down for two minutes before turning back over and picking it up to finish reading it. This is a small-town romance with workplace enemies to lovers, it is dual POV which I love so much! Serilsoy while they may not actually try to kill each other, (this is a small-town romance after all) they do have cutthroat instincts and don't worry about hurting each other. That saying there is a fine line between love and hate, yeah this book is listed under it. I love the entire will they won't they, trying to deny the attraction because they should hate the other. The overall story arc was great and I enjoyed the twists and turns, it was fun and intriguing, and I fell wholly in love with this town and its history. I loved the characters. First off Calvin, while I disliked Calvin for a good bit of the book that dislike made the journey to liking him so much better. It is my favorite type of writing to make me hate a character and then fall in love with them. His arrogance is probably what made me dislike him the most but it's very integral to his character development. On to Amara, I love her and her sisters. Seriously such a cute, loving family. Can I be an honorary Delatou sister, please?! She is smart and confident, I loved seeing her shine and prove Calvin wrong. Loved the moments when she shocked him by destroying his assumptions about her. I really admired her dedication to her family and the family business. Truly amazing! The spice! Oof it's good and hot in this book, there is a spice rack in the back if you would prefer to skip it though. I really enjoyed reading this book, like I said I couldn't put it down. Not only that but it's the first book to get me out of my reading slump that I've been in for a month. Tropes will be listed below and there is one at the very end that is slightly spoilery but I wanted to mention it since it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Small Town Romance
Workplace Romance
She’s his boss
Hate to Love
Medling Sisters
Nickname
Sneaking Around
“Crawl”
Accidental Pregnancy

[Kelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so freaking disappointed by this book. I bought the alternate covers (which are absolutely stunning) at Romance Con and I expected to read about (PER THE AUTHOR) small town charm, office rivals to lovers, and a happily ever after. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t feel like I got any of that.

The first problem lies within the setup of the relationship. Amara and Cal meet in a club, fall in love after like 2 hours, and go back to his place before Amara realizes that Cal is the new CFO that her dad just hired for their family’s winery. He calls her a party princess, she storms out, and fast forward to five years later, when they’re both still holding onto that. How have you seriously not gotten over that one interaction in the span of FIVE YEARS?

Second, Cal hates women. You can’t convince me otherwise. When he was trying to prevent Amara’s father from giving her the company, he ONLY talked to her father, shook his hand, and plead his case with him. He paid no attention to her mother, who also owns the company. He completely dismissed her. He does this again in the end with her sisters. He also completely upstages Amara when she’s promoting the winery at a Tigers baseball game. All around, he’s disgusting and vile. Nothing about him is charming.

Third, there’s an accidental pregnancy. I don’t think I need to say more.

I have a review on my IG page where I go into even more detail about my hatred for this book, but I think we’ve spent enough time on this…way more than it deserves. I was so incredibly disappointed. I was really looking forward to this book, but this is just not good.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof, I don’t know what to say about this book except that I didn’t like it…almost at all. There were just a couple very small details that stopped me from DNF-ing entirely so let’s start with the positive…the setting was awesome, I loved the small town winery on a lake in Michigan. The author did a great job of creating a beautiful place for this story to take place. I also thiiink I liked some of the side characters who I assume will get stories of their own later though I’m on the fence about reading them because this was rough to get through.

BOTH main characters in this book were hard to root for. We’ve got a male main character, Calvin, who is the CFO of a winery and the female main character, Amara, who is the new CEO. They met and almost had a one night stand five years ago and now he thinks she’s a party girl and unfit to run the company. So he tries to oust her and when he can’t he makes her life miserable by withholding funds for projects, calling her “princess” in board meetings etc. He doesn’t bother to research her credentials or history with the company so he has no idea she’s got an MBA and has increased international revenue by 300%…kind of a shitty CFO my guy. 👀

Then we have Amara who doesn’t bother ever explaining to him that she does know what she’s doing, she has gone to university etc because she “likes how he looks at her every time she impresses or surprises him”….MA’AM PLEASE!!!!

Throw in the other added elements of them finally realizing that their “hate” is actually “love” (it is a fine line after all 🙄) and then they spend a lot of the book banging at work and keeping their relationship a secret. Then AFTER they’re together he announces on TV that they’re dating because his ego was bruised that she called him out on doubting her? But then they still stayed together? And then broke up again and then got together and then she dumped him AND fired him and then surprise she’s pregnant?!?

I think the only saving grace besides my increased interest in visiting a lake in Michigan and the potential for the side characters is the spice but if the spice is between two insufferable characters is it even worth it? 🤔
Would not recommend, miiight give book two a second chance but undecided.

[Zephyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wine or Lose follows Amara Delatou, who has just been handed the keys to the kingdom—her family’s, that is. Stepping in as CEO of Chateau Delatou, her family’s beloved winery on Michigan’s Old Mission Peninsula, Amara is ready to prove she’s more than capable of leading the business into a new era. Everyone seems excited for her fresh perspective—everyone except Calvin Ryder, the company’s CFO.

Five years ago, something happened between them that didn’t end well, and ever since, their relationship has been tense and complicated. Calvin refuses to see Amara as anything other than a spoiled party girl who charmed her way into power, while Amara struggles to work alongside a man who doubts her every move and undermines her leadership. I’ll admit, I hated Calvin’s mindset at first—his arrogance and the way he even went to Amara’s sisters to convince them she wasn’t fit to be CEO really irritated me. He was so determined to remove her from her position that I couldn’t help but root even harder for Amara.

And Amara does not disappoint. She’s strong, confident, and doesn’t let anyone else’s opinion define her. I loved how she faced every challenge head-on and ultimately proved herself capable of leading her father’s company successfully. Watching her rise above Calvin’s doubts and the weight of family expectations was incredibly satisfying.

As the summer heats up, so does the tension between Amara and Calvin. What begins as professional rivalry slowly turns into something far more complicated—and passionate. Their chemistry crackles off the page, and once Calvin starts to truly see Amara for who she is, their relationship blossoms beautifully. I really enjoyed how their enemies-to-lovers arc unfolded—how Calvin gradually developed understanding, realized how wrong he’d been, and ultimately begged for her forgiveness, earning her trust and love back.

[Bari (justbookedup) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a enemies-to-lovers, workplace, boss x employee story. Cal and Amara start off as strangers who almost hook-up one night five years ago but stop once Cal realizes Amara is his new boss's daughter. Flash forward to the present day and Amara is now his new boss, taking over for her father. Cal has a ton of preconceived notions and fights her every step of the way.

I love Amara - she's a boss who knows she can do the job. She's worked her ass off to be ready to take over for her father and won't let Calvin and his preconceived (and very false) notions of her get in her way. I really loved her character and wish she stood up for herself more with Cal from the beginning.

I wanted to like Cal and in the end, I did, but it was very hard much of the way. I didn't like how immature and unrelenting he was in trying to tear Amara down. His feelings for her turned hard and fast which I didn't necessarily mind, but at times gave me whiplash.

Overall, this is a quick read with some great tropes and the start of an interesting series. We get introduced to all the sisters which I'm assuming each book will revolve around (or at least the single sisters). Also, if you like spice, you'll like this one as it has plenty which I enjoyed.

Tropes & Elements:
❤️ Enemies to Lovers
🗄️ Workplace Romance
🩷 He falls first
💸 CEO FMC x CFO MMC
🏡 Small town
🫶 Sisterly Bonds Strong AF
✌🏻 Dual POV

My rating: 3.25 out of 5 ⭐️

[G W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow I am NOT on a roll with finding good books. I marked this as a 2/5, but it’s definitely hovering over that 1 star…I just don’t feel it’s truly 1-star worthy, but I did consider changing it. I never 1-star books unless they are g-d awful, and this one wasn’t, but it was close. Just food for thought.

I got swayed to check this out from a spicy snippet the author shared on her IG where Amara makes Cal crawl. Now, I’m not that much of a kinky girly, but having the roles reversed? Loved it. The rest of the book? Eh, not so much.

Let’s start out with the smut. Yeah, there’s a fair bit in here. To be fair, I DNF’ed about 61% of the way because I realized it simply wasn’t for me after trying to read it between sittings. The smut was just…so so. It wasn’t ultra-ULTRA graphic, but it felt…idk stunted?? I kind of wished for more, but once Cal fell, it was like they just couldn’t keep their hands to themselves. That’s fine…I have no issue with that, but it felt so misplaced after Cal hated her with every fiber of his being.

More on the hate thing…these two do NOT like each other in the beginning AT ALL.TLDR is they almost hooked up years ago until he found out who she was and then he called her a rich party snob girl blah blah (you get the gist) and voila. They’ve hated each other ever since. Obviously, they eventually get over it (duh), and I will say, I DID actually like the way that was written. There was definitely something lacking, but at some point when Amara and Cal both realized they didn’t hate each other felt good. It’s hard to describe, because it mostly was Cal being like “yeah this girl is so fuckable and beautiful what if I don’t actually hate her,” but he DOES actually have some really poignant moments where he reflects on the reasons WHY he had a bias against her becoming CEO and he confronts that. I did appreciate that they had to fake hating each other to save face and make appearances in the office. That was nice, EXCEPT FOR WHEN CAL CALLED HER HIS GIRLFRIEND ON A SPORTS INTERVIEW??? AT A GAME WITH ONE OF THEIR NEWLY ACQUIRED CLIENTS?? AND YOU’RE TELLING ME HER DAD, WELL CONNECTED FOUNDER OF THE WINERY JUST DOESNT FIND OUT??? Also, it was incredibly shitty of Cal because he only did that because he felt guilty when Amara was (rightfully so) telling the reporter that people should stop doubting her. So what does he do instead of let her have her moment and talk it out like adults after? He crosses the floor and SWOOPS next to her and calls her his GIRLFRIEND. BOY IF YOU DONT. They did not even really have a label other than fuck buddies? Kind of? But not even that???? But be so fucking for real, this is on an interview (where the host is literally like oh wow you guys are dating, crazy) and her dad just DOESNT find out immediately? Like, there’s a GOOD CHUNK of time. I assume he will find out at some point, but I’m simply not reading more to find out. For her credit, Amara gets upset later and makes him crawl to her and basically says “do that again and I’ll ruin your fucking life” but then they have sex and it’s like???? Cal says something about not getting angry with each other but if they did and it resulted in this kind-boggingly amazing, other-worldly sexual experience that both of them CANNOT stop talking about (seriously, every time they fuck, it’s like “holy shjt this is the best I’ve ever had.” Amara talks about his, and she literally says this, his “magical dick.” I’m all for well-hung heroes, but GIRL WHAT???), Cal wouldn’t be mad. Obviously, I’m paraphrasing, but DEFINITELY not about how many times these two talked about just how great the sex was. So this “hate sex” wasn’t really hate sex, so once again, it fell flat.

Also, I have mixed feelings about the pace of their relationship. Theoretically, I can see why someone would say it moved fast, because honestly? It kind of did, but I’m giving the author the benefit of the doubt because these two had an apparently life-changing first meet up when they almost hooked up x number of years ago. A big part of both of their journeys with each other in the beginning involved them realizing that hey, maybe they cared more than they thought. Still??? It just??? Didn’t work??? Commenting further, their relationship felt…childish. Amara is 28 and I don’t remember how old Cal is (somewhere in his 30s but I cba to find out the actual number. I already removed the book from KU.), yet they play a game of truth or dare with her (older and younger but not by much) siblings and her ex-fuck buddy-turned friend who’s also like Cal’s brother (it’s a whole thing) and the sister dares her to kiss ex-fuck buddy to basically FORCE Amara to go public (albeit with family excluding their parents). I think that’s fucked. It was probably meant to be a cute “meddling sister who clearly sees the connection (because Amara tells them about their hot make out sesh which is completely understandable bc they are very close) but wants them to realize it” only they already HAVE realized it. So when Amara ends up kissing Cal instead (on purpose) and everyone is cheering and whatever, it feels incredibly juvenile and immature. I’m 24, and you would NOT catch me doing any of that shit, but maybe that’s just me. There were also other things in their relationship that I felt came off as boring, but I really can’t remember. I just know that I was partly believing the progression of their relationship because of the insight into the characters, but not enough to make me like them together which, spoiler alert, I did NOT.

ALSO THERES THIS WEIRD SIDE STORY WHERE CAL HAD EMOTIONALLY ABSENTEE PARENTS SO NOW HES SCARED OF LETTING PEOPLE IN AND HE HAD THIS WOMAN WHO HE THOUGHT HE WAS IN LOVE WITH AND PROPOSED BUT SHE TURNED HIM DOWN AND HE BROKE HER HEART SO NOW HES DAMAGED??? BUT IS LIKE “ILL NEVER RECOVER” AND THEN IN THE NEXT SENTENCE IS LIKE “BUT I FEEL SO STRONGLY FOR AMARA AND I NEVER FELT THIS WAY WITH HER.” Whew. That was a lot.

Side note, I just saw a review that mentioned accidental pregnancy. I (and I cannot stress this enough) do NOT like this trope, and that reviewer was 1000% correct— it was NOT marketed as having that trope. If I kept reading, and saw that shit happen, ooh the way I would be SO FUCKING MAD!!!!

[Bryana Napthen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listen, I lovveeee some good character development/redemption. Was Cal a total douche canoe? Absolutely. He definitely should have been fired way sooner. But I warmed up to him throughout the book, he realized his mistakes and what a grade a asshole he was being and ended up actually being a really sweet guy. I also loved that he was able to reconnect with his parents!

Amara is a bad ass, although she for sure has a short temper lol. I like that she proved herself to Cal even though she didn’t need to, she could have just told him all of her credentials right away but instead she made him work for it which I loved!

The main reason I didn’t love this book is because I didn’t feel the love between Amara and Cal until the last couple of chapters. When they said I love you for the first time, I’m like do you really? At that point I was still feeling a lot of hate and resentment from both of them lol. Especially when Amara found out she was pregnant and then also found out about his betrayal, she had every right to be pissed off but idk I felt like her reaction was a little extreme at that point in their relationship. But like I said, the ending and epilogue were so cute and sweet and ended the book on a good note for me. I’m excited to read the next one!