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A sexy stranger. An award-winning wine. A business rivalry. Anonymous threats. Kate’s new job has her stomach doing somersaults.


Kate Whitman has a problem with anxiety. But when a man with movie-star looks and a body to match sits down next to her on the plane, she gets goose bumps—and not from nerves. Six hours and 3,000 miles later, they are kissing passionately in the airport. But when she turns around, he is gone.


To forget the rejection by this sexy stranger, Kate throws herself into her new marketing job at her family’s vineyard. She launches a high profile attack on a competing winery with a ruthless social media campaign, only to learn that behind her rival’s success is that very stranger. And he wants to redeem himself.


Can she maintain a professional relationship with Josh McCabe, amidst his sexy advances? A series of anonymous threatening messages makes Kate question whether McCabe is the generous lover he appears to be, or may instead be a ruthless opportunist.


When everyday life brings unbearable anxiety, can you trust in love?

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First published June 30, 2014

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Nan Alexander

3 books1 follower

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Steph.
694 reviews14 followers
December 29, 2014
On her way home from college to start her new job at the family vineyard, Kate meets Josh. A handsome man who eases her anxiety without effort. After a stolen kiss next to airport security, he disappears. Days later, she comes face to face with him again, only to learn that he is in charge of the competing vineyard next door.

Now, Kate is in for the fight of her life. Her family's vineyard is struggling and they could loose it all. Her nasty words against Josh's vineyard come back to bite her and strange things start to happen. Then there is Josh...she can't get him out of her mind and the more time they spend together, the more she doesn't want to.

With family responsibilities Kate has to decide which path to take for not only her future but the future of the winery as well.

This book had a lot of potential but fell really short for me. Kate has a lot of issues that aren't really explained very well...this makes it very painful to be in her head at times. You don't really learn anything about either of the characters until the end so by the time I got there I was left not really caring what happened to them for the entire story. There is a lot going on and a lot of side plots but it is very predictable and easy to figure out who the bad guy is.

My thoughts:

POV Kate
Quick hook or slow starter? 3 (it starts out strong but kept losing my interest)
Character development: 3
Level of Romance between characters: 3
Passion/Heat level: 3 (there are a few sex scenes but not until the very end)
Angst/Heartbreak: 3 (characters are not developed well enough for me to care but there is not much drama in this one)
Cliffhanger?: Not with Josh and Kate but it does leave it open for Sophia's book.

Overall, I was disappointed and didn't really enjoy it. I don't think I will be continuing on with the series.

I received a free copy of this story from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Leah.
14 reviews16 followers
January 27, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s not often that I’ve come across a book that addresses psychological illness without sensationalizing it or making it THE story.

Kate’s anxiety/panic disorder is debilitating but not all-consuming. Fear of flying and driving (AKA not being in control of the situation)...Physiological reactions to potential confrontation, but NOT fear of confrontation when in her element…using Xanax and/or alcohol as a crutch…but not becoming an addict….irrational fears…and more than anything else, the fear that your family will simply think you’re, “nuts.” This is how anxiety/panic disorders work.

Obviously one of the factors leading to her anxiety/panic disorder, it was interesting to see how Kate continued, as an adult, to cope with the loss of her mother at eight-years-old juxtaposed with Josh’s recent loss of his father to suicide. But, no, this is not all that the book is about. I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes because the narrating character was pathetic or necessarily evoking sympathy. I, instead, found myself hopeful, like I was rooting for her.

The only shortfall I found was in some mechanical (punctuation, grammar, style, etc.) issues, but unless you were OCD (hahaha!) about that stuff, you’d probably not notice it. There were also a few times that I “fell out” of the book, because I got confused as to how something was illogical (i.e. how could Josh could know Kate’s hand was cold if they weren’t touching or she wasn’t, say, rubbing her hands together) as well as some logistically impossible pretzel-ish positioning in a steamy scene (even if they were both gymnasts). Really, the issues were minor overall and didn’t detract from how enjoyable the book was to read. Most importantly, the plot was interesting, and Kate was simply fun to read about.

I know my feedback contradicts some of the other reviews, and I’m rather confused about that. I can be painfully blunt with my feedback, but this was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I found myself really looking forward to my kids going to sleep, so I could pick up the book again. (No offense, girls, if you are reading this 5 to 10 years from now!) I am looking forward to jumping into the second book in the series and then the third one, when released.
Profile Image for Forindiebyindie.
3 reviews2 followers
January 7, 2015
Unnerved by Nan Alexander
Genre: New Adult/Romance
Publication Date: 2014

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The early chapters introduce Kate, a fresh college graduate traveling home to begin a career working in her family vineyard. Only one thing threatens to ruin a peaceful future: Kate’s overwhelming anxiety. Fortunately for her, her plane ticket has seated her right next to handsome stranger, Josh, who strangely enough, pushes all though of anxiety right out of her mind. There’s flirting, chemistry, and a stolen kiss at the airport…then Josh disappears.

Imagine Kate’s surprise when she discovers that Josh works for a rival vineyard. Determined to save her own family’s struggling vineyard, Kate launches an all-out attack, which begins to yield some dangerous results. In the midst of the ensuing chaos is Kate’s undeniable attraction to Josh…and his bold pursuit of her.

Besides enjoying the story line and the bit of mystery thrown in, I appreciated two things that the author did for us readers.

1.) She gave her heroine a crisis many “normal” people actually deal with, namely, anxiety. I haven’t seen this crushing emotion dealt with very often in literature and it really made Kate stand out as a real person. I found myself connecting with her for her very vulnerability and I appreciate books that give us real scenarios.

2.) This is a classy romance. I am not a huge fan of lop-sided New Adult romances, wherein there is an undertone of abuse or dysfunction. The romance developing between Kate and Josh is carefully developed and we get to enjoy watching their story unfold. When they do become intimate (in a variety of well-crafted scenes throughout the book), their love-making means something.

In addition to a beautiful setting in romantic wine-country, this story also hosts a few very likable secondary characters. I cannot wait to read the story of Kate’s sister, Sophia.

This is one of those romantic books you enjoy on a quiet evening with a glass of wine and a good bar of chocolate. It leaves you feeling happy, satisfied, and eager for more of The Winemaker’s Daughter series.

Read this review and more on http://www.forindiebyindieediting.com/
Profile Image for E.L. Wicker.
Author 5 books51 followers
December 29, 2014
Unfortunately, I really struggled with this book and at times had to put it down to come back to it later. The plot is there, this could be an excellent book, but I felt almost as if too many words were used to explain or show something that could have taken a paragraph. I think, perhaps, it didn’t help that, beyond chapter one, the book is really slow to start, not really getting anywhere until chapter five, but beyond that I still couldn’t fully focus on the story. I didn’t ‘feel’ what the characters were feeling. There were aspects that I liked, Sophie’s character for example, but again, too much focus was placed on her when we should be focusing on Kate as Sophie has her own book anyway. The main character was likeable though, and it was refreshing that she wasn't perfect - she had her struggles.

There is a lot going on, which the author should be commended for, and the arcs are good but I became frustrated because it seemed to take too long to get anywhere. I wanted more of Josh and I wanted to be emotionally invested in the outcome. I don’t think I will read any more books in the series.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review via New Adult Book Club on Goodreads.
188 reviews5 followers
December 30, 2014
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read. It was very smooth and easy as far as plots go.The characters were likable. I especially liked that none were perfect and yet not overly dramatically "damaged". They were simply realistic with real problems. I liked the generalized knowledge of who each was and what their lives were like beyond the situation until it came up in conversation on their date. I thought it was a pleasant introduction and let you imagine as you read and found out along with them. I also enjoyed the glimpse into the supporting characters lives and personalities and how they support and bond each other together, so much so that I look forward to reading Sophia's story. Thanks for allowing me to read this.
7 reviews2 followers
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December 27, 2014
I enjoyed this book. I don't know anything about anxiety issues and it was interesting to see how our heroine dealt with hers. We learned allot about Kate but not as much about Josh, at least until the very end. I would liked to have known more about him earlier on as it would have developed his character more and made him easier to bond to...although he was sweet and loyal...and very good for Kate.

The story moved along smoothly, it was well paced, engaging and very enjoyable overall. I will definitely read the other books in the series and anything else the author puts out!! Highly recommend if you are looking for a quick, easy read!

ARC received for unbiased review.
Profile Image for Shalini .
332 reviews120 followers
January 5, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review via New Adult Book Club on Goodreads.


I struggled with two emotions-
1. Throwing my e-reader to the wall while screaming in frustration
2. Sitting calm and patient,in order to figure out what was going on in the book.

The book has a plot,a good one I think.But honestly ,I couldn't even like it enough to recommend it to anyone because it would be a waste of time.The plot of the story was really good for the genre in which it was published-Romance+vineyard.Its a no-brainer. I even would have liked Kate and Josh If only,the story was up to par.

Profile Image for Joyhdae.
Author 1 book35 followers
January 4, 2015
This was a bit of a struggle for me. While there are many elements for a great story, this one fell a little short. The characters were extremely likable, but for some reason the story seemed a little stunted. I did enjoy watching the story unfold between Kate and Josh and I enjoyed the relationship between Kate and her family, but for some reason I couldn't connect with the "plot" of issues that arose, I couldn't find a way to care.

It wasn't a bad read, but did fall short of being a great story.


*i was given a copy of the book for an honest review. *
Profile Image for Silvia.
50 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was a nice read but not my favorite, it was hard to get in the story , to much information.. Make's not easy to focus on the main characters, sometimes i wanted to slap Kate ok she has issues i get it , but she is such a drama queen!
But Sophia is a very likable character and I will love to heard her story.
Thank you for leting me read and review.

Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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