The Stanbury Estate

by Kimberly Thomas

Two estranged sisters. One crumbling vineyard. And a legacy that just might heal them both.


Charlotte Stanbury built a life of success, independence, and distance—from her past, her family, and the small town she once called home. But when her father dies, she’s pulled back to the vineyard estate she ran from years ago—dragging along the secret that she’s battling breast cancer. Her plan is settle the estate, sell the land, and leave. Fast.

Mila Stanbury never left. She raised her daughter Ava here, poured everything into the vineyard, and cared for their aging father alone. Now, the home she’s sacrificed so much for is on the brink of foreclosure, and the last person she wants to share it with is the sister who abandoned them.

Forced to face each other—and the painful secrets their father left behind—Charlotte and Mila are torn between preserving the past and letting it go. As Charlotte quietly wages a war with her illness, Mila grapples with betrayal, resentment, and the terrifying prospect of starting over. But in the quiet rows of the vineyard and the echoes of their shared history, the sisters begin to rediscover something neither a path forward.

Set against the lush backdrop of a Tuscany-style vineyard on the American coast, this sweeping story of sisterhood, secrets, and second chances will tug at your heart and stay with you long after the final page.

Genres: Womens Fiction

338 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2025

About the author

Kimberly Thomas has a passion for writing heartfelt stories that resonate with her readers. With two adult children and a loving husband, she understands the complexities of family dynamics and uses this knowledge to create relatable characters. When she's not writing, she loves to travel and explore new cultures. She finds inspiration in the people she meets and the places she visits, and often incorporates her experiences into her stories.

Kimberly specializes in feel-good women's fiction, clean and wholesome contemporary romance. Her stories focus on love, loss, and the everyday situations that families face. Her writing style is engaging and relatable, and she has a talent for drawing readers in and keeping them hooked until the very end.

Reviews

[Pam Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgiveness, Determination, Strength and Family ties run through this book. Sisters reunited after the death of their father, find themselves together at the reading of the will. Charlotte and Mila discover they have jointly inherited the family’s floundering vineyard and estate. Meanwhile Charlotte has her own personal health struggle.

How can the sisters overcome past hurts and save the vineyard from financial ruin? Where will Charlotte spend her future?

Thank you to the author for this ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

[Janice Sisemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stanbury Estate

A big rival between sisters. Charlotte comes back home after their father passes away. Charlotte had been away for a while, Mila , a single mother, stayed with their father. They need to save their land, will they be able to save it? I related to the characters especially Charlotte’s health issues. Will the two sisters be able to work things out? Read and find out. A very interesting story. I enjoyed the characters. My favorite character was Mila daughter. She seems to have more sense than the rest of them.
I hope to read more about the characters in other books. This is the first book I have read by the author, I hope to read more.

I received an advanced copy of the book from the author. This book review is my own opinion.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about reunion of two sisters after their father's death. They have to work together to save the family vineyard as they also try to mend their own relationship as well as deal with their own personal issues. It is a very touching book.

[Cheryl Tabor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte and Mila are estranged sisters. Charlotte left home to make her own way. While Milia stayed home and ran a failing Vinyard with her father and her daughter. Their father dies which brings Charlotte home. Because of distance and other hurt feelings the sisters are at odds eith each other. Their father has left the Vinyard to both of them, only problem is he left them with and in debt Vinyard. The sisters have to find a way to save their family legacy. But their relationship or lack of is a barrier. Charlotte is also battling an illness. A business tycoon is trying to buy out all the lands in the area to build motels, etc. This story tells you how a family once divided can come together to save their relationship and possible their legacy. Growing a new respect for each other and do some personal and family healing. As well as other surprises occur within the story. Thanks to Goodreads,Publishers and Author for this journey.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two sisters ....estranged but after the death of their father, forced together.

Mila and Charlotte have been out of each other's lives for years. Following the death of their father, Charlotte returns to the family vineyard. Left to both daughters, the vineyard is struggling. Debt is piling up faster than profit and the sisters must work together to figure out what is best. Charlotte wants to sell; Mila wants to try to make it profitable. Can they come to a compromise.

A story of sisters, family and coming together. Beautiful story!!

[Jennie Fortna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stanbury Estate by Kimberly Thomas 4.5 stars, is a standalone about 2 sisters, Charlotte and Mila who get back together after almost 25 years apart and the death of their father. This is an emotional read, dealing with the past, personal issues, family issues, grief, secret health issues, while both might find a possible love interest..

I voluntarily read a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlotte and Mila, two sisters brought back together after their father’s death. Each sister dealing with family issues and their own personal issues.
It’s another good book by this author. Full of emotion and hope for new beginnings. You won’t be able to put it down.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sisters Charlotte and Mila Stanbury grew up on a vineyard in Virginia. Charlotte left and Mila stayed and now almost 25 years later with a lot of resentment between them, they are co owners of the family vineyard.

Charlotte realized at a young age that she didn't want to spend her life working in the vineyard and never seeing the world. So 23 years earlier, she left and went to college in California and worked her way up to excel in real estate. Now she is returning to Virginia for her beloved father's funeral with a big secret that she doesn't want to share.

Mila stayed at the vineyard and worked with her dad. She had a teenage daughter who was making plans to go to college and didn't appreciate any input from her mother. Mila has a lot of resentment against her sister for leaving her to handle issues with the vineyard and health issues with their father.

Both sisters are shocked when the will is read and her father left the vineyard to them both. After looking at the financial information, they both realize that the vineyard is losing money and they are very close to the bank foreclosing on it. Charlotte who had minimal time there wanted to sell but Mila felt very strongly that it was part of their family legacy and a major part of her life and she wanted to work to keep it. The sisters are at odds but as they work together to solve the problem, their distance between each other begins to diminish. When Charlotte shares her secret with Mila, they both begin to make changes as they work to become close again. Will the sisters be able to save the family vineyard? Will they be able to bury years of resentment and become real sisters again?

I love books about sisters and really liked both of the sisters in this story and hoped that they would be able to bury their resentments against each other. This book focused on the financial issues with the vineyard but also on the people in the town and their love of the family and its legacy. Both sisters found a love interest that they didn't realize how much needed and how much happiness they would find. This was a book about letting the past go and finding happiness the second time around.

[Diane Jewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stanbury Estate by Kimberly Thomas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

An emotional family drama that had me crying. You'll read about sisters that are reunited after the death of their father. Mila has been my her father's side her whole life, not just father and daughter but Co-owners of a vineyard.
Charlotte left the estate some twenty years ago. Building her life in California. And plans to go back after the reading of the will. But it's not cut and dry, there's a road block in the her way.
Charlotte is faced with hatred from the town, her sister, and her niece. Grief of her father and an illness makes her question her about staying and rebuild her family or return to Cali.

Pick up your copy today and find out what Charlotte decides to do. Have tissues ready.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like a book about sisters and family drama - and this has both. Charlotte is the sister who left and wants to stay gone from the vineyard forever. Mila is the one who stayed and assumed she would be taking over when her father died. Having to come together, after his death, helped them to move forward and leave the past behind. There was of course a bit of romance (wouldn't be a Kimberly Thomas book without a love interest) for both women - which neither knew that they needed. Overall, this book was a great family drama/secrets story.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of emotions and keeps you turning the pages to see what happens next. It's beautifully written and the author makes you feel like you are there. I loved it.
I received a complimentary copy and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Kelley D · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet clean read that draws you into a family’s journey through heartbreak and heritage. Even secondary characters felt authentic and contributed meaningfully to the story’s emotional depth. Recommended for anyone who enjoys uplifting tales about family bonds and resilience.

[Missy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotion filled story with family in a beautiful landscape. This story will keep y0u reading from the beginning to end while tugging at y0ur heartstrings.