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A Tuscan Vineyard Cozy Mystery #1
Aged for Murder
AGED FOR MURDER (A TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY) is the debut novel in a charming new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Fiona Grace, author of Murder in the Manor (Book #1), a #1 Bestseller with over 100 five-star reviews!
When Olivia Glass, 34, concocts an ad for a cheap wine that propels her advertising company to the top, she is ashamed by her own work—yet offered the promotion she’s dreamed of. Olivia, at a crossroads, realizes this is not the life she signed up for. Worse, when Olivia discovers her long-time boyfriend, about to propose, has been cheating on her, she realizes it’s time for a major life change.
Olivia has always dreamed of moving to Tuscany, living a simple life, and starting her own vineyard.
When her long-time friend messages her about a Tuscan cottage available, Olivia can’t help wonder: is it fate?
Hilarious, packed with travel, food, wine, twists and turns, romance and her newfound animal friend—and centering around a baffling small-town murder that Olivia must solve—AGED FOR DEATH is an un-putdownable cozy that will keep you laughing late into the night.
When Olivia Glass, 34, concocts an ad for a cheap wine that propels her advertising company to the top, she is ashamed by her own work—yet offered the promotion she’s dreamed of. Olivia, at a crossroads, realizes this is not the life she signed up for. Worse, when Olivia discovers her long-time boyfriend, about to propose, has been cheating on her, she realizes it’s time for a major life change.
Olivia has always dreamed of moving to Tuscany, living a simple life, and starting her own vineyard.
When her long-time friend messages her about a Tuscan cottage available, Olivia can’t help wonder: is it fate?
Hilarious, packed with travel, food, wine, twists and turns, romance and her newfound animal friend—and centering around a baffling small-town murder that Olivia must solve—AGED FOR DEATH is an un-putdownable cozy that will keep you laughing late into the night.
204 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2020
2263 people are currently reading
2641 people want to read
About the author
Fiona Grace
489 books725 followersDebut author Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series which includes MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book #1), DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2) and CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3). Fiona would love to hear from you, so please visit www.fionagraceauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews
July 30, 2020
On the one hand, this book was exactly what I was looking for (a light-hearted, easy read). On the other hand, the characters were terrible, and mostly stereotypes. The main character had a handful of relatable moments, but was mostly a complete idiot (she 'forgot' she owned an apartment that she could sell to raise money she needed, for example). She was supposed to be 34, but mostly appeared to have the impulse control and maturity of a 16 year old. Her mother was overbearing. Her boyfriend controlling. Her boss insecure and bullying. The police were presented as prejudiced numbskulls. The plot was moved along by stupid mistakes, and problems were only resolved when the characters came to obvious conclusions. The murder mystery wasn't particularly engaging, and .
February 13, 2025
3⭐ I wish the murder happened sooner than at 52%, so there was more sleuthing. Happy with who the victim was. I'll review soon
What to expect:
~ single 3rd person POV
~ Italy setting
~ typical cozy
Narration notes:
She sounded perfectly fine.
What to expect:
~ single 3rd person POV
~ Italy setting
~ typical cozy
Narration notes:
She sounded perfectly fine.
August 21, 2020
Unbelievably insipid, naive, clueless heroine. Won't waste my time with the remaining books in the series.
March 4, 2021
This book focuses on the story of an American woman, who after being dumped by her boyfriend and generally unhappy with her work and life , decides to take a break and go to Tuscany to pursue her dream – which is to open her own small vineyard and produce her own wine. In the midst of that, a murder takes place and she needs to clear her name as she is the prime suspect.
I am struggling whether this is a 1 or 2 /5 book. It has some positives, but not much. Well, let’s list them!
Prons: Easy to read, excellent descriptions of the Tuscan countryside
Cons: The characters (incl the main character ) are unbelievably undeveloped , they really couldn’t be any shallower even if the study was written by a primary school kid. The writer does not go beyond stereotypes for most of the characters (cheating boyfriend, pressurising mum, playboy style Italian men, police etc) and at no point in the book you see any sort of effort to develop characters whatsoever. Plus, there’s so much “telling” and very little “showing” (eg Olivia did this, did that, went there etc etc ) and no effort to show character through actions, which makes the story even shallower and it’s very annoying!
I think 1/5 stars is about right..
I am struggling whether this is a 1 or 2 /5 book. It has some positives, but not much. Well, let’s list them!
Prons: Easy to read, excellent descriptions of the Tuscan countryside
Cons: The characters (incl the main character ) are unbelievably undeveloped , they really couldn’t be any shallower even if the study was written by a primary school kid. The writer does not go beyond stereotypes for most of the characters (cheating boyfriend, pressurising mum, playboy style Italian men, police etc) and at no point in the book you see any sort of effort to develop characters whatsoever. Plus, there’s so much “telling” and very little “showing” (eg Olivia did this, did that, went there etc etc ) and no effort to show character through actions, which makes the story even shallower and it’s very annoying!
I think 1/5 stars is about right..
January 12, 2022
Why did I waste my time reading this book? The entire premise is like something a teenager would dream up. I mean, really, how does someone with absolutely no knowledge of wine get a job in Italy as an assistant sommelier right off the bat? Then find a dream farm and then feel like Italy is "home" for her? So insipid I almost gagged at that point. All of a sudden, she comes up with who the murderer was and how it all happened -- there was no real build-up of how she came to that conclusion or why. And THEN she becomes head sommelier! Geeze. So unbelievable -- and a disservice to those actually in the wine business. I can't recommend this book to anyone over 12 years old. The story is lame and the characters hollow.
February 23, 2023
This might be the worst book I have ever read. The phrasing is trite; it's as if a Freshman college student got an A on a paper, decided they were now an author and wrote a book. It takes at least half of the book to get to the murder when that part of the story could have taken a couple of chapters or less. I'm not really a book reviewer, but I thought I'd try to spare anyone the agony of this story.
February 13, 2021
Unbelievable Main Character
How can someone supposedly very intelligent walk into her bosses office, before an important meeting, quit on the spot and not expect repercussions? The story lost me within the first couple of chapters but I kept reading thinking it would get better. It didn’t.
How can someone supposedly very intelligent walk into her bosses office, before an important meeting, quit on the spot and not expect repercussions? The story lost me within the first couple of chapters but I kept reading thinking it would get better. It didn’t.
July 2, 2023
This is one of those reviews that I hope the author never sees. And if she ever does know that I GENUINELY love and support your efforts to be an author and you have written a ton of books with thousands of amazing reviews and I have never written a book so my opinion does not matter. And hey, I read the whole thing anyway. I’m happy you’re getting your bag and following your dreams, I support you 🫶
But this is truly and sincerely the most poorly written book I have ever read in my entire life. In my heart of hearts I know without a doubt that I could have written this book when I was in high school.
Let’s start with the most obvious point. This book is called Aged for MURDER and no one gets murdered until more than 50% into the book. I am not exaggerating. Which it’s fine if there needed to be a lot of character development but it feels like that could have been done while she was investigating the murder? It felt like two entirely separate books. The first half was about a woman quitting her job, getting dumped, and spontaneously taking a trip to Italy with a friend (relatable). And the second half was a Hallmark movie style amateur investigation of a crime (which I’m not hating on - I have watched all 18 Aurora Teagarden movies I am the target audience for this stuff).
Next, this woman has been working as a marketing professional for a wine company for years and her dream is to have a vineyard and make her own wine but when asked literally cannot name more than ONE type of wine. She has NO idea how wine even gets made and attempts to make some in her backyard. And then she gets hired as a SOMMELIER??? I fear the author doesn’t have a basic understanding of how wineries work because WHAT?
I also fear the author has logged some SERIOUS hours on thesaurus.com. There were so many strange and out of place words used that are technically used correctly but no human native English speaker would ever use them in that way. It felt like Microsoft Word just recommended a word and she clicked the first option without thinking about it. Another strange thing with the writing is that she doesn’t really use contractions at all which makes the dialogue so funny and stilted.
There were so many pieces that stretched my ability to suspend disbelief. She goes to stay in Italy with her “best friend” but they don’t seem to know literally anything about each other. Also how does the friend have a free house for the summer? Her former company withholds money from her making her effectively broke and she just like…keeps on keeping on with her little trip? There’s a random goat that just followers her around for no reason. And in the end she puts her entire life savings down to buy a house (and a garden which she plans to make into a winery even though they say the soil is not tenable for growing grapes) SIGHT UNSEEN in a town where she knows exactly two people.
I’ll stop picking it apart because I might just being mean spirited at this point. I watched a Jennifer Coolidge interview recently where she said that the best way to build confidence as an actor is to go watch really really terrible productions of other shows to realize that you’re not that bad. And that’s how I feel about this book. It’s actually the first time that I’ve genuinely considered writing a book myself because this made it feel not that hard. So in the end I appreciate the motivation 🫶
But this is truly and sincerely the most poorly written book I have ever read in my entire life. In my heart of hearts I know without a doubt that I could have written this book when I was in high school.
Let’s start with the most obvious point. This book is called Aged for MURDER and no one gets murdered until more than 50% into the book. I am not exaggerating. Which it’s fine if there needed to be a lot of character development but it feels like that could have been done while she was investigating the murder? It felt like two entirely separate books. The first half was about a woman quitting her job, getting dumped, and spontaneously taking a trip to Italy with a friend (relatable). And the second half was a Hallmark movie style amateur investigation of a crime (which I’m not hating on - I have watched all 18 Aurora Teagarden movies I am the target audience for this stuff).
Next, this woman has been working as a marketing professional for a wine company for years and her dream is to have a vineyard and make her own wine but when asked literally cannot name more than ONE type of wine. She has NO idea how wine even gets made and attempts to make some in her backyard. And then she gets hired as a SOMMELIER??? I fear the author doesn’t have a basic understanding of how wineries work because WHAT?
I also fear the author has logged some SERIOUS hours on thesaurus.com. There were so many strange and out of place words used that are technically used correctly but no human native English speaker would ever use them in that way. It felt like Microsoft Word just recommended a word and she clicked the first option without thinking about it. Another strange thing with the writing is that she doesn’t really use contractions at all which makes the dialogue so funny and stilted.
There were so many pieces that stretched my ability to suspend disbelief. She goes to stay in Italy with her “best friend” but they don’t seem to know literally anything about each other. Also how does the friend have a free house for the summer? Her former company withholds money from her making her effectively broke and she just like…keeps on keeping on with her little trip? There’s a random goat that just followers her around for no reason. And in the end she puts her entire life savings down to buy a house (and a garden which she plans to make into a winery even though they say the soil is not tenable for growing grapes) SIGHT UNSEEN in a town where she knows exactly two people.
I’ll stop picking it apart because I might just being mean spirited at this point. I watched a Jennifer Coolidge interview recently where she said that the best way to build confidence as an actor is to go watch really really terrible productions of other shows to realize that you’re not that bad. And that’s how I feel about this book. It’s actually the first time that I’ve genuinely considered writing a book myself because this made it feel not that hard. So in the end I appreciate the motivation 🫶
September 7, 2021
A book has to be very special to earn a one-star review from me. Perhaps I should award it two stars because I did complete it, but the struggle was real. At 34, Olivia Glass is completely immature, naive, and irresponsible. Walking out on a high-paying career on a whim right before a major presentation, publicly quitting yet another job and threatening the boss, stealing evidence from her boss's office for no apparent reason--not the actions of someone I want to root for. Characters did not behave logically nor did the author research anything except the basics of wine production and blending. You don't decide one night that because you love to drink wine, tomorrow you'll go to Tuscany to pursue a dream of becoming an independent vinter. There are also immigration issues to consider when getting a job in a foreign country, which was never mentioned. And what was the point of Charlotte's boyfriend, Patrick? The parade of horribles in this book marches on and on.
Read
September 5, 2023This is not a book for people who know about wine and wine production. The fact that she walked in off the street and landed herself an assistant sommelier position, by insinuating she knew more about wine tasting than the employees working there, is laughable. I was hoping for a crime novel and this is not it.
February 14, 2021
An entertaining story that had a satisfying ending. Decent character development and good plotting. It took a while to have someone murdered but once that happened the pace picked up. Overall a good book.
February 27, 2021
If "Aged for Murder" by Fiona Grace is meant to be a cozy mystery book it failed. It's not either. Everything moves way too fast: the unbelievable plot, the ditzy 34yr. old main character, how does one on a whim conceive that they can do anything and be successful.
This book would be a 4star rating if it would flesh out the characters and slow down the time frame. As it is the plot is like a revoling door; there's no depth to anyone character.
I did like the fancy restuarant scene where our lead character was dumped. I wanted more of the story like that.
Even I solved the murder. Too predictable!
This book would be a 4star rating if it would flesh out the characters and slow down the time frame. As it is the plot is like a revoling door; there's no depth to anyone character.
I did like the fancy restuarant scene where our lead character was dumped. I wanted more of the story like that.
Even I solved the murder. Too predictable!
June 29, 2020
Olivia gets a taste of winery.
Olivia's world is in a turmoil. She quits her job, her boyfriend, her apartment and her country. But in Tuscany there also are doubts. She gets signs that she should stay and signs that she should go back. Being a prime murder suspect doesn't really help.
This series starts a bit in the same way Fiona's other series starts, with a woman in her 30's who, after a break up, makes a job switch in a different country. But the country differs, the job differs and, of course, the woman is a different one.
Great summer read!
I liked this book just as much as the books from the other series. I can't wait to read more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Olivia's world is in a turmoil. She quits her job, her boyfriend, her apartment and her country. But in Tuscany there also are doubts. She gets signs that she should stay and signs that she should go back. Being a prime murder suspect doesn't really help.
This series starts a bit in the same way Fiona's other series starts, with a woman in her 30's who, after a break up, makes a job switch in a different country. But the country differs, the job differs and, of course, the woman is a different one.
Great summer read!
I liked this book just as much as the books from the other series. I can't wait to read more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 10, 2022
I have been listening to a lot of cozy mysteries lately. This one is especially terrible. I’m very sorry to say that however the main character who is supposedly in her mid-30s acts more like a spoiled 16-year-old with no idea of consequences for her actions.
She’s an advertising exec in a huge advertising firm and she is given a promotion and decides instead to quit with no notice and no forethought as to what the ramifications would be. Yes she decides she’s the victim because her final paycheck gets withheld. Read your contract girl! Obviously this author has never been in the corporate world.
I could go on and on about the shallowness of the characters no development it seems like this was written maybe by a 16-year-old. Sorry not a fan.
She’s an advertising exec in a huge advertising firm and she is given a promotion and decides instead to quit with no notice and no forethought as to what the ramifications would be. Yes she decides she’s the victim because her final paycheck gets withheld. Read your contract girl! Obviously this author has never been in the corporate world.
I could go on and on about the shallowness of the characters no development it seems like this was written maybe by a 16-year-old. Sorry not a fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2023
Rant- why why why do authors write otherwise seemingly “intelligent” women to be so dumb in cozy mysteries. Is it an indictment against the readers?? Does the female main character suddenly shut of her brain and turn into a simpering, klutzy, ditzy, fool the minute she starts investigating a “murder”? I just don’t get it. What could be a very good mystery is often ruined by the absolute tragedy of a main character’s tepid, bland, vapid, basic, or in some cases stereotypical characteristics that the readers are supposed to accept wholesale 🙄🙄🙄
That’s this book pretty much 🙄🙄🙄 ughhh
That’s this book pretty much 🙄🙄🙄 ughhh
March 11, 2022
Way too many holes for any murder to be solved, way too far fetched to be any where believed, too sappy, too needy, too dreamy, simply unrealistic the entire way. Perhaps the only portion I did find entertaining and DID look forward to and found great humor in throughout was the neverending scenes with the escape goat. He was by far the best entertainment of the book!
September 18, 2020
Eh. Pretty far fetched and rushed.
February 8, 2021
The wheels have come off the wine cart for Olivia Glass. A successful campaign for the wrong product has her re-evaluating her life choices and her boyfriend is doing the same thing and deciding it's time to move on to his bit on the side. Invited by a friend to summer in Italy, Olivia jumps at the chance to change up her life for good.
There wasn't even the hint of a mystery until the halfway point and I totally didn't mind. Olivia's story was compelling so that when the "event" did happen, I was surprised. I loved the fact that Olivia didn't take her boyfriend's gaslighting sitting down (both literally and figuratively) and that she was prepared to take action to make her dreams come true.
I'm very interested to see where this series goes. Olivia isn't my favourite type of main character, but she keeps things sparking!
There wasn't even the hint of a mystery until the halfway point and I totally didn't mind. Olivia's story was compelling so that when the "event" did happen, I was surprised. I loved the fact that Olivia didn't take her boyfriend's gaslighting sitting down (both literally and figuratively) and that she was prepared to take action to make her dreams come true.
I'm very interested to see where this series goes. Olivia isn't my favourite type of main character, but she keeps things sparking!
July 10, 2025
Any sign of foul play comes way too late here to make this feel like a murder mystery or add any tension to a lot of the story (literally past the half way point!). Our heroine is so terribly naïve and makes such weird decisions, which for some reason she's rewarded for (A dream of starting a vineyard and zero wine knowledge or experience, but hey for some reason she's instantly hired as a wine expert at a vineyard. In Italy where she doesn't even speak 10 words of Italian. And where I'm pretty sure she can't legally just decide to get a job when she's originally there on vacation? And you can't just decide to stay their either, there's a long drawn out process to that...) The mystery was not developed or even central to the underlying story.
October 11, 2023
Libro che merita!
Libro davvero molto carino, ti fa respirare l'aria della campagna Toscana con tutto il panorama bellissimo!
Per di più il libro parla di vini,sommelier e cantine.
Un pò scontata la fine, infatti io avevo già capito chi fosse l'assassino.
Tutto sommato un bel libro scorrevole da leggere!
Libro davvero molto carino, ti fa respirare l'aria della campagna Toscana con tutto il panorama bellissimo!
Per di più il libro parla di vini,sommelier e cantine.
Un pò scontata la fine, infatti io avevo già capito chi fosse l'assassino.
Tutto sommato un bel libro scorrevole da leggere!
June 19, 2020
I really enjoyed Fiona Grace's Lacey Doyle mystery series, so when I saw BookSprout had an ARC available for review, I jumped at it. It was a fun story.
Olivia, after being dumped by her boyfriend and abruptly quitting her job, decided to spend two weeks in Italy with her friend, Charlotte who was vacationing there for the summer. Dreaming about a new romance as well as making her own wine (her stateside job included a marketing campaign for a wine company), she interviews for a job she saw posted during a wine tasting. The sommelier tasked with training her is a jerk who makes her life there as miserable as he can. But she's instantly attracted to the company owner who seems to like her as well. Several days into the job, the sommelier is found dead in the wine cellar, nearly everyone at the company suspects her, and the police think she's the prime suspect. So she decided to become an amateur detective and solve the case herself.
What I liked: The goat. Because of course, vineyards have goats. And this particular one is constantly following her home. It was hilarious.
The childhood friends vacation. That was a fun change. Instead of running away by herself to drown her sorrows in wine and pizza (which they did have a lot of), she spends time with an old friend instead. Although on that note, why were they constantly eating pizza in Italy? There are so many other foods, I'd have wanted to try!
Olivia and Charlotte trying to make their own wine from a recipe on the internet that they knew would be good because it had a lot of five-star reviews. I think you can picture this one for yourself.
Bonus: I usually hate it when authors spend too much time telling their readers what the characters were thinking, but some of it was just too funny. Like when Olivia had the realization that she had no idea how to start investigating. I mean, we all knew that, but her self-realization made me laugh.
What I was less happy with:
Olivia's backstory was too similar to Lacey's. A break up with a significant other leads to a vacation in another country, which in turn leads to deciding to buy a home and stay in that country. And for good measure, the douchy exes decide to try to reconcile. Also, the moms are both controlling (in different ways) and unsupportive.
Why were they always eating pizza? I'm serious. Is that what Americans eat when they go to Italy?
The need for a romance. Learn to love being single for a minute. Especially since you just got out of a four-year relationship. I know, the romance didn't even get started in this book, but the need for one was unnecessary.
Overall, this was a fun story. It made me laugh. It was a quick, easy read. And I am sure that I will be reading more of Fiona Grace's books in the future.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Olivia, after being dumped by her boyfriend and abruptly quitting her job, decided to spend two weeks in Italy with her friend, Charlotte who was vacationing there for the summer. Dreaming about a new romance as well as making her own wine (her stateside job included a marketing campaign for a wine company), she interviews for a job she saw posted during a wine tasting. The sommelier tasked with training her is a jerk who makes her life there as miserable as he can. But she's instantly attracted to the company owner who seems to like her as well. Several days into the job, the sommelier is found dead in the wine cellar, nearly everyone at the company suspects her, and the police think she's the prime suspect. So she decided to become an amateur detective and solve the case herself.
What I liked: The goat. Because of course, vineyards have goats. And this particular one is constantly following her home. It was hilarious.
The childhood friends vacation. That was a fun change. Instead of running away by herself to drown her sorrows in wine and pizza (which they did have a lot of), she spends time with an old friend instead. Although on that note, why were they constantly eating pizza in Italy? There are so many other foods, I'd have wanted to try!
Olivia and Charlotte trying to make their own wine from a recipe on the internet that they knew would be good because it had a lot of five-star reviews. I think you can picture this one for yourself.
Bonus: I usually hate it when authors spend too much time telling their readers what the characters were thinking, but some of it was just too funny. Like when Olivia had the realization that she had no idea how to start investigating. I mean, we all knew that, but her self-realization made me laugh.
What I was less happy with:
Olivia's backstory was too similar to Lacey's. A break up with a significant other leads to a vacation in another country, which in turn leads to deciding to buy a home and stay in that country. And for good measure, the douchy exes decide to try to reconcile. Also, the moms are both controlling (in different ways) and unsupportive.
Why were they always eating pizza? I'm serious. Is that what Americans eat when they go to Italy?
The need for a romance. Learn to love being single for a minute. Especially since you just got out of a four-year relationship. I know, the romance didn't even get started in this book, but the need for one was unnecessary.
Overall, this was a fun story. It made me laugh. It was a quick, easy read. And I am sure that I will be reading more of Fiona Grace's books in the future.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 23, 2023
I am so disappointed in Fiona Grace with this book. It is one series I will not bother to continue.
The main reason for my dislike is this book was more descriptive than story driven.
And so unbelievable in so many ways.
The story is about a supposed 30 something, high powered ad executive who comes off more as a 15 year old.
Things I disliked:
First off the author or editors, should have checked their Italian language. The fact that all the locals referred to Olivia as an Americano - when that is clearly the masculine version of the word. Anyone with a first year level of a Romance language would know that.
The storyline is an insult to all the those that studied and trained hard to become a sommelier. To refer to Olivia as one is such an insult to the profession.
Olivia is supposed to be a well seasoned ad exec but yet when she walks out on her job all she - or her mother - the next position they think she is capable of finding is a receptionist?
Olivia thinks she can master wine making in one summer when she has absolutely no experience whatsoever?
How is she such a high powered ad exec and yet she has no funds or savings whatsoever to her name?
And she completely forgets about her apartment in Chicago, which I assume is worth a lot of money?
And the mystery itself? The who done it came out of nowhere. It was predictable as to the why the murder occurred, but when it came to solving it, it came completely out of left field and I had to ask myself "who was that person in the story". Not that he/she was hardly worth mentioning, the truth was that person had only JUST been mentioned.
Overall, the story was, in my opinion, 75% driven by describing even the minutest of things and about 25% plot driven.
Yes, I finished it, begrudgingly, but I fast forwarded (audiobook version) through a lot of it and just kept hoping and hoping it got better. To my dismay it did not and I feel like it was such a waste of time.
A cozy mystery at its worst is all I can say.
Narration was bad because Olivia came across as insecure, daydreaming 15 year old and not an adult woman.
The main reason for my dislike is this book was more descriptive than story driven.
And so unbelievable in so many ways.
The story is about a supposed 30 something, high powered ad executive who comes off more as a 15 year old.
Things I disliked:
First off the author or editors, should have checked their Italian language. The fact that all the locals referred to Olivia as an Americano - when that is clearly the masculine version of the word. Anyone with a first year level of a Romance language would know that.
The storyline is an insult to all the those that studied and trained hard to become a sommelier. To refer to Olivia as one is such an insult to the profession.
Olivia is supposed to be a well seasoned ad exec but yet when she walks out on her job all she - or her mother - the next position they think she is capable of finding is a receptionist?
Olivia thinks she can master wine making in one summer when she has absolutely no experience whatsoever?
How is she such a high powered ad exec and yet she has no funds or savings whatsoever to her name?
And she completely forgets about her apartment in Chicago, which I assume is worth a lot of money?
And the mystery itself? The who done it came out of nowhere. It was predictable as to the why the murder occurred, but when it came to solving it, it came completely out of left field and I had to ask myself "who was that person in the story". Not that he/she was hardly worth mentioning, the truth was that person had only JUST been mentioned.
Overall, the story was, in my opinion, 75% driven by describing even the minutest of things and about 25% plot driven.
Yes, I finished it, begrudgingly, but I fast forwarded (audiobook version) through a lot of it and just kept hoping and hoping it got better. To my dismay it did not and I feel like it was such a waste of time.
A cozy mystery at its worst is all I can say.
Narration was bad because Olivia came across as insecure, daydreaming 15 year old and not an adult woman.
February 6, 2021
Reality check
How do you have a dream, and not take time to find out what it takes to make it happen? Not once do you think too, oh I don't maybe study the language, take a few classes, research what is involved to make wine. For someone so intelligent she sure was lacking in common sense. I almost stopped at the first three chapters. Instead I jumped over a few chapters and finished the last three. Did she think her company was a good company or did she sell out? No need to read more in this series..too unrealistic.
How do you have a dream, and not take time to find out what it takes to make it happen? Not once do you think too, oh I don't maybe study the language, take a few classes, research what is involved to make wine. For someone so intelligent she sure was lacking in common sense. I almost stopped at the first three chapters. Instead I jumped over a few chapters and finished the last three. Did she think her company was a good company or did she sell out? No need to read more in this series..too unrealistic.
November 17, 2021
This is first in the Tuscan Vineyard Cozy Mystery series. Our heroine quits her job in advertising when she realizes she has propelled an inferior wine into prominence. She escapes to Italy with a friend who has rented a villa in Tuscany for the summer. There she finds a job as assistant sommelier at a neighboring vineyard, and then gets involved in trying to solve the murder of the primary sommelier. She has a goal of starting a vineyard in Italy eventually. It's a fun story, but not terribly believable that she could become a sommelier with so little experience.
May 7, 2021
I picked this up, expecting a mystery. What I got instead was a cute chick lit I could easily read while doing any number of household tasks (cooking, cleaning, helping my child understand the "new math."
Once I realized the mystery piece was about 10% of the story, I relaxed into it and enjoyed it for what it was: an easy going light read that was as enjoyable as a glass of wine.
Once I realized the mystery piece was about 10% of the story, I relaxed into it and enjoyed it for what it was: an easy going light read that was as enjoyable as a glass of wine.
March 24, 2023
Can’t believe this is a real actual book I’ve read. But I picked up for free when it was abandoned at a hotel I was staying at. MC has no personality, nor does the authors writing style. Plot was weak at best and I just couldn’t get into it. The idea was there but I was bored. Truthfully, the only way I got through it was by laughing at it. Sorry but not really. 1/5.
July 21, 2020
I got it because it was relatively short- 6+ hrs.
It's 80% cozy and 20% mystery. Which is fine if that is what you are looking for. I wasn't, I was looking for the reverse, 80% mystery and 20% cozy, sigh. I might listen to another of the books by this author, but when I'm in a different mood.
It's 80% cozy and 20% mystery. Which is fine if that is what you are looking for. I wasn't, I was looking for the reverse, 80% mystery and 20% cozy, sigh. I might listen to another of the books by this author, but when I'm in a different mood.
February 15, 2021
I give this book 2 stars. I trudged through the first 21 chapters then finally skipped to the last two to see how it ended. It was slow and I thought the lead character was poorly written on many levels.
May 13, 2022
A major life upheaval, a visit/vacation to an exotic locale, and a little murder. Oh, and the potential for romance. Maybe. Olivia might not have had a plan when she quit her job on the fly and fled to Italy on a spur-of-the-moment getaway with her BFF, but things worked out for her. Well, except for the teeny little thing where almost everyone thought she'd killed someone. But that all worked out in the end, so there's that.
Fun with a side order of lots of wine talk. Which kind of makes me want to experience a bottle in all its glory.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Fun with a side order of lots of wine talk. Which kind of makes me want to experience a bottle in all its glory.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
May 22, 2021
There is short start to corpse, there is long start to corpse, there is Agatha Christie start to corpse and then there is this book. While the murder occurring at around 50% mark can work, here it made the whole investigation - and the solution that followed - seem to be very rushed and unsatisfying. That said, the main characters and their story arcs were quite nice, the area was described in a bit idelized and romanticized but still delighful way and the story flowed quite nicely, with me not being bored in the slightest.
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