4.5 stars.
My first review in my Harlequin Marathon is also my first book from this author. A debut book, by the way. That's the reason why I decided to start the marathon with it. And I'm glad I did it.
On the night of the launch of his new wine, Adrian was intercepted by Everleigh (love the name), who demanded that he back out of his business with her father. Everleigh's father, Richard, has sold the family's wine company to the sexy Spanish billionaire. After an explosive first meeting, Adrián proposes to Everleigh that she go to his house in Granada, a family home, for five weeks so that she can see that the acquisition will have many benefits not only for the business, but also for the employees and the town.
Of course, staying in Granada gets intense given the strong attraction between Adrián and Everleigh. Could the barriers they erected to shield their hearts, especially Adrián, collapse to achieve happiness?
This story has all the ingredients to be a Harlequin classic: the hero is a pure alpha male, with charisma and sex appeal even to give away. The heroine is a sweet and virginal girl, at the same time with a strong personality, determination and she's someone who fights to the end for what she wants. They are contrasting but complement each other perfectly. Similarly, their chemistry is undeniable; their interactions are like an excellent baseball game: fully strategic in their actions. The way both could "hit" the other's strikes during their dialogues is simply spectacular.
Adrián and Everleigh's backgrounds define their personalities. The problems they both have with their parents make them wear an impenetrable armor. However, the two end up falling in love to each other.
The secondary characters are effective in their work. Adrián's mother turns out to be a lady who has suffered a lot and who only seeks to get closer to her son. Everleigh's father, on the other hand, tries to protect his daughter. Apart from them, we see Alejandro, Adrián's brother, who acts as a kind of "accomplice" of the hero. I hope that we'll soon be able to know his story (book 2 of the series will be the story of Alejandro Cabrera).
The plot is exquisite, very well written, with believable scenes and fast and fun reading. I have to confess that it made me smile every time Everleigh and Adrian had their verbal matches. Special mention and extra points for Ms. Grayson for showing a full knowledge of the world of wines. If there is something that I love, it is, while I'm reading, realizing that the author has taken the time to study on the subject that she/he will speak in his story. There is only one small glitch. THERE IS NO EPILOGUE!! Both Adrián and Everleigh deserved a very nice epilogue, and with half a dozen babies...
Needless to say, I recommend this book. Great start to the series and for Ms. Grayson as a Harlequin writer.
ℹ️ NOTE TO MY FOLLOWERS: I started my "Harlequin Marathon", in which I'll read a decent amount of books by Harlequin authors (10 books at least, maybe a few more), and publish my reviews here and in Instagram. This first marathon has the potential to be more than one, so I'll tag them by seasons (as if it were a TV series).