Beyond the Vines

by Mariah R. Embry

There are not many women like Celeste in 1918. She owns her own home, runs her own business, and refuses to give up this power to marry a man. Widowed at twenty-seven, Celeste has spent up all her child-bearing years to run the vineyard she inherited. Due to her wealth and status, Celeste is a prize many men want to win. Many have tried. All have failed.

Willamina, Amina, is down on her luck. After her husband dies in the war, Amina marries Gus to ensure her son has a male figure and their survival. However, Gus turns out to have an awful temper, making Amina flee in the middle of the night with her son. With little money, Amina and her son must hitch-hike their way to Washington, where her family lives. It is Amina's last-ditch effort to ensure their survival.

While driving to the market, Celeste comes across Amina and her son, hitch-hiking. Celeste picks up the stranded pair and instantly understands Amina's situation. Amina finds herself amazed by Celeste's independence and wishes she could have her own. Celeste informs Amina that she can and invites her to move in and work at the vineyard.

Being a working mom is unlike anything Amina has ever experienced. Days are spent picking fruit, and evenings are reserved for her son. Amina finds herself exhausted from the hectic schedule and questions if she should move to Washington to find a husband there. What stops Amina from returning to what is comfortable is her freedom and friendship with Celeste. While different, Amina has never experienced living somewhere so fancy and a bond like the one she has with Celeste.

Rumors around their community regarding Celeste's personal life and the relationships she keeps with women spark Amina's interest. Amina finds herself drawn to Celeste. And begins to feel emotions, unlike anything she's experienced before. And when Amina realizes that the rumors around town turn out as right, she wonders if there is a way Celeste might show her what it is like to love a woman.

Will Celeste and Amina be able to love one another and build a unique family? Or will an unaccepting community shatter their yearning to love?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Historical, LGBT, Lesbian, Fiction

170 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 24, 2020

About the author

Mariah R. Embry is a fiction author, focusing on romance, murder-mystery, and science fiction. Originally from the Bay Area, California, Mariah loves her home for many different reasons, but the number one is the beauty that it gifts. She finds inspiration in everything she sees on a day to day basis. From the rolling hills to mountains, or laying out on the beach watching the tide and occasional pop-up of dolphins swimming in the distance.

California's landscape has been a massive influence on Mariah's work, however, music also plays an enormous role too. Mariah loves--loves--loves music! She believes that the merging of sounds is one of the most spiritual practices in the world. It does not matter the genre of music; she loves it all. Most of her work is inspired by different songs, some of which Mariah quotes in her novels.

When Mariah is not writing, she can be found hanging out with friends, chilling at home with her partner and kitties, visiting her family, or meditating. To Mariah, life is about living, and she enjoys living it.

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deftly crafted romance that enthralled from the dedication quotation to the end. This storyline revolves around a huge vineyard/farm with owner Celeste a strong, feared, childless widow with many secrets. She picks up hitchhiker Willamina/Amina and her 4 yr old son Jonathan running away from an abusive husband. Over time, both women learn from the other - Amina to become confident while muddling through angst, emotions she doesn't understand and guilt about bucking ingrained social norms. Celeste becomes somewhat softer and learns to really love someone else whilst keeping an iron grip on running her businesses. As I read, my mind's eye easily filled with Ms. Embry's descriptions of individuals, countryside and events woven into the plot. On my re-read shelf. I firmly believe this would make a great tv movie. Where can I find the sequel? No more words to say other than Read It!!

I rec'd an ARC through Booksprout and this is a voluntary, un-biased review.

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting and different historic very slow burn romance set in 1918. Kindle Unlimited!

It deals with a woman escaping an abusive husband, and coming to work on an impressive business womans vineyard that is more like a community.

Celeste is a pant wearing, car driving, smoking womaniser who also has a great sense of justice and many connections to people who will do her bidding. She's proud of the hard work and community she provides, but is also a bit of a lout.

Amina is the shy scared timid lady who Celeste takes in, after being beaten by her husband for the last time. She has lead a life of abuse under her father, and then her second husband. She vows to do all she can to be responsible and hard working, to provide for her young son. She is impressed yet unsure of this stoic powerful woman, who controls with an iron-fist, yet has only soft and warm words for her.

Amina is quite naive and clueless, but she eventually realizes Celestes true nature - and that she wants more from her. Celeste truly adores Amina and her young son and thinks of them as her family. However, her lothario nature may put to ruins all that has come between them before it can really begin.

I enjoyed how unique the characters were. Celeste is so unapologetic in what she is, and how she works. While I got a bit pissy with her cassanova ways when she knew Amina was on the hook, at the same time nothing had developed further, either. Both of them could definitely do with learning some more communication skills! Amina really comes into her own, and is continuing to grow and learn, as is her young son.

There's a sub story in here about the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic, which I found really topical and current with the covid crisis today. This is actually a first installment, and I am REALLY looking forward to the sequel which suggests will be out in July, when their travels and job will take them to New York and the prohibition era, and Celeste's Italian family connections... if you know what I mean ;-) Yeah, I'm super excited for that!!

This was really something neat, and while there were frustrating moments, again the characters and story was fresh while still being real and I think it brings something different to the genre than what I have seen previously seen in historic lesfic before. Give it a go!

[Char Dafoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Embry did a great job at depicting what an abused woman goes through in the aftermath of her abuse. Fleeing with a child, scared to death that she'll be caught, worried how she'll care for her child as well as herself not having any means to support both of them. Then comes the mental anguish of hanging on to that warped mind frame, thinking she's lesser than, can't go on, doesn't have the strength to survive, etc. Amina was the perfect example of all those when she met Celeste and began working for her. At first, I thought Celeste was going to be the knight in shining armour. And as much as she rescued Amina and her son and gave them shelter, work, and food, she certainly was no honorable, dashing knight. Celeste was a hardened business woman who had everyone, including the authorities, in her back pocket. Amina, being so young and naïve, didn't see how dangerous Celeste really was, and just kept her head down as she worked the land and raised her son. Celeste, however, had a soft spot for the young woman and her son. Her secret tendencies were romantic, but the naïve Amina only saw it as close friendship.

Celeste was the kind of character that I love to read and write about. A quick tongue, intelligent, no bullsh*t, sharp woman. She had experience in all walks of life and knew what she wanted and how to get it. 1918 was a tough time, and Celeste strolled through life appearing like a man as well as living like one, but held no veil over anyone's eyes that she was a woman. Amina, however, softened Celeste, warming her up to Amina and her son. It was sweet to see how the trio acted like a family and how Amina's son immediately took to Celeste. The confusing yet undeniable attraction Amina had for Celeste, forced her to open her eyes and see the world around her. Amina was a frustrating character for me. I understood the horrendous ordeal she went through and how brave she was for starting over. Believe me, I know it's no easy feat, but sometimes I just wanted to reach inside the book and shake the woman and make her snap out of it. This was an extremely slow burn, so slow, I wondered at times if this was going to end with Celeste and Amina just being friends who shared a home. I do enjoy sex, actually I prefer sex to be in all love stories, and I would have been okay with no sex between the two main characters, but it took almost near the end of the book before Amina even acknowledged her true feelings for Celeste. And after, well, they finally joined together, but it felt rushed because the book was coming to an end and there was no time for any explorations of their love for one another. It was like the entire story they were friends who hugged and lived together, then one day, BAM! they're declaring their love for one another and making love. Even Celeste was lost and confused because of Amina's lack of communication and what she truly wanted from Celeste. Another issue I had was Amina's son who was only four-years old. At times, he spoke as if he were double that age. I have children, and when they were four, they never once acted or spoke like him. It bothered me, because it made me wonder if the author had ever even been around children and just winged it with assumptions of how a four-year old would behave. I understand there's a sequel, but to me, the build-up was too long with a very small climax. I honestly don't think I'll be continuing with the remaining story.

A truly good story with a lot of heart, but with its anticlimactic arc and rushed ending with a cliffhanger, I, personally, can't recommend this. I'm sure it will float someone else's boat.

[Christine Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a fantastic storyline

Wow what a fantastic storyline I was hooked from first page till last the main characters were perfectly believable passionate loving opening themselves up to each other beautiful storyline congratulations

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads Kindle Copy Win

A woman is left widowed with a young son, so she marries to give him a father figure. But soon she finds out that he has a temper as she runs away with her son in the middle of the night, as they hitchhike their way to Washington where her family lives.

On the way, she meets a woman who runs her own business, a vineyard who is not married but is a prize for men who would like to marry her for her wealth but none has claimed. She offers the woman aa job at her vineyard as they form a friendship.

Speculations soon run wild of their sexual orientation even in the 1900’s. Will they be able to find love as their story continues? An interesting storyline.

[Martina Weiß · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 / 5 stars

This was one of those books, where I could tell almost from the get got, that I would walk away from it, smiling.

I don't even know, if I want to call the lovestory the main plot of this book, because as much as it IS important, this book has so much more going on. There is a pandemic - the spanish flue - lurking in the shadows, there is family drama happening but most importantly, there is an abusive husband and a woman that needs to learn to life.
As much as I love - absoluty adore - Celeste, she isn't growing that much, I'd argue, she is pretty much the same person throughout the book. We just get to see more of her layers, those she usually hides from the public eye. I don't think she really needed to change in this one either. Because this book was about Amina. It was her journey. And as much as Amina herself might believe that this journey is linked with her love for Celeste - it's not really. Because her love for Celeste is developing slowly, oh so beautifully - THIS is how you do slow burn! You let them actually FALL in love - but it is NOT the reason for her change. Celeste helped her change herself!
"I'm stronger than I look" is something Amina likes to say a lot and at the end of the book, I'd say that yes, I too believe that now.
Although, I also believe, that we could have gotten even more. If you asked what I wanted by 'more' I wouldn't really be able to put it in words. That doesn't change the fact though, that I liked the book a lot.
There were a few things, that I might have changed. Like the death of a certain spoiler character. I liked the suspence, the external danger he posed to our main cast but maybe, it would have been great to actually see his death? This is a big maybe, because I did enjoy the way the book did it as well.
I just felt like, maybe there could have been more external dangers along the way? I liked that our love story was NOT in any way shape or form included in the 'dangers' the book had to overcome. What I'm trying to say is, there was no internal conflict. Those two were absolutly healthy. There isn't really misscommunication either. Which means, that at the end of the day, I might find stuff to complain about, but the book as a whole had everything that was needed to make me smile.

Good Character Development + Cute, wholesome slow burn sapphic couple+ asskicking woman & found family.

I'm looking forward to book 2

[Jeanne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 4th book I've read written by Mariah Embry; she has done a great job at writing a good book; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant story that tracks the journey of Amina from a fearful, terror-stricken, abused child and wife to a woman who finds her voice, strength, and place of safety in life. Celeste, although not the most noble of characters in some respects, takes in Amina and her son, Jonathan, from the moment she finds them running from Amina's crazed husband. Her dedication and commitment to them becomes more and more obvious as the story unfolds.

The story is a slow burn romance, but also looks deeper into the programming that was instilled in Amina--an era where domination and abuse were covered over and flipped to accuse and blame the very women who suffered at the hands of drunken, chauvinistic men.

My only complaint with the book was misspelled and misused words, i.e., "trimmer" instead of "tremor", "tinder" instead of "tender", etc.. Apart from these instances, the book was well-written and engaging.

[M Biroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling historical romance about characters of ambiguous moral codes in difficult circumstances

Ms Embry likes to explore characters with ambiguous moral codes and how they respond to difficult circumstances. In this story, domestic abuse, child abuse, prostitution, societal judgement, Spanish flu and the First World War form the backdrop for the two heroines’ love story. Their paths cross when independent Celeste takes in Williamina (Amina) and her son when they escape from Amina’s abusive husband.

This is a slow-burn romance and coming-out story that gradually develops each character’s backstory so that when they come together, it feels like the natural progression of their relationship. As a series starter, it is a solid introduction to Celeste and Amina’s relationship and future adventures.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

✔Sapphic Book Bingo Challenge 2023 🌈✨: Main board - Vineyard romance

4 stars. This is a super slow burn historical romance. Celeste and Amina were both such interesting and fleshed out characters for this to be less than 200 pages. The writing was really good and I think the heavy plot was handled really well. Amina is on the run with her young son from an abusive husband and meets Celeste while hitchhiking. I liked that they really took their time and got to know each other before anything romantic happened. I did ultimately though think that the romance happened a bit too late in the book. Like in the last 10% or so and I just wanted more. I know there is supposed to be a sequel and I hope that it’s released soon because I would love more of these characters and their budding relationship.

[Shelli Browning · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never wrote a book, never had the desire to. But if I did, I'd find an editor. One who knows how to spell and which word to use among various homonyms. I'm not sure what attracted me to this book, which was a free Kindle download - it's not a genre I've ever read before and while I travel a different road, it's not offensive to me. Just want to make that clear.

However, the ERRORS! The word usage and spelling errors drive me crazy because while I've never considered myself a writer, my current professional title now includes editor, so I find those mistakes inexcusable. They distract from the story, which I found predictable and thin. The book only had a 3+ hour reading time, and I finished it in much less than that, so there wasn't much time to build characters.

As soon as the character of Celeste was introduced, I knew the book's outcome. It was only a matter of time.

[Kahra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Promising but quite disappointing.

The theme of the book was interesting but it is difficult to get attached to the characters. The whole thing was quite caricatural and at the same time not deep enough, nor realistic.

[Eleanor M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling story of a single mother escaping an abusive situation and learning about love and trust.

Enjoyment marred by numerous typos and inconsistencies, the main one being the consistent spelling of the main character’s full name: is it “Willamina” or “Williamina”?

[Sabrinaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a journey. Read this book on a whim and I’m glad I did. Beyond the Vines is a compelling slow-burn romance and story about fighting your inner demons and figuring out the meaning of love and happiness. It’s a well written story with fleshed out characters and depth.

[Deb]

Here it is 2026 and this book was written in 2020 with no sequel. Did something happen to the writer? I see no information anywhere. The ending was to be continued and there is no continuation. I will leave a rating when the next part is written.

[Stephenie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. Very straight forward read though, the characters didn't pull me in as much as I would have liked.