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Dragonvine
When his father dies in a wildfire, Carmine Cooper takes over the family winery in the middle of harvest, putting his dreams of becoming an architect on hold. He soon finds himself fighting with a vengeful neighbor, blackmailed by a local gang, harassed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, and the target of an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) investigation. Carmine’s only hope to solve his problems and finish his first solo vintage successfully rests in identifying an unknown grape variety his father grew and made into wine for a quarter century with links to an ancient Chinese grape variety and the First Emperor of China. Can Carmine save his father’s legacy, his family, the winery, and his first harvest before it’s too late?
Paperback
Published February 28, 2022
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Steven Laine
6 books4 followersSteve is a French, Italian, Spanish and Canadian Wine Scholar, the only North American invited to join the Champagne Academy in France and is a member of International Thriller Writers. He has visited hundreds of wineries in the world's major wine regions.
During the pandemic, he worked the 2020 harvest to learn the winemaking process firsthand from the winemakers at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in British Columbia. In 2021, he worked at Trius Winery in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario where he put his winemaking and forklift-driving skills to use once again as a cellarman.
Kirkus Reviews called Steven Laine's first wine thriller, Root Cause, “An entertaining, wine-soaked mystery.” The Washington Post wrote; “If Michael Pollan and Dan Brown sat down over a bottle of Barolo and brainstormed a novel based on the neuroses of the natural wine movement, they might have come up with something like ‘Root Cause’.”
During the pandemic, he worked the 2020 harvest to learn the winemaking process firsthand from the winemakers at Mission Hill Family Estate Winery in British Columbia. In 2021, he worked at Trius Winery in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario where he put his winemaking and forklift-driving skills to use once again as a cellarman.
Kirkus Reviews called Steven Laine's first wine thriller, Root Cause, “An entertaining, wine-soaked mystery.” The Washington Post wrote; “If Michael Pollan and Dan Brown sat down over a bottle of Barolo and brainstormed a novel based on the neuroses of the natural wine movement, they might have come up with something like ‘Root Cause’.”
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 19, 2022
I love Steven Laine’s books because they combine a great plot twist and wine all in one. They’re fiction books which I really enjoy. The story line just has you wanting to know what happens with the blackmailing local gang, immigration and customs investigation. And needing to know if the first solo vintage of Carmine’s was a success. You’ll have to read it to find out!
January 26, 2023
I had never heard of Steven Laine before this book so I had no idea what to expect. I was presently surprised by his wine knowledge and his command of the story. Dragonvine follows separate story lines and perspectives that slowly begin to intertwine as the story unfolds.
The reader is taken to a vineyard in Napa Valley where Carmine Cooper has taken over the family winery in the middle of harvest after his fathers passing. He has put off becoming an architect to see if he has what it takes to be a winemaker or sell of the winery after the harvest. Amongst all this he must deal with his own grief, taking care of his younger sister, a vengeful neighbour, a local gang who have blackmailed him, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and an ATF investigation that he is somehow involved in without his knowledge. In between Carmine's story the reader is whisked away to ancient China during the time of the first Emperor. Little do we or Carmine know that an unknown grape variety his father grew and vinified would have ties to the First Emperor of China and be the answer to all his problems.
You would think that reading all the different perspectives of Carmine, the gang, the ATF officer, and the doctor to the first Emperor in ancient China would be confusing or tiresome but Lavine does an exceptional job of writing each unique perspective and tying all the perspective together at the end.
The wine references were spot on. Even if you do not know a lot about wine or are even a bit curious, Lavine does a great job of breaking down the wine jargon so it’s approachable to all readers.
This book was a great read. It combined all the things I love wine, historical fiction, and thrillers.
Thank you Book Publicity Services for the gifting me a copy of this book!
The reader is taken to a vineyard in Napa Valley where Carmine Cooper has taken over the family winery in the middle of harvest after his fathers passing. He has put off becoming an architect to see if he has what it takes to be a winemaker or sell of the winery after the harvest. Amongst all this he must deal with his own grief, taking care of his younger sister, a vengeful neighbour, a local gang who have blackmailed him, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and an ATF investigation that he is somehow involved in without his knowledge. In between Carmine's story the reader is whisked away to ancient China during the time of the first Emperor. Little do we or Carmine know that an unknown grape variety his father grew and vinified would have ties to the First Emperor of China and be the answer to all his problems.
You would think that reading all the different perspectives of Carmine, the gang, the ATF officer, and the doctor to the first Emperor in ancient China would be confusing or tiresome but Lavine does an exceptional job of writing each unique perspective and tying all the perspective together at the end.
The wine references were spot on. Even if you do not know a lot about wine or are even a bit curious, Lavine does a great job of breaking down the wine jargon so it’s approachable to all readers.
This book was a great read. It combined all the things I love wine, historical fiction, and thrillers.
Thank you Book Publicity Services for the gifting me a copy of this book!
May 26, 2022
What an interesting idea for a book! I absolutely loved how different this book was to anything I’ve read before.
Dragonvine uses dual timelines and multiple perspectives to tell its story. I think this was one of the main reasons why I enjoyed reading it so much. The reader gets to follow main character Carmine as he takes over his family winery, while also dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal investigation, and being blackmailed by a local gang!
While this story is going on, the reader is also transported back in time to ancient China during the time of the first Emperor. The story dives into the background of an ancient grape vine, and the events which transpire that eventually change history. It was fascinating to see how the author tied all of the storylines/perspectives together. It truly made for an interesting read!
Other than the story itself (which left me on the edge of my seat at many points!), I also loved the use of wine knowledge throughout the book. As someone who is an avid wino and knows my fair share of wine terminology and history, I really appreciated this aspect of the book! Even for those who are not as familiar in the world of wine, the author does a great job of breaking everything down for the reader to understand. Kudos to you Steven!
Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to read another wine thriller by this author. I would recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in the wine industry, but who also love a good suspense read (with a bit of ancient history facts mixed in as well!).
Dragonvine uses dual timelines and multiple perspectives to tell its story. I think this was one of the main reasons why I enjoyed reading it so much. The reader gets to follow main character Carmine as he takes over his family winery, while also dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal investigation, and being blackmailed by a local gang!
While this story is going on, the reader is also transported back in time to ancient China during the time of the first Emperor. The story dives into the background of an ancient grape vine, and the events which transpire that eventually change history. It was fascinating to see how the author tied all of the storylines/perspectives together. It truly made for an interesting read!
Other than the story itself (which left me on the edge of my seat at many points!), I also loved the use of wine knowledge throughout the book. As someone who is an avid wino and knows my fair share of wine terminology and history, I really appreciated this aspect of the book! Even for those who are not as familiar in the world of wine, the author does a great job of breaking everything down for the reader to understand. Kudos to you Steven!
Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to read another wine thriller by this author. I would recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in the wine industry, but who also love a good suspense read (with a bit of ancient history facts mixed in as well!).
July 16, 2022
Great book - a real page turner so I gobbled it up in a few hours. A good one for anyone who is also into wine, especially from the Napa Valley region.
July 24, 2024
I very much enjoyed this thriller set in an Estate winery in Napa! Everything is there: a mystery, a crime, a wildfire, and many short lessons about vines and winemaking. Pour yourself a glass of Chablis and enjoy this fun read.
October 18, 2023
All of my favorite stuff! Mystery and wine. Great, quick, enjoyable read
July 6, 2024
I enjoyed Laine’s other two wine novels, but the ancient China storyline in this one did not appeal to me at all. DNF. 🤷
August 9, 2022
Thank you Book Publicity Services for the gifted copy of this book!
This book was very interesting and unlike anything I’ve ever read! There are 3️⃣ separate stories and perspectives in this book that are woven together through a past (like waaaay back ancient China past) and present. Although I didn’t love the historical fiction aspect of this book, I found it very enlightening and did appreciate all of the author’s extensive knowledge of wine. 🍷
Read if you like:
🍇 Historical Fiction
🍇 Dual Timelines
🍇 Wine knowledge/information
This book was very interesting and unlike anything I’ve ever read! There are 3️⃣ separate stories and perspectives in this book that are woven together through a past (like waaaay back ancient China past) and present. Although I didn’t love the historical fiction aspect of this book, I found it very enlightening and did appreciate all of the author’s extensive knowledge of wine. 🍷
Read if you like:
🍇 Historical Fiction
🍇 Dual Timelines
🍇 Wine knowledge/information
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews