review: crushed by deborah coonts

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In the middle of baking, Sophia receives a certified letter which she promptly puts aside to get back to the chocolate cake in the oven. As Sophia herself notes though, “good news never comes in a certified letter.” Her landlord is selling the property to the wealthy businessmen who are taking over the wine making in Sophia’s town. For a multitude of reasons, Sophia doesn’t want to move which seems to be the only possibility until Sophia’s daughter shares some of Sophia’s wine with a man named Nico who becomes involved.

The romance comes very naturally in Crushed with Sophia’s relationship with Nico moving at appropriate speed from slightly contentious to cautiously romantic. Both characters are fleshed out well with back stories that make their lives complex while the backdrop of wine making adds an interesting element for the plot. Deborah Coonts also expertly creates misunderstandings and tensions so that there’s never a dull moment in Crushed.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publicist, Kate Tilton.