A Toast for Laurent (Vine Valley Book 1) by Theresa Paolo – Review by Jennifer Gordon

A Toast for Laurent (Vine Valley, #1): A Small Town Fake Relationship Romance by Theresa Paolo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An enjoyable and engaging second chance romance which had me happily turning the pages. Set in the small town of Vine Valley book one in this series introduces us to the Grasso family who own the local vineyard. This story focuses on eldest son Laurent, who twenty years ago made a pact with his best friend Phoebe that if neither of them were married by the age of forty then they should get married. She then disappeared and Laurent didn’t think anymore about it, until she suddenly reappears asking him to marry her. Phoebe never expected to be taking up her childhood friends offer but having reached forty, not married, and desperately wanting to survive another family event, she sees no other option. However, having had his heart broken by Phoebe when she left, Laurent has one condition, that she can’t fall in love with him. Phoebe agrees to a fake relationship but didn’t realise how hard it would be to not fall in love with Laurent. I love the characters in this story and the main characters Laurent and Phoebe have real chemistry. The descriptive narrative brings the small town of Vine Valley and its inhabitants vividly to life, making me feel immersed in the story. I look forward to the rest of the series.

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