You have kept the good wine until now.

It was said that the award-winning Whispering Vines was "Written in the spirit of those time-honored books and movies of wine-growing and Italy such as A Walk in the Sun by Deborah Chief or Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes" (Thomas Holyday, Eastern Shore Writers Book Blog). Picking up five years after the story of Alex and Nicola, The Good Wine gives us the story of Nicola's mother, Marta, and the forbidden love of her youth.

Marta Giordano spent the first half of her life on her family's struggling vineyard and the second half in the city of Florence as a wife and mother. However, between life on the vineyard and life with her husband and son, Marta lived a third life-a summer filled with secrets and romance-while staying with her aunt in Little Italy, Baltimore. Thirty-six years later, the widowed Marta returns to Little Italy older, wiser, and longing to reconnect with the man she left behind, but will their second chance lead to even more loss and heartache than it did the first time?

Dominic DeAngelo made one mistake as a youth, and it cost him everything-the trust of his family and community, his education and promising future, and ultimately, the love of his life. For his entire adult life, Dominic has worked hard to prove to the world, and to himself, that he is a good man. Finally content with the life he has made, Dominic learns that he is destined to lose it all once again. Will a reunion with the only woman he has ever loved be the blessing he has long awaited or a curse on them both?

"The Good Wine" written by Amy Schisler is a beautiful love story about overcoming loss, reconnecting, and finding forgiveness. When Marta comes from Italy to visit her aunt in America, she has no idea of the romantic excitement of forbidden love that awaits her. Years later, Marta returns to the place of her youth, hoping to find answers to questions left unanswered.

I really enjoyed reading this story from cover to cover. The characters are engaging, and I particularly enjoyed how the book was structured to gradually reveal what happened to Marta. The story alternates between Marta's old diary entries and the present day, a clever way to incorporate Marta's past and the current timeline. I have to admit, the way the book unfolded was addicting. I finished it in record time because I was so eager to find out what had happened in the past, or what would happen to Marta next.

I also really liked how the author incorporated the Christian themes of redemption and following God's plan. Although Catholicism was a pretty important aspect of the characters' lives, I don't feel the religious themes would detract from most readers' enjoyment of the story as long as they're open minded. In the same way the vineyard and Italy were a backdrop that added ambiance and grounded the characters in realism, I felt incorporating their thoughts on faith and beliefs did the same.

I enjoyed being transported back to 1983 and discovering "Little Italy" alongside Marta. The cast of characters she meets are all very intriguing, especially a certain someone. I don't want to say too much and ruin the anticipation for other readers. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories that are similar to "Under the Tuscan Sun." The romance is clean without a lot of details, so it's appropriate for a mature audience who doesn't wish to be bombarded with eroticism.

Suffice it to say, Marta is a fun protagonist to follow on her life's journey. This is a character-driven work that will leave you feeling warm and emotional. It's quite possible that I cried a few times along the way.

Reviewed by Chelsy Scherba for Reader Views (12/2021)