Lenora Bell doesn't really do it for me, and I continue reading her all the same - I think that she comes up with very high concept premises and doesn't quite have the skill to back them up. She's attempting social commentary in the vein of Evie Dunmore and Sarah MacLean with the humor of Tessa Dare (and honestly some of her politics too), and it never really comes together.

There's a lot going on in this book - Hettie runs a winery, her father is a duke who has to remarry for an heir, but then Ash appears and somehow is the heir, Ash wants to raise thoroughbreds on her vineyard but also enact social reform legislation in Parliament because he used to work in an abusive bottling factory that was owned by Hettie's father, and also Hettie and her father are on the brink of ruin and he didn't tell her and now he's run off to the continent to marry his Italian opera singer mistress, and by the way some wine people are coming into town soon and Hettie's got to convince them to take English sparkling wine seriously.

See what I mean? That's a lot! And thus nothing gets quite the focus it should. And, too, even though Ash and Hettie are like seventh cousins with their shared ancestor several centuries back, I just could not square them being related and also that being a strong enough lineage for Ash to claim his position as heir.

Anyways, this book didn't do it for me, but I think a lot of people appreciate Bell's really lighthearted style, so more power to her.

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for the ARC!