Sweeter than Wine [Paperback]

Michaela August (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2004

On the eve of Prohibition, Alice Roye, a young war widow, desperately needs a vintner for her winery, because without a license to make sacramental wine for the Church, she'll have to go back to her mother's Barbary Coast bordello. Alice doesn't expect to marry the new vintner, but blackmailed by the matriarch of her late husband's family, she does. Can she trust this gaunt, blond stranger-or keep from falling in love with him?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sweeter Than Wine is warm and sensuous as the sun-drenched vineyards of its setting, mingling golden lyricism with an earthy reality to create two special lovers to touch your heart.  A wonderful debut filled with tenderness and tears, passion and joy." - Gayle Feyrer, author of THE THIEF'S MISTRESS

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Awe-Struck (January 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587494620
• ISBN-13: 978-1587494628
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,524,377 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michaela August is a writing team composed of two Northern California authors, Marian Gibbons and Karin Welss. Despite living 90 miles apart, they collaborated for many years, using telephones and the Internet.

Marian is a native of Northern California. As well as being able to make plum jam and chocolate chip cookies, she is a member of Romance Writers of America, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

Karin was born in Montreal, Canada. She grew up in California and has traveled extensively in Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia (including a stint in Sydney for two-and-a-half years, first as a university exchange student and then while working for a well-known database software company). Besides traveling, Karin's other great interests are reading, history, and archaeology. Family members accuse her of writing historical fiction as an excuse to buy books and do research! Karin currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she is owned by a small but very bossy parrot. She pays for the birdseed by working as a technical writer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A unique and utterly marvelous romance!, October 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sweeter Than Wine (Paperback)

Admittedly, I purchased SWEETER THAN WINE because I met the author(s) personally and chose to support their work, published by a small press. What a wonderful story I discovered when I finally cracked the spine!

The first thing that grabbed and held my attention was not only the unusual time period (1918), so seldom read in a romance, but the supreme quality of the writing. The period detail is historically accurate- from the table linens and china, cars and food, to the prejudices felt toward women, minorities, and especially Germans of the time.

But the romance itself... Yummy! Clearly, it is the best part of the book, as it should be. Aside from the usual secrets between Alice and Siegfried, and one or two basic plot standards, the love and lovemaking between the characters were as heady and full-bodied as the wine described. I couldn't put the book down, and I encourage everyone to give SWEETER THAN WINE a try. If you like strong characters, unique settings, and heartwarming romance, you'll love this one. A keeper in every sense of the word!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding writing and story, December 7, 2001

By 

Lara "wa_ladybug" (Auburn, WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sweeter Than Wine (Paperback)

The characters are so well developed and the story so well told that this book is hard to put down. You feel as if you are walking with Alice and Siegfried as they tour their grape yards and you feel their anguish at how to stay afloat if the rumored "Prohibition" is passed. The romantic story is well presented, but not over done. I throughly enjoyed the book and was amazed and how quickly I read through it. I look forward to reading future books by Michaela August.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless writing and a fresh, new voice!, September 4, 1999

By 

S. Barrett (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sweeter Than Wine (Paperback)

Forced into marriage by a scheming matriarch, widow Alice Roye weds a survivor of the Great War, Alsatian vintner Siegfried Roddernwiller, lookalike cousin of Alice's husband who died fighting for the Allies. Both have secrets that, if told, could destroy the uneasy alliance. Alice needs Siegfried's winemaking expertise to restore her Sonoma winery to its former greatness, and Siegfried desires Montclair almost as much as he desires his intriguing new wife. It is the early days of Prohibition, and together they struggle to save the winery by obtaining a coveted sacramental wine license as they struggle to come to terms with their personal desires.

Sweeter than Wine is fresh and innovative. A dramatically different setting in a time period considered "unimportant" by mainstream publishers. Kudos to Neighborhood Press for allowing readers to taste this premier vintage, and kudos to Michaela August for providing a superb novel for my keeper collection. Read Sweeter than Wine and it will find a place in your keeper collection, too. Brava Ms. August! More, please!