April 15, 2019
McNally (the Lowery Women series) falters with this introduction to the Rendezvous Falls contemporary series. After Whitney Foster is forced to resign her partnership in a prestigious accounting firm, she returns to fictitious Rendezvous Falls, N.Y. It’s been years since she’s visited her favorite aunt, Helen, in Rendezvous Falls, and she’s startled to arrive at Falls Legend, Helen’s winery, and encounter a stranger who appears to be in charge. Luke Rutledge would do anything to help Helen keep the winery going in memory of her husband, even if that means dealing with Helen’s difficult, snobbish niece. He’s used to being judged, thanks to the legacy his incarcerated father attached to their last name, but judgment coming from Whitney, who abandoned the town to chase her career, is a harder pill to swallow, and they are constantly at odds. Their snarky exchanges are ineffective foreplay, completely lacking flirtation and chemistry, but their truce for the sake of saving the company serves as a sturdy foundation for their inevitable relationship. The witty elderly members of a local book club steal the show, and readers will anticipate their antics more than they will the joining of the central couple.