“Kauffman’s characters are adorably human and so very magnetic.” —USAToday.com Pippa MacMillan is a legend on the Irish folk music scene. But when her voice requires a time-out, she’s left wondering how—and where—to find happiness in the silence . . . Seeking answers, Pippa leaves Ireland in favor of a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Turns out lovely Blue Hollow Falls is … of Virginia. Turns out lovely Blue Hollow Falls is the perfect place to heal—and solitary Seth Brogan is the surprisingly perfect host. After all, Seth is beginning again too: turning his renovated stone barn and beautiful hillside into a vineyard is the start of a whole new life for the former Special Forces soldier. Only Mother Nature keeps thwarting both their plans, leaving Pippa snowbound with unsettling thoughts about how life can take unexpected turns . . .
To Pippa’s surprise, she might actually fall for small-town living. She might even fall for Seth, whose quiet strength is a balm for her world-weary soul. But when the music starts once more, will she follow her fortune back to Ireland, or surrender to the call of her heart?
Praise for Donna Kauffman
“Charming characters, emotion galore, a small town—you’re going to love Donna Kauffman!” —Lori Foster
“We all know where there’s Donna Kauffman, there’s a rollicking, sexy read chock‑full of charm and sparkle.” —USAToday.com
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Unbeknownst to Seth his sister has agreed to do a house swap with her best friends sister. She wants to go abroad for some much needed alone time so she can study for the bar and her friends sister, a famous singer, needs to get away and think about her career. You see Pippa had to have throat surgery and even though things have heeled she is a bit scared of singing, she can’t get the fear of her vocal cords rupturing again out of her head. Seth isn’t happy with his sister when he learns of the swap and decides that he will just have to come up with an alternative plan for his new house guest. When they meet there is instant attraction and neither knows just now to deal with it. Seth likes being alone, he has been working hard on getting the vineyard he owns running, and he’s not ready to change the status quo. Follow along as these two skirt around each other and fall in love even though the do their best not to let that happen. This was such a touching and heartfelt read, I laughed at Pippa’s antics, cried when things happened that I didn’t expect and fell in love with the romance that happened along the way. Who wouldn’t fall in love with a story like theirs?
I received an ARC for an honest review.
I loved this book! Seth and Pippa are so perfect together. The details are so great that you can really see the charecters and the settings in your mind. I would love to spend some time at Seth’s house! This series is great and I look forward to reading more stories about the charecters of Blue Hollow Falls!
Ms. Kauffman was able to transport me to the beautiful mountain area of Blue Hollow Falls with the gorgeous painting of it with her words. Her love of the mountains shines through her work and makes the reader hungry to experience them for themselves.
Kauffman is able to paint her romances with words in much the same way. She makes the reader yearn for just such a romance! The romance of Pippa, an Irish folk singer who’s trying to heal her voice, and the hunk on the mountain who is trying to establish his own vineyard isn’t an instantaneous happening. Pippa and Seth have a lot in their way and Kauffman makes them work for it. But boy is it worth the work! I loved their romance! I loved Pippa’s petite size matched with the brawn of Seth. It was so adorable that he tried to resist falling in love with someone who was obviously so irresistible. Oh, how the mighty do fall!
The secondary characters are as compelling as the main characters and I’m hoping one emotionally hurting guy (Will) shows up in his own book somewhere down the road. The animals in the book were a delightful extra! The cast of characters in the Blue Hollow Falls series are people I would definitely like to know and can’t wait to read about again! Loved it!
Love that Seth Brogan!!
**I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
Another great story in the Blue Hollow Falls series by Donna Kauffman. She creates characters that everyone can relate to, that you can feel for, or would love to know personally. The sexual tension between the H/h is always H-O-T. The secondary characters are just that – characters. You wind up hoping that they will make appearances in upcoming books – or maybe even get their own story.
If you liked any of the other series written by Ms Kauffman, you’ll love this installment of her Blue Hollow Falls series, and you’ll get to catch up with some of the characters from the earlier books.
Pippa MacMillan is famous Irish folk singer but because of a recent vocal surgery, she has not performed for over a year. Wanting to get away from everything and hide out in a place where no one knows her, Pippa agrees to her sister Katie’s plan where she goes to the US, while Katie’s old college roommate, Moira “Mouse” Brogan comes and stays at Pippa’s place in Ireland. Now, Moira just needs to let her big brother, Seth know that he is going to have a guest at his vineyard in Blue Hollow Falls, Virginia for a few months.
Seth Brogan left the military and is trying start a new life for himself, away from his crazy Irish family, in Virginia. He bought an old vineyard with the hopes of turning it into a profitable income. Seth is excited to hear from his little sister Mouse, except when she suddenly informs him that he will be having a guest for few months, oh, and guess what….she just showed up….literally crashing into his life! Seth reluctantly agrees to this arrangement.
Pippa is so full of life, while Seth is much more quiet and reserved. As these two try to manage being together, along with the fun way of life in Blue Hollow Falls, things start to heat up. It takes a huge leap of faith for Seth and Pippa who are from two different countries to let down their guard and just be happy. I just adored the road they had to travel to get to their happy ending. Donna Kauffman writes such wonderfully, strong characters and takes them on a journey that will make you laugh, swoon and cry. I did not want the book to end as I was reading it because it was that good! Awesome job! Highly recommend!
Lovely story of a romance challenged by the main characters living on different continents. The Virginia setting was beautifully described and the secondary characters added to the story. Really enjoyed this book as I did the first one in the series. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Seth and Pippa’s story was so moving! I laughed, I cried, I stopped and considered what I had just read. I know I will be thinking about this story for a long time to come.
I loved Seth in the first book of the series, so I have really been looking forward to this book. He is so funny and also so insightful. In this book we also see how compassionate, giving, and romantic he is.
Pippa has a sparkling personality with a healthy dash of practicality. She is hilarious! I have a complete girl crush on her. I loved her genuine heart and just wanted to hug her as she struggled.
This book is really about starting over. Seth has been working on the vineyard for a while, but he is still in the beginning. Pippa is trying to go back to her old way of life, but she isn’t quite ready. Several secondary characters are also trying to move forward or deal with massive changes in life. I find myself in a similar position at the moment, and that was why I kept stopping to consider what the characters were saying or realizing that I had tears in my eyes.
BlueStone & Vine by Donna Kauffman
Blue Hollow Falls #2
If I could move to live in this community I believe I would. The people are wonderful with true friendships, sense of community and love of family. In this book Pippa and Seth meet, fight their attraction and then succumb. Seth with his vineyard and wine to make has a huge giving heart that gives as much to Pippa as she gives to him. She is afraid…and worried and is thrilled to find “music” again while by the falls and then later in other places as she stays. Pippa and Seth are perfect together…just perfect 🙂
Mabry – and older gentleman – has such pithy wisdom to share with both Seth and Pippa and I was thrilled that they listened and took his advice.
Will and his son Jake make an appearance and their story is so sad and yet filled with hope. I think that Will may need a romance of his own later in this series. I am also wondering if his son Jake and Bailey – both still young – might end up together in the distant future.
Moira – Seth’s sister – calls home from Ireland with heartbreak experienced. I see that the next book in the series is going to be hers and I can hardly wait!
There is also Hudson the cook and he could need a book, too…so many characters including a paper artist that might eventually end up there, too?
Did I like this book? Definitely
Will I read more in the series? Of course 😉
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing – Zebra for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
I took a day to try to put my feelings for BlueStone & Vine into words for this review to try to convey how strongly I feel about it. First, know that this story is AMAZING – I needed to tell you that up front. After that, words truly fail me.
We met Seth, our hero, in book one as he was a sort of wingman to Sawyer. I fell in love with Blue Hollow Falls with that first book, loved the novella that came after, but B&V made me want to call a realtor to find this truly magical place. Seth is such an integral part of this new mountain ‘family’ and is someone you want to be in your corner because he will be there, no matter what. Annnnnnnnd picturing him as a hunk doesn’t hurt!
And then we meet Pippa. Read the story to enjoy their ‘meet-cute’ as it is much fun. Simplistically, Pippa is a well -known Irish folk singer recovering from surgery. She is a ‘wee’ thing, strong, beautiful. There is so much more to her character and story but I can’t even begin to describe. You must read it.
The story is…bigger… at least for me, and I kept reading until I finished. It made me laugh, it made me crazy, it made me smile, and it made me cry. I thought that Blue Hollow Falls was my favorite book, until I read this one. Seth is sometimes SUCH a boy and Pippa slips into herself often but their road to a relationship is special – it felt real, if that makes sense. All the other characters on the mountain are special as well. Sawyer’s and Seth’s friendship is great, especially when Sawyer gets to laugh and say I told you so as he watches Seth fall for Pippa. Mabry is just adorable and probably a conscience for the group of friends and neighbors. Of course, he is also a cranky old guy with much love to share. And Bailey. As it is for all the characters, it’s tough to remember she is only ten. And Jake/Jacob…a young man on the cusp of adulthood, and a great friend to Bailey. And let’s not forget Dex…
Loved this book, can’t really find the words to describe how I felt like a part of the community. Seth’s and Pippa’s story is special – loving from start to finish. I highly recommend BlueStone & Vine. I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
I know I have read books by Donna Kauffman in the past, before I tracked my reads on Bookbub.com. One of the many reasons I love this site, is to help me remember! I did remember that I enjoyed her writing and of course was not disappointed in Bluestone & Vine.
I love a small town setting for a romance story and I fell in love with Blue Hollow Falls. The two main characters, Pippa and Seth are adorable trying to keep their attraction to each other in check, both failing miserably. I liked both of them individually and hoped they soon would come to the conclusion they were meant to be together. The town was totally behind a plan to unite them. I so enjoy a story that has characters of different ages and this was truly represented in the youngest through the oldest of the town making an appearance in the plot.
I definitely need to go back and read the other books in this series and the other books Donna K. has written. I was given this book at the BookLoversCon2019.
Copied from Goodreads posting:
This is the best one in the series. I read it out of sequence since I had at first purchased it in Kindle which is not my preferred format–once I had it in paperback though… Like all of the other books in this series it is beautifully written, clearly evokes the people and culture of this wonderful world MS Kauffman has crafted and takes the time to make secondary (only in the amount of time and focus of the story) characters three dimensional and important factors in advancing the story line. The one thing that sets this above the other two novels is the pacing Still slow paced in keeping with the culture and purposeful nature of the protagonists, the events (Mabry’s accident, Jake and Will’s interactions) in the story help advance the plot. Everyone will love Pippa and Seth’s story and all the maneuvering of the residents in getting them together. I love the fact that the final solution to their problems is made in an off-hand comment. I also really appreciate the fact that the characters–no matter what–still keep a sense of humor.
I always enjoy books by Donna Kauffman. I was unsure due to the length, but it gambols along nicely. Character growth – with prompting from their friends – is wonderful.
I love the way that Kauffman develops her characters and her stories. These people felt real and their situations were believable & didn’t involve a ton of turmoil. Instead we have two people who meet, fall for each other (but resist because of circumstances), and then have to figure out what life has in store for them when their hearts become too involved.
Pippa is a delight. She’s strong, beautiful, and has a love of life that is just so addictive. Her trip to Blue Hollow Falls is about facing her fears over her voice, which she has to face if she’s going to return to a career she loves so very much. What she didn’t count on is finding a whole town of people to capture her heart, especially Seth.
Seth also has a plan for his life that didn’t include falling in love but Pippa is pretty darn hard to resist. The man is kind, caring, and yet such a man 🙂 Watching him resist and then finally give in is just so much fun.
The secondary characters and their relationships with each other is just as important as the main romance. This is a group that loves and supports each other, and it just warms my heart. Part of that is the glimpse we got of our likely next hero – Will, with his immense love for his son but also his overwhelming grief for his late wife. Kauffman is probably going to rip my heart to shreds before it is over but she’s going to make me love every minute of it!
**Review given honestly and freely after receipt of a reader copy. This opinion is completely my own and was not influenced in any way.**
Loved all the characters, not just the main two, but some of the older and younger members of the story. . Could hardly put it down.
Loved this town and the characters. Can’t wait for the next one to see what these folks are up to next.
Looking forward to the next book in series
This is the third book I’ve read in the Blue Hollow Falls series by Donna Kauffman
and I loved it. It was so nice to reconnect with Seth, Sawyer, Dexter the Llama, etc. Pippa, the sweet Irish lass is a nice addition to the characters and her chemistry with Seth makes this book hard to put down!
Really liked this story, in spite of seth’s Man bun! The Setting is as much a character in this book as Seth and Pippa. This isn’t just a story about Seth and Pippa and the development of their relationship but their relationships with the other secondary characters in the book an about the town. I love when an author writes realistic kids and Bailey and Jake fit that bill. The secondary story of Jake and his dad was heartbreaking and beautiful and I can’t wait for that story to be more fully fleshed out in another book. Well done.
I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest
The characters + storytelling were very captivating
Can a small town give the answers that Pippa is looking for ?
Will Seith get is new beginning ?
Read the book, and found out how these 2 souls healed each other.
The storytelling + the character’s build were awesome!
It has all the ingredients that you need for a great book!
I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Started out good but got long towards the middle of the book.