A Middlemark MysteryWhere Bo Marchand comes from, gay men are just confirmed bachelors who never found the right girl. But now Bo’s a successful winemaker on the central coast of California, supporting his whole damned Georgia family, and all he really wants is the beautiful, slightly mysterious Jeremy Aames.Jeremy’s vineyard is under threat from Ernest Ottersen, the voracious winemaker who seems … winemaker who seems to know all Jeremy’s blending secrets and manages to grab all his customers. Bo tries to help Jeremy and even provides a phony alibi for Jeremy when Ottersen turns up dead in Jeremy’s tasting room. But it’s clear Jeremy isn’t who he claims, and Bo must decide if it’s worth tossing over his established life for a man who doesn’t seem to trust anyone. When Jeremy gets kidnapped, some of the conservative winemakers turn out to be kinky sex fiends, and the list of murderers keeps dwindling down to Jeremy. Bo has to choose between hopping on his white horse or climbing back in his peach-pie-lined closet.
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I loved the mystery, the twists and turns, and the attraction between Jeremy and Bo. I liked catching up with Blaise and Llewellyn from The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean. I loved Jeremy although I wanted to cry about his backstory. I liked Bo well enough but I’ve lived in Georgia for over 30 years and have never met anyone who speaks like Bo. He was a caricature, a bad stereotype and I’m afraid it spoiled the story for me just a bit.
I’m never disappointed when I pick up a Tara Lain book. The Case of the Voracious Vintner is a winner! I loved the first book in this series and eagerly looked forward to the release of book 2.
This story is filled with mystery, humor, a little angst, love and just the right amount of heat! Bo and Jeremy’s chemistry jumps right off the page. I couldn’t put this book down once I began it.
I would rate this 3.75 stars.
Although this is the second Middlemark Mystery, you can read this as a standalone. Llewellyn and Blaise from book one are planning their wedding at Marchand Wineries and get drawn in to the intrigue happening amongst the cut throat wine community. Bo Marchand tried to escape Georgia and start his own vineyard in California, but Bo’s whole family followed him and now live with him. As the “man of the house” at the age of 26, he is struggling with everyone’s expectations. Jeremy Aames, owner of Hill Top Wineries at the ripe old age of 24, has been in the area for a year and is starting to make a name for himself until a competitor seems to be undermining him at every turn. With Jeremy not who he says he is, Bo in the closet, and a murderer on the loose with a long list of suspects, I felt like I was in a soap opera. Thank goodness, because this is a load of fun.
The author shows both points of view, but Bo is so much more likeable as a character. He is the driving force in trying to save Jeremy from going out of business by teaming up to combat Ernest Ottersen, who is taking over most of the wine contracts. Eventually I got drawn in to Jeremy’s background story, but being intrigued by his story and interested in him as a character are two different things. There are times I felt sorry for him, times I was impressed by his cleverness and success, and other times where I think he is too naive, especially given his background. There is not a lot about the side characters: Jeremy’s assistant, Christian, Bo’s best waiter RJ, the ruthless competition Ernest Ottersen and his PR person Sage, the Cop O’Hara, Bo’s whole family, Jeremy’s family…really they are all there to be suspects, except Bo’s Momma, who is there to drive him nuts. The intrigue is very well done with different forks in the storylines. I don’t want to spoil it.
With this author I am used to OTT fabulous characters with a lighter plot. This book has more subdued characters and an OTT plot. There is some murky Dionysian group or secret society involved. There is also Jeremy’s past coming to bite him in a big way. Yes, some of this is completely unrealistic. I love how after people get killed, no one seems at all upset or traumatized in any way. There is one little thing that bothered me. There is a scene with some dubious consent that I am not sure added anything to the book unless you have that kink. I am not sure if it was meant to be hot or funny, but it didn’t work for me because it didn’t seem to match the rest of the story. Also, many more people should have gone to jail. Never mind, because the rest of the book is quite entertaining. Everything gets resolved and wrapped up with multiple bows. The banter and bad jokes between Jeremy and Bo are cute. The sex scenes are hot. I wanted these guys to have their happily ever after.
This is the second installment fo the Middle Mark Mysteries but you do not have to read in order. You do get a lot more of Blaise and Llewellyn from The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean but there is just enough backstory and tie in that you never get lost. I absolutely loved having them help solve the mystery of who was trying to put Jeremy out of business and why. You have several little stories, like Bo’s family issues, Jeremy’s backstory, the Vintners, the mystery, and of course the romance. There are lots of interesting characters, the plots and subplots flow well and blend well. There is a couple of twists, especially the ending and whodunit…I didn’t know whether to laugh or gasp. It sure caught me off guard. there is lots of action. The sex comes later n the story and is sweet and a lot off the page but just enough to make the story hot.
This story will make you laugh, cry, sigh, sit on the edge of your seat and wish hard for the next book in the Middle Mark Mysteries!