Her baby surprise proves…
…that one night will never be enough!
Reeling from the secrets that have torn his heritage apart, Enzo Bartolini is set on selling his family's Tuscan vineyard and trying to forget the impulsive, dazzling night he and best friend Sylvie shared in Paris. While the sale moves forward, the thrilling awareness between him and Sylvie is harder to move past…especially when she upends Enzo's world by revealing she's carrying his baby!
Good conclusion to the series. Enzo and Sylvie became good friends when she began working as a wedding planner at the winery. Now that both of his sisters have moved away, Enzo is alone except for her. When he wins a prestigious wine award, he takes Sylvie to Paris for the award ceremony. The romance of the city works its magic on them, and they spend one passionate night together. But Enzo pulls back after their return to Italy, leaving Sylvie hurt and confused.
Enzo is the oldest of the Bartolini siblings and always felt protective of his sisters. The deaths of their parents and the ensuing revelations have left him feeling lost. Enzo is also wallowing in guilt and self-pity over what he sees as his failure to protect his sisters. His guilt is because he found out the family secret when he was a kid, but never told them. His self-pity is because he's afraid that if he tells them now, they will never forgive him, and he will lose them. All of these feelings get wrapped up in the winery to the point where he feels he must sell it to escape the memories.
Sylvie has been through a lot in her life. The daughter of a single mother, Sylvie's father died before she was born. She and her mother didn't have it easy, but they had each other. When her mother got sick, Sylvie cared for her as best she could but was frequently overcome with guilt over not doing enough. But through it all, she kept a smile on her face.
I liked the development of Enzo and Sylvie's relationship. They went from friends to one-night lovers, then Enzo pulled back. Sylvie is hurt, but soldiers on. When she finds out about Enzo's plan to sell the winery, she is puzzled. Sylvie knows he loves the place and used to have great plans for it, so she decides to remind him of that love. I enjoyed her attempts and seeing their effect on Enzo. Unfortunately, Enzo's self-disgust overrides all of the good memories she stirs up. Also stirred up are his growing feelings for Sylvie, but his issues keep him from doing anything about it. Once they discover that Sylvie is pregnant, Enzo's emotions are all over the place. His guilt pushes him away, but his heart wants Sylvie in his life. Should he sell the winery, or keep it? Sylvie loves him but doesn't want to be an obligation, so she also does her share of pushing away. It takes a threat to the winery itself to open Enzo's eyes, and a conversation with his sisters to finally dissolve his guilt. His big moment at the end was sweet and romantic. I liked the epilogue and the way it brought the series full circle.
While it can be read as a stand-alone, reading the previous
two books makes this a richer story.
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