Reviews

The Taste of Light by Giovanna Siniscalchi

emmdahl's review

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5.0

The Taste of Light was such a pleasure to romp around in! The reader is taken back to Portugal in 1872, where Pedro Daun is, to be honest, sulking after losing his childhood love to another man. Said the man's sister, Anne Maxwell, who ends up at Pedro’s estate on a mission from her sister-in-law. She happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and she and Pedro go on the run from a nasty fellow from Pedro's past. Thus ensues a quest to clear Pedro's name, and while doing so they also discover redemption and love.
I was intrigued by Pedro, the Count of Almonster from The True Purpose of Vines, and that intrigue was highly satisfied! He’s a complex character who feels he is irredeemable due to his past, both the abuse by his father and his military service in Mozambique.
Anne is such a sweet and loving character, but with a spine of steel. Exactly who Pedro needs!

Giovanna Siniscalchi proved in her debut novel, The True Purpose of Vines, that she writes with such imagery! I felt immersed in her stories and was being shown and taught history in a place I knew little about before.

tortorreads's review

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5.0

Rating: 5/5
Pub: 12/9/22
I received an eARC of this book for my honest opinion

Normally I am not a big fan of historical romance books unless they’re paranormal, but when I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing this book, I decided to give it a try and wow I am so happy that I did. When reading this book, you will get a little of everything from a great romantic plot, action, some humor, sexual tension, betrayal and fighting for the right cause. Here is the basics of the plot:

Anne travels to her brother’s estate to help her sister-in-law who is pregnant. While there she takes over for her sister-in-law and travels to neighbors to teach them how to get their vines healthy again. However, Anne goes to the wrong house and meets a handsome but standoffish male. Pedro assumes that she is prostitute that his brother sent to him (Image having to tell your grandkids that story) but everything goes wrong right away for both of them, and they are sent running for their lives, and they have a great adventure to secure their safety and innocents.

I really enjoyed the writing style of Siniscalchi, she has a way with words that brought the Portugal lands to life for me. Not only the land but the characters too, I found myself able to connect with all the characters, well not the villain of the story but everyone else. I was able to start this book and finish it in a day and that is all because of Siniscalchi's way to pull into the book and not wanting to put it down. I loved the build up of romance and all the emotional scenes really give the characters a new depth.

While reading this book I have added visiting Portugal to my must visit countries and I cannot wait to see with my own eyes the countryside of Portugal.

I really could go on and on but I won’t because I do not want to spoil anything.

I want to thank Giovanna Siniscalchi for the opportunity to read and review this book.

sturgesschildren3's review

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challenging emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Sometimes we make bad decisions and when they done to haunt they come with a vengeance and I’m afraid this was the case for Pedro , yes he’s the man we all love to hate but there’s something that makes me feel sorry for him to a degree …..


Anne comes across as a bit if a fading wallflower but don’t underestimate her and her inner Amazonian warrior woman ….


As per the first book I was ready to pack my bags and head out to follow them wherever they were , I’m a picture person and the places I “went” to and the people I “ interacted” with while reading this was just amazing . These people are complex , deep and intense but there’s a live and respect for them and their stories that you need to experience for yourself ❣️📕

what_karla_reads's review

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5.0

5/5⭐️
2/5

faithfulgirl4's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

 This review is going to be hard to write without spoilers but I'll do my best!

First of all, this is a stand alone book but I HIGHLY recommend reading book 1 (The True Purpose of Vines: An intoxicating historical romance about wine and love.) so you can have a proper understanding of Pedro. Reading this book first will probably ruin a lot of things for you!

I HATED Pedro in the first book. I mean, a deep loathing for the man. I can't say that now. He's found a way to redeem himself with the way he's handled Anne. It took me awhile to be able to say that but he's earned his redemption!

Anne is helping out her sister-in-law with the vines and dealing with an outbreak of Phylloxera when she meets Pedro. Anne is a polar opposite of Pedro, along with several years younger.

Can Anne show Pedro how to be a decent human being? Will Pedro find his redemption and deal with his past?

There's a little bit of everything to love in this book. A great historical based story that includes some humor, spicy romance, and a redeeming heart! 

mandykim's review

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

5.0

5/5 Stars

The Taste of Light (A Winemakers #2) by Giovanna Siniscalchi

This is the first book I've read by the author. The Taste of Light is the second book in A Winemakers Series. I love the writing style and how the author put the words together.

Anne moves to help her brother and sister in law. Once she gets there she finds herself wishing for true love. She wants someone to love her unconditionally. Then she meets Pedro and things become difficult. Can she make it work? The quote I chose for Anne is: "When Griffin came to live here, he was an adult, but I was not yet your age. Plus, my best friend is Portuguese."

Pedro loses his bride to someone else. Winemaking became his passion after that. Then he meets Anne. He finds himself falling for her, but that causes some trouble. Can he forgive his past? The quote I chose for Pedro is: "If by courting you mean to pay for her brother's debts and not require a dowry, then yes."

Highly recommended for Historical Romance lovers.

nchrisman1's review

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5.0

This is book 2 in the series and while I didn’t read book one I was able to read this book and not feel lost. The MMC Pedro is not a knight in shining armor but he still draws you in. A violent past with guilt causing him to drown it out with alcohol makes him belief he deserves the bad and no good. Until the FMC Anne comes along. While she knows he has demons to face she believes that people are a product of their past and at heart are inherently good. She sticks by him but he doesn’t know if it’s enough to face all of his past. 

shannlynn's review

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emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 I didn’t realize this was a series until I started the book, so I am definitely going back to read the first one now! Even without reading the first, I was able to follow along well enough and enjoy the entire story. I feel the author did an amazing job with this emotional romance. I especially enjoyed the beautifully written scenery throughout the story which helped pull everything together for me. It was absolutely a book that I breezed right through and needed to know what was going to happen next. I’m excited to see what the author has planned for the third book! I highly recommend picking this up and reading it in order to get the full effect. 

desjmom's review

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5.0

The first book was beautiful and this second book is stunning. This book shows how people can be redeemed. Pedro, there is just so much more to him. Him and Annie are so wonderful. I just love historical romances and this author really knows how to make them amazing.

will_o_wisp's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Let me start with calling this book exactly what it is: breathtakingly beautiful. It is a wonderful dark romance with so many twists and turns.
This amazing story is one of love, redemption, thrills, anticipation, and beauty.
Our love interests are Pedro Daun, who is closed off with darkness and pain in his heart.
On the other side, we have the "naïve" and whimsical and sweet Anne Maxwell, who hides a strong fire in her heart.
I don't want to give anything away in this wonderful tale, but I promise you that you'll not regret even a moment of reading this!!!