I got this hardcover at a local Salvation Army thrift shop. It's from a series set in Virginia wine country, and its protagonist is trying to keep her family's vineyard running in the black - while dealing with disaster from tornadoes, Civil War re-enactors, a long-hidden family secret, and a series of practical workplace issues. (The protagonist self-justifies hiring illegal aliens as labor because she pays them a decent wage; the whole issue is a serious one, but having it pop up in this context felt a bit jarring.)

There's also a simmering romantic subplot, with heroine and vineyard-owner Lucie torn between her competent-but-often-grumpy winemaker Quinn and the sunny and charming new-hire Chance. (One guess how *that's* going to work out.)

I liked some of the historical background (much of which was based on fact, as laid out in the afterword) and the running-a-vineyard info; the actual murder mystery was... OK, I guess, though I was never as invested in it as Lucie seemed to be. The plot-threads also took a LONG time to come together, with the ending of the story feeling rushed to me, and leaving several things unresolved - possibly to resurface in a future book?

I left this book on a bench near the Civil War memorial on the Amherst common on this very warm day; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2018 Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes release challenge, for the embedded "rib" in the title. ***

*** Released for the 2018 Wine+Food Release Challenge. ***