Reviews with content warning for Racism - Drunk on Love

I always know that when I want a good contemporary romance escape, Jasmine Guillory has got me! I’m behind (and a little all over the place) on her “The Wedding Date” series, but I thought both The Wedding Date and Royal Holiday were great. This one is her most recently (just) published work, a standalone, but was quickly added to the top of my TBR because, with family that works at wineries, the setting was just one of those “I have to read this one” situations.

Margot Noble co-owns and runs the business side of her family winery, along side her brother (Elliot) who handles the actual wine making. She’s been working super hard to get the winery more press and reach and, honestly, could use a night off. Luke Williams just quit his high-profile tech job and moved back to Napa to help a childhood friend while he figures some stuff out for himself. He picks up a job at a local winery to give him something to do while he’s there. On Margot’s big night off and the night before Luke’s first day, the two meet at a bar and have a fireworks-level one night stand. So, when Luke shows up at work the next morning an Margot realizes her new employee is none other than the guy whose apartment she left that morning…things get complicated, emotional, tense, and as time goes by, realllllly spicy.

Well, Guillory delivers again. This was just a super fun romance to read. It jumps right in with the steamy scenes at the beginning. And then the wait as we build to the next ones is perfectly tense and well worth the wait when Margot and Luke finally get together again. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Guillory has a way with writing sex scenes that are hot and not at all cringey…it’s a real skill. Anyways, Margot and Luke have great chemistry, not just physically, but emotionally as well. Luke feels so perfect (at least to me, haha), like thoughtful and nerdy and responsive, and it fits nicely, since he is a bit younger than Margot and that maturity feels like a requirement to make this relationship a believable success.

They each had their own issues (the imposter syndromes and insecurities and internal second-guessing, for very different reasons, but very similar in vibe regardless) at their jobs/in their lives. These troubles felt very authentic and recognizable to me, and they did cause them to make questionable decisions that challenged their connection with each other. And yet, I truly appreciated that they never quibbled over talking straight when conversations about their feelings for each other came up. As a more seasoned reader of romance now, I prefer these more mature relationship realities, versus the contrived conflicts that often rise from lack of or miscommunication with each other. I mean, yes, there were some small secrets, but at the end, they were accidental and more an issue due to each needing to deal with their own stuff and less to do with each other. Plus, the “third act break” was short and more a reasonable argument than a full on break up/get back together trope. So yea, I was here for that.

Like I said, I thought this was an entertaining, well written and wonderfully steamy romance. Super fun with my (limited/second-hand) wine industry knowledge – some of the common happenings and customer stories are definitely familiar and that’s always fun. Both Margot and Luke were solidly developed separately and together, their need to prove themselves at work (for externally motivated reasons) is something I really identify with, and their maturity levels (while still being vulnerable and emotional) definitely felt genuine. Rock solid work from Guillory; I for sure recommend this one.

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displacedcactus's review

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emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

I've been hearing good things about Guillory for years, but didn't decide to read one of her books until I saw that this one was set in a winery. Since I'm getting ready to write my own beverage industry contemporary romance, I figured this would be a great excuse to finally check out an acclaimed author while doing some market research.

I feel like this book did a great job of adding just enough industry insight for the winery to feel like more than just set dressing. Margot is the co-owner and CEO of the winery, and a lot of her duties lined up perfectly with what I'd recently read about the owner of a small local distillery handling, too. Guillory doesn't get bogged down in the details, but Margot's work feels authentic.

The other half of the couple is Luke, the newest tasting room employee. The twist is, Margot and Luke hooked up the night before his first day at work, neither one of them realizing their impending connection, due to Margot's brother hiring Luke while she was out of town. Being mature, responsible people, they realize the inappropriateness of an employer/employee romance, so there's a whole lot of tension and longing until a solution presents itself.

Over all, I enjoyed this book, even though the workplace romance is not my favorite trope (I wouldn't have read it at all because of that, if not for the winery setting). There were a couple of things that fell flat for me, which would really require getting deeper into heteronormative romance tropes and capitalism than I really want to get in a quick StoryGraph review!

That said, I can see why Guillory is a popular author. The love scenes in this book really sizzle, and if you like bedroom talk, you'll love this. The characters behave like adults, generally displaying good communication throughout, except for over a couple of issues that lead to a late-in-the-game fight to add some tension about how they'll work it out before the end. Over all, it's a pretty low-angst romance, but just grounded enough in reality to not feel "fluffy" (not that there's anything wrong with fluff). And while the main couple is M/F and pretty much straight (Margot does make one off-handed comment suggesting she's either bi, flexible, or comfortable enough to casually joke about female attraction), there are a number of queer side characters.

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le3713's review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Another solid romance from Jasmine Guillory. It won't be my #1, but still very enjoyable. Margot and Luke were such a cute couple. The Napa setting made me want to get on a plane and head there right away. Their conflict felt a bit forced to me, but that was only a small hiccup for my reading experience. I noted and found it interesting how more of the conflict and baggage in this book was rooted in work rather than past romantic relationships.

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lindsayerin's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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sdupont's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a solid book. At times I felt the story dragged and was hard to get into but other times I really was digging Luke and Margot. Overall I did enjoy reading Jasmine Guillory’s newest release and would recommend it.

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uranaishi's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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