Be Mine Forever

Romance readers who aren’t put off by good-humored but overly broad gender stereotypes will enjoy the Valentine’s Day mating dance in Adair’s fourth St. Helena Vineyard contemporary (after Autumn in the Vineyard). Playboy vintner Trey DeLuca reluctantly answers his family’s calls to return to their small California town and escort his grandmother to the annual Winter Garden Gala—an event he has avoided since his parents’ tragic deaths. Widowed single mother Sara Reed, a dance studio owner, is drawn to Trey from the moment their vehicles collide in a parking lot. Sara and Trey engage in a complicated pas de deux, trying to balance his determination to move to Italy to advance the family business after the gala with her reluctance to embark on a short-term romance. Adair packs the pages with steamy flirting, smalltown intrigue, and solid family scenes; the latter provide updates for series readers while being accessible to those starting with this volume. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Jan.)