Can you keep a secret?

Aston University might be teeming with prestigious and wealthy students, but the currency on campus isn't their millions. It's their secrets. And the three women living at Clarence Manor are filthy rich in lies and deceit.

Two of the roommates have played this game for years. Some would consider them masters of a ruse. The third might be new to Aston, but she's no stranger to secrets.

Cassia, the outsider. Elora, the ice princess. And Ivy, the puppet master.

Who's hiding the ugliest truths? We'll let you be the judge.

Go ahead. Whisper your confessions in our ear.

We promise not to tell.

“This vital, sweeping story is delivered in Harnisch's silky, upscale prose. Much like a fine glass of wine, The California Wife is a highbrow indulgence that is tasteful, captivating, and heady.” ―The Globe and Mail

In the sweeping, poignant internationally bestselling sequel to The Vintner’s Daughter, the Lemieux family’s ambition to establish an American winemaking dynasty takes Sara and Philippe from pastoral Napa to the Paris World’s Fair and into the colorful heart of early 20th-century San Francisco.

It is 1897, and Sara and Philippe Lemieux, newly married and full of hope for the future, are determined to make Eagle’s Run, their Napa vineyard, into a world-renowned winemaking operation. But the swift arrival of the 20th century brings a host of obstacles they never dreamed of: price wars and the twin threats of phylloxera and Prohibition endanger the success of their business, and the fiercely independent Sara is reluctant to leave the fields behind for the new and strange role of wife and mother.

An invitation to the World’s Fair in 1900 comes just in time to revive the vineyard's prospects, and amid the jewel-colored wonders of Belle Époque Paris, Sara and Philippe’s passion is rekindled as well. But then family tragedy strikes, and, upon their return to California, a secret from Philippe’s past threatens to derail their hard-won happiness in one stroke.

Sara gains an ally when Marie Chevreau, her dear friend, arrives in San Francisco as the first female surgery student to be admitted to prestigious Cooper Medical College. Through Marie, Sara gets a glimpse of the glittering world of San Francisco’s high society, and she also forges friendships with local women’s rights advocates, inciting new tensions in her marriage. Philippe issues Sara an ultimatum: will she abandon the struggle for freedom to protect her family’s winemaking business, or will she ignore Philippe and campaign for a woman’s right to vote and earn a fair wage?

Fate has other plans in store in the spring of 1906, which brings with it a challenge unlike any other that the Lemieux family or their fellow Northern Californians have ever faced. Will the shadow of history overwhelm Sara and Philippe’s future, despite their love for each other? In The California Wife, Kristen Harnisch delivers a rich, romantic tale of wine, love, new beginnings, and a family’s determination to fight for what really matters.

More Reviews:

“Harnisch’s lyrical descriptions underscore the beauty of winemaking, political activism, and even surgery. Combined with her first novel, The California Wife feels like the second season of a period miniseries, best enjoyed with a glass of zinfandel.” ―Booklist

“Fans of historical fiction, heart-pounding romance, and remarkable women look no further. Kristen Harnisch…transports you back in time through engaging dialogue, complex characters, and vivid description.... An exquisite read from start to finish.” ―Alexandria Brown, Napa County Historical Society Research Librarian

“The California Wife is a vivid, fine-tuned novel about two fiercely ambitious and determined people who face obstacles that would bring most of us to our knees. Harnisch’s skillful blend of 19th-century societal norms and details about wine-making practices never overwhelm the characters but enrich them, captivating the heart. You'll long remember this beautiful story about redemption, forgiveness, love, and family bonds.” —Ann Weisgarber, author of The Promise and The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

“The California Wife is not only an accurate and nostalgic account of the early history of our wine industry in California, it’s a lovely novel with characters you want join in a harvest, a meal, and a glass of wine. I recommend this book to wine lovers and historical fiction fans alike!” —Tina Vierra, Associate Publisher, Wines & Vines

Author Bio:

Kristen Harnisch is the author of the award-winning, internationally bestselling novels The Vintner’s Daughter, The California Wife and The Vintner’s Legacy. She drew upon her extensive research and experiences living in the San Francisco Bay Area and visiting the Loire Valley to create the stories for the three historical novels in the series. Ms. Harnisch earned a degree in economics from Villanova University and currently resides in Connecticut.

Independently published with She Writes Press

Shop The Vintner’s Daughter series

“Lush and evocative, this novel brings the Loire Valley and its glorious vineyards to life in a story that will delight readers everywhere. Enjoy with your favorite glass of Merlot!” —Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Shoemaker’s Wife

Loire Valley, 1895. Kristen Harnisch’s first internationally bestselling novel in The Vintner’s Daughter series immerses readers in the rich vineyard culture of both the Old and New Worlds, the burgeoning cities of late nineteenth-century America and a spirited heroine’s fight to determine her destiny.

When seventeen-year-old Sara Thibault’s father is killed in a mudslide, her mother sells their vineyard to a rival family whose eldest son marries Sara’s sister, Lydia. But a violent tragedy compels Sara and her sister to flee to New York, forcing Sara to put aside her dream to follow in her father’s footsteps as a master winemaker. Meanwhile, Philippe Lemieux has arrived in California with the ambition of owning the largest vineyard in Napa by 1900. When he receives word of his brother’s death in France, he resolves to bring the killer to justice. Sara has travelled to California in hopes of making her own way in the winemaking world. When she encounters Philippe in a Napa vineyard, they are instantly drawn to one another, but Sara knows he is the one man who could return her family’s vineyard to her―or send her straight to the guillotine. This riveting tale of betrayal, retribution, love, and redemption will captivate wine lovers and historical fiction fans alike.

More Reviews: 

“…The Vintner’s Daughter is a story of perseverance and transcending one's past.” ―Booklist

“...the plot is engaging and well-paced. Wine aficionados and fans of romance and historical fiction will drink this in.” —Kirkus

“A lovely novel with sparkling dialogue, intricate plot and great characters.” —Roberta Rich, author of The Harem Midwife and The Midwife of Venice

“The Vintner’s Daughter is as compelling and complex as its heroine, taking us on an unforgettable journey from France to California’s Napa Valley, where providence rules and passions collide. Kristen Harnisch skillfully weaves the history of the wine industry into a visceral and haunting love story―to be read with a favorite glass of wine.” —Holly Lynn Payne, author of The Virgin’s Knot and Damascena

Author Bio:

Kristen Harnisch is the author of the award-winning, internationally bestselling novels The Vintner’s Daughter, The California Wife and The Vintner’s Legacy. She drew upon her extensive research and experiences living in the San Francisco Bay Area and visiting the Loire Valley to create the stories for the three historical novels in the series. Ms. Harnisch earned a degree in economics from Villanova University and currently resides in Connecticut.

Independently published with She Writes Press

Shop The Vintner’s Daughter series

She sings to brighten the dying world. He lurks in the shadows, hunting her kind.

When their paths collide, the past-and future-will unravel.

Tarset is accustomed to being the most famous woman on the planet. But the world is locked in a devastating war between humans and immortals, and her spotlight is fading. When she is inexplicably "killed" only to find herself alive-but thrust back several millennia to ancient Egypt-she is desperate to cross the vast chasm of time stretching out before her.

Striving to keep a low profile to avoid causing a devastating butterfly effect, Tarset journeys across the harsh desert and befriends a handsome stranger who claims he can repair the damaged timeline. But the man she suspects is her fated mate has an air of dangerous secrecy, and she fears one misstep could cost her life... and those of her entire bloodline.

Can this starlet in a strange land course correct the past before it scatters her future to the winds?

Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars is the dark and seductive first book in the thrilling new time travel romance series, the Fateless Trilogy. If you like emotional rollercoasters, ancient settings, and forbidden attractions, then you'll love Lindsey Sparks' atmospheric tale.

Fateless Trilogy:

Song of Scarabs and Fallen Stars

Also in the ECHO WORLD:

Echo Trilogy (time travel romance / paranormal romance)

Kat Dubois Chronicles (urban fantasy / paranormal romance)

Will Imari fall like every sulaziér before her?

In a desperate attempt to save King Jeric's life, Imari drew upon the power from the Tree of Wisdom, hidden deep within the forsaken lands of Sol Velor. But Imari could not have known that by doing so, she would also free Zussa-the Great Deceiver-who had been bound between worlds since the beginning of time.

Thus freed, and now using Azir Mubarék as a vessel, Zussa will stop at nothing to exact her final revenge: to unravel the world as it is written.

With Trier destroyed and so many Sol Velorians and Liagé now under Zussa's employ, it seems the Five Provinces are doomed to Zussa's insatiable wrath. Jeric and Imari's only hope is to return to Corinth, to gather whatever fighting men will help, but Jeric hasn't been home in over two months. He can't possibly know what awaits him there, or if he still has a throne.

Regardless of what they find, Imari soon comes to realize that her particular gifting as a sulaziér is crucial in their inevitable fight against Zussa. The only problem is that her flute-her talla-is broken, and she can't channel Shah power properly without it. Jeric has miraculously discovered a new talla, but using it might come with a price that Imari is not willing to pay.

"You can't always get what you want."
"But, if you try, you might find..."

You'll get exactly what's coming for you.

FBI agent Olivia Knight has seen the realities of what happens when nightmares come to life.
When she's called to investigate a case of an apparent murder-suicide in an affluent community.
She finds herself buried by the unexplainable questions that arise regarding the couple's seemingly perfect life.
When a deep dive into the life of the philanthropic couple leads to a revelation to a potential double life.
Olivia finds herself wondering if their hidden life finally caught up to them...

They say the purest form of good in this world is love.
But what happens if the love you feel is all a lie?
What happens when the thing you love the most turns into a monster that breaks you?

With her own romantic life in shambles, Olivia begins to wonder what price one is willing to pay for love?
And what is the truth behind this case of love, lies, and suicide?

Surviving the plane crash was the easy part.

Lauryn Vargas is a sucker for a good romance novel, despite her firm belief that love at first sight is purely fiction. But when she looks up from her book to find the man of her dreams walking across the airport toward her, Lauryn wonders if it's time to rethink that philosophy.

She's holding out hope for a chance to strike up a conversation, but when their plane goes down in a fiery crash on a remote mountainside, it seems their fated love story was destined to be a tragedy from the start.

Stranded in a cold, dark forest and struggling with the aftermath of injuries, Lauryn quickly discovers she isn't out of danger just because she escaped death in the wreckage.

Can an ill-prepared librarian become her own heroine to make it through the longest night of her life, or has she reached the final chapter in her saga?

Welcome to the small town of Cedar Creek! Get to know the families, solve the mysteries, and prepare to fall in love...

Cedar Creek Suspense:
Whiskey Flight, Volume 1
Bounty Flight, Volume 2

Cedar Creek Mysteries:
The Ghost in the Curve, Volume 1
The Glow in the Woods, Volume 2
The Phantom in the Footlights, Volume 3

Cedar Creek Families:
Building Fences, Volume 1
Crossing Paths, Volume 2

"This is a beautiful read and I had a hard time putting it down." —Book In One Hand Coffee In Another Blog

Molly Trent is an adventurous, free spirit whose turbulent childhood has driven her to a new mission in life—to make people feel better. Unfortunately, a series of burglaries at her new wellness shop puts her in the path of a cynical and suspicious detective, who thinks she does more harm than good. She's used to criticism, but she sees something in the tightly-controlled police detective that she wants to unleash, if only she could get him to trust her.

Trust doesn't come easily to Detective Adam Cole. He has been a loner for as long as he can remember. He's very good at protecting people. He's great at being a friend, but relationships that go beyond that—not so much. After a heartbreaking tragedy in his early twenties, he put up walls that are never coming down. Despite what Molly Trent might think, he does not need help or herbs to be happy.

Unfortunately, what he needs is her. The chemistry between them almost makes him wonder if she hasn't cast some sort of spell over him. But he fights their attraction hard, because he doesn't do forever, and he can't imagine that an optimistic romantic like Molly would settle for anything less. But when they get tangled up in life and love, anything can happen…

 

Author Bio:

Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of 41 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. Traditionally published for many years, Barbara opened her own publishing company in 2011 and has since sold over 4.8 million copies of her books. Nineteen of her titles have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists. In July of 2014, Barbara was named the Amazon KDP bestselling author of ALL TIME! She was also the first indie author to sell over 1 million copies at both Barnes and Noble and Amazon. An author known for writing emotional stories about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations, Barbara has received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and has also received six nominations for the RITA for Best Single Title Contemporary Romance from Romance Writers of America. She has won the honor twice for her novels Daniel's Gift and The Way Back Home. 

Shop all Barbara Freethy books

The epitome of success, gorgeous Nina Bryant has everything under control or at least that is what she wants everyone to believe. Appearances can be deceiving. Her MO is to run but running isn't an option when mistakes in her life start to catch up with her. She comes face-to-face with the main ingredient of a past hurt, in the package of the sexiest, most frustratingly charming man she's ever known, Harrison McCall. To complicate the situation, her best friend, Addie Snyder is marrying his best friend, Jameson Ford. How bad could it be? There are a few challenges along the way that include a surprise spouse, a drag queen with a gambling problem, among other things. Even with the obstacles facing them, can Nina and Harrison finally get their second chance at love, or will outside entities rip them apart?