Bitter Vintage

By Riona Kelly

When Philip Claremont, the heir to the Claremont Vineyards in Northern California, is killed in an accident, his sister Martinique is summoned home for the funeral. A journalist in San Francisco, Marti returns in shock and grief to find her father reclusive and strange, her estranged half-sister in residence, and a mysterious person skulking around the property. Learning more about her brother’s death, she grows suspicious of the accident, convinced there is more to the story.

At the funeral, she encounters her brother’s best friend, Lee Kellog, and is reminded of how close her own friendship with him was while they were growing up. Lee makes it clear he still has a deep affection for her. He also has questions about Philip’s death, knowing things about the accident that don’t sit well with him. Determined to get to the truth, Marti decides to stay and investigate; convincing her boss, Paul Thorpe, at the magazine where she works that she is on the trail of a good story. Although reluctant, he agrees to the extended stay and approves the story. But his relationship with Marti is more than just boss and employee and he is anxious for her to return. As Marti begins trying to piece the information together, a story she never expected unfolds that places her in a dangerous position.

“Bitter Vintage” brings the suspense of treachery, greed and ambition along with romance and betrayal as the story unfolds against the California vineyards of the Napa-Sonoma region and the migrant workers’ struggle for fair wages in 1964. The book’s retro-style is comparable to 1960s suspense romance novels.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Riona Kelly
• Release date: Apr 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311598806

Riona Kelly

An early fan of suspense romance novels, Riona Kelly began writing them as a teenager, but it was many years later before she published her first novel. A fan of Mary Stewart, Helen McInnes, Taylor Caldwell, Patricia Cornwell, Morgan Llewellyn, and Sharon K. Penman, she devoured their books and began building fantasies of her own. Her first novel, “Bitter Vintage” was published at the end of 2015, followed up with the first of a new series, An American Rose Abroad, in 2018. The first book in the series is "Echoes of the Past."   Born in El Paso, Texas, she now makes her home in south Reno, Nevada where she enjoys the beauty of the region and is close enough to California to visit those vineyards that provided the inspiration for her book. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys Celtic music and plays the guitar, dabbles with painting canvases, preferably combined in a wine party, and likes to watch films with romantic plots and good storylines. It helps if they have a handsome, sexy leading man and a lot of adventure. You can find out more about Riona and her books at https://rionakelly.online/ Also visit her Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/rionakellywrites/ She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to visit or email [e-mail]