Thank you to Ana Ashley, Sarina Bowen, Jenn Gaffney and the rest of the World of True North team for the advance reader copy of Stronghold, the fourteenth story in the Vino and Veritas series.

Stronghold kicks off the final batch of Vino & Veritas books. Read all of my World of True North reviews here.

Check out the Goodreads synopsis…

“A second chance at love? Or a second chance to ruin everything?

When Skyler spots the new bartender at Vino and Veritas, his body responds before the guy even turns around. But when he does, it takes only a heartbeat for recognition to set in and for sparks to fly. Judson’s been gone for ten years, but he’s the man Skyler never forgot. Or forgave.

The last place Judson wants to be is back home in Burlington, living with family. Not so long ago he was a world-class chef with the lifestyle to prove it. Now he’s serving drinks and flying under the radar until he can get the hell out again. But when his childhood best friend reenters his life, looking finer than any entree at a five-star restaurant, he wonders if it’s time to update his menu of life choices.

Working through past wounds with Skyler won’t be easy, though, especially with family obligations–and the occasional dairy cow–interfering. When their loyalty is tested, will their newly built stronghold be sturdy enough to withstand the storm?

Stronghold is a sweet and sexy Vino & Veritas romance with some creative use of maple syrup.“

Check out my more detailed thoughts below…

• Characters: Judson is a cordon-blue chef who left Vermont for Paris. He is back in Vermont after being dumped. He had opened a restaurant with his ex-boyfriend and now he’s lost all the money he poured into the restaurant. Judson comes across early on as someone confident, a master Parisian chef. Despite being out of the closet in high school, he remains a shy, extremely body-conscious nerd. Skyler was Judson’s bestie in high school but they never kept up communication when Jud ran away to France. Skyler never left Vermont. He helps out his family with their farm while also starting his own maple business.
• Setting: The story is set in Burlington, Vermont as all Vino & Veritas books are. The bar/bookstore Vino and Veritas is brought into the story through Jud, as when he moves back to Vermont he temporarily picks up a job there. I loved how the bar had been a frequent stop for Skyler and his friends. Vino & Veritas is just such a great safe place and I love how it means a lot to both of these guys.
• Pacing: The pacing of this story was quite good. I engulfed this story quite quickly, not unlike some of my other Vino & Veritas reads.
• Romance: It was quite obvious from the early chapters that Jud had a crush on Skyler in high school. Skyler was not out yet, maybe he did not even realize he was gay yet. Jud left town over Skyler’s rejection of sorts. The boys spend more time together after they secure a spot on a reality restaurant/cooking show. The producers see what great chemistry they have and I loved how it became increasingly harder for Jud and Skyler to deny their attractions. Over the course of this romance, each boy gets to open up about their coming out, their crushes and their feelings. I loved the way all of that unfolded.

Stronghold receives four out of five stars.

You can pick up the story below…

https://geni.us/AmazonStronghold

Thank you again to Sarina, Jenn, and the rest of the team for the review opportunity. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!