Nikki Sands is spending her time as a waitress, auditioning
for parts at every opportunity, but aware in her heart that
she's probably not actress material. When a gorgeous hunk
and a stereotypical bimbo dine at one of her tables, she
can't resist showing off her wine knowledge. But the bimbo
has a mean edge and throws a fit, forcing Nikki to quit
before she's fired.
Little does Nikki know that the nasty scene was a blessing
in disguise. The good-looking boyfriend dumps the nutcase
and tracks Nikki down to apologize. After testing her on
her wine knowledge, Derek Malveaux offers Nikki a job at
his prestigious winery. She agrees to a get-to-know-the-
place trip, having no idea that she'll be getting very
involved very quickly.
That involvement escalates beyond wine when Nikki, in her
first minutes on the estate, finds a dead body. It turns
out to be the winemaker and Nikki, fancying herself an
amateur sleuth, starts to investigate.
In this first Wine Lovers mystery, Scott introduces the
intrepid Nikki. She's a fun character and Derek is
definitely hot stuff! I did have a few problems with Nikki
jumping right into investigating a murder. I just didn't
buy that simply because she played a detective one time,
she thought she should interfere in a police investigation.
I did very much enjoy learning about wines and the
winemaking process. I think this is a light, fun read.
Nikki Sands was like every other aspiring actress—
waiting tables between jobs. But Nikki had taken serving
wines to heart. She knew enough to impress Napa Valley’s
golden boy, Derek Maleveaux, who offered her a job at his
vineyard. And though Nikki may have left her dreams of
stardom behind, the work of wine is ripe with intrigue—and
the seeds of sleuthing are planted.
Nikki has just set foot on Napa Valley’s rich soil when she
realizes her new job may not be as safe as she thought.
First off, Derek Maleveaux is disconcertingly sexy. Second,
his top winemaker is dead in the bushes outside Nikki’s
cottage. It doesn’t take a connoisseur of foul play to know
something’s taken a terrible turn...