Loved it!! I loved Julianne MacLean's previous books and was excited to read this. It didn't disappoint. Inheritances seem to bring out the worst in people, especially Anton's children. Greedy!! All they care about is money. I'm pretty sure all I will inherit from my family is a house full of junk that I will have to get rid of and a bunch of cats. My favorite part of the book was reading about Lillian and her summer in Tuscany. Tuscany sounded beautiful, except for the terrifying roads. The car accident scene in the beginning was scary and I'm surprised anyone survived. I would have loved living at the winery and working as a tour guide. I'm still on the fence about Freddie. I know he loved Fiona, not so sure about Lillian. All his actions are questionable. There were so many secrets, although it seems that most of them weren't really secrets.

Definitely recommend the book. I enjoyed the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Women’s Fiction
General Fiction

Review:

This book is well written and captures you from the start. The plot flows well with the right amount of intrigue a bit of mystique and a few twists and turns. The main theme is the meaning of family, sacrifice, forgiveness and the toll of secrecy. The characters are interesting; their actions are explained well, this made them realistic.

Overall:

This is a nicely written positive story thought provoking at times with a few twists and turns. Set in a beautiful location. The characters are interesting and realistic. The story flows well is easy to follow and captivating. If you are looking for a relaxing and uplifting story this is the book.

Review copy provided by Netgalley at no cost to me.

It’s all here. A wonderful love story. A long lost daughter. A daughter holding a secret given on her mother’s death bed. And beautiful,winding, vineyards in Tuscany. Fiona learns her biological father has suddenly died. Fiona who took over the care of her quadriplegic father, after her mother’s death has sacrificed love and her own life to see to his well being,is called to the reading of her biological fathers will. A will that leaves her everything of real value. Left out are her half siblings who have squandered and spent money all their lives. Also a mistresss who refuses to leave until the will is verified. At a loss to understand why she and not his other children will inherit the winery the mystery of her mother and Anton is the backdrop to a fun tale of discovery and insight into who we are and how a live of the land cannot be denied. The key are a cache of letters between Anton and her mother Lillian. Happy reading

I love a good family drama - and one set it Italy is even better! The author does an excellent of bring the setting of wine country in Tuscany to life. The characters are well-developed and the story is very intriguing. Although I figured out what was going to happen, before it happened, I didn't even mind. At the heart of the book is a beautiful love story, but it also touches on themes of forgiveness, honesty and sacrifice. I liked that everything wasn't perfect and that the protagonist stood up for herself in the end. This was the first book by Julianne MacLean that I have read, and look forward to reading more of her work. Thank you to NetGalley the ARC.

Fiona is a single woman living in Tallahassee, Florida with her disabled father, Freddie. Twelve years earlier her mother confessed to her that Fiona is actually the daughter of a very wealthy winemaker in Tuscany, Italy, and asked her never to divulge this secret to Freddie because it would kill him. Hours later her mother passed away. Fiona never got the chance to ask her mother about her biological father, but she kept her secret. One day Fiona gets a call from a lawyer in Italy informing her that her real father died, and that she is mentioned in the will. The lawyer asks her to come to Italy for the reading of the will, so she lies to her father about her destination, and flies to Italy. What she learns on this one week trip will change her life forever.

The story is told in two time frames - Fiona’s current day trip, and her parents’ trip to Tuscany thirty years prior. The Tuscan vineyard described, especially in the past, is as beautiful as a postcard. The story is rich and moves quickly, I couldn’t put it down. Grab a glass of your favorite vintage and drink it in.. Salute!

**3.5 stars**
Fiona’s mother Lillian revealed a secret on her death bed and made Fiona promise that she would never reveal that secret to her father. 12 years later and being burdened with that secret Fiona finds out that she is heir to a magnificent winery in Tuscany.
I must admit I was very taken in by so many 5 star reviews and I like a good family drama with secrets. This book was a very light read told in two time times, the present day and 30 years previously which is Lillian’s story. I can’t say was was really swept up in the story or the characters but it was such an easy read that I flew through it.
Enjoyable but not one to evoke lots of feeling me me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Craving a vacation trip to Italy? This book just might quench your desire! Set in Tuscany at a beautiful old winery, I felt like I was on vacation on each page. Fiona has spent her life devoted to her parents, including her mother, who passed 12 years earlier, and her beloved quadriplegic father. When she gets a phone call out of the blue stating she has inherited property in Tuscany from her birth father that she never knew, she thinks this could solve a lot of financial problems. Once in Tuscany, she meets her "new" family, and begins to learn the truth about her parents' marriage-one she believed had been blissful her whole life. Will this trip be the financial windfall she could use to take care of her father or will it lead to a new understanding of family and a whole new life in gorgeous Italy? Set in alternating timepoints, one from Fiona's current day viewpoint, and one from her mother Lillian's fateful summer in Tuscany, this book will have you turning the pages to find out what really happened. I liked both viewpoints, but the ones with Lillian were my favorite.

A moving tale, set in beautiful Tuscany... family secrets revealed, love stories playing out... what's not to love about it, right?

I enjoyed the emotional angles, and the dual timeline was also well done. I did feel like some of the plot reveals were a bit too far-fetched, but the writing sort of made up for it. These Tangled Vines makes for a good enough summer/beach read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC of the book.

I am always drawn to books about stories in Tuscany. Add a vineyard and it's a plus.This one is one of the best I've read. It has a beautiful, heartwarming story line written between two timelines and is easily followed. The writing is so descriptive you feel like you are visiting without even leaving home. I felt so many emotions while reading this story . When you can get so emotionally into the story, to me that is a sign of excellent writing.

With the reading of a will, many lives are changed and secrets revealed. It's a perfect blend of love, family, past secrets, and life changing decisions.

When two people recommended this book to me, I knew I had to read it and I'm so glad that I did. It was hard to put this book down and it's one that I will think about long after I've read the last page.
This is the first book I've read by Julianne Maclean and now will certainly be looking for more to read.

A fantastic book! This is a perfect summer read, imaging yourself in Tuscany. While there are a few moments during the story where I felt I had to dispell my disbelief (two accidents during that summer and no one sues?), once you get past that and also through some obvious hints about what's the come, this a great love story and not at all what I expected. The story is still with me a week after finishing it.

It’s easy to picture yourself in Tuscany surrounded by vineyards and a gorgeous landscape, sipping on wine, eating delicious food at a table with good friends while reading this enjoyable novel.

Fiona Bell was told a secret on her mother’s deathbed. She promised her mother that she would never tell her father that she now knew he wasn’t her biological father. Her father (Freddie), a quadriplegic who Fiona adores would be devastated if he knew the truth. When Anton, the man Fiona now knows to be her biological father dies, he includes Fiona in his will even though she’s never met him or had any sort of contact with him. She is asked to come to Tuscany for the reading of the will. She meets her two half siblings that she never knew of and you can imagine that they aren’t thrilled to learn of her existence particularly that she’s been so generously included in the will.

This is a dual timeline novel and we weave back and forth between Lillian (Fiona’s mother) and Anton’s time together in 1986 and to 2017 when Fiona is in Italy. Fiona learns through friends of Anton’s and employees what really happened between Lillian, Anton and Freddie that fateful summer of their affair and Martin’s accident.

This is a story of romance, sacrifice, secrets and forgiveness. It’s a story that keeps you intrigued right until the last page. The descriptions of the winery and the Tuscan hills are very vivid and you can imagine the scenery easily.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a wonderful story and I was sad to see it end. It centers around an Italian vineyard as the backdrop. A death in the family and the reading of the Will has an impact on the three children and their families. The book contains one of the best love stories. The connection between the characters is fascinating. One of my favorite stories.

Set in beautiful Tuscany, These Tangled Vines is an emotionally charged, wonderfully written story about the meaning of family. Fiona Bell has been keeping her mother's affair in Italy 30 years ago a secret since her death. But when Fiona's biological father passes away and she is left an incredible inheritance, the secret is out. She must fly to Italy and meet her two half siblings who are shocked to learn of her existence and desperate to contest her share of the will. While the mystery of her mother's life and affair slowly start to come to light, Fiona has to navigate the difficult situation laid in front of her and discover what family truly means.

It truly is as the description says, a "breathtaking journey of love, secrets, sacrifice, and courage". I love that the novel rotated through two different timelines, it made for a really immersive experience. I definitely recommend this amazing journey through Tuscany, which is only made better by the beautiful writing!

Fiona’s mother twelve years ago told her a deathbed confession. Fiona assumed that no one else knew of this, until she got an early morning call Sunday morning stating that her biological father died unexpectedly and he had left her in her will. Fiona is shocked and has no idea what to do. The father who raised her is a quadriplegic and her mother had always doted on him and they were always a happy family and her mother made her promise never to tell him, she was not his.
Fiona decides to make up a work excuse and go to Tuscany. She discovers she has two half siblings and she has been left the vineyard which she was offered 90million Euros for it! The siblings want it contested obviously, because who is she and where did she come from?

The storyline is also told back from Lillian’s, Fiona’s mother, POV from 1986 when she met Antoine the owner of the vineyard.

This was a captivating story that kept me reading more. It showed what true love really is and what one would give up to truly have it. Brilliant breathtaking writing. You don’t want to miss out on this one.

What a wonderful read. Fiona, living in Florida with her quadriplegic father, gets a call from a lawyer in Italy. It turns out her biological father remembered her in his will. She goes to Italy, meets her half-siblings and others. A book that was hard to put down. Really enjoyed this one, and highly recommend it. The flashbacks with her parents could have been trimmed a bit, but otherwise a great book and author.

An easy read set in a vineyard in Tuscany with a well-used plot that marks it clearly as a beach read (or at least holiday read!) A heroine who is likeable and happily sacrifices a good part of her life for her paraplegic father, a marriage that is unsatisfying, a mad passionate affair with a wealthy older man who, of course owns the vineyard, a family secret, a happy ending. Well written in this genre.

Thanks NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Julianne Maclean for an ARC to review.
Fiona wakes up to the news of the death of the biological father she never met and her presence is required to acquire her inheritance.
She travels to Tuscany where she meets the family who knew nothing about her and that's where we both fell in love.
I hated that the book ended, I hated that Anton and Lillian died. I so much loved Lillian's chapters, they were magical and charming.
I feel happy I got to know this talented author and planning to go through her entire collection.
I absolutely loved it and seriously couldn't put it down.

This one was great. The plot twists were very well done, it gives a genuine surprise for the reader. Everything unfolded beautifully, and I loved these characters. They're believable. Solid. Fictional people that could be real + that's how you know you've got a writer with some real talent! I'll be following Julianne's works from now on. I'm excited to see what else she comes up with for us

Thanks netgalley for giving me the pdf so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 🧡

These Tangled Vines
By Julianne MacLean

Fiona Bell's mother tells her a secret in her deathbed never to be uttered, and most especially to her father. That is until, Tuscany came a calling - Fiona's biological father has passed away and have left her something in his will. More than that, she discovers of her half brother Connor and half sister Sloane. MacLean tells a vivid and emotionally charged story in two time lines and two point of views about complex family dynamics involving secrets, sacrifice, past mistakes, and the strength and courage to forgive to move forward. This is a story full of hope with an amazing cast of characters and life lessons.

Enjoy this amazing trip to Tuscany and grab a glass of your favorite vino and maybe even a bowl of pasta - this emotional ride is simply perfection!

These Tangled Vines reflects the work of a master storyteller. The storyline explores the heights and depths of love – both familial and romantic – as well as the corrosive aspects of codependency and secrets in a compassionate and insightful manner.

The chapters move from the past to the present in a thirty year period revealing a beautiful and heart-breaking love story. The characters are well-developed and engaging. Additionally, the descriptions of Tuscany, the vineyard/winery and the people are so well drawn and evocative that I wanted to travel there and experience it for myself. Fiona Bell, the protagonist, is a remarkable, generous human being and I was gratified with her honesty in her struggle to forgive, her decision-making process and the promise of her future at the conclusion. A sequel would be most welcome to follow the next phase of her life.

Overall, this was a very satisfying read and I highly recommend it. It was entertaining as well as inspiring.

My thanks to the author, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing a digital ARC in exchange for an independent, honest review.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.