She’s moving forward with a clean slate.
Christine Alexander wants to prove herself as a top-notch winemaker, and in small town Harmony Valley, she’s got a chance to build something legitimate and lasting.

If only part-owner Slade Jennings would quit poking his attractive nose in her cabernet.

He can’t move on without shedding the baggage of his past.
Brooding, numbers guy Slade doesn’t want to return to his small hometown, the place where his life fell apart, much less start a business or raise his young twin girls there.

In Harmony Valley, the painful mistakes from his past are at risk of being revealed to his friends, the community, and the attractive winemaker who works for him.

Sometimes, the only way forward is the rocky journey through the tough parts.

Titles in the Love in Harmony Valley series include — Dandelion Wishes —♥— A Small Town Second Chance —♥— A New Beginning in a Small Town —♥— A Small Town Summer —♥— Forever Family in a Small Town —♥— A Small Town Memory —♥— A Small Town Romance —♥— Finding Family in a Small Town —♥—

This is a romance that includes no swearing, no violence, and no sexual content (beyond a few kisses).

*Possible Trigger Warning for there are some hard subjects dealt with in this story – to say more would fall into spoilers*

Previously Published (Harlequin Heartwarming 2014)

Booksprout ARC

Title:  A New Beginning in a Small Town
Series:  Love in Harmony Valley #3
Author:  Melinda Curtis
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  March 21, 2023 (original 2014)
Publisher:
My Rating:  4.5

From the time we first met Slade at the start of the Love in Harmony Valley series, I’ve wanted to know what happened to him previously to turn him into the man he is today… and what is up with his ties?  A New Beginning in a Small Town will answer those questions plus open up a Pandora’s Box for Slade as he finally has to face his past, in all forms of it, in order to move on to the happiness he deserves with a woman who loves him just as he is.

Slade is a complex man who is dealing with so much beyond the Death and Divorce home he’s returned to or the constant penny-pinching ways that he’s become infamous for.  No, there are dark things in Slade’s past, things he hasn’t dealt with, things that haunt him to this day.  I’m going to say that there are some very hard subjects dealt with realistically in this novel.  I’d put a Trigger Warning on this one, but to define those would also give away spoilers.

Christine just wants to make wine, very good wine without her father constantly looking over her shoulder, questioning her decisions.  She has the chance to follow her dream by accepting the position with the new winery in Harmony Valley.  She’ll soon find herself bantering with one impossible man, enjoying the shenanigans that his twin daughters pull on him, and perhaps, fall in love with a very complicated man.

I enjoyed this book so much.  I also don’t want to spoil it for others for there is so much that you should discover on your own for the first time.  A well-written, emotional, funny, tragic, frustrating, and satisfying romance that you’ll be thinking about long after the final page.  I’d definitely recommend this one and the entire series; it just gets better with time.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or author’s team via Booksprout. The opinions expressed in this review are my own – good, bad, or indifferent.*

Available for the Kindle as this title and series are currently in KU