Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: In Vino Veritas 
AUTHOR: Sydney Blackburn
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 127 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 13, 2018
BLURB:
Anthony Beretta inherited the family winery at the tender age of twenty-four. It’s a struggle to keep it up, but he loves it and is determined to make it work even if it kills him. That is, if a motorcyclist doesn’t kill him first. He initially judges the man, attractive as he may be, on the basis of his appearance and apparently limited vocabulary. He soon discovers he’s wrong, but by then Oscar Kennett has already judged Anthony on his appearance.
Oscar thinks Tony Beretta is uptight and snobbish, and Tony’s speech for the charity they’re working on together reinforces that, even when he finds out Tony did it just to push his buttons. His adorable curls and sexy glasses might not be enough to change his mind, but maybe there’s more to Tony than meets the eye.
REVIEW:
Set in a Canadian vineyard, In Vino Veritas is a story of two men whose initial assumptions about each other turn out to be completely wrong.
Anthony and Oscar first meet when Oscar, on his motorbike, overtakes Anthony and causes an accident by avoiding a bunny. Their state of dress, the situation and the adrenaline make for an intense encounter. Their second meeting involves them organizing a charity event, which proves just as frustrating and emotional with both men making snap judgments about the other. Thus, their relationship begins as an adversarial one fraught with insults and sarcasm.
These types of story are my kryptonite.
Anthony is an insecure individual, who describes himself as comfortable in jeans and boots, and when he puts on a suit, looking like a well-dressed up-ended mop. Those insecurities make him put on a façade for the public. Words others use to describe him are – cold fish, fancy pants and arrogant prick.
Upon first impression, Oscar, Oz to his friends is a tattooed biker, who is part of a club. But he is much more – his biker persona is only part of his makeup. The club also does a lot of work for charity. Therefore, Anthony has no option but to rely on Oz’s experience when organizing the event.
Anthony has a delightful, shyness and disbelief in his own attractiveness. He also has a wicked sense of humour and, when he realizes he’s been stereotyped, he returns the favour by pushing all of Oscar’s buttons. From that moment, I just knew that if they didn’t kill each other, the lust would boil over making the heat rating scorching – and I wasn’t wrong.
In such a short story, it was good to see the focus stay on Anthony and Oscar. Many writers get tempted to stray off the path. Not here. Other introduced characters added to the plot and none were superfluous. For a novella, it packed in everything I like in a story and didn’t string anything out.
Was it well paced? Yes
Did I come to care for the characters? Yes
Did I have heart palpitating moments? Yes
Did it make me smile? Yes
Was the storyline without holes? Yes
Any complaints? No
Was it technically sound? Yes
Overall, I had a most enjoyable read, rooting for the boys, and my heart was given a workout though their ups and downs. It made a rainy Sunday, so much better.
RATING: 
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