The Vintage: A Villa d'Oro Novel

Fiona spent thirty years making herself small enough to fit her husband's diplomatic career. At 52, newly divorced, she's forgotten what she wanted before she learned to want less.

Her children send her to Tuscany for three weeks of mandatory rest. She lasts two days before restlessness drives her to Alessandro's vineyard—not for wine, but for something to do with her hands that isn't managing someone else's crisis.

The widowed vintner offers her work. What Fiona doesn't expect is how working beside someone—passing tools, sharing silence, solving problems together—can rebuild trust in wanting things again.

Through quiet mornings in the vines, she remembers what it feels like to be seen rather than useful.
Through shared meals after long days, she discovers conversation that doesn't require performing.
Through Alessandro's patient attention, she learns that being competent doesn't mean sacrificing yourself.

He teaches her about vines, yes—but really he's teaching her that some things can't be rushed, only tended. That partnership means asking what someone wants, not assuming what they need. That 52 isn't too late to choose brave over safe.

As spring becomes summer becomes harvest, Fiona faces a choice: Return to Edinburgh and the person everyone expects her to be, or stay for the life that makes her feel real again—and the man who's shown her what it means to be truly seen.

A slow-burn romance about rediscovering who you are when you stop performing competence. About finding a partner who sees you, not just what you do.

For readers who've spent decades being so good at making everyone else's life work that they forgot they had one too—and wonder if it's too late to want something different.

Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan's transformative warmth and Beth O'Leary's emotional honesty.

Book 3 in Villa d'Oro series—read them all.