Crush

By: Mae Wood

Narrated by: Zachary Webber, Savannah Peachwood

The only thing headier than wine is lust.

Ryan Royer thought his business trip to California's Napa Valley would be easy. Land a new client. Taste wine. But when the client is a free-spirited bombshell who presses all of his buttons, Ryan's world goes sideways.

Kenzie Balfour is entirely irresistible. She's the fourth generation to run the von Eck Estate Winery, and she's more intoxicating than any award-winning cabernet.

Ryan has been working hard for a promotion at one of the world's top investment banks. If he can close this deal for her legendary winery, he gets the job. He can't let a gorgeous woman with a great laugh get in the way of his goals. Even if she leaves him love drunk.

From a trouser-tightening almost-kiss at a restaurant to a seductive walk through a vineyard at sunset, can Ryan keep his crush on his client under control, or will a taste of Kenzie be his downfall?

Escape to California's wine country in Crush.

©2020 Mae Wood (P)2020 Mae Wood

Meh

It was good but not great. I enjoyed the narration but the story was a bit lacking

Insta-Attraction!

The insta-love trope is alive and well in the wine country of California and I love it! Ryan and McKenzie “Kenzie” both experience a sense of home or familiarity in their first encounter. Both believe they have met before, although neither can recall the event. Both have an immediate and visceral attraction to each other and both have no idea what to do about it. Some might call it souls reconnecting or hearts acknowledging their other halves; I would call it kismet.

The two do not fight the pull toward each other. Rather, they both jump into the water and trust the current will connect them, bind them and keep them both safe, with each other. Ryan Royer cannot fight his feelings and as an investment banker, he continually uses his logical side to talk himself out of the relationship. McKenzie Balfour is an old soul who loves her vineyard and only wants to make wine. As a student at UC Davis, she doesn’t define herself by her grades, but it does make her unsettled. In the end, Kenzie wants what she wants —damn the consequences or obstacles — and that tenacity is what had me rooting for this couple. While there is an 8-year age difference between these two characters, love doesn’t care and it doesn’t hold water with these characters.

Ryan and Kenzie fight for love, for the vineyards and for their forever. The story will make you believe that perseverance is a value worth exploring. The author writes really good stories, making the reader invest their own emotions into it and rooting for them in the end! Definitely worth your consideration. The fact that this is in audio format is even better because the voice of Zachary Webber in anything is worth it!

Great audiobook

This is the first book I’ve read by Mae Wood and I really liked it. I listened to the audiobook as I was reading it and I really enjoyed it.

Savannah Peachwood and Zachary Webber did an amazing job portraying Kenzie and Ryan, but it doesn’t really come as a surprise because they are amazing.

I really liked the story and I enjoyed the audiobook a lot. It’s light but intense at the same time. It’s steamy and very well written. I look forward to reading more of Mae Wood’s books. And also listening to them.

Such an enjoyable sweet story!

I really enjoyed this book! The story and narration were great! It’s a sweet story that kept me swooning from start to finish!

The Crush is Real

I’m a sucker for a good romance and this did it for me. Not enough angst that you want to scream at the main characters, but enough to make you feel it in the heart.

As someone who only lives a few hours away from the Napa wine valley, I love reading about the vineyard and the wine process. I’ve visited many wineries and usually leave daydreaming about owning my own.

Thank you for the sweet story of 2 people who fell in love!