Above : Jodi McAlister. Pic Manda Ford
A book with bathos snd pathos that engages terrifically as we find out, at the onset that Fiona and Satoshi make no sense. He’s eight years younger and has no time for romance. She’s a single mother and doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to trust anyone again.
But how can Fiona resist when Satoshi suggests they give in to their mutual attraction and let off some steam?
And how can Satoshi resist when the woman he adores is finally within his grasp- even though they have agreed to keep things casual.
Fiona thought she had it all: a loving husband, three kids, and a life far removed from the suffocating expectations of her family. But her world catapulted when her husband revealed he was leaving her for his secret second family. Fiona of-course was devastated and humiliated.
Satoshi Tsukamoto wants it all. He owns a popular wine bar and is studying for the hardest test in the world, the Master Sommelier exam. There’s not enough hours in the day for anything else- except maybe his favourite customer and the woman he is inconveniently in love with, Fiona.
This is a carefully crafted and effervescent contemporary romance that balances a woman’s inner journey within a tender love story. There is a soft landing for the single mom who has been through the wringer, when she finds a courtly and handsome younger man. “Matt doesn’t want another baby. He has a whole other family in Melbourne and he’s leaving us for them”.
It’s not the ideal scenario in which to start a simmering relationship with the gorgeous sommelier who is attentive, kind, a great listener and wants to support her every need. Fraught with dread, she is surprised and delighted, but scared of Satoshi’s offer of a secret, no- strings, friends-with benefits arrangement, despite the fact that he is head over heels with her. The romance is narrated in alternating chapters by Fiona and Satoshi, who has his own professional and personal challenges to contend with, Fiona’s journey serves both as a catalyst and anchor. Certainly there is frisson and a tantalising hook in the way her marriage ends, and her new relationship begins.
Within 384 pages we discover where the novel’s strength lies with its fully recognisable leads. Fiona’s vulnerability is palpable, as is her grief over how absorbed and invested she was in her husband Matt’s orbit, that she never had the chance to pursue talents beyond parenting and home making.. I love the author‘s carefully crafted and effervescent romance in weaving this love story
From acclaimed author of An Academic Affair, this steamy story touched my feminine side and proved that Jodi McAlister is a current in full flow. Fiona’s challenging journey, a broken marriage, a single mother with three kids and the added big age gap trope are all catnip for the average reader.
Jodi delivers exceptional writing, capturing the nucleus and nuances involving Fiona and Satoshi’s situation, The focus on wine gives the novel extra texture.
Five stars.
More about Jodi McAlister
Jodi McAlister, PhD, is an author and academic from Kiama, Australia. She is the author of An Academic Affair and the Marry Me Juliet trilogy. She is currently a senior lecturer in writing, literature, and culture at Deakin University in Melbourne and is the president of the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance. Visit JodiMcAlister.com.au or find her on Instagram @JodiMcAlister.
