Review: The Cellar Hand by Serena Yates

Title: The Cellar Hand (2^nd Edition)

Author: Serena Yates

Pages/Word Count: 120 Pages

At a Glance: The Cellar Hand is a nice little feel good mystery/romance.

Reviewed By: Carrie

Blurb: Orson Digby is no stranger to loss. His family died in a house fire when he was fifteen, and he has never recovered from losing touch with his best friend when he was made to stay with an aunt in a different state. Orson works hard to learn the art of winemaking and finally starts a job as cellar hand at Clear Springs Vineyard—only to run into his long-lost best friend.

Geoff Robichaud, freshly out of the Marines, is in charge of security at the winery. The friendship between Orson and Geoff is familiar, but the intense physical attraction is new. As they explore their developing feelings, several acts of sabotage threaten to destroy their new employer’s business and their newfound happiness. They need to rely on Orson’s knowledge of viniculture and Geoff’s understanding of security if they want to solve the mystery and build a future together.

Review: Orson Digby knows about hard work. He knows about loss and heartbreak. Determined to learn the art of winemaking, he works diligently at the lowest paying jobs in the finest wineries to learn the job from the ground up—literally.

When his family dies in a house fire, he is sent to live with his aunt, who feels it’s necessary to cut him off from all his old ties and friends to help him move on from the loss. Unfortunately, this also cuts him off from his best friend Geoff.

Geoff Robichaud has never forgotten his best friend—one day he was there and next day he was gone. Oh, he heard about the house fire that took Orson’s family, but what happened to Orson? The loss is like a hole that never heals, and now, fresh out of the marines, Geoff is determined to find Orson and see if the spark they had as teenagers is still there.

This story is a great premise with soul-mates and childhood best friends being torn apart by circumstances beyond their control. These characters are well written, and the factual representations of wineries really make it a complete story. I enjoyed finding out what a Cellar Hand does and what kind of job Orson holds. There isn’t any angst in this story, more a mystery surrounding the winery that both men work at, and I have to admit for a short story this element was well done. Serena Yates keeps you guessing about who is sabotaging the vines, and it really is who you least expect!

The relationship between Orson and Geoff is allowed to grow and blossom like the grape vines, and I will save this book and reread it whenever I need a good, heartwarming, interesting story to read again. This book is part of the Workplace Encounters Series—each is a well done short romance with little angst and interesting bios on the men and the jobs they hold.

TNA_Signature_Carrie