Eight Days To Be Ruined by Giovanna Siniscalchi [ARC Review]

*I’d like to thank Giovanna Siniscalchi for contacting me, and offering a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Three Days To Be Ruined” by Giovanna Siniscalchi is the 5th instalment of “The Winemakers”-series, and follows the story of Beth Croft and Boyd Sandeman. Before moving forward with my review, I think it’s important to point out that this is the first book of the series I have read, so I review this novella more as a standalone than a part of the series.

1870s, Portugal. Beth Croft finds herself in a clutch. With her family’s wine business facing bankruptcy, her parents urge her to forge a marriage of convenience with their competitor Boyd Sandemna. The problem with that plan? The grumpy Scotsmans for one is the best friend of Beth’s ex-fiancé, for another Beth’s father rejected and insulted him gravely when he started off in the business. The stars don’t seem aligned for this undertaking, but for some reason Boyd doesn’t straight up reject, but invites her over for Christmas to figure out if she is winemaker’s wife material. Three days and three nights are supposed to show if they suit outside and inside the bedroom. To both of their surprise the sparks fly, but Boyd’s intention was never honourable, and Beth starts liking him too much to force his hand in marriage.

First, I’d like to point out that despite not having read any of the other books in this series, I had no problem following along with the storyline of Beth and Boyd. Moreover, I found myself enjoying this novella very much.

Beth is the type of main character that I often really relate to. Raised to be the perfect lady and to be a wife, many traits that make Beth well Beth are suppressed by Beth herself as well as her parents. But when she is put into an environment where these bounds get thinner and thinner, and the cello music blasting, daring and slightly bratty woman gets out, she even changes the mind of the grumpy Scotsman who swore he didn’t like her that way. I loved how no matter what was thrown at her, she held her head up high and faced it straight up. There are many facets to her as a character that I really loved to explore. And I think though this is only a novella, one gets to see many sides of this red head. 

The pairing of her with Boyd was a great choice. I mean the tension and impossible nature of their relationship was already there based on the fact of their rather unusual backstory, but I loved how they kept attracting each other like magnets. Though Boyd is a Scottish hottie, underneath his grumpy exterior a insecure and hurt man is hiding. And for some reason Beth knows exactly how to stab his weak spots without looking. One might think that an identity struggle with being Scottish is a little silly as the entire historical romance world tells you how great and how proud Scots are, I actually really enjoyed this exploration. Scots are historical in a weird spot, starting off as a resisting force against English colonialism, then losing and struggling through poverty and famine, only to end up being extremely involved in the transatlantic slave trade. From this perspective I really appreciate Giovana’s perspective on dealing with this archetype of historical romance. 

As stated before I have never met the supporting cast as main characters in their own books, but I actually really liked them in their roles as side characters. They are an interesting bunch, and their opinions and meddling with the main couple’s relationship was very endearing. If you are also reading this novella without reading the rest of the series, this novella does feature two steamy scenes between the couples featured in earlier instalments. I guess these scenes are a treat if you are in general a fan of the series.

For a novella, the pacing is pretty good. Though it’s pretty sure it did have a full-length novel feel to it. I did not miss any information or plot holes that are common in novellas. It’s very well constructed and written. Giovanna’s writing style is very enjoyable, and also great for non-Native speakers like myself. The inner life of the main characters was well crafted, and I very much enjoyed my time in their heads. Additionally, the dialogue is witty and realistic. 

Plot-wise I was - again - very happy. The overall story of Beth trying to set up a marriage of convenience, and Boyd daring her to prove herself fitting to be his wife is something I have not read in this form before, and I have to say I thought it very interesting and fun. Obviously not having read the books prior I am not quite sure how much these two have interacted before their own novella, but just reading the novella it felt that their relationship was developing extremely fast. I mean, it only takes them three days to go from strangers to confessing their love for each other. It’s definitely a whirlwind romance which is not totally my thing, but for a short and sweet holiday novella, I’m not overly complaining. 

As someone who barely drinks any alcohol, and barely drinks any wine, it was quite the adventure to dive into Victorian wine making. It’s quite the niche topic, but honestly I am here for it. We had dukes and lords and prizefighters, why not add winemakers to the mix? 

Also, I am usually not the biggest fan of  Christmas novels/novellas as if they often have the tendency to get a little too cheesy for my taste, but I liked how the Christmas vibes were kept on the down low, and I think you get away with reading outside the festive season and still have a great time.

Overall, a fun and sexy novella about winemaking, winning over grumpy Scots and proudly being yourself. I can only recommend giving it a try.