Books & Bottles: Loving The Game & Kinhaven’s 2020 Estate Rosé

Does anyone know where August went? This month has been outlandishly busy. Somehow (a miracle) I was still able to finish 2 and a half audio books but… I just couldn’t finish a physical book this month. Trust me, I tried to read a one but the thing is… I couldn’t get into it! Literally, the book I was reading just wasn’t holding enough of an interest. So, you’re going with Loving the Game this month. I promise I diddddd read it this year. In fact, I read it at the beginning of July!

That counts right? Still a summer read?

I paired it with one of the best rosés I got this year. So, let’s go!

Loving the Game by Bailie Hantam & Kinhaven 2020 Estate Rose — Loving the Game & Kinhaven 2020 Estate Rose

Table of Contents

The Book: Loving The Game by Bailie Hantam

This book is a spin-off from the Thirty-Something In The City series. I’ve never read the series. Never even heard of it til I read this novel. 😅 I found this book on goodreads and got it for free on amazon because I had a credit.

A brief synopsis:

Long story very short, Tyler & Jill grew up together. Jill having a thing for Tyler the whole time. She was determined to get him out of her system before going to college. After being together, they went their separate ways.

Fast forward 15 years – Tyler, now famous rugby player, and Jill, a new PR rep for his team, well… they’re destined to run into each other around every corner.

The problem is, Tyler has a secret: he’s loved Jill since childhood. After their one night together, it tormented him to let her go and not speak to her again. That is, until Tyler’s sister ends up at the hospital, and Jill being her best friend and emergency contact… she’s forced to re-open the door to Tyler. Spoiler, she didn’t get him out of her system.

Honest review:

I gave this book a 4 star rating on goodreads. I liked the main characters! And, I’m not going to sugar coat this: the sexy scenes were fun. They had great energy and I loved that they knew each other as kids and didn’t have to try hard to re-learn who each other were, as adults.

That said, there were a few editorial errors in this book. I’m not one to talk because sometimes I only read through my blog posts once before hitting “publish”. (I’m working on that!)

About half way through, I realized I really didn’t know where this book was taking place. Turns out the author is from Johannesburg, South Africa! That’s probably why I was confused by some of the editing choices. I loved that the author was from another country and that Jill, well, wasn’t white. Adding to my list of paperbacks with POC main characters!

I was thrilled to be traveling to South Africa in this romance novel. I also loved Jill. She was petite, feisty and curvy. I would be friends with her.

Book rating: 4 stars

This was such a fast read. I read it in 2 days. I spent half the time reading in the sunshine at the park. I’m very excited that this is the first in a series but… now I have to wait for the second. 😩

Have you read Loving the Game? How’d you feel about it?

Books & Bottles August Review — Books & Bottles Review from the Washington State Capitol, Olympia!

The Bottle: Kinhaven’s 2020 Estate Rosé

Wine wine wine wine. Okay you guys… I seriously love this Washington State boutique winery. I was introduced to Kinhaven by a a co-worker. So, I made a reservation while I was out on my Walla Walla trip. I left with two bottles of this rosé.

What I’m tasting:

Light, refreshing strawberry goodness. This rosé is smooth and subtle. It’s fresh and delicious, not acidic at all.

What makes this wine unique:

This rosé was made and bottled at limited supply. There were only a few hundred cases made and it’s now sold out! One of the pros and cons to a boutique winery. I love that they’re able to sell out of a product but what a bummer that it runs out so quickly!

You also can’t buy their anywhere except at the vineyard. I will be stocking up next year when their 2021 is released.