Silver Gate is a new-to-me wine brand. In theory, the grapes come from California. It's not a bad Merlot. In fact, it made me remember why I actually used to like Merlot. Back before it became A. overly popular, ubiquitous, and subsequently, B. ruined by the movie, Sideways. I tend to steer away from Malbec and white Zins for many of the same reasons. Popularity often breeds a lot of not-so-great wines.
But I digress.
This is a decent, serviceable Merlot. Medium bodied, low tannins, black cherry notes. I paired it with steak and roasted Brussels sprouts, a meal that I'd usually choose a bolder Zinfandel for, and it was surprisingly good.
This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "What’s your take on the “enemies-to-lovers” trope? How do you make this dynamic feel fresh and believable?"
Um...okay, this is probably an unpopular opinion but I'm not a big fan of this trope. I don't think it happens much (if at all) in reality, and if it does...it's probably not that healthy. I don't like Alpha-holes either, and the two definitely seem to go together.
I guess you could say that Pride and Prejudice is an example of this trope, but honestly, I think that's a stretch. They weren't really attacking each other, they were just prejudiced.
Anyway, hop on over to Jill Haymaker's page to learn what her take is. And don't forget to check out her book, Montana Pines Christmas Rescue.
Now available for pre-order, get this heartwarming story of two unlikely people who just may find love at Christmas with the help of some adorable animals.The beautiful Montana mountains form a perfect backdrop for this opposites attract romance.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXT4JVBX
Pour Decisions: Book Three
They may be keeping secrets and telling lies, but a little white wine never hurt anyone.
Allegra
It’s not every day that you inherit one-third of a winery. I should be on top of the world, floating on Cloud Wine, as they say. Instead, don’t you just know it? I’m about to make one of the biggest mistakes of my life. And that’s saying something. My family has always viewed me as something of a screw-up, not always fairly. But in this case? They’re not only dead right about me messing things up; they don’t even know the half of it. Yet.
Complicating my quest to redeem myself, earn my sisters’ respect, and help them turn our winery into a straight fire success, is my low-key relationship with Sheriff’s Deputy Clay Romero. Sure, there are risks involved in sleeping with the enemy, but ‘what’s meant to be will find a way,’ right? And whether Clay believes it or not, I know we’re fated. With a capital F.
Clay
We’re Capital F somethin’ all right; but I don’t think it’s fate. Ever since Legs (AKA Allegra Martinelli) blew back into town, I’ve been flirting with disaster. Literally. I doubt that woman’s ever met a rule that she didn’t want to at least bend. And, as luck would have it, it’s my job to try and stop her. I love my job, and I think I love her. But there’s not enough wine in Napa to convince me that I’ll be able to hang on to them both.
This week, on the Romance Writers Weekly blog hop, we're asked, "What was your favourite Halloween costume when you were a kid? Do you still dress up now?"
Um...all my favorite costumes from my childhood would probably be considered cultural appropriation now, so let's not go there. I do occasionally still dress up for Halloween--usually if there's a party involved. One of my most favorite recent costumes was when I dressed up as a Dead Unicorn Trope.
In case you're not familiar with this literary device, allow me to explain.
You've doubtlessly heard the expression, to beat a dead horse--meaning to continue to do something even after it's pointless. An example of that in writing would be to use the cliche of having the butler be the murderer--the butler did it!--if you were writing a cozy mystery set during a Victorian era house party. The idea being that it's pointless. That particular trope is so overused that it would be immediately obvious and anti-climactic.
EXCEPT! Plot twist! It's not overused at all. In fact, it was never actually a cliche at all. There are very few books in which the butler is revealed to be the murderer and--fun fact!--almost all of those were parodies written after the phrase was coined.
So...what's a type of horse that never actually existed? A unicorn, obvs! So a dead horse trope that is based on a cliche that was never really a cliche in the first place becomes: a dead unicorn trope.
For more info about dead unicorns, check out this article here: https://tropedia.fandom.com/wiki/Dead_Unicorn_Trope
But to continue: I'd already had my hair dyed in my usual pastel unicorn shades, so for my costume I simply added a matching unicorn horn headband, and then paired that with a colorful, Day-of-the-Dead skeleton costume. And voila!
Now, hop on over to Jill Haymaker's page to learn what she has to say about costumes. And don't forget to check out her book, Colorado Golden Sunrise.
Get in the holiday spirit with this heartwarming romance set in a small town in the Colorado mountains. When Kelly Charm leaves her home in Nebraska for a new life in Peakview, Colorado for herself and her teenage son, the last thing she expects is to find love. But when her son suffers an asthma attack, handsome EMT Jake Midnight is there to help. Can these two find love and family over the holidays?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07828MFF1
Serendipity is one of Grape Creek's member exclusive wines. The '21 has a lovely aroma--rose petals and raspberries. It's a soft, medium bodied wine with lots of juicy raspberry flavors and hints of pepper and smoke.
I have no idea what I'd pair this with, to be honest. It's not bold enough to stand up to steak or most pasta dishes. And it's a little too sophisticated for beef stew. Maybe Beef Stroganoff, or a Marsala? Something with mushrooms, perhaps? Or a Tex-Mex/Indian fusion dish? It has enough acidity to cut through the queso, and it's soft enough to balance out the heat from the curry.
It makes me think of cool fall nights, sitting by the bonfire, watching for falling stars. And maybe that's all the accompaniment it needs.
Alternately, there's a great wine scene in Visions Before Midnight, which is set at this time of year. So, perhaps, I'd pair this wine with a good book. lol!
