That Moment When... you finally reveal your Napa Crush...

Buy Napa Crush for .99 cents! 

I'm crushing on designer Dar Albert's outstanding cover for book #2 in my Wine Country Romance Series, Napa Crush. 

I couldn't be any happier! 

Napa Crush officially launches July 20th. 

To celebrate my cover reveal day,  I've dropped the pre-order price to .99 cents! So, scoop it up beauties: 

Kate Kisset's Napa Crush

(Book #1 of my Wine Country Romance Series, Just a Kiss, is also on sale! Scroll down for the details!) 

Buy Napa Crush for .99 cents!

                                                                                                                                                                     
Napa Valley feature writer Danica Vargas’ serene, wine country life turns upside down when she lands in the hospital and meets the sexy baseball star who accidentally put her there. 

Unfortunately, she has no idea who he is. Unexpectedly, she’s caught between two of Napa’s Valley’s notorious Santino brothers, mistaking one man’s flirtation, for love, and another’s undying affection, for friendship. 

In school, Luca Santino’s best friend’s older sister Danica was a knockout. She batted his heart around like a ball… except when they were making out in her bedroom. 

Back in Napa Valley a decade later with his semi-pro baseball team, Luca rediscovers the girl he loved. As a woman, she's even more enticing than he remembered. Older and wiser, maybe this time they’ll realize what started long ago wasn’t a game.

                Thank you for all the book love & support!

Read the early reviews for Napa Crush on Kate Kisset's Goodreads page.

Where the Wild Ideas Are and How I turn them into Romance Novels.

Four years ago, while hiking behind Bartholomew Park Winery, (Bartpark to locals), in Sonoma Valley, a what if moment occurred. 

I was on a dusty incline where the trail bumps up against the Buena Vista Winery property, peering through blackberry bushes.

From that unusual vantage point, I had an amazing view of Bartholomew Winery and could imagine how the rolling acres of vineyards might have looked  in 1857, when Agoston Haraszthy purchased the property and dubbed it “Buena Vista.”

After the hike, I didn't go straight to my car and detoured to the villa, the replica of the beautiful home Count Haraszthy built for his family. I walked around the property and then sat on its front steps and looked out over the vineyards.

And then I wondered what if:

The property wasn't a winery and was still a home?
What if a relative of the original owner lived there?
What if the relative fell on hard times and needed to rent rooms to keep the villa running?
What if three single friends, lived in those rooms?
What if each of those women found their happily-ever-after in Sonoma Valley?
What if there was another family (of sexy, sweet, and smart brothers) in Napa Valley. What if they owned a winery?

... And that is how the story of Sarah Dupont, Danica Vargas, Juliet St. John and their landlord, Lulu Castelli came to be.  Count Harasthy's villa is called Bella Villa in my story. And the sexy men of Napa Valley Winery fame are called the Santino brothers. :-)   

Here's a snapshot of Just a Kiss, book #1 in my Wine Country Romance Series and the first book I've ever written. 

Just a Kiss

Three roommates
One wine country villa
Six Santino brothers

Reeling from the loss of her mother, Sarah Dupont catches her fiancé doing the nasty on top of her pastry table at their San Francisco Bakery. Devastated, she calls her best friend, reporter, Danica Vargas. Danica convinces Sarah to start fresh and move in with her at Bella Villa mansion in rural Sonoma Valley.

With two roommates who act like the sisters she never had and a feisty landlord to stand in as the grandmother she always wanted, Sarah’s opens a café on the Sonoma Plaza. 

Her life changes the moment the little bell on the door rings and the notoriously sexy actor Jamie Santino, swaggers in.
Jamie, one of the six wealthy Santino Brothers, of Napa Valley Winery fame, needs baking lessons for his new movie and Sarah is just the woman to teach him. Wine flows and their love seems undeniable until a femme fatale from Jamie's past enters the scene.

Can Sarah believe Jamie isn't acting, when everything he says sounds too good to be true?

Each book in the series is a standalone read. There are no cliffhangers.

Thank you so much for reading.
To learn more about me, visit my website:
www.katekisset.com

Until next time,

xo Kate





 

The Daily Kiss: This is NOT what you think it is.

This is NOT what you think it is.

On the surface, this might seem like a standard pitch, from an indie author, hoping to get the word out about her book. This assumption is only half correct. 

Sure, I'd love exposure for Napa Crush, a book that has taken me two years to release, but I'm also thanking everyone, (including you) who is following me on my journey.

This giveaway will not be advertised anywhere. I'm only posting this on my own social media sites, to the people who are already following, and reading me.

If you feel inclined to share the cover of Napa Crush on your blog, Facebook page, or where ever, just sign up to let me know, and you're in the drawing. 

https://goo.gl/forms/EPIQKTiN9ykRI5CW2

The cover is beautiful by the way!

Napa Crush Synopsis:

Napa Crush is a STANDALONE contemporary romance set in Napa Valley wine country. 

That moment when your first crush walks back into your life… and you’re kissing his brother. 

Danica Vargas just met the man of her dreams, but he's not who she thinks he is. She really should remember him, because he's never forgotten her.

Napa Valley feature writer Danica Vargas’ serene, wine country life turns upside down when she lands in the hospital and meets the sexy baseball star who accidentally put her there. Unfortunately, she has no idea who he is. Unexpectedly, she’s caught between two of Napa’s Valley’s notorious Santino brothers, mistaking one man’s flirtation, for love, and another’s undying affection, for friendship. 

In school, Luca Santino’s best friend’s older sister Danica was a knockout. She batted his heart around like a ball… except when they were making out in her bedroom. Back in Napa Valley a decade later with his semi-pro baseball team, Luca rediscovers the girl he loved. As a woman, she's even more enticing than he remembered.

Older and wiser, maybe this time they’ll realize what started long ago wasn’t a game.

Pre-Order: https://www.amazon.com/Napa-Crush-Single-Country-Romance-ebook/dp/B071JRSJ5X

Crushing on Napa Crush on the Fourth of July

Happy Almost Fourth of July! I have a new book coming out with the sweetest Fourth of July scene I thought you might enjoy.
The book is called #NapaCrush and will be available on Amazon July 20th. Although each book in my series is a standalone read, with no cliffhangers, Napa Crush, is book #2 of my Wine Country Romance Series.

Happy reading.


There are several twists in the story and I don't want to spoil it for you, so I'll keep the set up brief.
In this scene, the heroine, reporter Danica Vargas, is recovering from a scorching and surprising kiss from her childhood sweetheart, the indie baseball star, Luca Santino. She, and a group from an earlier party, caught a ride from Luca to the river to watch the fireworks:

Pre-Order NAPA CRUSH: https://www.amazon.com/Napa-Crush-Single-Country-Romance-ebook

She’d lost sight of Luca after the group’s Frisbee game. Although the Santino clan, and practically everyone else from the gathering, played, Danica couldn’t bear the awkwardness of being around him, and stayed on the sidelines. Even if she had managed to corral enough courage to strike up a conversation with Luca, she couldn’t have pulled it off in front of Michael.

It didn’t matter, though. Luca hadn’t noticed her. She doubted he’d given her a second thought after helping her out of his truck.

Zzeeee-zzzzz. A test firecracker launched over the Napa River, illuminating the rapt crowd with red bursts of sparkle. As if on cue, Luca’s unmistakable silhouette popped up near the river’s edge, flanked by two female forms, one on each side. Danica shifted on her blanket for a better look. The figure on his right leaned, tilting her face up to his.

Remembering the taste of Luca’s kiss hours ago, she felt a hot blush sear her cheeks, and clutched the sweatshirt at her neck. Danica wriggled away from Juliet and leaned forward for a better look. What would he do now?

Luca adjusted his blanket so his cuddling companions were covered and protected from the cold breeze coming off the water. She’d have to wait for her own up-close view of him next week unless he cancelled their interview.

Even though they’d kissed, she changed her mind about finding another source for the baseball story. It wasn’t professional to kiss the subject of an interview, and god knows she shouldn’t have with Michael. But Luca? Her first kiss? They had too much history between them. She would talk to Mr. Harvey, and if she had to pass the story on to someone else, she would.

BOOM! A spray of red, white, and blue glittery light exploded over the park. A surge of excitement rushed through her. Luca Santino was back. Although she wasn’t sitting next to him, after all these years, they were together in the same place, looking at the same sky, seeing the same fireworks, at the same time.

I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Until next time,
Kate xo

Book #1 Wine Country Romance:https://www.amazon.com/Just-Kiss-Single-Country-Romance-ebook/dp/B00ZH4W0WU

Dancing with the Stars of Wine Country in Kate Kisset's Two to Tango

Hi everyone!  This is going to be a quick blog post because it's release day here in wine country and no matter how much I plan ahead, there's always more to do when a book finally goes up for sale.

I'm waltzing around my office with Lucy the-wonder-pup because Two to Tango broke the Top 100 in KW Romance hours after its release! 

I'll write more when I have minute, but didn't want to wait before saying thank you!

If you're reading my blog for the first time, and need a wine country getaway loaded with romance, family and giggles, you'll probably like Two to Tango. 

Read the reviews and buy the book: Two to Tango: http://bit.ly/KissetTwoToTango

An unexpected roommate. An unlikely dance partner. A match made in wine country.

Sexy veterinarian Scarlett Halle jumps at the chance to move home to St. Helena and start over after being dumped by her fiancé. She's determined to break out of her timid shell and go after what she wants, but the fear of failing still stands in her way.

While staying at a friend's vineyard retreat arranging her relocation, she discovers an unexpected roommate. Not just any roommate, but a man she spent an unforgettable evening with years ago.

San Francisco sportscaster Jake Martelli will do anything for his family, but this time his aunt ChiChi has gone too far. After being publicly humiliated by a geriatric mod squad, he’s forced to hide out in wine country. This time the punishment for his loyalty is learning how to tango in order to win a local dance competition. He's not looking for a partner, but when he finds he's hiding out with someone from his past, it would seem fate has other plans.

With Scarlett by his side, will Jake discover a three-minute tango is the dance of a lifetime?

Sonoma Valley- Napa Valley Wine Country: Real Locations used in Just a Kiss novel

"I’ll take you there... Let me take you there…”

I had so much fun writing Just a Kiss.  It was the perfect excuse to tell a hot and sweet love story and set the tale in my home town. Grounded in romance and vino, my characters live and work in Napa - Sonoma wine country, an hour north of San Francisco. 

The Single Girls Wine Club series centers around three roommates who live in an historic estate in Sonoma Valley called “Bella Villa.” In future books, each woman, will be treated to a toe-curling love affair she never saw coming. 

There's a reason I'm known as "The Real Wine Wife" on Twitter! Many of the book’s venues are “real” wine country locations. I also use actual events and pour genuine wine whenever possible throughout my Single Girls Wine Club series.

So, without further ado, let's dive into a few story scenes from the debut book of the series, Just a Kiss.

Pour a glass of your favorite vino and let me show you around wine country…

*All of the photos are my own.

In Just a Kiss, Lulu Castelli is the landlord of “Bella Villa” but she's more like a friend to the three women who live there. The actual building is an exact replica of the family home “Count,”Agoston Haraszthy built for his family in the 1800s. It's now on the Bartholomew Winery property in Sonoma.

This is Sarah Dupont’s view in  Just a Kiss. In real life, the original owner of this estate founded Buena Vista Winery.   I remember the day I took this photo. I kept thinking, what if someone still lived here? What if she had roommates? What if she met the love of her life?

In Just a Kiss, Lulu Castelli is the great granddaughter of a famous winemaker very similar to Agoston Haraszthy.  Mr. Haraszthy, the self-proclaimed “Count of Buena Vista,” created California’s first premium winery in Sonoma Valley in 1857.

Just a Kiss is the first of three stories planned in The Single Girls Wine Club series. The novel centers on the love story of Sarah Dupont and Jamie Santino. 

The story begins when Sarah Dupont takes the advice of her best friend and moves to Sonoma Valley. She opens a café in the heart of town, on the Sonoma Plaza.

 

There really is a bakery-café on The Plaza.  I didn’t use the actual name because Sarah and Jamie do the kinds of things there that get “real” people fired. :) Sarah’s shop is called The Vine Café.

Do you notice the green awning in the photo above? Sebastiani Theatre is a California landmark and plays an integral role in the story because Jamie Santino is an actor.  Sarah meets him when one of her roommates convinces her to give Jamie baking lessons for an upcoming movie role.  

A much older crowd than Jamie Santino pulls in!  I snapped this from the café next to the theatre. I think they were showing a documentary about eggs.

 

All six of the gorgeous Santino brothers appear throughout The Single Girls Wine Club stories. In Just a Kiss, although Jamie Santino is the "star" of the story, you'll meet all of his brothers. Their family owns Napa Valley's Santino Family Winery.  So of course, I had to do some "research." 

Here I am hard at work at B.R. Cohn Winery...

Now, back to the tour…

The annual lighting of the Sonoma Plaza Christmas tree is mentioned in the book's first scene. My family attends this magical event every year.

Collage of various photos of Sonoma and Napa events. Top left is the annual lighting of the Sonoma Plaza’s Christmas tree. I'm standing in front of the plaza, facing the crowd.

 

Vineyard Colors: There's a moment in Just a Kiss when Sarah Dupont looks out her window and contemplates the future. This is what she sees.

I hope you enjoyed the mini-tour!  If you'd like to see more of wine country and Just a Kiss story scenes, check out my photo gallery on www.KateKisset.com here. 

             Buy Just a Kiss on Amazon.

About Kate Kisset: 

Former San Francisco radio disc jockey Kate Kisset has a passion for telling great stories.

After playing thousands of Pop, Country, Rock and Oldies tunes, for her primarily female fan base, she changed her tune and became an author. 

Just a Kiss is the first book in her wine country romance series, The Single Girls Wine Club.

She lives in Northern California and Santa Barbara with her family and rescue pup “editor” Luciana Parmigiana, where she hikes, reads, listens to music, and drinks wine.