Good Reads: Imperfect Pairings

Imperfect Pairings by Jackie Townsend
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an intriguing story about love, family and wine. An evolving relationship between two very different types of people is at the center of this story. He is a traditional Italian with strong ties to his wine making family and their villa. She is a professional American with a cold, distant view of family and a disdain for the traditional.

After a marriage of convenience they find that their family histories are actually very similar. Slowly their notions of family and self are proven to be flawed and they are forced to rely on each other for their personal identity. It is a painful journey, but one that proves that family is important, but our families are not always those we are born into. A satisfying ending makes the reading journey worthwhile.

My one complaint is that the love between the two main characters is seldom demonstrated in any kind of physical closeness. There is an occasional "I love you", but that is said in a distant way. The emotional coldness between these characters jars against the passion shown by the secondary characters.

ARC provided via Netgalley.