Tess Delaney.
Resident of San Francisco, California.
Single.
Provenance expert returning stolen treasures to rightful owners.

Dominic Rossi.
Resident of Archangel, California.
Divorced.
Banker. Grower of grapes. Vintner.

Tess can’t figure out how an out-of-town banker knows a piece of her family history that she’s never known. How is that even possible?

I loved this novel. I love Susan Wigg’s writing as she excels at character development in writing their relationships as family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. The dialogue is genuine. I also love that the stories unfold and celebrate ordinary days that sometimes, in retrospect, become even more treasured than birthdays or holiday gatherings. In this novel, the unexpected leads to exploring what was thought important differ from what was anticipated. The family drama, thought never to change, takes a new direction. Family history told was not to deceive but to protect, self-discovery doesn’t solely happen to the young, and when all are blended with forgiveness, healing, and the sparkles of romance, it becomes magical.

My book reviews do not include spoilers, but I’d like to share that this novel was all the more meaningful for me reading it immediately following an eARC of "The Lioness of Leiden" by Robert Loewen (Release Date: April 4, 2023).

Chapters are sectioned into 10 parts. Each part begins with an epigraph followed by a recipe. Discussion questions are provided at the end of the novel. ( )

There are two books in the Bella Vista Chronicles series. I liked the WW II background of the grandfather and the beginnings of the relationship between the two separated sisters more than I did the other threads of the storyline. Parts of the second book were very unbelievable for several reasons, not least the elephant in the room whiich is never explained in any way. Really! ( )

Just couldn't get into this. I may try it again when I'm in a different frame of mind. ( )

The Apple Orchard (Bella Vista Chronicles, #1) by Susan Wiggs

Tess, an only child to a single mother learns she has a grandfather (Magnus) and sister (Isabel). She learns this as she finds out Magnus is in a coma and she is set to inherit half of his Orchard. She travels to the Orchard where she uncovers the truth about the Father she never knew and her family.

I did not like Tess, which is rare for me, although towards the end she did grow on me a bit. The story was intriguing with a mix of History, family, friendship and a splash of romance. Overall I did enjoy The Apple Orchard and recommend to all. ( )

Tess Delaney researches and finds high end antiquities for a major auction/appraisal house in San Francisco. Recently, she tracked down a necklace for an elderly woman who lost her family in WW Ii to the Nazi occupation of Denmark. Shortly thereafter, a banker from up in Sanioma Valley came to her office to inform her that her grandfather was in a coma and that she was inheriting half of an Apple Orchard. Tess didn't even know her father much less know that she had family other than her mother. Tess went to Bella Vista to find out what was going on and to let her new sister know that she did not want the inheritance. Little did Tess know that her hectic life was about to change.

I really enjoyed this story. The author merged background stories of family and survival during WW Ii which led Tess to finding what family was all about. The setting was wonderfully described. The characters were mostly ordinary people who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances. I love Wiggs' writing style. ( )