Review: A Veil of Vines by Tillie Cole

Title: A Veil of Vines
By: Tillie Cole
My Copy: Ebook from Publisher
The BookWhisperer's Rating: 

To most people, princes, princesses, counts and dukes are found only in the pages of the most famous of fairytales. Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.

But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth.

For some, they are real life.

On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.

I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set.

I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.

The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.

In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more.

And I am soon to become one of them.

I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…

… or at least I was, until I met Achille.

And everything changed.

The two series that I have read from Tillie Cole have been rough, raw, and frankly a little terrifying at times (however always wonderful) but “A Veil of Vines” was not at all what I expected and oh so different and beautiful. Cole really showed her soft and sweet side with the story of Caresa, who is betrothed to Zeno, but slowly falls in love with Achille. 

After Caresa is uprooted and moves to Italy, her fiancé leaves her to attend to the family business of making wine.  Left alone, Caresa is bored until she meets Achille, one of the wine makers.  It was heart-warming to read how Caresa bloomed under the ever-watchful eyes of Achille not only in the ways of making wine but as a lover. Also, how Achille bettered himself under the dutiful help of Caresa.  The time that they spend together just seemed magical and floated off the pages.  I could see picture all of it: Achille’s house, the vineyard, the horse stalls, and the beautiful land that surround the property.  It felt as if I was hidden figure taking in their experiences right along with them. 

And what made me gloriously happy is that there were a few surprises that I didn’t see coming.  So no spoiler alerts needed here; you need to read them for yourself!