The Taste of Light

By Giovanna Siniscalchi.

The Taste of Light is book 2 in the Winemakers series, and it can be read as a standalone, but I truly recommend reading “The True Purpose of Wines” book 1 if you didn’t. It’s an amazing read, and you’ll have a glimpse of Pedro and Anne there.

The story is exactly what the title says. Pedro is an antihero (and I’m a sucker for them) with a dark and torturous past. He grew up under the leash of an abusive father, molding his complex character and a force to reckon with. He meets Anne, the sister of an old rival, and due to some false allegations, they are forced to flee together. Anne is pure light. Young, carefree, with not a mean bone in her body. She sees the good in people and tries to always see the bright side of life, but she’s strong as a storm and a splendid match to the broody soldier.

The setting is Portugal in the 1870s. The plot brings a lot of history, but not only as a background, since the author masterfully inserted the characters as active participants in it, also presenting us with the beautiful and sad love story of Dom Pedro and Inês de Castro as part of the plot.

The book has a beautiful narrative with an elaborate vocabulary, lending poetry to the lines. The evolution of the story and the characters are full of conspiracies, betrayals, redemptions, and love, lots of love with Anne finally wrapping herself around Pedro’s heart to never let go.

Anne is a love poem herself, and her interaction with Pedro is enchanting and sublime. Pedro’s evolution is impressive and will give you goosebumps. They understand each other at the most elementary level. Sometimes there’s no need for words between them and, when they succumb to their heart, they surprise us with some fun and spicy moments.

The ending is harrowing and will leave you biting your nails and cheering for their deserved happiness. If you love historical romance, with a breathtaking antihero, a strong heroine, immersed in real history, lots of love and redemption, this is your next read!