#2 The California Novels - This epic tale of love lost and found unfolds against the lush background of the California wine industry. After building a winery on the one-hundred-year-old vineyard that Francesca DeAngelo inherited, her husband, Jake, walked out on her, leaving his 6-year-old son and even his own mother behind. After Francesca divorced him she struggled to run the vineyard and winery successfully by herself. Things are going fairly well until Mitchell Gillette shows up, a corporate operative sent to put Francesca out of business—a man her mother-in-law then proceeds to fall in love with! To make matters worse, Francesca's ex-husband reappears, wanting to come home. The bonds of love and loyalty are sorely tested as two generations are forced to look at the mistakes they've made, the dreams they still hold, and the possibility that love might deserve a second chance. As the American Library Association writes, "Baker's sweet romance will appeal to young and old alike."