A Very Crowded House by Kelly Elizabeth Huston

A Very Crowded House, book two of Kelly Elizabeth Huston’s Found Families Series is filled with twists and turns, uninvited guests, and unraveling family secrets. Like in her debut novel Tex Miller is Dead, Huston’s humor sneaks through the pages as her characters occupy Jocelyn’s family home in the Hamptons that summer. How tough could it be spending a summer in the Hamptons? Well, for Joycelyn endurance is a key word. When the charming best-selling author Asher Cray shows up, Jocelyn has the need to downplay her one hit wonder novel, as well as her infatuation with Asher, knowing the two aren’t equals.

As Asher deals with his own secret issues of writer’s block, mysteries unravel for Jocelyn as she fears a never-forgotten ambiguous nightmare of her youth could turn into a problematic here and now. This is one of those reads that keeps you waiting for the other shoe to drop.

As I searched for a wine to go with Ms. Huston’s story, I felt the need for a light, summer wine and somehow came across a winery in Marlborough, New Zealand … “When we started we were brave, or silly, and amongst the only ones. Now we share the valley with many others. It’s what this place was for. It's our house- our exciting, crowded house.” This wine was worth looking into!

Lo and behold- the name of their vibrant and refreshing wines, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir is CROWDED HOUSE I chose to pursue the pinot. “The wine displays bright aromatics of wild strawberries and raspberries with underlying spice and barrel char notes. Light bodied, the palate is fresh with red berry notes and gentle oak integration carrying the wine to a smooth finish.” Delish! Upon reading the history of these winemakers, I learned they decided that the critical decision in winemaking was deciding when to pick the fruit. So apparently timing IS everything. And if you asked Jocelyn and/or Asher from The Very Crowded House, they would probably agree!!!