Root Cause – A Novel by Steven Laine (Wine Books)

Can you imagine a world without wine?

I know… how dear I even write those words. It’s scary to think about. If you find it as terrifying as me, then you’ll be on the edge of your seat reading this new wine novel! Today I want to introduce you to the brand new novel, Root Cause by Steven Laine. I received a sample of this book all the way from the USA and I loved it. Thank you Turner Publishing!

I’m not a huge bookworm. Actually for me to get through a book in less than a year is pretty remarkable. As a kid, I loved books, but I just don’t find make the time to sit down with a good book these days.

It’s also not that common to find a novel which has a strong focus on the wine world. Hence why I got pretty excited over this one! I am already hoping for a sequel or at least for Steven to release another wine-focused novel.

What is Root Cause about?

There are two main characters in Root Cause. Firstly there is Corvina (yes that’s the name of grape too!) a flying winemaker. And secondly, Bryan Lawless, a wine industry professional who is in the throes of obtaining his Master of Wine accreditation.

Phylloxera (a grapevine pest which devastated vineyards in Europe more than 100 years ago) has made a comeback and threatens the entire world’s wine production. Yes, we’re talking about potentially a world without wine! Corvina and Bryan team up to investigate how the aphid is spreading, who is responsible and finding an antitoxin (by the way, there’s still no cure for grape phylloxera in the world today).

Corvina and Bryan take you through many wine regions around the world from Italy to Chile, Canada, South Africa, Portugal and France to name a few.

The question is, can these two, get to the root cause and save the world’s wine industry from ruin??

Why I couldn’t put the book down:

Mr Spittoon was shocked how quickly I got through the book. He’s used to me picking up a book and then snoozing the next minute. But I literally didn’t want to put this book down, and here’s why:

• You learn about wine – while the general story is made up, the information about wine regions, wineries and the wine industry are real, from picking ice wine grapes in Canada to the underground caves in the Champagne region
• The chapters are short – being a non-reader, I loved this as I could get through a chapter easily before bed or work
•  I love the little touches – the little Phylloxera images at the end of each chapter were a nice touch
• A strong female lead – if you read my recent post about hear me roar 2018 Shiraz then you’ll know that women in the wine industry are far outnumbered by our male counterparts, Corvina Guerra is a strong female lead in the book
• Bryan Lawless – at times I disliked him, but at other times, I was highly attracted to him
• There’s a bit of sexual tension – seriously who doesn’t love a bit of that in a book 😉
• It made me want to drink wine and travel to wine regions – it gets you excited about wine, the characters’ passions for the wine industry is contagious
  • It especially makes you thirsty for Bordeaux first growths!

You can buy the book on Kindle, paperback or hardcover via Amazon.

More about Steven Laine

After reading the synopsis online and while waiting for my copy to arrive, I did some research on the author Steven Laine. Steven is an avid wine lover and is involved in the wine industry.

He’s originally from Canada and his career has taken him around the world. He has worked in many luxury hotels alongside travelling to over 100 vineyards and wineries around the world. He is the only North American who has ever been invited to be a Member of the Champagne Academy. And currently, he is studying towards his WSET Diploma. I wonder if he plans on obtaining Master of Wine status after that? And whether Bryan Lawless is his alter ego!

Make sure to connect with Steven via his website, and on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

To sum it up, Steven’s debut novel hit the spot for me. I would highly recommend it to wine lovers looking to settle in for a night with a good book and glass of wine.