Alex Kennedy: once on top of the world. Successful Real Estate Agent, beloved friend, and finally with her soulmate. After a devastating night, finds herself avoiding her friends and family in favor of numbing the heartbreak. They all say it wasnāt him. But why does she see her soulmates face every time she relives her attack?
One single night changed everything. It ruined her trust in the man she loves and her trust in herself and the loss of her mother. What better way to deal with the grief and confusion than a bottle of wineā¦ or two?
Will wine be enough to fix her broken heart, or will she lose everything, including the man she loves?
Roman King loves Alex and would never do anything to hurt her. But how can he help her see... š®š¢š¬š¦ her see that he was not her attacker? Will his impatience and need to protect her push her even further away? Or can he convince her that his love is deep and true? All he wants is his girl back, and heāll fight like hell for her, even if she doesnāt need him to.
War is coming. Wine will help.
Alex Kennedy: once on top of the world. Successful Real Estate Agent, beloved friend, and finally with her soulmate. After a devastating night, finds herself avoiding her friends and family in favor of numbing the heartbreak. They all say it wasnāt him. But why does she see her soulmates face every time she relives her attack?
One single night changed everything. It ruined her trust in the man she loves and her trust in herself and the loss of her mother. What better way to deal with the grief and confusion than a bottle of wineā¦ or two?
Will wine be enough to fix her broken heart, or will she lose everything, including the man she loves?
Roman King loves Alex and would never do anything to hurt her. But how can he help her see... š®š¢š¬š¦ her see that he was not her attacker? Will his impatience and need to protect her push her even further away? Or can he convince her that his love is deep and true? All he wants is his girl back, and heāll fight like hell for her, even if she doesnāt need him to.
War is coming. Wine will help.
With Wine Comes War
By J.E. Johnson
1
ALEX
āGet off of me!ā I screamed.
Iām swinging my arms wildly at himā¦Tanner, Roman, I canāt distinguish between the two. Itās Tanner's voice and Romanās face then Tannerās face and Romanās voice. His hands are around my throat.
āRoman stop!ā I plead desperately. āI love you.ā I mouth the words, but no sound comes out. He doesn't hear me. His eyes are so dark they look deranged. Heās squeezing tighter, his fingers digging in. I canāt breatheāIām going to die. My heart breaks as everything goes black, then I gasp as my eyes fly open wide and the room is suddenly quiet, empty, and bright. I feel like it should hurt my eyes itās so bright, but it doesnātā I feel at peace. Iām safe. Roman and Tanner are gone, my heart feels mended. I look around but I donāt see anything, yet I donāt feel alone. Then I see herāMama.
āMama, what are you doing here?ā Sheās so beautiful and ethereal in a long, flowing white gown.
āIām here for you, Alexandra. Itās time for you to wake up, my daughter.ā
āCan you come with me Mama?ā I missed her so much. She slowly shook her head with a tender smile. My face fell as I realized what that meant. I reached out to her, but she started to fade.
āItās time to open your eyes, sweet girl. Itās going to be okay.ā I heard her in my head then she was gone like smoke dissipating into thin air.
I woke up to the familiar feel of tears running down my cheeks, staining the pillow, whimpering with a throbbing headache after finishing off a bottle of wine from the night before. Lately Iāve been waking from the same dreamā my mom telling me that everything's going to be okay, and it was time to wake up. Just like in the hospital, when I finally woke up after having been unconscious for four days due to some crazy new street drug Tanner had put in my drink at the bar. āDesigner date rape drugā is what the cops called it. Basically, it was a roofie mixed with fentanyl. Iām sure I should be dead, but my mom seemed to think I needed to liveāor suffer is more like it.
No, nothing is okay. None of this is okay! I thought as I rolled over, pulling the pillow over my head. How can you tell me everythingās going to be okay, mom? Youāre dead! I punched the pillow in aggravation. It feels like Groundhogās Day! Same dream, same morningā going to the gym, pissed as hell and wanting to find a way to make Tanner Ellington pay for what he did. As far as Iām concerned, he killed my mother. If he hadnāt drugged me, I wouldāve never been in the hospital, and she wouldāve never gotten in the car to come be with me. It doesnāt matter that she was the only one in the accident, or that she was driving drunk. Jail will be too good for him but Iām going to make sure he pays dearly for what he did. The ideas for how to accomplish that have been swirling around in my head, and the angrier I get, the more focused I become on devising that plan.
My head is splitting.
I need to find a new way to deal with the memories as well as my new reality. I push my palms under the pillow and into my eyes to try and dull the ache. All I can do now is try to forget, but itās impossible. The alcohol only helps until it wears off. Thankfully, it flows in abundance everywhere I go. The only time I donāt seem to need it is when Iām working out, running, or at my self-defense and kickboxing classes.
Ah, kickboxing classes. They used to be so much fun because I was taking them with my girlfriends. As much as I missed my best friends, Maggie and Abby, and our Sunday brunch, I just donāt have the strength to talk about this with anyone and I donāt really have to at the gym, thankfully. The morning I found Romanās gray hoodie in my closet was especially hard. The memory of that jacket wrapped around me at Lookout Park when I danced safely in his arms, inhaling his cologne; finally feeling like someone truly cared about me. Iām pretty sure thatās the night I fell in love with him.
Ā Poor Roman. How could I have been so selfish to suck him into my trainwreck of a life?
He deserved so much better than me. I knew Iād end up hurting him somehow. Well, heās definitely better off without me. Plus, I donāt want to fucking talk to anyone. I reached over and picked up my phone. There were messages from Roman and my friends. I deleted them without reading any of them at all. āAhhh!ā I screamed and hit the pillow with one last good deep punch before shoving it out of my way.
6:00 am seems to be as good a time as any to get up now that Iām not going to work or doing anything else for that matter. I guess Iāll head to the gym. I threw the pillow across the room, knocking over a stack of laundry thatās been waiting to be put away for ages, and dragged myself out of bed.
***
ROMAN
I felt like erasing all these damn pictures I have of her on my phone. I swiped to the photo of us at the riverbank; there's one of us at her friend Maggieās house; hereās the album from the beach trip we took with her familyāIām going to drive myself crazy staring at them all day. I kept hearing everyoneās voice telling me to give her time to heal. Why wonāt she stop being stubborn and ask for help? God, this is so frustrating. I didnāt fucking do this to her. It was fucking Tanner, not me! I threw my phone on my desk and leaned back in my chair with my hands over my face. Iām agitated and angry and completely helpless.
The only connection I have to her now is Matt, who gave me what little information he gets from Maggie, which isnāt much since she stopped meeting her friends for brunch. They still see her at the MMA studio for self-defense classes [HC2]Ā and kickboxing, but she doesn't talk much to either of them, typically leaving right after class, according to the girls.
I let out a deep resounding breath and tried to pull myself together. Iāve really gotta get my head on straight and focus on work.
There's a gentle knocking on the door as Amelia peeks in before entering. Damn, I needed to chill out. She seemed to be walking on eggshells around me these days and thatās not like her. Amelia is the most on task, happy, hardworking assistant Iāve ever had. Even when I gave her shit, she still smiled through it. Lately, though, since all this drama with Alex, sheās more reserved and is handling me with kid gloves. Itās annoying as hell, but Iām sure I deserved it. I fucking snapped if someone even says hi to me.
āHey Amelia, whatās up?ā I mutter, trying to sound as normal as possible, but even I can tell itās forced.
āThereās a Detective Lewis here to see you,ā she says warily. I drew in a deep breath and closed my eyes, wondering how long this was going to take. This wasnāt something I needed today. Detective Lewis is the officer whoās been working with Alex on the case against Tanner. Sheās been with her since the beginning, and Alex seemed to trust her, according to Jack and Mattā Alexās best friendsā husbands. Theyāre also her legal counsel so they canāt give me any details, but it made me feel better knowing that theyāre there for her.
āSure, send her in.ā
I sat there drumming my pen on the desk. Either that, or my foot would be tapping under the desk. It was a nervous habit I picked up since meeting Alex.
Detective Lewis was a nice looking thirty-something woman with brown hair which was pulled back in a severely tight ponytail. Even though she had a serious expression on her face, she also had a very compassionate smile where you could see the sincerity in her eyes. She walked over to my desk, and I got up, straightening the cuffs on my shirtsleeves, trying to pull myself together. I forced myself to come around to shake her hand. She reminded me of all those TV shows, where underestimating the policewoman was a bad idea.
The detective reintroduced herself again. āMr. King, Iām Detective Danielle Lewis. Iām in charge of Miss Kennedyās case.ā
āYes, I remember,ā I say as politely as I can. What I really remember was her telling me to leave the hospital because Alex thought I attacked her.
āPlease, have a seat,ā I said as I ushered her to the chair in front of my desk before walking back around, settling in mine.
She began, āMr. King.ā
āPlease, itās Roman.ā
āOf course, Roman. Iām sorry about what happened at the hospital and the misunderstanding, but Iām here to make sure this guy goes away for what he did. We need to make sure this is an airtight case, and nothing puts a wrench in it.ā
Is the death penalty an option? I honestly wondered.
āThat sounds good to me, how can I help?ā I relaxed into my chair, crossing my arms over my chest to keep my heartbeat under control.
She got out a notepad and pen then sat up, crossing her legs, using her knee to balance it as she took notes. āThereās a bit of information we need for verification just to make sure it doesnāt become an issue somehow.ā
An issue that had to do with me?
āWhat kind of information? I thought I was cleared?ā
She looked slightly uncomfortable as she shifted in her seat, so Iām guessing she thought this new information might bother me. She continued, a bit more cautiously.
āWell,Ā Kennedy thinks one of the reasons Mr. Ellington did this to her was to get to you.ā
Oh Jesus, please tell me this isnāt the reason she cut me out of her life. I can take care of myself. Does she really think I need her to protect me?
I looked up at the ceiling and said, āWhy would she think that?ā I practically slammed my hands on the desk. Frustration has been up front and center in my life since she stopped taking my calls or responding to texts.
The detective seemed to understand my frustration and wasnāt fazed by my reaction.
āDo you have any business issues with Mr. Ellington?ā
Not with the little piece of shit in jail unless he knows that it was me who elbowed him in the nose at the bar.
āMore so with his brother, Marcus.ā I tried to gain my composure back. I balled my hands into fists, setting them carefully on the desk as I concentrated on answering her questions.
āThe district Rep?ā
That seemed to surprise her. She sat up straighter in the chair now, her brows knitted together. Does she know something more about him?
āYeah, heās been pulling permits, basically holding them hostage until hefty fees are paid. Weāve had delays with some projects.ā
āWas one of those projects in Burrow Township?ā My favorite project has turned out to be my biggest nightmare.
āYes. Although Tanner is just his brotherās errand boy, it seems.ā I felt my blood pressure rising and my head starting to throb.
āDid Tanner know about Miss Kennedyās involvement in that project?ā
Iām not sure where this is going. How the hell would he have known what Alex was doing with the project? All she did was accidently run out of gas in that neighborhood. Now, if I donāt find a way to calm down, Iām afraid Iām going to lose it on this cop.
āAlex didnāt have any involvement in that project.ā
Detective Lewis looked confused. I pinched my lip in a tight line trying to hold back the headache that was right there on the verge of debilitating me.
āShe wasnāt the realtor for Mrs. Ella Jackson? Helping to negotiate the sale of her house?ā I watched her read and take notes in her little black notebook while we were talking to try and concentrate on something other than the pain in my head.
āLook, I didnāt meet Alex until after we started this project.ā I squeezed my eyes shut while I pushed my fingers into my temples. āShe was angry with me because of it. Sheās the one that found out what the Ellingtonās were doing. She went to Ella Jackson on her own and nurtured that relationship. She had nothing to do with this project at all.ā
Shaking her head, the detective said, āAlex thinks it has something to do with this Burrow Township project. Weāre trying to figure it out. If so, the motive may have been them trying to intimidate her, so sheād give up the project. She said he used your name.Ā Thatās all we really know.ā
Thatās why she thinks it was me? How does this guy know anything about me and Alex?
āShe told us about your family history with them or rather your father and their fatherās drama. However, Iād like to hear it from you.ā
This is insane, and I donāt have time for this bullshit.
āMr. King, are you alright? Would you like to do this at another time?ā
I squeezed my eyes tight, shutting them against the light in the roomā I could barely hear her. I felt horrible but delaying this was not going to help. I wanted this over with now.
I told the detective everything I could about what my father told me and all the recent events we shared with the Ellington brothers. That it was just a disgruntled ex employee. I couldnāt believe Alex was taking all this guilt on herself. What did she do, cut ties so they wouldnāt try and hurt me? What if they did go after her to get her off the project? My mind was wandering down a very dangerous path. One that would be hard for me to handle if they were still planning to come after her over this project.
āOfficer Lewis, why did Tanner say he was me?ā
āRoman, Iām going to talk to the DA, and heāll be giving you a call. Tanner isnāt talking about anything that happened. Heās saying he found her on the ground, passed out. You may need to go on the witness list if they decide to use this information for her case.ā
āIād be happy to help.ā If it means putting that asshole away. āBy the way, how is Alex?ā I squinted my eyes to keep the light out as much as possible. Maybe she knew more than the others did.
āDoing the best she canā¦ā she said forcing a smile only for my benefit. āSheās been through a lot. I check on her weekly with updates on the case. Sheās still unclear about the details. She has good legal counsel as well as the DA on her side."
āThanks for that information, I appreciate it.ā I hoped thatās all she needed. I stood up and walked around the desk.
āOf course.ā
I shook her hand, walking her to the door. Now I need to get the hell out of here myself.
Amelia came in and asked, āIs everything okay?ā
No, no itās not.
āI wish I fucking knew.ā But right now, Iām just not in the mood to talk. I had one hand on the wall and one hand propping up my head.
āWould you like me to order you lunch?ā
I actually feel like Iām going to be sick.
āNo, Iām gonna go upstairs for lunch. Iāve got to get out of here for a bit.ā I checked my pocket for my phone, brushing past Amelia on my way out.
I quickly passed Harrison and held up my hand in protest of anything he might say. āNot now,ā I whispered harshly because the sound of my own voice was too painful at normal levels.
Harrison threw his hands up in surrender as he backed away.
āOkay,ā he huffed, moving out of my way.
I heard Amelia say to Harrison, āI donāt think your brotherās feeling well, can you be prepared to take over his meetings if he doesnāt come back today?ā
Harrison let out an irritated sigh, responding, āIāll do what I need to.ā
I donāt think itās that big of a deal. I just needed to rest for an hour. I got in the elevator, laying my head against the cool glass as it delivered me to my penthouse.
With Wine Comes War is the second installment in the series following Alex and Roman. This book focuses heavily on Alex, our female main character, following an assault she experiences which leaves her confused and traumatised. In her attempt to recover, she picks up MMA fighting. Continuing to work with colleagues on helping underprivileged townships, she begins to heal and prepare for the trial of her attacker.
This book was a powerful view of recovering as a strong female character from such an episode, with a compassionate and understanding male main character and really caring side characters. The writing was good, with dual perspectives of both Alex and Roman respectively. Alex's decisions don't always make sense, but in a way this is justified by the situation she has found herself in.
There was a complete arc in this book, but there are certainly plotpoints open to further exploration in the next installment, With Wine Comes Wellness. I can certainly see the crumbs being left to be uncovered, and I would love to continue reading about these characters after the events of this book.
The pacing is slow-medium, with a climax which feels satisfying yet leaves things open for further development. Some characters still feel like they need further improvement, and I trust this will occur in the next book in the series. This book focuses most heavily on our FMM, and so Roman's development ought to be improved upon in future installments also.
There was a repeat of Chapter 15 earlier in the chapters, which I believe is just an error, and though jarring did not disrupt the flow of reading. It is generally well written and very enjoyable to read. Very few spice scenes included, but when it is included it is very spicy.
I had not previously read the first installment, but there was a good amount of context provided which made it more readable despite not knowing the background from the beginning. Overall a good read, and would recommend to readers of romance.