The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith

genre: historical fantasy

The first thing we learn about Elena is that she is currently a frog, cursed to a lifetime in that form until her own lingering prowess as a witch helps her to break the spell and return to her beloved vineyards at Château Renard.  What she finds, however, is that far more time had passed that she'd realized and not only are the vineyards under new ownership, but the grapes and even the vines themselves have fallen ill - despite the best efforts of the new city-boy owner, Jean-Paul.  He's done his best but there is far more than can be understood with science going on in this lush French valley - there is magic, and something dark is lurking.  Can Elena not just get revenge the person that cursed her but save the rich wine heritage she loves as well?

I'm afraid my synopsis makes it sound sorta cheesy - and it is, a tiny bit.  But it was also fast and entertaining, and I don't even know anything ABOUT wine!  Truth be told, it's far more about magic and witches than wine but the backdrop is there and makes things interesting.  And yes, romance is a part of it and although the characters aren't very fleshed out and the plot is fairly predictable, I can't deny that I had fun reading it.