Vino & Veritas (Jay Hogan) Books in Order

Vino & Veritas is a shared romance world built around an inclusive bookstore and wine bar in Burlington, Vermont. Different authors write different standalone stories in that setting, so the larger series has a community feel rather than one ongoing plot. Jay Hogan's contribution is Unguarded, which means this page is really about how her voice fits into that world.

In Hogan's hands, the story quickly widens beyond the bookstore and bar and into a veterinary clinic, a snowy city, and the messy business of starting over. Unguarded follows Tai, who bolts from Boston after a relationship implodes and lands in Burlington with almost no money and even less of a plan. He somehow talks his way into temporary work at a local vet and finds himself drawn to Emmett, the talented, scattered clinic owner who is not out and already has more than enough on his plate.

It reads like a romantic comedy with some real weight under it.

The appeal here is not big suspense or a heavily linked series arc. It is the fish-out-of-water energy, the domestic detail, the pets, the workplace chaos, and the slow realisation that what looked like a temporary refuge might actually be the start of a better life. Tai brings movement and humour. Emmett brings responsibility, nerves, and a quieter kind of longing. Their problems are personal and practical, which makes the romance feel very immediate.

Because Vino & Veritas is a shared universe, you do not need to know every other book to enjoy this one. The broader setting adds texture, but Unguarded stands on its own just fine. If you like Jay Hogan's warmer, funnier side, especially when paired with a strong sense of emotional vulnerability, this is a good pick. It still has the things her readers usually come for, tenderness, awkward honesty, found home, and people trying to be brave about love, just transplanted from New Zealand to Vermont for a book.