Simona's Corner of Dreams: Under a Tuscan Sky

Monday, 19 June 2017

Under a Tuscan Sky – by Karen Aldous

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Escape to Tuscany this summer with Karen Aldous’s brilliantly uplifting read. Perfect for fans of Erica James and Cathy Kelly.

A summer she’ll never forget…

When Olivia Montague’s grandmother passes away, she decides it’s finally time to make some changes in her own life. So she breaks up with her ‘going nowhere’ boyfriend and embarks on a journey to her Nonna’s home in Tuscany.

Until now, Olivia has always believed that she’s incapable of love, after being abandoned by her parents as a baby. But with each day spent at the gorgeous villa nestled in the rolling Italian hills, she feels her heart begin to flutter…

And when handsome antiques dealer Hugh St. James arrives on the scene, she realises things might be about to change forever!

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The title of this book just screamed out to me! I’m 3/8 Italian and I used to spend two weeks in wonderful Tuscany every year when I was a child. Naturally, I was really excited about this book.

When Olivia Montague steps of the plane in Tuscany, I felt at home from the start. Of course that’s also thanks to Karen Aldous and her lovely description of the scenery, I fell in love with the area all over again.

Let go back to the start though: When Olivia’s grandmother dies she is devastated. She wants to change something in her life, so she breaks up with her current boyfriend and goes to see her Nonna’s home in Tuscany. She spends time at her grandmother’s house and discovers a lot about her family. She believes, she was abandoned by her parents as a child and now learns the truth, it’s a big shock to her! She actually has more family in beautiful Tuscany.

On the flight down she meets Alberto and the like each other from the start. However, there is also the antiques dealer Hugh St. James. Both men are really handsome and Olivia is very confused. That’s actually the part of the book I didn’t really like. I felt like her feelings developed way to quickly, in a non authentic way and also her relationship with both men didn’t develop in the right pace. That disturbed me a bit, because I actually really liked Olivia as a character.

She is full of passion and love and I loved following her around. She was finally able to discover the truth about her past and her family and that was very fascinating and interesting. Karen Aldous captured that tension beautifully, I was hooked!

The book has great messages about second chances, family and love and the were all wonderfully integrated in this storyline. This is a great summer book and I enjoyed every second of this story!

Rating:

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06Y5D5N1M/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35151194-under-a-tuscan-sky?ac=1&from_search=true

About Karen Aldous: Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits with her family and friends such as walking, cycling and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!

Karen gets much of her inspiration from her travels and if she had to choose, France, Greece, Switzerland, Italy and the USA would be her favourites. However, wherever she goes, she discovers a new character emerges in 'Karen's World'. She likes to write about strong independent women who can direct their own lives - but struggle to control them! And, of course there's always a gorgeous hunk or two!

Website: http://www.karenaldous.co.uk/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/karenAldous_

Giveaway (UK Only)