Author: Tilly Tennant
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: April 2017
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: Sun, spaghetti and sparkling prosecco. When it comes to finding love, there’s no place like Rome...
Kate is living the dream with her gorgeous boyfriend Alessandro in his native city, but the reality is sometimes a little less romantic than she’d hoped. Every day in her new home is a fight against leaking pipes, her cantankerous landlord and her less-than-perfect grasp of the Italian lingo.
All around her there is talk of weddings, but when a secret from her past is thrust out into the open, Kate must fight to prove to Alessandro’s Mamma – and the rest of his formidable family – that she truly is Italian marriage material.
With the women in Alessandro’s life on a mission to break them apart, the cracks begin to show and Kate starts to question if Alessandro really is the man of her dreams. Can love and the city of romance conquer all, or is that just a fairy-tale?
Let Rome steal your heart this summer in this gorgeously romantic escapist read. Perfect for fans of Jo Thomas and Abby Clements.
My Thoughts: This book picks up practically on the heels of the first book in the series so I recommend reading Rome Is Where the Heart Is first. Kate has officially made Rome her home but it isn’t all it is cracked up to be. Navigating the language barrier is not easy and it surprised me that Kate wasn’t doing something more proactive to learn Italian, like taking classes. Fortunately, many Italians speak English with varying degrees of proficiency so Kate is able to manage although it is clunky. I really liked the author peppering Italian phrases throughout the book so that while reading on my Kindle, I could look up the translations of phrases.
The author illustrates very well the struggle Kate is experiencing trying to find her place in Rome, needing to find a job to make ends meet but still having a dream of starting her own dress making business. Her landlord’s wife is her first customer but Kate is a little bit of a pushover in that she doesn’t charge the market rate for the dresses. Her landlord expects a discount but doesn’t discount her rent. Allesandro and his family are quite vocal to Kate about this and often want to speak out on Kate’s behalf but she doesn’t want them to. This theme is present throughout most of the book and it did seem to get quite repetitive. Kate is persistent about making it on her own without having to rely on anyone but sometimes help from the right source can be a blessing and it takes quite a while before Kate realizes this. I had a lot of empathy for Kate and was able to relate to her situation of trying to find her place in a new country, fitting in and making it her home.
Getting to know Alessandro’s family better in this book was enjoyable and Kate’s insecurity around them was understandable. The author’s creation of the minor characters in the story added more depth to the story as they really impact Kate in many ways, especially as some of them take more time warming up to Kate’s presence and whether they accepted her as a good match for Alessandro. The author has quite a few surprises up her sleeve that I didn’t expect but really enjoyed. The story moves at a smooth pace I really enjoyed tagging along with Kate through the streets of Rome.
My Final Verdict: Overall, I found this story delightful and it has only inspired me even more to add Rome to my bucket list of travel destinations. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories where the girl gets her happily ever after in exotic locations.
Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
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