It’s such a pleasure today to be helping launch the blog tour and sharing my publication day review of A Taste of Italian Sunshine by Leonie Mack. Published today (12th May) by Boldwood Books, it’s now available as an e-book (free via Kindle Unlimited), a paperback, and as an audiobook too. Many thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the tour invitation and the support, and to publishers Boldwood for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).
Leonie Mack really has become rather a personal favourite – ever since I discovered the wonderful chemistry between her two leads in My Christmas Number One (you’ll find my review again here), loved Italy Ever After just as much (my review is here), and then thoroughly enjoyed two more perfect Italian romances with A Match Made in Venice (review here) and We’ll Always Have Venice (review here). Last year’s Christmas release, Twenty-One Nights in Paris, was something a little different – Paris this time, always the perfect setting for the festive season, and an equally lovely fairytale romance (you’ll find my review of that one here). But I must admit I was rather delighted to see that we’re back in Italy for her latest….
Jenn has always prided herself on being a city girl – she insists on easy access to good coffee, great food from around the globe, not to mention an easy commute. So, when her job takes her to one of the most famous Italian wine regions in search of the perfect Prosecco, travelling to meetings on a tractor is a bit of a culture shock.
Tiziano hates the city. He was made for the mountains and vineyards of Veneto, and generations of his family have earned their living from the land. But times are changing even in the Italian countryside, and the arrival of Jenn at his grandmother’s B&B opens up a window on a different world.
Jenn has two months to persuade the Prosecco producers to trust her with their business, and Tiziano has one summer to persuade Jenn that there’s more to life than the rat race. But can a city girl and a country boy ever find enough in common to see a future beyond one long summer of sun…
My goodness, what a wonderfully drawn setting – Jenn might have been a bit of a fish out of water, a wine expert staying at an unexpectedly rural agriturismo among the vineyards of Veneto, trying to overcome her aversion to prosecco’s bubbles and secure the contracts to supply the hotel chain she works for, but I loved every moment of my stay. The author’s research really shines through – the community whose living is provided by the land, the detail about production, an introduction to grappa, the wine notes that punctuate the story – and the whole book had the feel of sun on your back and the many attractions of a simpler way of life.
And the book’s main characters and the relationship central to this lovely story were perfectly handled too. It’s difficult to like Jenn at first, very much the city girl – the loss of her driving licence means she’s dependent on unreliable public transport to get around, but that’s sometimes preferable to being perched in the cab of Tiziano’s tractor (even if it is a Lamborghini…). And she finds his proximity a little unsettling – his happy-go-lucky approach to life, the jokes and banter (so well written), his piercings and tattoos. But there’s a lot more to him than the carefree country boy with no responsibilities – and the author allows us to gradually find out his story, as we also see Jenn loosening up a little and revealing some of her own back story.
This book has some of the best use of dual point-of-view I’ve come across, along with some excellent character development. Unsympathetic – even dislikable – at first, knowing more about Jenn’s background and seeing her relax into the experience made her a much more nuanced character than she at first appeared. Tiziano, of course, is always likeable – a bit labrador puppy at times, but certainly hot and fanciable – but he has depth to his character and layers of sadness in his past that are largely unexpected.
Their developing relationship is something very special indeed – through all their exchanges, you can really feel the growing attraction, and their romance was one I entirely believed in. And that’s really helped by that dual point-of-view – sharing their separate thoughts and insecurities, creating so much engagement with them both, and building hopes for an unlikely happy ending. And do they have one? Well, all I can say is that my heart was in my mouth at the book’s climax – and that ending couldn’t have been more emotional and perfectly judged if I’d written it myself.
The wider characterisation is excellent too – Jenn’s boss, the man of her dreams, might prove to be something of a disappointment, but Nonna who runs the agroturismo totally won my heart, and the whole wider wine-growing community with their shared heritage and continuity of the seasons was just superbly drawn. The small Italian touches are lovely – yes, of course, all the food and drink, the special tastes and smells, the vistas across the vineyards, but one specific I really loved was the whole concept of “magari” (hope and fear and lots of…maybe) in its various contexts. And the writing, excellent throughout, is sometimes quite beautiful – at one point Jenn says Tiziano “smelled like the opposite of loneliness”, and it honestly brought a tear to my eye.
I’ve enjoyed every book the author has written – but this one really was particularly special. If you enjoy the same books that I do, it’s a romance to remember that I’d highly recommend you add to your summer reading list, and promise you won’t be disappointed.
About the author
Leonie Mack is the bestselling author of romantic novels including My Christmas Number One and Italy Ever After. Having lived in London for many years her home is now in Germany with her husband and three children. Leonie loves train travel, medieval towns, hiking and happy endings!
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