 |
| Avon 25 May 2023 My thanks to the publisher and to Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to the blog tour |
After her marriage falls apart, Ursula Quinn is offered the chance to spend the summer working at a hotel on a beautiful island off the coast of Sicily, Italy. Excited by a new adventure, she sets off at once. At Residenza dei Tringali, Ursula receives a warm welcome from everyone except Alfio, son of the Tringali family. He gave up his life in Barcelona to help his mother Agata with the ailing business, and is frustrated with Ursula’s interference–and she in turn is less than impressed with his attitude. As they spend more time together, though, they begin to see each other in a different light.But what with Ursula’s ex-husband on her tail, family secrets surfacing and an unexpected offer that makes Alfio question his whole life, there’s plenty to distract them from one another. Can she face her past and he his future, and together make the most of their Sicilian summer.
📖 My Review..
After a disastrous marriage break-up Ursula Quinn escapes to the beautiful Italian island of Ortigia in Sicily to take up the offer of boarding at Residenza dei Tringali in return for helping with general hotel duties. This leaves Ursula time to explore her gift for creating ceramics and experiencing tutelage with a talented ceramist. All seems to be going well until Alfio, the son of the hotelier arrives home, and he and Ursula don't get off to the best of starts but gradually the atmosphere between them softens and Ursula soon finds her life heading in an unexpected direction.
I loved the rapport between Ursula and Alfio which helps to bring a real feeling of Italian sunshine to what is, in effect, a lovely, love story. Alongside the romantic element of the story there's also lots of complicated family dynamics to contend with but that's what this author does so well, her characters are always believable with real life issues which sometimes get in the way of life and love. The wonderfully quaint island of Ortigia comes alive in the beautiful descriptions of life on the island. The sights, sounds and aromas of an Italian summer are imaginatively recreated so that it really does feel like you are sitting alongside Ursula and Alfio as they sip ice cool Birra Moretti, relishing the cool of a Sicilian evening.
Beautifully written as all these author's stories are An Italian Island Summer is a perfect summer read, ideal for long, lazy afternoons in the garden.
About the Author
Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author, #1 on Kindle UK and Top 100 on Kindle US and Canada. She writes two books a year for publishing giant Harper Collins and has won the Goldsboro Books Contemporary Novel of the Year, Readers’Best Romantic Novel award and the Katie Fforde Bursary. Her novels, short stories, serials, columns, writing‘how to’and courses appear around the world.
Thanks so much for this wonderful review, Jo, and for joining the blog tour. I'm thrilled that you enjoyed An Italian Island Summer so much. Delighted!
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure to read one of your lovely stories :)
Delete