Italy Ever After by Leonie Mack

Escape to the sun and head off to Italy, with the wonderfully warm and ever-so-page-turning Leonie Mack!

TV journalist Lou feels battered and bruised after her divorce from Phil, the father of her daughter Edie. Her confidence and sense of fun have steadily been drained away, and she isn’t sure who she is any more.

When the opportunity arises to accompany Edie on a music camp in Italy for a month in the summer, Lou jumps at the chance for new adventures, new horizons and new friends. The hazy warmth of the summer sun, shining brightly over the stunning Lake Garda, slowly brings Lou back to life. 

Nick Romano, Edie’s music teacher, loves being home in Italy, but coaching his students for their concert in Milan, is bringing back difficult memories. His blossoming friendship with Lou is the perfect distraction, although a summer fling would be easier to conduct without the scrutiny of his mother Greta, not to mention the interference of his extended Italian family.

As the summer passes, full of sunshine and breath-taking scenery, gelato and delicious feasts, Lou and Nick get ever closer. But as the time for farewell creeps up on them, will they be able to say goodbye and leave their memories behind in the Italian sun, or can a summer romance last a lifetime?

Leonie Mack is back with a sizzling, sun-baked love story, perfect for all fans of Mandy Baggot, Jo Thomas and Carole Matthews.

My Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lou, who is recently divorced, is presented with the opportunity to chaperone her daughters orchestra trip to Italy. As Lou’s daughter and her classmates rehearse for their big performance, Lou finds herself taking a long hard look at her own life. What she needs is to find a talent of her own to nurture, and where better to start pursuing this than in beautiful Italy.

Lou quickly finds herself captivated by Italy’s beautiful landscapes and the food is delicious – but Lou’s attention is quickly dragged away by Mr Romano, her daughters music teacher. The more time that she spends with the gorgeous Mr Romano, the more she finds herself becoming quite enamoured with him. Now Lou finds herself battling her own mind – can she really put herself out there and risk her heart getting broken again? and is she able to pursue her own happiness whilst being a good mother?.

This is such a beautiful story that emphasises the difficult journey Lou faces to move forward with her life following a difficult divorce. Her dedication to her daughter’s happiness, and the ways in which she shelters her from the fall out of her broken marriage is admirable and really warms your heart. I loved following the growth of this character as the book progressed and she slowly began to regain her confidence and flare for life.

The romance between Lou and Nick (Mr Romano) was a lovely, captivating slow burner that really reels you in and has you fully invested in both characters finding happiness once more. Although this blossoming romance is of course a big part of this story, the author does an an incredible job of mixing it in with a variety of relatable themes that many of us may have faced ourselves.

A truly gorgeous, heart warming read that I found impossible to part with. Full of vibrant characters and an enchanting setting, this book has everything you could possibly want from a rom-com.

You can purchase a copy of the book by following this link: https://amzn.to/3qfXhDq

About the Author