Under the Italian Sun
by Sue Moorcroft
Zia is a young English woman in search of a family after her grandparents pass away and she finds herself without a job. She knows her father, who is not listed on her birth certificate, was from Italy. She does some sleuthing and decides to go to Italy to hopefully discover some family ties and perhaps persuade her father to legally acknowledge her, thus easing the pathway to Italian citizenship.
Along her journey, Zia uncovers long buried secrets, meets some family, and falls in love. The road to happiness even under the Italian sun and overlooking a vineyard and winery is not an easy one. Not everyone is welcoming in Montelibertá, and Zia’s ex-boyfriend morphs from an insulting cheater into a vengeful stalker.
Sue Moorcroft’s Under the Italian Sun is an interesting romance with a great setting. Zia’s past is dismal as she gradually loses those close to her, but she is an intelligent young woman, a good friend, and full of hope. She falls quickly and hard for her handsome Italian neighbor. Can they really settle for a summer fling knowing Zia can not legally stay in the country indefinitely?
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: Rather disappointing for me, this really nice story has an “open door” bedroom scene and a lot of expletives.
Publication: May 13, 2021—Harper Collins (Avon Books)
Memorable Lines:
The oven timer continued to ping in counterpoint to the gull’s plaintive calls but Zia heard the shush-shush of her heartbeat louder than both. As spooked as a child at a horror film, she had to force her breathing to be even.
Church steeples poked up between terracotta-tiled roofs, buildings were painted cream, ochre or apricot, the major structures gracing the town centre while houses huddled on the slopes like children hatching mischief.
At some point this afternoon she’d made the decision never to identify herself to Gerardo. It had come from an instinct to protect herself from disappointment rather than from structured reasoning but the decision was a relief. Couldn’t trust him. Could do without him.
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I do like your quote “Church steeples poked up between terracotta-tiled roofs, buildings were painted cream, ochre or apricot, the major structures gracing the town centre while houses huddled on the slopes like children hatching mischief.” Makes me feel like I’m there! Nice review, Linda.
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Thank you. The author does a good job with descriptions.
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Your quotes show how descriptive the writing is in this book. I don’t understand why so many authors feel the need to add an open door romance scene in an otherwise great story. It does get frustrating. Wonderful review, Linda.
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Yes, I know the book was not improved by that feature. Unfortunately, I will probably not read any more by this author. I think she is a good writer, but I can find plenty to read that suits my tastes better.
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Sounds like a good one, Linda. Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
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I don’t like books with a lot of expletives and open-door sex scenes, either. Some of the most innocuous-looking books have them.
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Yes, I try to filter out books that have those things, but it just isn’t always obvious from summaries and reviews because that doesn’t bother everyone. Also, an author sometimes deviates from their past books so you can’t totally judge by that.
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The setting sounds dreamy! Have you read other books by this author? Her name is new to me…
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I have read one other book by her and it excelled at descriptions (Let it Snow) and was a 4/5 for me. Oddly, I did not mention it in my review, but it does contain language that I consider inappropriate. That was an oversight on my part. I’m sure there are many readers who would not be offended. She has 20 novels to her credit.
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