9 Lives in Florence: An Overseas Forbidden Romance

by Lauren Kohout

Abby's Italian tour guide is charming, sweet, devastatingly handsome – and has a dangerous secret that could destroy everything.

Stuck in a dead-end customer service job she hates, Abby is in desperate need of change. Her anxiety keeps her from taking too many risks, but she needs some inspiration to get her creative juices flowing again. What better way to inject a change of pace into her life than to go on a trip to Italy with two of her best friends?

The first moment Emilio saw Abby, he knew she would be his biggest challenge ever. As a tour director based out of Florence, he's never crossed that line with one of his group members. When a family secret about his past is revealed, he finds it harder to stay away from Abby. But, what kind of future could they have with four thousand miles and a dark past between them?

When they're reminded just how short life can be, will they finally take that risk together?

9 Lives in Florence is a forbidden love romance with forced proximity and a nearly disastrous meet cute. Readers will enjoy a found family, an athletic FMC looking for inspiration, an Italian MMC searching for the truth, and spicy open-door scenes with a guaranteed HEA. It can be read as a standalone.

395 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

Reviews

[J.E. Benoit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby was making him want to throw his own rulebook out the window. There was something about her that felt like home.

Stuck in a dead-end job and looking to spice things up, Abby Malloy decides to take a trip to Italy with two of her best friends. Two weeks of exploring the sights and partaking in all the yummy food she can consume is just what she needs to get her creative juices flowing again. It’s a bonus that their tour director is super hot. Emilio is smitten with Abby from the moment she crashes into his life but he’s not allowed to fraternize with members of his tour. The longer he spends in Abby’s company, however, the harder it becomes to resist her. When he learns a family secret that puts everything he thought he knew about his life into question, his resolve weakens even further. But the fact remains that they live on different continents and Emilio still has to deal with this new information about his family. Is the connection they’ve formed in their brief time together strong enough to overcome these obstacles?

He couldn’t help thinking that his future never looked brighter.
And it looked a lot like Abby.

This was so fun and very sweet! And the dash of suspense surrounding Emilio’s secret was a cool twist. Abby was a great character, she was relatable and very likable. It was easy to see why Emilio was so taken with her from the moment they met. I loved Emilio, he was very swoony and highly competent, which was quite hot. His life is turned upside down in this book when he learns a long kept family secret and I loved the way he turned to Abby for support. I thought they were so good together. They fell quickly but it made sense for them.

Another thing I enjoyed was all the travel bits. It felt like a tour I wanted to be on and there were just enough details included to make you feel like you were there without bogging the story down with unnecessary details. It was also great seeing Emilio in his element, he was so confident and knowledgeable, which really did it for Abby!! And I thought Italy was the perfect backdrop to watch these two fall in love.

I also loved seeing all the Cherry Stems friend group again, if you read the first book you’ll be familiar with everyone. Hailey and Elena went with Abby on the trip and their not-so-subtle attempts at matchmaking were very entertaining. It was clear how much they loved Abby and only wanted the best for her. The Cherry Stems group chat chapters were fun and I loved how supportive the whole group was when things go a little sideways at the end. The personalities of all these side characters are starting to emerge and I’m intrigued by the hints that are dropped for future books!

“...you’ve given me something to hold on to, something that feels real when I don’t know what in my life is real anymore.”

[MyBookNest7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Virgos are usually kind and make amazing friends, but they have trouble being anything but logical.”

I am soooo glad I managed to finish reading this one on time for its release! From looking forward to this story to actually reading it was the absolute best. And now I’m looking forward to the next addition to the story as well! 🙈

Abby and Emilio’s story had me curious about them till the epilogue, which is always a great thing. Speaking of the epilogue, I’m really loving the idea of an epilogue a decade into the future; it makes for the perfect combination of satisfaction and curiosity.

While reuniting with this group of friends was lovely, the new characters we meet in this one were amazingly interesting as well. Emilio’s grandmothers have surely inspired me by their friendship, including their ‘after-dark activities.’ After all, we all want to be spoken of in this manner…

“Their story was incredible, until they start talking about inappropriate things, of course.” #lifegoals

This Cherry Stems instalment has been as great as I expected it to be and I’m sure the next one will be the same. Thank you for the opportunity to be an advance reader yet again. I absolutely love this privilege. ♥️

“We have our whole lives to be together.”

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5* - Rounded up to 5...

Shewie! Emilio is an amazing, swoony, sweet, caring, sensitive, Italian man, with a past that even he doesn't know about. And when that coincides with Abby's trip to Italy, sparks fly! :D

Lauren Kohout does a FABULOUS job with Emilio and Abby's story. I absolutely love the Cherry Stem Team, and their amazing friendship. I loved watching them all rally around Abby when she really needed them. And I loved how they absorbed Emilio into their group immediately.

I also loved Emilio's family. They were hilarious, and brought an extra zing to the story, and I'm excited to see that there is going to be a spin off about them.

Please check the content warnings, but this was a brilliant book and a truly fun read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5☆
2.5/5🌶

What a great second story in this series! I loved the forbidden romance aspect and the "will they / won't they" storylines.

The last third caught me by surprise, and I didn't expect it to go the direction it did, but it didn't subtract from my enjoyment of the story overall. We get a fun epilogue at the end too, ten years later!

I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment of Lauren's Cherry Stems series with Elena & Cole!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Talk about dreamy!!! This book has everything a girl could imagine when it comes to friends, family, travel & romance! Lauren Kohout has created such lovable (and funny) characters. The surprises just kept coming & I seriously could not put it down until I read what happened next. Oh and bonus points for the hot/steamy sex scenes that really made me want my own Emilio! I love this series and can’t wait for book three.

[Susan Siano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Abby’s and Emilio’s story. I never read a story so fast before. It was Incredible! I felt like I was in Italy with the tour group.