A gorgeous cover to this one, but you’ll notice that there’s something missing – no black Labrador! But worry not, there’s certainly nothing missing from the story – a rather Shakespearean theme with the warring families and star-crossed lovers, the perfectly drawn setting, a central romance that was everything I wanted it to be, and the wonderful Frank (if I should ever have a dog, isn’t that the perfect name?) may not be on that cover but certainly makes his presence felt.
When Alice is made redundant from her post at a Devonshire stately home, the former owners put her in touch with an Italian family wanting to turn their castle in the hills above Parma into a tourist attraction. She speaks fluent Italian, and has lived in the country before – but her previous stay ended in tragedy with a life-changing accident and a broken heart when a relationship disintegrated. But she takes the job – finding first that not all the family are convinced about updating their home and finding alternative ways of bolstering their income, then running up against the opposition of the village mayor and the historic family feud that’s continued to simmer. Her choice of Luca as the architect could have made the situation even more complicated – but the developing relationship between them (and one I really loved) also helps her come to terms with her mobility restrictions and to open up to the possibility of finding happiness once more.
The less familiar setting around Parma is – as expected – quite wonderfully drawn, as Alice rediscovers her love of horse riding and explores the surrounding countryside. There’s plenty of delicious food too – with Alice first spotting Luca (and Frank!) while eating at the Casa Rosa where Giorgio and his son produce local specialities to make the mouth water. And the steps towards making the castle tourist-ready were simply fascinating – as were the new enterprises of introducing an alpaca herd, and developing the woodlands as an alternative source of income.
The characters were just wonderful. Alice had a place in my heart from the very beginning, but I really enjoyed her interactions with the family and their workforce while getting them all on-side with the changes – and the developing romance, with Alice’s understandable fear of rejection casting an initial shadow, became something rather special that really warmed my heart. But there’s plenty of tension too, with the fierceness of the mayor’s opposition, and the unpredictability of his reactions – and some real drama before there’s any chance of a happy ending. And the whole book has the perfect emotional touch – with a particular sensitivity when dealing with Alice’s issues.
Infused with Italian sunshine, this really was the perfect read to escape the wintery weather outside – with an uplifting and entirely engaging story I thoroughly enjoyed.