Förbindelser i Florens

by Jenna Lo Bianco, Carina Jansson (Translator)

Matthew måste gifta sig för att laga den trasiga relationen med sin far och säkra sitt arv.

Sarah försöker undkomma det oupphörliga ringandet från sin biologiska klocka.

Med ett vattentätt äktenskapsförord i resväskan flyttar det nygifta paret till Florens för att uppfylla villkoren för släkten D Adamos arv. Vad de inte vet är att det finns ytterligare en möjlig arvtagare.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Summer, Summer Reads, Fake Dating

371 pages, Hardcover

First published December 27, 2023

About the author

Jenna Lo Bianco is a writer, educator, PhD Candidate, and advocate for Italian language education in Australia.

With nearly 60 publications to her name, Jenna is trusted nationally and internationally to write about all things ‘Italian’. She is a Fellow of the International Specialised Skills Institute and Italian Australian Foundation, regular contributor to Segmento Magazine, and has written and consulted in educational publishing for more than a decade.

A romantic at heart, Jenna writes contemporary romances set in Italy that read like a fictional slice of ‘la dolce vita’, but are steeped in candour and truths – both the convenient and inconvenient – drawing upon her personal life experiences in Italy, and her intimate knowledge of the Italian language and culture.

She may appear to live in Melbourne, but her heart and soul are Rome’s most permanent residents.

Reviews

[Alisha]

My favourite romance trope is a fake marriage so I was pretty excited about reading this. Unfortunately it fell very flat for me. The major letdowns were: characters, storyline and writing.

Characters:
The characters were all 100% perfect all the time. They knew exactly what to say and what to do and the other person never acted selfishly, there were never any misunderstandings (despite never meeting the other before!) and it was just love and acceptance from day dot. Which is lovely…but not at all realistic.

Sarah was perfect. No flaws. She just happened to have all the characteristics and abilities one needs renovate a run down villa-what a coincidence that that’s what they need to do! She was so perfect that ultimately she didn’t need to learn anything in the novel, she didn’t have any real moment of clarity or growth.
Matthew was boring. I love a good beta hero but he had no personality. Was he really a high powered partner at some law firm? He doesn’t have the killer instinct or any of the characteristics one needs for that to be believable. Honestly I could see him being a kindergarten teacher which how thoughtful and kind he is.

Both of these things lead to: storyline

All I want to say is that it was very contrived. All the ideas Sarah has were so obvious and it’s really unlikely that places in this modern age wouldn’t be capitalising on the “local” aspect of tourism. Every single hardship was perfect solved. There was nothing hard that they needed to solve or anything they couldn’t handle.

Lastly the writing:
They said things that I don’t think real people say. There was a strange focus on things that didn’t really matter, like the weird shaving of legs part, there were moments like this all the way along which just kept taking me out of the moment. Also it felt very tell not show. I was continually TOLD that characters were nice and beautiful etc. also the detail with the crumbling down villa would just be skipped over when honestly wouldn’t there be aspects that were a nightmare!? Also we never found out how they even met!

By the last few chapters I was skim reading it. It was a nice, sweet read; but had zero humour and disappointed me because I thought it could have been better.

[Lisa]

Not rating didn’t get far into the book as I found it hard to look up references & what they meant in Italian 🇮🇹 plus the chapter numbers are in Italian as well.

[rosie (jason todd's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

╰› (⭐3.25)

⋆｡°✩ 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍

i'm so glad to say i enjoyed this better than the other book i read by this author: love and rome, however it still had a few slight annoyances sprinkled within (cough... italian phrases and words with no translation...) but it bothered me significantly less in this one! probably because the FMC was also learning how to speak italian in this one lol...

⋆｡°✩ 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕

the plot was honestly so unexpected! i didn't see any aspects of the main plot in the blurb, which was a teensy bit confusing, but i just let myself go along with it and overall it was pretty fun!

a little bit of the writing was somewhat cringe, but it was still fun and pretty quick to read!

not a lot happened, which is why i'll keep this section short. 3.25 stars is still a good rating! it's just not very memorable. it doesn't stand out too much, in my opinion.

⋆｡°✩ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔

𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩 ⭑.ᐟ 🪡

so when i read about her on the blurb, i was honestly so excited to have the endometriosis representation in her character, and i got to about 50% and it still had been vaguely mentioned only once... luckily, after that, we got more of that theme, which was very important and i was glad to see this diversity and representation.

sadly, despite her representation for endo, our FMC had the personality of a piece of cardboard.

she honestly felt like the 'dead wife/mother' in a classic 2000's coming of age film. she was just the generic kind, gentle, selfless girl. just overall not very memorable, which is sad for me to say.

𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 ⭑.ᐟ 🍷

unfortunately, his only personality trait was being italian... he was just kinda average otherwise.

one of my least favourite tropes in romance is miscommunication, but on the other hand, i feel like these two communicated a bit too well? it was a little boring at times, and i don't know what that says about me as a person 🫢

he was okay, i guess. i liked the relationship he had with his grandfather, that was cute. and i too am an ass and thighs guy, matthew, don't worry x

⋆｡°✩ 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔

sadly just really average. the vibes are all there tho! makes me wanna go to italy, just as this author's last book did, but luckily this one had more to it than aforementioned previous book. 🙂‍↕️

· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re looking to escape with an easy read, The Italian Marriage will certainly do the job. It would also be the perfect pick for readers trying to learn Italian, as you’ll frequently have to look up phrases from the dialogue.

My full review of The Italian Marriage is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4.5 Stars⭐️
The Italian Marriage by Jenna Lo Bianco is a charming feel good romance read with the holiday vibe of an exotic location. I loved being transported to Florence, Italy.

I quite enjoy the fake marriage trope and The Italian Marriage didn’t disappoint. Matthew D’Adamo needs to find a wife in order to inherit his family estate. Sarah Browne an event manager is happy to fake it to help Matthew receive his inheritance. They meet up at for the first time at Sydney airport about to board their flight to Florence.

Sarah and Matthew are likeable characters and I enjoyed the twists along the way. With glorious mentions of Italian food, and beautiful countryside to renovating a rundown property I felt very engaged. Sarah is an Endo-Warrior, she is battling endometriosis and it was written into the story in a thoughtful way.

There’s a smattering of Italian phrases throughout the book and I had fun googling their meanings….and yes some rude ones too!

A sweet, sexy romance with drama and a beautiful escape to Italy.

Publication Date 27 December 2023
Publisher Macmillan Australia

Thank you to the wonderful team Macmillan Australia for a copy of the book.

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find more reviews at: https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogsp...
I loved this book! The perfect beach read, even though I'm nowhere near a beach.

The Italian Marriage is so sweet I think I 'aawed' through the whole book.
The Italian Marriage is a fake marriage trope; he falls first, one bed, sweetly sexy, romance.

Matthew D'Adamo is set to inherit the family estate but first he needs a wife. The estate goes to the youngest 'married' D'Adamo male.

Sarah Browne, a free-spirited event manager, agrees to an air-tight pre-nup and is looking forward to a break from the emotional toll of her endometriosis. The first time the two meet is on the flight to Florence. When they arrive they find another claimant has surfaced and now they must spend a year together restoring a rundown hotel. Whichever couple is most successful after 12 months wins the family estate.

I loved both Sarah and Matthew! They were both so perfect; kind, accommodating and thoughtful. Sarah is fun, spontaneous and confident. The story introduces lovely friends that help them connect with the community and there are also those that are bent on thwarting them so there is loads of drama between all the sweet moments of Sarah and Matthew getting to know each other.

With chapter headings in Italian and lots of Italian interspersed throughout conversations it was very easy to connect with the location.
The Italian Marriage is steeped in the culture of Italy. The language, the food, the architecture is all vividly played out on the page.

If you are after a sweet romance with plenty of drama and a few little twists The Italian Marriage will not disappoint.
The Italian Marriage is destination romance at its best!

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🌟

I’ve been in the worst reading slump of my life which is why it’s taken me 2 weeks to finish this 350 page book.

The book was average, nothing really happened. I did help me practice my Italian though

[Brooke Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Severely let down. I was skipping pages at the end just to get to the end.

[Dyveke Haugaard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mysig och trevlig men tyvärr ingen som fastnar.

[India · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely and very light romance read! If you need something soft and enjoyable for a holiday, I’d highly recommend reading this. However, I do wish there was more infusion of Italy and Italian culture. It is a surface level novel, but that’s also what makes it pleasant to read.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this one, like Under the Tuscan Sun, but with Australians and inheritances involved! I want to escape to Italy 😉☀️

[thebookishstephanie]

Matthew needs a wife to fulfill an old inheritance clause; Sarah needs an escape from her life. Matthew and Sarah move to Florence to fulfill his obligations. Number one issue? They've never met until just before their flight, at the Sydney airport. Second issue? There's another D'Adamo claimant. Now they have 12 months to turnaround a derelict estate into a thriving hotel in order to inherit the D'Adamo estate.

Ahhhh I have been loving romances about proper adults lately. Both in their late thirties with a life of experience behind them, Matthew and Sarah know exactly what they want. Initially, Matthew wanted his family inheritance, and Sarah wanted an escape from her life, which was being overrun by her endometriosis. As they renovate the old estate, they find comfort in one another, and maybe something more?

I also loved the setting. It felt like a big warm hug. The descriptions of the food felt like it wafted off the pages, I could picture the beatiful settings in my head despite never being to Italy, and I love the inlcusion of Italian, even if I could only gleam meanings from it!

I really loved this and recommend it if you're looking for a mature romance with a fun story.

Thank you to Pan Macmillan Australian for a review copy of this one, all opinions are my own.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance isn’t a genre I’ve read a lot of and it’s not something I gravitate towards, so I don’t have any favourite tropes and went in with absolutely zero expectations.

Quick plot summary: Two people enter an arranged marriage of convenience to help each other further their financial situations via an inheritance. As they meet and travel to Italy to claim said inheritance there is a spanner thrown in the works and they have to renovate and run a hotel for a year to earn it. The question, how will they get along?

The Italian scenery was described so beautifully! I have personally spent some time in Florence, so I really enjoyed the descriptions of the skyline, it brought back lovely memories! The Italian countryside and La Viola was drool worthy and the overall vibe of the book kind of gave me “Under The Tuscan Sun” vibes.

I loved how our main character Sarah is an Endo-Warrior! It’s not something I’ve had a character battle with before, but watching my bestie go through over 10 years of battling, losing babies and eventually having to get everything taken out to save losing organs, I appreciated how raw and informative these parts were. The more it’s talked about and brought up for attention the more these invisible battles become seen 💛

As for our main male character, Matteo, I found him a bit unrealistic. He is an idealistic version of a partner (especially one of a convenient “transaction”) to be so emotionally sensitive to the needs to others and he almost had no flaws. Especially because he self proclaimed to be a hard worker and addicted to his phone.

Overall it was a cute and easy read.

[Craig and Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Pan Macmillan for sending us a copy to read and review.
The Italian Marriage is a romantic drama that captures the essence of love from an exotic location.
Get ready to be transported to Italy where a couple who have just met, fake a marriage to receive an inheritance but don’t except to develop feelings for each other.
Workaholic lawyer Matthew needs a wife pronto.
If he is to inherit a substantial family estate, according to a clause, he needs to be married.
Enter events manager Sarah, who agrees to the arrangement to escape her worry of health issues.
They meet at the airport while boarding a plane to Italy.
But not all goes to plan, when they arrive another claimant and his wife has surfaced.
So now they each must renovate a rundown property and open for business and whoever is the most successful wins.
A fake relationship trope with a happy ending.
With scattered foreign language, glorious countryside and delicious mentions of food, you can help but feel like you are there drinking wine and being with friends.
Easy to read, engaging, emotive, embracing family, taking chances and very entertaining.
A charming read and suitable for romance lovers with a twist.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really cute! I really enjoyed the characters and the Italian setting.
However, the writing felt a little odd to me as we did get perspectives from multiple characters, but these were included in every chapter which I am not used to. Quite often I read books with multiple perspectives with each character getting their own chapters, so this was a little different and did take some getting used to!
But I absolutely loved the descriptions of the setting and enjoyed the journey of renovating the hotel!
I really enjoyed the storyline of competing for inheritance and enjoyed the marriage of convenience trope!
2.75**

Thank you Pan Macmillan Australia for sending me a copy to read and review!

[Kyra Thomson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had so much potential but just fell flat

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Italian Marriage follows Matthew 'Matteo' D'Adamo, who is in need of a wife in order to secure D'Adamo family trust as the youngest, legally-married male is deemed the heir to the D'Adamo name.

Sarah Browne, an event planner, agrees to marry Matthew, a complete stranger, and in exchange will help him in his quest to fulfil the inheritance clause, following him to Florence. However, there is a twist, with another contesting the D'Adamo estate.

The premise of this novel seemed promising, fake marriage is one of my favourite tropes, and I thought this would create some angst and tension which I love from this trope. However, from the beginning everything seemed so polite between the two main characters. Considering Matthew and Sarah are strangers, I would have hoped there would have been instances where the tension was heated and palpable in Sarah and Matthew's interaction which ultimately build to a crescendo.

I was disappointed that this wasn't the case, and that these characters had zero problems with each other whatsoever and got along brilliantly from minute one. I found Matthew and Sarah's exchanges quite clinical and too nice, I suppose. There was no fire, it was just perfectly put together dialogue. I also just felt some of the things written or said throughout the novel to be unrealistic of what any average person would say.

It also seemed like any time there was some sort of adversity in the story, Sarah always managed to find a quick solution to the problem. She somehow had the skillset to solve every. Single. Problem. And she was able to do without any battle, it was all very unrealistic which I found annoying and unrelatable.

The majority of the novel felt like a passive telling of the story; I was simply reading a recount of events as opposed to actively being immersed in the story. I fell like what I got from this story was just pages and pages of purple prose and detailed descriptions of the Italian landscape. I get the importance of painting the picture for the reader, and it was done well in this case, but this was constant throughout the novel and I hardly got any plot.

Speaking of the plot, It was only in the last 80 pages of the novel where some semblance of a plot came into the story with a bunch of twists and turns from out of left field. But throughout the majority of the novel the plot was neglected. I did like the incorporation of the relationship psychologist to the telling of the story, and I thought that there was going to be more of this throughout the novel but this quickly was neglected too.

One thing I appreciated about this novel is the way that endometriosis was discussed in a delicate matter as it is a sensitive issue and gave great insight into what life looks like for people with endometriosis, and it is something that needs more awareness, and I hope this does that.

This novel definitely had potential, but this personally was not for me. It is possible that I (21F) am not the intended audience for this novel; as I was reading, it seemed to me as more of a Women's Lit novel as opposed to other romance novels I normally read. I would have liked more fire and passion between the main characters, but everything just seemed very particular and polite, I just couldn't feel the chemistry unfortunately.

[Tea-Maria Constantin · Rating 3 out of 5]

In "The Italian Marriage," Jenna Lo Bianco crafts a captivating love story that effortlessly sweeps the reader along a journey of romance and self-discovery. As a vacation read, the novel offers a refreshing escape with its straightforward narrative and an engaging plot centred around the evolving relationship between Sarah and Matteo.

The storyline, while cliché at times, is nonetheless compelling, drawing readers into the intricacies of a fake marriage orchestrated to fulfil a family inheritance clause. Lo Bianco's simple yet effective writing style contributes to the book's accessibility, making it an ideal choice for leisurely reading during a holiday getaway.

Despite the foreseeable and predictable nature of the ending, the journey towards it remains enjoyable. The author's ability to convey emotions and interpersonal dynamics adds depth to the narrative, keeping readers invested in the outcome of Sarah and Matteo's relationship.

Several poignant quotes and sentiments resonate with readers throughout the novel, offering insights into love, marriage, and relationships. Lines such as "Love. It's incredibly simple, yet somehow easily overcomplicated" beautifully encapsulate the essence of marriage as both an emotional bond and a commitment to unconditional acceptance and support.

Similarly, Matteo's Nonno's advice on "a life of being loved" prompts reflection on the importance of love in fostering personal growth and fulfilment. The notion that "food has always been a way to show love" underscores the significance of shared experiences and celebrations in strengthening bonds between individuals.

Moreover, Lo Bianco imparts valuable wisdom on communication and understanding within relationships, emphasizing the importance of active listening and empathy in resolving conflicts and fostering mutual respect.

The theme of family memories being paramount resonates deeply, echoing the sentiment that roots provide grounding while allowing individuals the freedom to explore and grow. This novel aspect adds depth to the characters' experiences, enriching the narrative with themes of tradition, identity, and belonging.

In conclusion, "The Italian Marriage" delivers a delightful blend of romance, introspection, and familial bonds. While adhering to familiar tropes, Lo Bianco's storytelling prowess and heartfelt sentiments make this novel a charming and satisfying read for anyone seeking a heartfelt love story with a touch of Italian flair.

[Christine Le Tessier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Powered through most of it on a flight, otherwise I probably would have read it much slower as it is a slow burn. A new and refreshing take on the fake relationship troupe. There are beautiful messages of friendship, loyalty, connection and love in this book, plus the setting is written so beautifully. As an endo girlie this book will have a special place in my heart too, and I liked the way endometriosis was written about but not laboured over. Some highly unrealistic storylines but that’s what made it more enjoyable.

The characters and speech felt oddly formal at times but that wasn’t a draw back for me. A quirky book for sure but a perfect holiday read.

[K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content warnings: death of a grandparent, endometriosis and infertility, discussion of surgery, fire

This was sold to me as a rom com. It's not. It's women's fiction with a romantic subplot. And if I'd known that, I probably wouldn't have picked it up.

Don't get me wrong, as a story goes, it's FINE? If you want to read a book about a marriage of convenience that starts in the middle with limited backstory, where the heroine has endometriosis but it hardly seems to impact her life, and where the bulk of the story is about renovating and running an Italian hotel in a somewhat superficial way.

And, like, again, there's nothing WRONG with it. The writing had a fanfic-written-by-a-14-year-old kind of energy to it, which I didn't love, but I'll just put that down to this not being for me. So yeah. I had high hopes for this because the premise sounded fun. But it somehow felt...soulless. Sigh.

[Anna Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel this might be my first adult romance and I am here for it!!!!!!!!!! People who communicated well, who said what they meant and were responsible and respectful..but with all the humour and wanderlust of being in Italy in a pretend marriage. This was such a great read for me from page 1.
I loved it

[Bayley Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Omg I love how Jenna writes the imagery of Italy because omg she makes cathedrals and landmarks sound like heaven also I really liked the plot in this book and the romance took a back seat which payed off overall

[Ella Scacchia · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5⭐️ this storyline had so much potential but the writing killed me, I had to skim read it to finish it. The way the characters spoke.. real people don’t speak like that?? The only part that saved me a little was that I enjoyed the Italian in it

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved it, the characters were endearing and the love story top tier romance, it's the kind of love you dream about, a feel good book for the ages!!

[Aretha K · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a lovely book but I felt the handling of the character's struggle with endometriosis could have been developed further - especially the ending, which seemed to gloss over how hard it can be to fall pregnant with this condition. Otherwise, it's a good read that takes you into small town Italy in an authentic and captivating way.

[Chase · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 30% How do you write a book where not one but both of the main characters don’t have a personality.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤️❤️😊😊

[Linda Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Made me imagine I was in Italy 🥰

[Hannah Mein · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was really cute omg, i felt like i was watching a sappy love tv show like virgin river ❣️❣️

[Bridget Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

this felt like a movie my mum would’ve watched while covering my school books in primary school and I’m here for it.

thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.