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It's Italy, Not Love
Romance is in the air at a wedding in Tuscany. Roman and Niilo meet at the bar, and embark on an adventure together. Hitting the road, they find themselves falling for Italy, and each other, amid beautiful scenery, stunning historical landmarks, and delicious food.
It’s Italy, Not Love was previously published in the Love in Tuscany charity anthology benefiting TransLifeline. Expanded and re-released with a few new additions, it’s a 23k word novella featuring holiday vibes, a single bed, and a pair of strangers falling in love.
It’s Italy, Not Love was previously published in the Love in Tuscany charity anthology benefiting TransLifeline. Expanded and re-released with a few new additions, it’s a 23k word novella featuring holiday vibes, a single bed, and a pair of strangers falling in love.
- GenresRomanceM M Romance
90 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 7, 2025
10 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 18, 2026
This was part of an anthology - three stories centered around one wedding in a nice, posh villa in Tuscany.
Story 1 and 2 were by other authors (Maia Kinley and Hannah Henry) and both were a bit on the short side, too short for me anyway, but I am usually a sucker for getting to know the characters which is always a challange in a novella with its short length.
However, story 3 by JJ was great, very atmospheric. Even though due to the short format we don't have enough space to learn enough about the MCs, they feel like real people nevertheless, so it's 4,4 stars for me.
What it's about: Colleague of bride meets bartender, a Finn on work&travel following graduation.
What follows feels a bit like a fairy tale which feels a bit unrealistic, but very atmospheric - not much time is spent on the wedding, but on their travels around Italy, well, actually mostly Firenze and Roma. They had little time and covered a lot. Slow burn, sort of, which I prefer to insta-love (insta-attraction I have no problems with), so really really lovely.
Would have liked for the main event and people (the bride and groom) to have a better connected role, sigh, but the novella was like a mini-vacation, especially since I can picture both cities they visited from prior holidays.
Story 1 and 2 were by other authors (Maia Kinley and Hannah Henry) and both were a bit on the short side, too short for me anyway, but I am usually a sucker for getting to know the characters which is always a challange in a novella with its short length.
However, story 3 by JJ was great, very atmospheric. Even though due to the short format we don't have enough space to learn enough about the MCs, they feel like real people nevertheless, so it's 4,4 stars for me.
What it's about: Colleague of bride meets bartender, a Finn on work&travel following graduation.
What follows feels a bit like a fairy tale which feels a bit unrealistic, but very atmospheric - not much time is spent on the wedding, but on their travels around Italy, well, actually mostly Firenze and Roma. They had little time and covered a lot. Slow burn, sort of, which I prefer to insta-love (insta-attraction I have no problems with), so really really lovely.
Would have liked for the main event and people (the bride and groom) to have a better connected role, sigh, but the novella was like a mini-vacation, especially since I can picture both cities they visited from prior holidays.
January 10, 2026
3.5*
This is a quick, sweet, romantic novella. The story really makes you feel like you're in Italy, basking in the sun. While not my favourite from this author, it still will leave you with a smile and a hankering for a summer vacation.
This is a quick, sweet, romantic novella. The story really makes you feel like you're in Italy, basking in the sun. While not my favourite from this author, it still will leave you with a smile and a hankering for a summer vacation.
February 15, 2026
Beautiful Vacation Romance
This book felt like a love letter to Italy almost as much as it was a romance between two people who met by chance and fell in love along the way. Roman and Niilo’s story was so soft and sweet but filled with adventure. I adored this entire book it may have been short but the characters were well written and the pacing was perfect. I loved joining Roman and Niilo on their adventures as well as seeing inside their heads as they admire one another. I am just as happy as they are that they took a chance to spend two weeks in Italy together. Roman is a gentle giant who’s just so lovely and sweet. Niilo is fun and flirty but equally sweet and I loved his fondness for watching Roman be excited over everything. This is a perfect example of a short book that manages to do everything it’s intended to. I fell in love with the characters and the story and I just love every that happened here.
This book felt like a love letter to Italy almost as much as it was a romance between two people who met by chance and fell in love along the way. Roman and Niilo’s story was so soft and sweet but filled with adventure. I adored this entire book it may have been short but the characters were well written and the pacing was perfect. I loved joining Roman and Niilo on their adventures as well as seeing inside their heads as they admire one another. I am just as happy as they are that they took a chance to spend two weeks in Italy together. Roman is a gentle giant who’s just so lovely and sweet. Niilo is fun and flirty but equally sweet and I loved his fondness for watching Roman be excited over everything. This is a perfect example of a short book that manages to do everything it’s intended to. I fell in love with the characters and the story and I just love every that happened here.
January 25, 2026
This was very cute- an enjoyable quick read, and I liked the characters a lot.
One thing really bugged me tho- 2 gay men who are attracted to each other and have no reason not to hook up are traveling together for a WEEK before they actually do hook up? And they aren’t even sharing hotel rooms? Why? Felt weirdly heteronormative in a way that took me out of the gay story. Like, if there was any explainable reason at all for them to not be hooking up, fine, but just avoiding it FOR NO REASON?!? That is puritanical and/or straight people behavior.
Truly this brought it from 4 to 3 stars for me.
One thing really bugged me tho- 2 gay men who are attracted to each other and have no reason not to hook up are traveling together for a WEEK before they actually do hook up? And they aren’t even sharing hotel rooms? Why? Felt weirdly heteronormative in a way that took me out of the gay story. Like, if there was any explainable reason at all for them to not be hooking up, fine, but just avoiding it FOR NO REASON?!? That is puritanical and/or straight people behavior.
Truly this brought it from 4 to 3 stars for me.
December 14, 2025
I loved this when I read it in an anthology but this version is so much better! I loved the ending the most because it differs from the anthology version and it just felt so warm and fuzzy. I do wish there was an epilogue of sorts though to wrap it up as a HEA instead of a HFN.
December 30, 2025
Cute and quick. Insta love. But I loved the setting and their chemistry.
December 31, 2025
so cute, I wish we had more of a hea instead of a hfn, but this was still such a cute read!
January 20, 2026
“It takes a lot to put an Italian sunset to shame, but he’s managing just fine.”
I love how quick and easy this read is, but also how sweet the story is and how a lot of emotion is packed into so few pages. It’s pretty much insta love but it actually seriously works for these two.
Niilo is spending time travelling and working odds jobs and I love how it was just a chance meet to be bartending for Roman but it worked perfectly. He’s so sweet and tiny but I love how he ends up being the top. Small tops for the win. I love how he’s able to express himself through his crop tops, short shorts and makeup. He’s a sweetie pie.
Roman is the big, shy guy who’s in Italy for a wedding. I love how he gets served by Niilo once and then spends the whole watching him at the bar. I love how, even if he stumbles, he gets the courage to ask him to join the rest of his trip with him.
These two are sweet. Not overly spicy but a fair bit of tension before hand. They’ll make you wish you were in Italy yourself.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
“What an incredible act of fortune that, among the thousands of travellers in Italy, I found my person.”
I love how quick and easy this read is, but also how sweet the story is and how a lot of emotion is packed into so few pages. It’s pretty much insta love but it actually seriously works for these two.
Niilo is spending time travelling and working odds jobs and I love how it was just a chance meet to be bartending for Roman but it worked perfectly. He’s so sweet and tiny but I love how he ends up being the top. Small tops for the win. I love how he’s able to express himself through his crop tops, short shorts and makeup. He’s a sweetie pie.
Roman is the big, shy guy who’s in Italy for a wedding. I love how he gets served by Niilo once and then spends the whole watching him at the bar. I love how, even if he stumbles, he gets the courage to ask him to join the rest of his trip with him.
These two are sweet. Not overly spicy but a fair bit of tension before hand. They’ll make you wish you were in Italy yourself.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
“What an incredible act of fortune that, among the thousands of travellers in Italy, I found my person.”
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews