Wedding Bells at Villa Limoncello

Tuscan Dreams #1

by Daisy James

Escape to Villa Limoncello… where dreams come true in unexpected ways. Perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Jenny Oliver and Kat French

When Isabella Jenkins is unceremoniously fired from her fancy London job, she escapes to Tuscany. A few weeks hiding amongst rolling hills and grape vines at Villa Limoncello sounds exactly like the distraction she needs.

But Italy holds emotional memories for Izzie and with a hapless handyman, a matchmaking village matriarch and a gorgeous – if infuriating – local chef named Luca Castelotti, her quiet Italian get away turns into an unending cacophony of chaos.

Suddenly Izzie finds herself on a mission to pull off the wedding of the century and maybe get her life in order in the process. If only Luca’s gorgeous smile wasn’t such a powerful distraction…

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Italy, Summer, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

297 pages, Paperback

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

Daisy James loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plot-lines. She especially likes to create sunshine-filled settings in exotic locations - the Caribbean, Tuscany, Cornwall, Provence - so she can spend her time envisioning her characters enjoying the fabulous scenery and sampling the local food and drink.

When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea - china plates and teacups are a must.

Reviews

[Jennifer (Jaye) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*An Escapist’s Read’

This is the first instalment of a three part series (Tuscan Dreams) the backdrop of Tuscany and I could almost smell and taste the food.

Isabella Jenkins (Izzie) is an interior designer. She started her own company but after a devastating personal loss her business folded due to her complete heartbreak. She is working for a company and using her skills when she is unexpectedly sacked due to the son of the owner having a different vision.

Her best friend Meghan encourages her to take a job in Italy dressing a house and getting it ready for a wedding. Meghan’s brother Brad is a filmmaker so this is a very different assignment for her plus the wedding is shrouded in secrecy and she has very little to go on.

Going to Italy will bring back painful memories for Izzie, but when she arrives she is met with some very colourful characters and all set in the beautiful backdrop of Tuscany. The villa is beautiful but very unloved and although Izzie is working blind with very sketchy details will her skills transfer to wedding planning? Will Izzie go back to her England after her assignment is over or will she stay?

This book is full of chaos, drama and lots of misunderstandings but it worked for me.

[Elaine - Splashes Into Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isabella Jenkins is an interior designer based in London who has never truly recovered from personal tragedy. She's been going through the motions of living but has lost the colour from her life - and now she's also lost her job! However, fate has other plans for her and she travels to Tuscany to help her best friend's brother organise a wedding at the Villa Limoncello.

The locals prove to be great characters and most are helpful and supportive as she strives to get everything organised for this secret wedding. Get ready for humour and plenty of surprises as the story progresses. There are mysteries to be solved, disasters to be overcome and love to be found in this lovely read. Discover just why Isabella was reluctant to visit the region and explore some of the Florentine highlights with her. There's even a recipe for some delicious Limoncello of your own to make provided after the story ends!

It is a delightful read that I have no hesitation in highly recommending. Go on, escape to beautiful Tuscany in this delightful contemporary romance which is filled with hopes, dreams, surprises and schemes as well as unexpected love. I am so happy to discover this is the first story in a new trilogy and can't wait to read the next books!

I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daisy James has done it again with another book that really transports you to the location, in this case Villa Limoncello in Tuscany, fills you with wonderful descriptions, and delicious sounding food.

And better still its the first book in a trilogy, so I have a feeling I will be reading book 2 very shortly, as I need more of the Villa Limoncello and all the lovely new friends that Isabelle makes in my life.

Isabella for the past few years has been living a grey and drab life, but she has good reason for it, and it takes for her getting sacked, and being co-erced into staging a wedding in a Tuscan Villa for her to start to come back to life.

Every chapter is headed with a location and also a colour which really does help give a feeling for just how vivid and bright life is in Italy, and Izzie starts to realise life isn't all about lists, even though they are needed if she has a hope of pulling off this wedding.

There are a few small mysteries in the book to add intrigue, I loved all the people that we meet, some gorgeous Italian men, and some mouth watering food descriptions.

This book has everything you could possibly want from a Daisy James rom-com, and its yet another incredibly enjoyable book by this wonderful author. Bring on the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Canelo for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[Jypsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wedding Bells at Villa Limoncello is a cute romance story. Izie is fired from her job and ends up going to Italy for a week to help with a reading. It's a light hearted easy read, but it's very formulaic. The plot is predictable, and the characters are way too happy. It's not realistic but a cute fun romcom for a relaxing day. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very lovely, lighthearted, romantic read. Perfect for summer holiday reading. One to certainly put a smile on yours face and make you wish you were somewhere warm and sunny.

[RedRobinXXX · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reviewing this book for Daisy James, Canelo, and NetGalley who gave me a copy of their book for an honest review
A lovely easy holiday read. Lovely setting, great characters to follow and a good storyline.

[Jo Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

When interior designer Izzie loses her job in London, and is given the chance to plan a wedding in a Tuscan villa, she jumps at the chance in spite of memories which make Tuscany the last place she wants to go. Villa Limoncello is every bit as gorgeous as she expects, and she finds herself finally able to relax in such a beautiful setting, in part aided by the distraction of local chef Luca Castelotti.

This book was the perfect balance of romance and a poignant backstory that needed to be revealed. If you are looking for the perfect beach read, this is it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cover that completely encapsulates the book within, but the vibrancy of this beautiful cover radiates from every page. Daisy James has the power to make you feel as if you are there, under the azure sky, the smell of lemons floating on the warm breeze.

I only have one minor bugbear with the story. There is a saboteur, who is finally identified, and although it is clear he will be confronted ‘later’, I would have liked that to have been in the book. That, however, did not in any way detract from the book being a sublime lighthearted romantic comedy, and one that is perfect to read in one sitting, because quite frankly, you’re not going to want to put it down!

Thank you to Canelo and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathleen Anne Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished this trilogy. Stories have a good theme but, dear God, does she ever need a decent editor. Does she really not know any other verb than "grab" (Daisy, buy a thesaurus), the discrepancies had me sucking my teeth. In the first book, initially, she is run off the road into a potato field which then morphs itself into a sunflower field! Having read all three books in succession, I also got very fed up with the same phrases being trotted out time and again in all the books. Again, where is the editor? Final gripe, a shocking number of typos/mis-spellings : confectionAry???? It's confectionery, so clearly the type setter didn't have a spellchecker.

[Skyesmum · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book, an easy read. I was surprised to read how amazing everyone's English was.
The characters were pleasant enough. I was hoping for something a little bit more.
All in all a comfortable read on a wet dreary day.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and short read. Perfect to curl up with on a cold afternoon and read about the Tuscan sunshine. Lovely cosy romance and all of the characters were fun. Looking forward to the rest of this series.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing my copy.

[Andy M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to stop reading, too many descriptions, written in a weird way, usually I am all about hallmark-esque romance novels however this seemed as if it was intended to be a script and got turned into a book, was excited but got disappointed

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice Sunday read. Written in a bit of a hurry I think. But It still satisfied my craving for a little Tuscan cozy romance.

[Jane Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely sad heroine, who is unable to come to terms with losing her twin, a cast of authentic Italians and a Summery, vivid setting, combine to make this romcom a must-read summer book.

Izzy is an interior designer, but after the untimely loss of her twin, she is full of guilt, grief and greyness. This reflects in all aspects of her life. When fate intervenes with an opportunity to stage a fake wedding in Tuscany, she decides to live a little and grasp the opportunity to put some colour and zest back in her drab life.

I loved that each chapter began with a little phrase and a colour, it set the scene and chartered Izzy's moods perfectly. The plot is simple and the pacing gently, both fitting in with a lighthearted, but sometimes poignant romantic comedy, set in a place full of colour and visual imagery.

The balance of comedy and romance is perfect, and the setting is full of sunshine, it makes you feel warmer and happier with every chapter. With the added bonus of lovely food and more complications than you could ever imagine, this book would make a great film.
I look forward to the next in the series of the #TuscanTrilogy.

I received a copy of this book from Canelo in return for an honest review.

[Sally Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Izzy is an interior designer who has been feeling down due to a recent death, so when she loses her job as well things go from bad to worse....... until her best friend's brother offers her the opportunity to plan his wedding in Tuscany. She is soon settling down in the Villa Limoncello and enjoying the beautiful Tuscan countryside and food, the locals are great and she is soon working well with them to pull the wedding together........ especially one, the gorgeous Luca!

A lovely light hearted fun book set in a beautiful area with great descriptions of the scenery and food and plenty of fun and frolics to keep your interest. Perfect beach read.

[Montana · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was no actual substance through this, and when you got to the end, it felt as if nothing had happened in the book. There was a lot that happened in the book that meant nothing to the actual story, and very little that actually shaped the plot. There was a lot of turmoil for the characters, yet very little character development. In the end she was at peace with the loss of her sister, yet, never saw her actually make peace with it. it just seemed like a lot of fluff, and very little actual story. There was no real substance, and it felt shallow. 2 stars.

[Vanessa Mozayani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick cute romantic read. Izzie has been fired from her interior design job at Hambleton Homes, her best friend Megan persuades her to fly to Tuscany and plan a wedding set for her brother Brad’s next movie. The description of the Tuscan landscape and culinary delights transports me to another world. I read an advanced copy thanks to Netgalley.

[Pat Langhelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it x

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, quick read romance book
Izzy is an interior designer who has just lost her job, she has recently lost her twin sister and her partner. So at the offer and need to help organise/plan a wedding in Italy for Meghan (Izzy’s best friend’s brother) she finds herself in Villa Limoncella reluctant to do so or not and Luca the handsome Italian might just have caught her eye

The way Daisy James writes is lovely, her descriptive imagery gives you the perfect picture of the beautiful villa, vineyard and Italian village; although at times it does seem a lot and it doesn’t always feel necessary for the story considering the length of the story. It feels as though the description is there as a way to carry the story on but doesn’t develop the storyline. The storyline itself is quite simple, there are elements of mystery/trouble for Izzy but they’re relatively quickly resolved or have low seeming stakes. The characters that surround Izzy are nice and varied who all help Izzy with planning this secret wedding all with their own stories and jobs to do

As I said this more of a quick-read, the story doesn’t feel rushed but there isn’t a lot of character development. The storyline feels rushed at times but also lacks complexity and is very simple in its idea; especially with the romance of Luca and Izzy, it feels we only really get this right in the last two chapters but I suppose this is developed in the next two books

This is the first in a trilogy I believe of the “Tuscan Dreams” and I would like to read the next one in the series to see how their relationship develops, however right now their relationship only seems to have came from being at the villa and in the Italian village together and Luca showing Izzy around. Despite the lovely description of the scenery and environment it was lacking with details on the two’s supposed interest in one another

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

To end my summer travels through the pages of books, I chose a romance about Tuscany. Izzie, an interior designer, has lost her job with a large housing development firm. This in turn was hardly her dream job. That had been her own design firm, which had gone belly up when, in rapid succession, she lost her beloved twin sister to an early death and her fiancee left her when she couldn't seem to bring herself out of depression. Solution? Accept a temp job with her best friend's brother the film director. He has asked her to stage a wedding at a Tuscan villa in the week before he and his film crew can get there from Bali. From almost the moment she sets foot in Italy, the Villa dei Limoni, often called Limoncello for the previous owner's recipe for that liquor, begins to work its magic. She loves the colors, the vineyards, the home's limonaia (greenhouse full of lemon trees) and even the funky dilapidated decor of the two-hundred-year-old house. Luca, the gorgeous chef at the village trattoria doesn't hurt either. The romance was a nice touch, but the real star here is Tuscany and the real story is in how Izzie finally begins to overcome her grief, with the help of a pastry chef, a florist, a caterer, an accident prone vintner, and even the mystery writer next door. The descriptions of the Tuscan hills, the mouth-watering food and the lovely hill towns just add to the pleasure. Apparently one can visit the Villa Limoncello three times. I might dip in again around Christmas.

[forsanolim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Izzie, an interior designer, is unceremoniously sacked from her job decorating model houses, and she jumps at the chance to design the backdrop for a wedding film scene (or a real wedding? no one really knows) in Tuscany. Being in Italy wells up deep emotions--Izzie lost her twin sister shortly before the two were due to take a trip to Florence--but also introduces us to a cast of characters in their Tuscan town.

This was fine enough, but I didn't love it. The writing style didn't click for me, and it was a little too cutesy for my tastes: everyone is best friends immediately after meeting, and our main character loves to list colors that she sees (e.g. "raspberry ripple") without really offering real descriptions. Also, it hardly seemed set in Italy--the author definitely drops Italian words (~fruttivendolo~) for ~atmosphere~ but (perhaps because the book is so short) there was much more telling than showing. I found this book by chance looking at my library's website, and it was a quick enough read, but I don't plan to continue with the series.

[Readsandeats · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book, it was my first book by this author as well.

We meet Izzie, she is an interior designer but at present is working staging homes. Unfortunately she looses her job but her best friend may just have the solution. Her brother is a film maker and is staging a wedding in Tuscany or so they think. He needs someone to make sure all the details are correct - normally it would be his PA but she has food posoining. Izzie agrees to step in with a lot of derepidation.
She has always wanted to go to Tuscany and had planned a trip but that didn't happen. As the story progresses we see Izzie blossom and change, she discovers her love of colour again, she learns new things and makes new friends. Will she want to return to London after her time in Tuscany?
The descriptions of vista's were so well written and makes me want me to travel to Tuscany.
This is the first book in a series and I will be reading the rest of the series.

Would recomend this book.

[Emily Bancroft · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is what it is. A perfectly, ok romance novel. It had all the hallmarks of a cheesy, holiday/airport book, and you know what, I’m ok with that. It fulfilled the brief.
I enjoyed the plot, the characters and the dreamy Italian setting. I got out of it exactly what I expected, and I would like to venture into the sequels, so I guess it did it’s job.
As much as I did like it, the proof reading on this book is practically not existent. There is an error, either gramatical or spelling, on quite a few pages and it makes for quite an annoying read.
The author also loves (an understatement) the use of the word myriad, and it gets quite irritating after a while. She also loves the phrase “to finger” to describe touching quite literally anything the main character picks up.
She also introduced a cat that I thought would be an important plot point, but is quite literally never mentioned again.
Overall, this book was ok, I liked it and would read the next in the series, but it didn’t blow me away.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good as a standard holiday read. The author is strongest in her descriptions of Tuscany and the Villa Limoncello - it does feel like you’re there.

At the beginning, the characters in London bounced off the page - but I didn’t get this from the characters Izzie meets in Italy. I feel like the writer could have done so much more with the characterisation for Luca (the love interest), Riccardo (the moody neighbour) and particularly Carlotta (who was tipped to be a ‘matchmaking matriarch’). Everyone just seemed nice and helpful and normal. Overall, it was OK as an easy read, but it didn’t have that spark I was hoping for.

[Esme Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a wonderful read this was! Feeling like I was in a bit of a reading slump, I picked up this lovely little book, and struggled to put it down for the short week it took me to read it!

Such a beautiful story about how life can knock us down, but others can help build us back up again. This definitely goes deeper than just being a romance novel. It felt like an adventure! I also loved how the chapters were structured; all roughly the same length, and telling you where they take place before the chapter begins.

I would highly recommend this book, especially if you've been feeling "stuck in a rut". It certainly perked me right up! 😊

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Welp. I can see how this book could have turned out… but it just didn’t work for me. It felt like two books in one, first of all. The protagonist finding her mojo again being the first book and the mystery of the villa/wilting vines being the second. Also, there was really nothing that made you feel there was any urgency to the story. I mean, you’re planning a wedding for a movie set and have it all set and organized and then ‘oh no!’ It’s a real wedding? Really? How does that make it any different really since you aren’t the caterer? And how she felt so stupid? And needed to apologize to people? For what!? I thought that whole storyline was so pointless.

The book could have used a better editor as well. Lots of grammar errors and she sure does love the word ‘whilst’.

Overall I was disappointed. I didn’t even care about the romance, of which there was so little I wouldn’t even call it a romance. I will say one positive thing, and that is that the author didn’t do the thing I hate in books that feature foreign language dialogue and immediately translate everything into English. Props for that.

[Claudia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook.
I gave up at ~50%.
This was like a cozy mystery without the mystery. There is supposedly a romance hidden in this book somewhere, but it was completely lost in the discussions and descriptions of food. The narrative also included copious descriptions of the setting, which I prefer to excessive discussion of food. This book had no plot to speak of.
People who like to read about what others are eating may enjoy this more than I did.
I will not bother with another in this series.

[Amberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started and finished date - 28.05.25 to 30.05.25.
My rating - Three Stars.
This book was okay read but I didn't love it and I remined me little bit of mamma mia specially the sequel also the cover of the book was fine. The writing was okay and it was easy to follow also the ending of book was okay. The atmosphere was fine and the romance was okay but bit bland. The paced of plot was well structured and steady paced. The characters was fine but they were bit bland and I feel at they flash out bit more

[Isabella May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

If this book doesn't make you want to jump on the next plane to Florence, nothing will. A beautiful tale of love, loss, and rediscovering your zest for life. The backdrop is so accurate too, transporting readers to the heart of the Tuscan countryside via every one of the senses. Looking forward to book 2!

[Ceri Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have adored & devoured this gorgeous book. I won it as a #giveaway on Twitter and it is truly delightful.
It is the story of Izzie, a dependable, hard working, lovely girl who is struggling to come to terms with some personal tragedy. Izzie escapes to the hills of Tuscany and I wish I could too right now!
Izzie learns to face her demons and grab new opportunities.
It is an uplifting and heartwarming read and I can't wait to see what's in store for Izzie next - as book 2 is currently on a fab Kindle offer.😍
Thank you Daisy😘

[Shannen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 rounded up

Meh. But hey, at least it wasn’t raunchy, so there’s that. I think I may have liked it better if I had read it instead of listening to the audiobook version. The accents were a little distracting