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A Farmhouse in Tuscany
Under the Tuscan sun, the lives of three women are about to change forever...
Donna has been running the Bella Vista riding centre from her rambling farmhouse in Tuscany, taking in guests who enjoy the rolling Tuscan hills, home-grown vegetables and delicious pasta. It's been a decade since her husband Giovanni walked out, convinced she was having an affair. When the truth finally comes to light, can everything return to the way it was ten years ago? Or is it too late to start over?
When self-confessed workaholic Harriet takes an impromptu holiday to Tuscany, she quickly discovers that the relaxing yoga holiday she had been anticipating will be anything but. She's shocked when she's asked to swap her yoga mat and leggings for riding jodhpurs and a helmet! But the longer she stays at serene Bella Vista, the more she begins to rethink the way she's been living for so long...
Shy artist Jess has had a crush on Donna's son Marco from the first moment she saw him. This is her second summer at Bella Vista, and while it is a riding holiday, Jess was secretly hoping to pick up where they left off last summer with an almost-kiss. But is Marco still interested or will this be a summer of sadness?
Donna has been running the Bella Vista riding centre from her rambling farmhouse in Tuscany, taking in guests who enjoy the rolling Tuscan hills, home-grown vegetables and delicious pasta. It's been a decade since her husband Giovanni walked out, convinced she was having an affair. When the truth finally comes to light, can everything return to the way it was ten years ago? Or is it too late to start over?
When self-confessed workaholic Harriet takes an impromptu holiday to Tuscany, she quickly discovers that the relaxing yoga holiday she had been anticipating will be anything but. She's shocked when she's asked to swap her yoga mat and leggings for riding jodhpurs and a helmet! But the longer she stays at serene Bella Vista, the more she begins to rethink the way she's been living for so long...
Shy artist Jess has had a crush on Donna's son Marco from the first moment she saw him. This is her second summer at Bella Vista, and while it is a riding holiday, Jess was secretly hoping to pick up where they left off last summer with an almost-kiss. But is Marco still interested or will this be a summer of sadness?
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 9, 2021
77 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 8, 2021
A Farmhouse in Tuscany will transport you to a lovely region of Italy. Set in a old farmhouse which has been converted into a riding school the story explores loves and losses and the relationships of the people staying there. This is an easy to read, feel good book making it the perfect summer reading. I really enjoyed the references to Italian food and the old farmhouse setting and the little glimpses we saw of Italian countryside.
Sadly, I had difficulty engaging with the storyline which lacked depth and descriptive writing, although there was just about enough substance in there to keep me turning the pages. We’re in such a beautiful location and I felt the author could really have gone to town on the descriptions of the scenery and food. I wanted to ‘feel’ the heat of the sun and smell that gorgeous cooking. Everything happens far too quickly, literally one minute Harriet is in her flat thinking about a yoga retreat in Italy and the next chapter she’s sitting on the train. There is a lack of build up to the story and the romance storylines lacked passion and emotion and with the short choppy sentences and dialogue it felt stilted and didn’t flow.
As much as I love a good summer read sadly this book wasn’t for me. With much more descriptive writing and dimension to the characters and setting this could have been a fantastic read. However, it is what it is and what one reader doesn’t enjoy another might. If it’s a light-weight read, escapism and a book which focuses more on the individual characters and not on the setting or romance this one would be perfect and I’m sure you’ll love it.
Thank you so much to Orion Dash for the eARC to review.
Sadly, I had difficulty engaging with the storyline which lacked depth and descriptive writing, although there was just about enough substance in there to keep me turning the pages. We’re in such a beautiful location and I felt the author could really have gone to town on the descriptions of the scenery and food. I wanted to ‘feel’ the heat of the sun and smell that gorgeous cooking. Everything happens far too quickly, literally one minute Harriet is in her flat thinking about a yoga retreat in Italy and the next chapter she’s sitting on the train. There is a lack of build up to the story and the romance storylines lacked passion and emotion and with the short choppy sentences and dialogue it felt stilted and didn’t flow.
As much as I love a good summer read sadly this book wasn’t for me. With much more descriptive writing and dimension to the characters and setting this could have been a fantastic read. However, it is what it is and what one reader doesn’t enjoy another might. If it’s a light-weight read, escapism and a book which focuses more on the individual characters and not on the setting or romance this one would be perfect and I’m sure you’ll love it.
Thank you so much to Orion Dash for the eARC to review.
August 12, 2021
Harriet was a workaholic and was pushed by her boss to take a holiday. She suggested Bella Vista as her sister enjoyed a yoga holiday there. As the website was down, Harriet just booked her holiday thinking she was going to do yoga. Unfortunately for her, they were currently only doing horse riding holidays! She got talked into giving it a try and never looked back….she grew to love the scenery and didn’t even look at her work emails. On the train she caught the attention of a stranger and was even more surprised when he turned up where she was staying. They got on well, could this be the start of something?
Jess and Harriet had met on the train on their way to Bella Vista. It was Jess’ second visit there as she had a crush on Marco, Donna the owner’s son. They had nearly got together on her visit last year so she was wondering if he still felt the same way as she does. On Jess’ last day, she misread the signal between Harriet and Marco, thinking he was flirting between both of them, so she stormed off early without saying goodbye. Marco chased after her and caught her before the train left, but she pushed him away. He couldn’t understand why until speaking with Harriet a bit later and she remembered seeing Jess at the schooling ring when she nearly fell off Coco and Marco caught her, after that Jess was gone. Could she have been jealous?
Donna runs Bella Vista with the help of her best friend Julia, who does all the cooking. Donna’s husband Giovanni walked out ten years ago thinking she was having an affair with Francesco, who helped out with the horses and stables. A note comes to light that proves Donna’s innocence and Marco concocts a plan to bring them together again. Will it work? Or is it too late for that to happen?
This was a very light reading story that brought images of sun and beautiful countryside, with not much happening but a slight helping of romance. It mentioned the delightful Tuscany scenery and some sights of Sienna with some details of the horse rides and the lovely titles of the meals cooked by Julia. The writing was descriptive and the story flowed quite nicely. It’s not my usual type of book to read but it was alright and held my attention to the end.
Jess and Harriet had met on the train on their way to Bella Vista. It was Jess’ second visit there as she had a crush on Marco, Donna the owner’s son. They had nearly got together on her visit last year so she was wondering if he still felt the same way as she does. On Jess’ last day, she misread the signal between Harriet and Marco, thinking he was flirting between both of them, so she stormed off early without saying goodbye. Marco chased after her and caught her before the train left, but she pushed him away. He couldn’t understand why until speaking with Harriet a bit later and she remembered seeing Jess at the schooling ring when she nearly fell off Coco and Marco caught her, after that Jess was gone. Could she have been jealous?
Donna runs Bella Vista with the help of her best friend Julia, who does all the cooking. Donna’s husband Giovanni walked out ten years ago thinking she was having an affair with Francesco, who helped out with the horses and stables. A note comes to light that proves Donna’s innocence and Marco concocts a plan to bring them together again. Will it work? Or is it too late for that to happen?
This was a very light reading story that brought images of sun and beautiful countryside, with not much happening but a slight helping of romance. It mentioned the delightful Tuscany scenery and some sights of Sienna with some details of the horse rides and the lovely titles of the meals cooked by Julia. The writing was descriptive and the story flowed quite nicely. It’s not my usual type of book to read but it was alright and held my attention to the end.
August 9, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Dash for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of A Farmhouse in Tuscany by Victoria Springfield.
Harriet’s boss demands she take a break from her busy life in the City and suggests a yoga retreat in the Italian region of Tuscany. However, when Harriet arrives, yoga is no longer an option, and so she sets about learning to ride a horse! She meets a wide variety of characters throughout her stay, including Marco, the owner’s son, Alfredo, the stable hand and Jess, a fellow holidaymaker.
A Farmhouse in Tuscany is a lovely, happy, easy-read and ideal to while away a few hours, whether reading on a beach in the sunshine or by the fire when there’s snow on the ground! The author takes us right into the heart of the Tuscan countryside and you can easily imagine yourself in amongst the trees on horseback or sipping a coffee in the local square with the Italians playing cards by the side of you.
There were a lot of characters in the story and I enjoyed reading about them all and their adventures. My only thoughts are, is that a lot happened at the very end of the book to every one of them with little build-up throughout. This was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book 5 stars. For me, too much happened at the end and not enough during. That being said, it was pure escapism and if you need to switch off for a few hours, then I would thoroughly recommend A Farmhouse in Tuscany.
Harriet’s boss demands she take a break from her busy life in the City and suggests a yoga retreat in the Italian region of Tuscany. However, when Harriet arrives, yoga is no longer an option, and so she sets about learning to ride a horse! She meets a wide variety of characters throughout her stay, including Marco, the owner’s son, Alfredo, the stable hand and Jess, a fellow holidaymaker.
A Farmhouse in Tuscany is a lovely, happy, easy-read and ideal to while away a few hours, whether reading on a beach in the sunshine or by the fire when there’s snow on the ground! The author takes us right into the heart of the Tuscan countryside and you can easily imagine yourself in amongst the trees on horseback or sipping a coffee in the local square with the Italians playing cards by the side of you.
There were a lot of characters in the story and I enjoyed reading about them all and their adventures. My only thoughts are, is that a lot happened at the very end of the book to every one of them with little build-up throughout. This was the only thing that stopped me from giving this book 5 stars. For me, too much happened at the end and not enough during. That being said, it was pure escapism and if you need to switch off for a few hours, then I would thoroughly recommend A Farmhouse in Tuscany.
August 17, 2021
A lovely story about the intertwined lives (and romances) of family and friends (old and new) all centred around a gorgeous riding retreat in Tuscany. There are mysteries and misunderstandings, alongside the picturesque settings and delicious food, as all the relationships play out. Perfect for fans of Under the Tuscan Sun!
August 16, 2021
Full review now up on the blog: https://www.thewritinggreyhound.co.uk...
Fun and light-hearted, A Farmhouse in Tuscany is a warm hug of a book.
In a year when overseas travel is difficult at best, this story instantly transports you to the sunkissed Tuscan countryside. Settle into quaint village life and relax with the cast of this enjoyable summer read!
The book follows three women as their lives converge in the most unexpected ways. Donna, Harriet and Jess are all wildly different personalities, yet it isn't long before their chance meeting allows them to become firm friends. Each woman has a past she's dying to escape and a yearning for a certain special man in her life - but only time will tell if these lucky men can finally get the girls.
This is a quick and easy to read story that is equally well-suited as a holiday read or a simple literary companion closer to home. It's a feel-good story, highly character-driven and with a gorgeous backdrop that you can picture perfectly in your mind's eye. Light, engaging, and agreeable.
Fun and light-hearted, A Farmhouse in Tuscany is a warm hug of a book.
In a year when overseas travel is difficult at best, this story instantly transports you to the sunkissed Tuscan countryside. Settle into quaint village life and relax with the cast of this enjoyable summer read!
The book follows three women as their lives converge in the most unexpected ways. Donna, Harriet and Jess are all wildly different personalities, yet it isn't long before their chance meeting allows them to become firm friends. Each woman has a past she's dying to escape and a yearning for a certain special man in her life - but only time will tell if these lucky men can finally get the girls.
This is a quick and easy to read story that is equally well-suited as a holiday read or a simple literary companion closer to home. It's a feel-good story, highly character-driven and with a gorgeous backdrop that you can picture perfectly in your mind's eye. Light, engaging, and agreeable.
September 25, 2025
We all like a happy ending, it took a while for all these couples to find theirs, but in the end they did.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews