By Romy Sommer.
This book is one of the best romances I’ve read. It has everything: a beautiful setting, hunky Italian men, close friends, seemingly insurmountable problems, sweet tender moments, small victories, and a big win—every component necessary for a very satisfying read.
When the owner of the ailing Fioravanti vineyard has a stroke, the health of the Italian family-run winery is further jeopardized. So the British investment banking firm that owns a significant portion of the stock sends Cleo Arendse to Tuscany to oversee the operation. She needs help to navigate the locale and the language, so who better to step in and assist than the owner’s handsome son, Luca Fioravanti. He has a reputation as a player with the Fioravanti Curse (that makes him an irresistible heartbreaker unable to settle down with just one woman). Thinking he is just a lazy, rich kid, Cleo wonders how helpful he will be.
When Cleo and Luca head to the annual Lario wine trade show (where everyone is the wine business knows everyone else) to work the Fioravanti Winery exhibit, there is a mix-up with the hotel accommodations. and they are forced to share a room. Somehow, Cleo is identified as Luca’s wife instead of his business associate. The rumor, once started, travels back to Luca’s father. Afraid that learning the truth will break his father’s heart and set back his recovery, Luca asks Cleo to pretend to be his wife. She agrees, wondering how such a farce can work. After all, he has the Fioravanti Curse.
As they work to improve the winery’s business outlook, Cleo discovers that Luca is much more than a cursed Italian playboy. And begins to wonder how “fake” she wants this marriage to be.
I fell in love with Tuscany while reading this book. From the first page, I felt as though I was right there in Italy with Cleo and Luca, taking in the local scenery, tasting the wines, sampling the pasta and pastries, and experiencing everything else that life at the vineyard near Montalcino had to offer.
(Published in 2023 by One More Chapter, a division of HarperCollins.)
