Skip to main content

SECOND CHANCES IN CHIANTI



SYNOPSIS

Alice thought her future was set in stone, until her past came knocking...

Alice Butler starred in a successful US sitcom until tensions in the cast and crew caused the show to be cancelled. Now, five years later and working towards her dream job in art history, she’s called back for a revival of the show. It can only end in disaster, surely?

Flown to a villa in Chianti to meet with the rest of the cast, Alice must decide where her future lies – with her boyfriend, David, who laps up the Hollywood company, or with the mysterious Matt, who shies away from public attention?



Title: Second chances in Chianti

Author: T.A. Williams

Publisher: Canelo

Publication date: February 22, 2021



REVIEW


RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 💫


T.A. Williams' novels are the perfect remedy for quite a number of ailments. You're feeling down and need your spirits lifted up? Read a T.A. Williams' book. You'd love to feast in some Italian food but you're on a diet and have to settle on reading about scrumptious dishes? Read a T.A. Williams' book. You're fed up of not being able to travel because of COVID but want to escape to some gorgeous location? Read a T.A. Williams' book! Every single time I finish one of his books I'm ready to start packing my suitcases and move to Italy.


Alice left a promising career as an actress when her sitcom was cancelled and she decided to go back to college and study art history. When 5 years laters she's given the chance to reprise the role that made her famous she must decide if she wants to go back to the glamour and craziness of Hollywood or stay in England and get a job related with her studies. And what better place to think about it than a wonderful villa in Chianti, Italy!


The setting was absolutely gorgeous! I could see myself running along Alice around those hills (well, maybe not running. Let's settle on walking), visiting the enchanting Italian villages and traipsing around Florence. In his novels, Italy is always another character in the story and it's clear in every single line how much the author loves this country.


I found Alice a very sympathetic character and her struggle to be seen as herself and not her TV character very interesting. It must be hard to live with everyone assuming you're someone completely different to who you truly are. The cast of characters was a really good blend of charming ones and a couple of idiots (you know who you are!), but once more the first prize to favorite character goes to the dog, Guinness. He made me smile with each of his appearances. Put a cute dog in your story and you've won me.


The romance was cute but I found a bit weird how Alice was already thinking about uprooting her whole life in England to move to Italy just after a couple of meetings with the mysterious Matt. Talk about love (lust) at first sight! I could not understand why he was always so quiet and elusive when it came to talking about his life but after learning his "secret" I totally got it. I would not have guessed it in a million years!


Another feel good story perfect to make you forget for a few hours about the current situation.


Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

MURDER IN MANHATTAN

SYNOPSIS Glitzy parties, sightseeing at the Statue of Liberty and strolls through Central Park with Gladstone the bulldog… Lady Eleanor Swift is loving her first trip to the city that never sleeps, until she witnesses a murder! After crossing from England on the SS Celestiana, Lady Eleanor Swift sets up her home-away-from-home in a lavish apartment in New York City. She is soon the toast of the town, with no high-class soirée complete without her presence. Of course, she drags her butler Clifford and Gladstone the bulldog along to every party too. But when she witnesses the charming doorman of her building, Marty, knocked down and killed in a hit-and-run, she finds fashionable society suddenly closes rank. The only local detective interested in helping her find the culprit is street-smart beat cop, Officer Balowski. Resolved to get justice for Marty and his family, Eleanor searches Marty’s tiny apartment and is shocked to find five rolls of banknotes tucked under the floorboards. Money

MURDER AT THE BEAUTY PAGEANT

SYNOPSIS Spring, 1935. Newlywed Kitty Underhay has been enlisted by her old nemesis Mrs Craven to help organise the Miss Dartmouth Jubilee pageant at the Dolphin Hotel. Being bossed around by her arch enemy is not quite what Kitty had in mind for the start of her married life, but she’s excited to launch the glamorous show. Sparkling smiles are quickly replaced by audible gasps however, when one of the girls goes missing during the interval… When pretty Peggy Blaine is discovered dead, Kitty can’t help but notice that none of the other contestants seem particularly shocked. Can jealousy over a sash and a diamante tiara be a motive for murder? But when she discovers the threatening notes the young women have received, Kitty enlists her husband Matt to figure out who’s scaring the competitors. However, before Matt can speak to them, another entrant turns up dead after an apparently accidental overdose. Taking part in a beauty pageant seems to have turned into a fatal occupation! The dari

LOVE IN LOCKDOWN

SYNOPSIS Do you believe in love before first sight? Lockdown is putting Sophia’s life on pause – just as she planned to put herself out there and meet someone. When the first clap for the keyworkers rings out around her courtyard, she’s moved to tears for all kinds of reasons. Jack is used to living life to the fullest. He’s going stir-crazy after just days isolating. Until the night he hears a woman crying from the balcony under his. He strikes up a conversation with the stranger and puts a smile on her face. Soon their balcony meetings are the highlight of Jack and Sophia’s days. But even as they grow closer together, they’re always kept apart. Can they fall in love during a lockdown? Title: Love in lockdown Author: Chloe James Publisher: Avon Books UK Publication date: November 23, 2020 REVIEW RATING:   ⭐⭐⭐⭐ When I first heard about this book I thought "Uh, uh, no way I'm reading this. Too soon. Who would want to read a book about the lockdown when the second one is waving