I'm irritated right now. I have wasted my time reading this book that should have been advertised as a romance novel and I would have avoided it. Romance novels are NOT my genre and I am sure the author would have appreciated someone who s the genre to review her work. Unfortunately for both of us, she got me.

I a touch of believability in my books and this book has none. A young girl from the foster care system in San Antonio, Texas, about 21 inherits a house in Italy. She flies over immediately because all young waitresses have the money for air fare on hand. She speaks Italian fluently and can talk to everyone, read legal documents, and peruse an old diary. She meets a young man immediately who watches out for her.

She meets an aunt and discovers her genetic tree. She naturally s living there and there are no surprises in this. If you don't see these situations happening then you must be young. Again, I say that this may work well in the romance genre but it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to Net Gallery for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair review. I would to add that it would be fairer to the reader and the author if the genre was clearly noted. cozy-mystery-book-club net-galley22 s Karren Sandercock 958 232

Callie Di Giacomo parents died when she was ten, she grew up in foster care in Texas, a solicitor contacts her on her twenty first birthday, sheÂ’s shocked to discover sheÂ’s adopted, and sheÂ’s been left a house in Italy. Callie arrives in Montevino looking for answers, sheÂ’s given the keys to a villa, and itÂ’s her inheritance from her birth mother. She expected a rundown property, the villa is clean and has been well looked after. She meets the grounds keeper Tommaso Carpentieri, she discovers she has an aunt Flora and sheÂ’s been taking care of the house.

Why did Callie inherited the villa and not her aunt, she finds a diary in a wardrobe, it belonged to a woman called Elisa, and she hopes to find some answers between the pages? ItÂ’s about life in Montevino during WW II, Italy was divided by those who supported Mussolini and and others who were involved in the local Italian resistance. Elisa was a doctor, she married her childhood sweetheart Leo Bordet and sheÂ’s CallieÂ’s great-great-grandmother.

Montevino is a small place, they donÂ’t forget what happened in the past and many people don't Flora Stella? CallieÂ’s aunt's a naturopath, she owns a business in town called Passiflora and sheÂ’s a rather prickly person. The only relative Callie has in the world, is a bitter and difficult woman. Slowly, Callie pieces together her motherÂ’s past, she uncovers a shocking secret and it makes sense why Callie was born in America and put up for adoption.

The Italian Villa, is a dual timeline story, where family traditions and secrets have been kept due to complicated relationships, and what happened in Montevino during World War Two. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, it's well written by Daniela Sacerdoti and five stars from me.2021-netgalley-reading-challenge netgalley netgalley-edelweiss-202120 s Pauline835

I have read all of Daniela SacerdotiÂ’s previous books and was delighted to receive this ARC of her new book The Italian Villa.
On her twenty first birthday Callie is contacted by a law firm to tell her that she has inherited a house in Montevino, Italy. Callie has been saving up her money to go to college and decides to use it to travel to Italy and find out about the birth family that she never knew existed.
The Lawyer also gives her a box that contains a diary written by Elisa a doctor who lived in the village in 1938 during the war.
I really enjoyed this book and CallieÂ’s journey.
ElisaÂ’s story outlined the heartache and courage of the people who lived throughout the war years.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review. netgalley17 s Shalini (shaliniandbooks)2,563 209

Every time I read a Daniela Sacerdoti, it leaves a hollow in my chest where my heart used to be as her writing melts my heart completely. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Callie in Texas came to know on her 21st birthday that she was adopted and her ancestry was as rich as the landscapes of Italy. A letter from her birth mother gave her the keys of the ancestral home, and a diary narrated by her Elise Stella, telling her the incidents of 1938, of a couple in love, trying to escape Mussolini's call to war.

Told in dual timelines, I loved the way the story unfurled so gently into the chambers of my heart, each showing me the beauty that was this author's writing. Emotions swayed in the gentle breeze to be carried away in the gust that blew into the yonder as I read this book from the comforts of my couch. History was never so rich as told in these pages, love was never so big, and hope never so loud.

The characters were strong as only women can be, their hearts encompassing their love and duty. I could feel the words of the diary in my heart and see it in front of the eyes as I continued reading. How she fought the circumstances of her life to become a doctor touched my heart especially.

Few questions and reactions felt off, but those were negligible. The stories of the women blew me away, they threw me into the tough times. They evolved all around me telling me about their secrets and romance, making me feel their emotions during times of strife.

Ah, a book with feels was this. A compelling read. 11 s kaylasbookishlife407 26

The Italian Villa by Daniela Sacerdoti follows Callie, a small-town waitress in the U.S who has had a difficult childhood. On her twenty-first birthday, Callie's former social worker gives her a letter that tells her two things: her biological parents were actually her adoptive parents, and she has inherited a house in Italy. Callie's world is shaken up and she decides to go to Italy to find out the truth about her birth family and why she has inherited this villa. In the villa she discovers a diary from WWII and starts reading it hoping to find some sort of family history.

What I loved:

I absolutely loved the Italian backdrop for this book. I was craving all the pasta and I really wish we got more of Callie being submerged in the Italian culture! I wanted more pasta making scenes! The mystery around Callie's birth parents was intriguing enough to keep reading and the romance in it was good. Predictable but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

What fell flat:
The dialogue was quite awkward at times and I knew the exact arguments that were going to happen each time. I really felt there could have been more substance to them, especially the argument between Callie and Tommaso...it was too overly and unnecessarily dramatic. that conversation was just left me thinking..'okay why are we mad?". Also the final family twist was again predictable. I felt I knew it from the very beginning. There was also the strangest character-Sofia (I think was her name)-- this girl just came out of nowhere and really had no purpose in the story. So this is marketed as a historical fiction. It included the diary in the novel and Callie would read it sometimes. It was odd though because the diary was not written an actual diary entry, there were full on dialogues and character thoughts in there. It just would have made more sense to make it an actual story line rather than in diary format.

This one was just not for me.5 s Annette2,085 34

A nice feel good story. I enjoyed the characters and had pretty much figured out a few things before Callie did.
Looking forward to more if this story line continues.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for the early copybooks-read-20205 s Skyesmum 510 13

I enjoyed this audible, I d the setting, the food and wine that was described.
Dual time lines are really enjoyable and this is the first one that I have listened to and it worked well.
The narrator did a great job.
What a dreamy tale, but also had heartbreaking parts in it.5 s Akcherrybomb 229 16

Straight away you get thrown into the middle of what sounds war with a scene where Elisa Is hiding from the enemy during the war.

Cut to Callie a Texan teen in the present day struggling through life and feeling quite lonely on her birthday.....she has her best friend and a cat which isn't hers as her main company. We follow the journey of Callie as she realises all she has known before has shifted and is not as it seems. Her parents died when she was 10 and then she went into care, with no other family she had to grow up quickly. However a meeting with her old social worker not only creates upset and confusion, but opens up a possible new life for Callie also when she finds out she was adopted.

Off she goes to Italy to find who she is and for answers when she finds out she has inherited 'Firefly House' an Italian villa. Callie begins to read the diary of Eilsa after her birth mother leaves it for her. As she immerses herself in Eilsa's story she begins to feel how real it is when it mentions the Italian area where she is and feels a strong connection to Eilsa.

She received a warm welcome by most of the town including Tomasso who she grows close to. Can her heart open to him as she begins to find herself.

Kind of a sliding doors moment as she could of been living a completely different life in a different country all along.

Enjoyed how the stories of Eilsa and Callie are woven together and keeps you hooked as you want to find out the link between the two women. Filled with romance, heart break with a gorgeous Italian back drop.

In honesty, I tend to find war stories a yawn fest - but not this one....up there with my firm favourites! Didn't want it to end and the characters were left me long after the story finished.4 s Elaine - Splashes Into Books3,639 119

A story where the past and present collide in unexpected ways . . . . with romance at the heart of it all.

It is Callie Di Giacomo's twenty-first birthday when she learns she had been adopted and that her biological parents have left her a villa in Montevino, Italy. Callie, who thought all her family had died when her parents were killed, travels to discover if any of her family are still living there. Amongst the papers she has inherited is a diary which reveals events from the second world war. As she learns more about Elisa Stella she is intrigued by her story. Meanwhile, her reception in Montevino isn't as welcoming as she'd hoped and it is only through her persistence that she manages to unravel the truth behind her own past and find her biological family, help right a wrong and find romance.

This is an emotive family story from two different eras. As they differing threads are slowly untangled, a heartwarming, moving story emerges. It has fantastic characters and is a real page turner. I definitely didn't want to put it down until I'd finished it! The use of the diary to explain the past is used skilfully, linking current and historical events and bringing all the scenarios to life. Some of it is heartbreaking but love is at the heart of it and the ending is absolutely brilliant!

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and, having chosen to read it, I have to say I have no hesitation in highly recommending it as it is an engaging read!2020 adult adventure ...more4 s Sharon Goodwin834 145

https://www.jerasjamboree.co.uk/histo...

I loved the timelines in The Italian Villa. Callie reading ElisaÂ’s diary swept me back in time to experience Montevino at the time of WWII. I felt the same connection with Elisa and her life as I did with Callie in modern day.

I was eager to find out if ElisaÂ’s dream for her career would manifest and the impact on her life. What I didnÂ’t see coming was the Black Shirts, the resistance and the heartache that would bring Â…

Callie is indomitable. Used to fending for herself she doesnÂ’t take no for an answer. Rivalries and secrets surface not long after her arrival in Montevino but her spirit of survival carries her through on her search to uncover the truth. I enjoyed seeing the connections she makes grow stronger and they filled my heart as much as they did for Callie.

I found it easy to get caught up in the life and rituals of this Italian village. A great way to experience a different culture.
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