Today I am thrilled to take part in the  Publication Day blitz for One Summer in Rome by Samantha Tonge.

To Rome…with love?

Mary Smith is turning her very ordinary life upside-down! She’s bought herself a one-way ticket to Rome and is ready for a summer she’ll never forget.

Men might be off the cards for waitress Mary, but within hours of arriving at the utterly charming family-run La Dolce Vita pizzeria, she’s already fallen in love with the bustling capital!

Only Dante Rossi, the mysterious (and drop-dead gorgeous) chef seems displeased with her arrival. And in the heat of the kitchen, it doesn’t take long for long-buried secrets to surface and sparks to fly…

A deliciously heartwarming romance to have you dreaming of summer. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Caroline Roberts.

My Review

I adored the main character Mary Smith she was so vulnerable, fragile and desperate to find a place where she truly fitted in. Life hadn’t been kind to Mary and it took immense bravery to book a one-way ticket to Rome to start afresh, working in a pizzeria owned by the Rossi family.

She arrived full of hopes but received a somewhat lukewarm reception from a few of her colleagues, especially the handsome chef Dante and waiter Rocco. It was interesting to see if Mary could gain the trust of her colleagues after such a shaky start.

Would she ever achieve her lifelong wish to ‘belong’?

It was never going to be easy for Mary, the Rossi family had many secrets including tragedy, health problems and prejudice to deal with, and I found myself glued to the pages to see how the story unfolded.

Samantha Tonge deals with some sensitive subjects in the book but there are plenty of light moments and lots of romance too. The Italian setting comes to life with the descriptions of stunning Roman architecture and mouth-watering food …… you just want to book the next flight out there!

Thank you to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase from Amazon UK

Bio

Samantha Tonge lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and a cat who thinks it’s a dog. When not writing she spends her days cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. She has sold over 80 short stories to women’s magazines. Her bestselling debut novel, Doubting Abbey, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award in 2014. Game of Scones hit #5 in the UK Kindle chart and won the Best Romantic Ebook category at the 2015 Love Stories Awards.

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