‘A taste of Italy and a summer read you won’t forget!’ Mandy BaggotTo 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 … 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.
Praise for One Summer in Rome:
‘Food, family and a Roman romance – this is the perfect summer read!’ Heidi Swain
‘A book you won’t regret picking up if you love Jenny Colgan or Cathy Bramley’s books!’ Being Unique Books
‘A perfectly uplifting story to enjoy in the sunshine!’ Fraser’s Fun House
‘A charming novel!’ The Library Corner
‘I couldn’t put this book down… A truly beautiful read.’ Nemesis Book Blog
‘Light-hearted and feel-good.’ Pretty Little Book Reviews
‘A lovely and summery read!’ The Cosiest Corner
more
It will soon be Summer and this book would be a perfect read to kick start your vacation, especially if you have any desire or intentions to visit Rome.
Samantha Tonge writes a delightfully romantic tale that put me in a happy mood for days and made me crave pizza for long after! Rome is described to perfection. I could just picture the busy piazzas, feel the thrum of activity, see the cityscape in the last rays of the day’s sunlight and taste the ripe flavours of freshly prepared dishes. Yet, there is no distracting info dumping about Rome. A few bits of trivia are thrown in but most of the descriptions are seamlessly woven into the tale.
Mary (or Maria as her Italian friends come to call her) is an English girl who has decided to uproot herself and find new fortunes in Italy. She’s never had much of a home or a family and despite trying to hold herself back from becoming too connected to others, is in search of a place where she can belong. I found myself liking this shy young lady quite a lot. She’s sweet and doesn’t yet realise just how strong she is. She doesn’t think she wants to find love but lets it in when it finds her. My only issue with Mary is that several situations arise within the novel that Mary conveniently has prior experience with; sometimes those scenes then become about her rather than the person at the centre of that particular event. Despite that I was excitedly waiting for Mary to find her ‘home’.
Dante is a flawed yet perfect hero in this story. His backstory is painful and his scars show, not just in his blindness, but also in his interactions with Mary. His strength, compassion, weaknesses and love for family are all shown and help to create a full picture of this tragic hero. This story is told from Mary’s perspective only. For the most part it works but I did miss just a tiny bit of Dante’s shift from resisting to accepting Mary’s love and admiration. Overall though, I think the author did a great job in showing how Dante’s character undergoes change.
Issues such as physical disabilities, terrorism, addiction, abuse and suicide are all addressed in this story. These matters are given sufficient detail so as not to be dismissive of the ugly realties, yet light enough to have the story still easily fall into the lighter side of contemporary romance.
My one criticism of the tale would be the dialogue. Some conversations between characters switch direction with dizzying speed. I suppose that’s realistic but it is difficult to follow (especially when reading a proof copy). In other instances the dialogue doesn’t ‘sound’ natural and is too formal or better suited to thoughts than spoken words. However, these issues do not take away from the feels the story brings on.
The feels… this story gave me “the feels”. I don’t know why. Maybe it was my mood. Maybe it was loving the interactions between Dante and Mary. Maybe it was wanting to know where the story would go, how the wonderful extended Rossi family would find their peace… I don’t know. This story made me laugh, sigh, cry and get angry. There was one scene early on, where Dante rejects Mary’s affection. I felt my own heart drop at how his words hurt her. I was fully immersed in the lives of these characters.
I completely enjoyed reading this story. The characters, setting and deeper issues discussed made this a compelling read that I recommend to anyone looking for some romance.
One Summer in Rome is really a book about self discovery! About believing in yourself, even when you have doubts! Like when you are standing at the bag check in, and about to make a huge step into the relative unknown, well that’s what happened with Mary, who is getting off to the wonders of Rome, after a life in England full of hardship and neglect, but will Rome be any different?
I’m going to be very blunt here, I wasn’t sure I was expecting much more from this book, than a light fluffy romance, that would just be a summer read, but this book was so much more, the rollercoaster of feelings that I experienced actually shocked me, I honestly wasn’t expecting that much warmth, and heart in this book, but it was all there and so much more! But being the greedy person I am I would have enjoyed a few more details, but that didn’t detract from the story.
This is the first book I have ever read by Samantha Tonge, and I would certainly read books by her again, as I enjoyed her writing style and the plot did spark my desire to watch Shirley Valentine again.
I give One Summer in Rome 5 stars! And all I’m left to say is, Well Done Ms. Tonge for an outstanding book
~4.5 Stars~
Summer in Rome by Samantha Tonge is a magical story of romance and family!
Mary is ready to make BIG changes in her life. She has given up her job as a waitress in a pub and is moving to Rome to live and work in pizzeria. Nothing is keeping her in England. Her ex-boyfriend has moved across the world, and she has no family to speak of. Mary thinks moving will help her forget her problems and possibly start anew. What she will come to realize is that your problems follow you no matter where you go, and her outlook on life and family are about to drastically change.
Even though Mary may not realize it, she is a strong woman. What a gutsy move to pick up and move to another country where you know absolutely no one! It will take her a while to realize her strength. She was a child in the foster home who really never felt like she belonged, and she really wanted to belong to someone who loved her. However, she thinks all those problems will be solved by finding someone to love, even though she has sworn off relationships in the meantime. Through a loving Italian family, she will learn how to be content and happy with herself. She will realize that she is “her own hero.” In the process, she may just discover her own Prince Charming and finally get that HEA she has been craving.
Dante is a pretty complicated man. An accident that left him blind has brought him to live in a world of darkness, and I mean that in the spiritual sense. He has become cynical, and he definitely has a dislike for Mary. As he is forced to spend days with her in the restaurant, his cold heart starts melting. Like Mary, he is a strong individual…a survivor. He will come to see that living life alone doesn’t make you strong. Being strong means trusting someone after your heart and trust has been obliterated. Mary may be just the woman to bring color and passion back into his life.
I thought the book had a great cast of characters, even the secondary ones made the book even better. They will welcome Mary into their lives, and she will learn some of her biggest life lessons in that pizzeria. The book was also very well written. Tonge truly transported me to Rome. I was as excited as Mary to see and experience the sites and smells. Now, I have added another place on my bucket list to travel. Great book that will leave you with a smile on your face and warmth in your heart.