To most people, princes, princesses, counts and dukes are found only in the pages of the most famous of fairytales. Crowns, priceless jewels and gilded thrones belong only in childhood dreams.But for some, these frivolous fancies are truth. For some, they are real life. On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, people have always treated me as someone special. All because of my ancestral name and legacy. … name and legacy. All because of a connection I share to our home country’s most important family of all.
I am Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma. A blue blood of Italy. I was born to marry well. And now the marriage date is set.
I am to marry into House Savona. The family that would have been the royals had Italy not abolished the monarchy in 1946. But to the aristocrats of my home, the abolition means nothing at all.
The Savonas still hold power where it counts most.
In our tight-knit world of money, status and masked balls, they are everything and more.
And I am soon to become one of them.
I am soon to become Prince Zeno Savona’s wife…
… or at least I was, until I met Achille.
And everything changed.
*Standalone Contemporary Romance
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A new chapter begins for Caresa, Duchess Acardi. Betrothed to Prince Zeno, notorious Italian play boy. And then she stumbles upon Achille.
What ensues can only be described as the most beautiful story I have ever read. I’ve described books as beautiful before but reading this I know now what beauty is. I don’t even know how to describe the beauty of this story. That’s a lot of beautiful!
Achille. That man. That god like creature and he doesn’t even know it. Honest and pure. He split me apart with his innocence.
For God sake. Get this book!
Oh gosh, I really enjoyed this one, so much so I was sad when it ended. The plot was beautiful but what really struck me was the world Tillie Cole created – I really felt like I was in Italy with the characters. It was like having to come back from an amazing holiday when I finished it. Really beautifully written!
I just loved this book!
This book has an old feel to it. But set in modern times. It kind of reminded me of that old movies A Walk In The Clouds. (Not the story line.) but The love and appreciation the movie had about making wine. And the pride the family had about it’s wine. And doing things the old way.
At times in reading this book I would forget what era I was in. I would get lost in time. Because every time Caresa would visit Achille’s at his home. It was truly like you were stepping back in time.
I can’t imagine someone having Achille’s problem this day in age. And definitely not having it addressed for so long. It kind of explains why he lived the way he did. Alone and by himself.
If I had to describe Achille personality. I would have to say he was an old soul. Stuck in a young persons body.
Having been raised my his father. He was brought up in the ways of his elders. A rarity in men these days. Because he preferred slow and easy instead of fast and accessible.
Achilles manage to live like old times but in modern times. Somewhat of a fairytale life. There was a reason for that. A big secret surrounding his birth.
Caresa was doing her duty as the Duchessa di Parma. It’s strange for us Americans to even think about arranged marriages. But in old time and especially in the times of kings and queens. Marriage was not about love. But about binding families together politically & in business. And in Caresa case. Her marriage binding was for business. To secure the family businesses.
She accepted it at first. That was until she accidentally ran into Achille. At first it was pure fascination that brought her back to him. And her love for her favorite wine. But once she started to get to know Achille. She started to fall for him. And her duty to get married was getting harder and harder for her to accept.
This book was so romantic. The settings of some of these places that were described were so beautiful. The food and wine added to the story.
It was all so realistic.
At times it felt like I was in Italy.
This book diffidently was a fairytale. Complete with a happy every after ending.
“Mi amore. Mi amore per sempre.”
My love. My love forever.
*ARC provided for an honest review*
Different to her other books I have read. I couldn’t get into this one at all. The vineyard was a romantic setting but the story fell very flat for me
***4 ‘Split-aparts’ Stars***
When Tillie Cole announced A Veil of Vines and said that it was a bit of a step away from her norm my interest was definitely peaked, not that it wouldn’t have been anyways since I’m a total fangirl, to see what she had in store for us this time around and I was disappointed! While A Veil of Vines is much less dark and angsty and more sweet than her more recent releases, it is still a beautifully written love story about two people finding the other half to their heart and soul.
Ahhh Caresa and Achille. It was definitely hard to not fall in love with these two. Caresa is a blueblood, raised with a silver spoon and groomed to believe in a world that only exists as an illusion now. She knows her future has been planned out, but her heart won’t let her give in that easily. Caresa was sweet, intelligent and very determined when she wanted something. She could be very practical in one moment and then totally spontaneous in the next and I loved seeing both sides of the woman that she was.
Achille has lived a life of solitude, but not feeling as if he is really missing out on anything. He’s found his own little slice of heaven amongst the vines of grapes that his family has tended for decades and the wine that they produce. But soon he finds that solitude isn’t as gratifying as he once thought and starts to yearn for more. I loved Achille’s gentle nature and how much he loved the land and the vines. The pride he took in their care mixed with his shy, vulnerable side made him a huge aphrodisiac for me. But what made him so appealing is that while he isn’t an in your face dominant alpha male there was a still a presence about him that made him appear just as strong, and just as lethal.
I loved the sweet and slow moving romance between Caresa and Achille and how their love of the land, the wine and even horses first brought them together and how everything just blossomed from there. They got to know each other and see beyond their supposed stations in life to who they were in their hearts and souls. The chemistry between them was hot and the sweet moments were swoon worthy. But no journey is without it’s bumps in the road and this one had a few, but I really liked how they were all handled. They each added just enough drama to keep things interesting and all made sense within the scope of the story. And for those that will ask about a love triangle. On the surface there is one, hard to deny with the whole betrothal thing, but it really isn’t anything more than that.
I loved how Ms. Cole brought Italy and the vineyards to life and made me feel as if I was there with Achille and Caresa as they wound their way through the vines and harvested the grapes and how integral to the story the land came to be. The first person dual POV’s were very well done and I really liked how well blended the humor, drama and the sweet/smexy moments were. I enjoyed the secondary characters and though I know this is a standalone I will be crossing my toes that Zeno, Pia and Marietta may get books of their own one day because I’d love to see them find their own HEA’s.
~ Copy received via Ardent Prose PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
Royalty….it comes in many different shapes and sizes. None seems more outdated than the blue bloods of Italy. While the leaders of Italy are no more, the old customs and families that once ruled still reign supreme. Modern times may be among us, but these ‘original’ families still honor arranged marriages and the lineage of long ago.
For Caresa Acardi, life seemed full of all the things a girl living in NYC could relish in. A bit of royalty even in America, Caresa knows that her time in America has come to an end. The Duchess di Parma is called home to fulfill the obligation of an arranged marriage. Something that benefits her family’s wine making business. A business arrangement that lacks any spark of romance. Caresa knows that she is helping her family with this union, and agrees to fulfill her obligation to marry the soon-to-be King.
What Caresa discovers when she arrives in her home country is a fiancé that knows very little about the wine making business. A fact that is causing their families’ business to suffer. Prince Zeno also loves the ladies and doesn’t seem to have plans to curb that part of his life. Caresa’s love for wine making fuels her to learn more about the land that she will now call home.
In her quest to learn every inch of her new home, Caresa stumbles upon the fields that are responsible for the company’s greatest vintage. There she meets the man responsible for the vintage that is as rare as the vines upon which these grapes grow. Achille is unlike any man that Caresa has ever met. Someone that leads a simple, but full life. The one individual that devotes his entire life to the vines upon which this limited vintage is grown. A man that quickly captures the heart of the Duchess.
With a love on wine a common focus of both Achille and Caresa, the two begin to flourish in their unusual connection with the vines upon which they both find solace. Each moment that is spent sharing their passion adds another connection upon which their feelings grow. Both know that the Duchess is supposed to wed Prince Zeno. Yet the two cannot ignore the passion that brews at just a simple touch. Indulgence should have been enough, but the two find that it only deepened the love that now bloomed with the rising sun. With so much standing in their way, Caresa and Achille must come to terms with just how different their lives really can be. As they will quickly discover, that task is easier said than done.
What a deeply moving love story!! A Veil of Vines is a moving and emotional journey about finding that person that touches your soul. Caresa and Achille certainly had a unique set of circumstances that resulted in their discovery of one another. Something that will touch your soul with its intensity. Tillie Cole is known for her more intense and darker writing. A Veil of Vines is nothing like her usual writing style, but has the depth of description that I love from her stories.
This love story is as unique as the chapters that graced the pages. Adding a new twist on what is considered royalty. As with all great fairy tales, you must absorb the story to find out how things end. Caresa and Achille will definitely lead you into a journey of discovering love in the most unexpected ways. A GREAT addition to the authors collection of writing!
LOVED this story soo much. It is Captivating, Breathtaking and Beautiful. As soon as I started reading I knew it was special. I felt it almost immediately. The writing is superb. I was blown away by this authors words and story telling.
Feeling this story not just reading it is the best. This is why I read. I felt the butterflies and that good funny feeling in my chest that wouldn’t go away because as I kept turning pages I kept getting more feels.
For the most part I know we “readers” fall in love with the characters. We love the hero/heroine and I do love Achille and Caresa I truly do. They are fabulous-amazing-adorable! But I MUST say this time I fell IN LOVE with the story! Seriously In Love with this passionate lovely love story. #Wooed
quote ~~ The sun and the moon had aligned and cast us into one another’s hearts, never to be torn apart.
quote ~~ “I feel you inside me. Here and here and here.” His hands moved to his head, his mouth, his heart.
A Veil of Vines what a beautiful beautiful beautiful book, before I start my review I just want to say, I don’t know how she does it but Author Tillie Cole my goodness she knows how to write a book and getting you to feel so much. I just love it. She is my go to author and recommend to all my friends.
Well this book was no exception, I love how Tillie’s writing can make you picture the story so easily and I felt I was in Italy and I was so engrossed in this story, but that’s not unusual for Tillie books. I like to read her stories slow so I can absorb as much as I can, I love the love that comes from every page.
I know this was not a dark read like Tillie is known for but this story she hit it out of the ball park, absolutely fantastic.
This story was based in Italy, which is a beautiful place I have been lucky to visit and as soon as you started reading you were taken straight to the middle Italy and vine yards.
I never once wanted to be put this book down until I finished and even then I didn’t want it to end and that rarely happens to me. This book for me was a really enchanting, beautiful story.
Achille’s what a beautiful mesmerizing, gentle, loving, caring character, he was one of the softest made characters that I have read in a long time and he was just so special, there is no way you could not fall in love with him, let’s just say there needs to be more Achille’s is this world. I just can’t say enough nice things about Achille’s, everything that he has gone through and all the heartbreak and troubles he had in his life and he was able to be the best and do his best and just the emotion from Achillies was so special.
Caresa, I loved her heart and strength and she never gave up what she wanted. She saw all the good in people and helped anyone that needed help and pushed their boundaries she had a big heart and this was evident through the entire novel, it was such a magical love story, it felt like Cinderella but with the Female being the upper class and Achille’s was the poor man and I loved this about the story, even though Caresa was the more upper-class she was so down to earth and never took her wealth for granted and loved the simple things of life, and never looked down on anyone that was beneath her and I loved that.
This is another one of my fav books for 2016 absolutely fantastic.
If you are looking for an all-consuming love story, that has a little family drama, two hearts that are destined for each other but forbidden, then this is the book you need to read.
I just want to pick the book up again already and read it again. I would love to give this book 50 million stars that it deserves but I will settle for 5++++++++++++++++++ stars.
5 amazing stars. This is a beautiful book. Very different from Tolkien cole’s other books. Almost fairy tale-esque, but it’s not. It’s a very emotional book at times, but it’s also a lovely read. Very unique. I highly recommend.
This is certainly different from her other books I have read.
It’s a great love story, an arranged marriage with an Italian prince. Who does love a princess story but I find it very hard to get into.
I do love the wine aspect it was very romantic but I felt it was too much rich girl meets the poor unworthy boy. It dragged on way too long. I usually devour her story but it just didn’t happen with this one.
* ARC PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR FOR AN HONEST REVIEW *
~ 3.5 Split-Apart Stars ~
First of all, I want to say how much I love Tillie Cole and her books. For as long as I can read, if she writes it, I’m reading it.
Caresa comes from a legacy of Royals in Italy. Although she has been living in NYC for the majority of her life, she has always known that her duty was to one day go back home to Italy and marry so that their legacy continues on. She has always hoped that it wouldn’t happen but deep down she knew it would. When the current King dies and leaves his son to take over, Caresa is called back to Italy to carry out her duty and marry Prince Zeno, the soon to be King.
Prince Zeno has lived a pretty comfortable life while growing up and has quite the reputation as a ladies man. As he prepares for his new role as King, he is forced to be the lead in one of the main businesses that the family thrives on. Winemaking. Unfortunately, investors and the wine community are not impressed with him and he is struggling to keep the business going. When Caresa arrives for their “courting” period, Prince Zeno is hardly around. Only showing up for scheduled events. Of course, this sparks rumors and Caresa now has even more on her plate. Will she be able to overcome the rumors and marry Prince Zeno for the sake of her legacy or will something or someone put a big wrench in a plan that was sent into motion years ago?
There is more to the story but I want you to go in and read it for yourself. As you can tell from the blurb, there is someone that comes into Caresa’s life and changes things up a bit. What I liked about that part is how much we see Achille grow from the first time we meet him until the end. He leads a simple life and has always dreamed of finding one true love like his father did. His “split-apart.”
“Everything he did, he did with such incredible intensity it was addictive. He didn’t speak much, but his actions displayed the kind of man he was. Honest and pure.”
What I enjoyed the most about this story was the process of the wine. I have been on several tours and even worked at a winery part time back in college so I’m pretty familiar with the process. I like that Tillie makes sure to give you enough background to really understand and appreciate the work that goes into it.
With that being said, there was something that held me back from fully embracing the story. While I liked it, I felt like something was missing. I found myself latching more on to the story about the wine process then I did with the evolving relationship between Caresa and Achille. I don’t know if it was because it felt like it was moving slowly in the beginning or if it was something else. I can’t really place it. This is absolutely a “it’s not you, it’s me” situation. Please don’t let this keep you from reading it. Despite those feelings, I did enjoy this book.
Overall, I liked this book. If you are looking for a hopefully romantic book between two people who are told by society that they shouldn’t be together yet the find a way to overcome it, then this is the book for you.
A story that just Whispers in your ears, the sentiments delicate as a cobweb…..and equally strong and tensile. Tillie has a Poet’s soul. She , I imagine, has music flowing through her heart when she writes a story so magnificient as this.
I swear I could hear the Beethoven play, Verdi hum , felt the breeze sweeping the grape Vines and taste the heady Merlot. It’s an intoxicating experience and my mind is still in a haze after finishing it !!
Caresa Acardi, the Duchessa di Parma is a Blue Blood from a long line of Aristocrats and Royalty. Hence she must marry Zeno Savona, a prince no less, now in line to be the King , as King Santo dies unexpectedly at a young age. His death not only abruptly haunts Zeno’s playboy lifestyle, the Empirical Wine business of Savona and Arcadi is in jeopardy. The solution is a simple business arranged marriage, which is quite commonplace among the Royalty.
“Welcome to the life of the European blue bloods of the Upper East Side! Drowning in Prada and Gucci, dripping in diamonds, but having no free will to call our own!”
Love has no place here.
But love finds a way, wrapping it’s Vines silently around the heart of Caresa when she moves to Umbtia, Italy to marry Zeno.
Achille Marchesi is an artist……of Vines. His hands , head and heart are the instruments he uses to be one with the soil and grapes to make vintage, award winning Bella Collina Reserve Merlot. The Brightest and the Biggest Jewel in the Savona Wineries crown. Yet he is a simple man, with severe disability. Two simple pure hearts coming together in this Vineyard is a magic in itself, they could be from parallel universes , yet destiny chooses who you fall in love with , not lineage.
“when we’re born, we also have the other half of us, our split-apart, waiting for us out there in the world.once you find that person, your split-apart, you are blanketed by such belonging, such desire, that you will never want to be without it . . . as Plato said, ‘and they don’t want to be separated from one another, not even for a moment.’”
My God …the lines she writes are so beautiful, I was scared to read this book too fast or too soon. There are moments that will make you cry, make you fall in love , and then make you sigh !
It’s a passionately tender love story.
Another feather in Tillie’s Illustrious crown of words!!!
5 Heady Bella Collins stars
“This could never be. We were from two completely different worlds. We weren’t written in the stars.”
First of all I want to say that I absolutely love the cover and the title of this book. As for the content of the book, I didn’t really know what to expect and trusted my gut that Tillie wouldn’t disappoint. My book buddies know I am a huge fan of Tillie’s books, and that I automatically one-click, and want to own them in paperback. This book had two of my favorite book tropes: arranged marriage and forbidden love. This story could’ve easily be set a hundred or more years ago, when arranged marriages were essential in keeping peace between two kingdoms, tribes etc. I loved that Tillie came up with this book were the royals still exist unofficially. It had a very fairy tale feel to it.
“He was a drug I could not forego. I lusted for the hit of his taste, the high from the heat of his body.”
I don’t have to go into the plot, you can just read the blurb. I loved the main characters, I loved how they first met and how they got to know each other. It was very magical and innocent in a way. Caresa was very sweet and caring, and Achille was very dedicated and unique. Their love was so pure and beautiful, it was a joy for me to read how their relationship grew. There were a couple of twists that I predicted early on, but that didn’t take away from how much I enjoyed the story. There were a couple of times my heart broke for Achille, he was such a sweet and beautiful person. He was not an alpha male but I don’t think I would’ve loved him this much if he was.
“Our situation was complex, yet I knew that falling in love with her would be the simplest thing in the world.”
A Veil of Vines is in my opinion another hit for Tillie Cole, she keeps on surprising me with her diverse and unique stories. She can write a dark romance today and switch and write a sweet romance the next time. I really appreciate it when authors write different types of stories, and do it well. They have such creative minds and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. The same goes for Tillie Cole, I am dying to get my hands on her upcoming books. If you love sweet, forbidden love stories than I recommend you to pick this book up. The writing was beautiful, I wouldn’t expect anything less from Tillie. The only thing I would’ve changed was the length. I wish it was longer, especially towards the end. The story would’ve had more of an impact on me.
Caresa was brought up knowing that as a princess she was destined to marry a prince. It would all be arranged by the parents. There was no question if it would happen, just when and who. She also never questioned that she would fulfill her duty and marry Prince Zeno until upon arriving at his estate in Italy, Caresa finds herself drawn to the quiet and lonely winemaker, Achille.
“…when we’re born, we also have the other half of us, our split-apart, waiting for us out there in the world. Not everyone will find theirs.”
A Veil of Vines feels like a beautifully written scenic tour of Italy and its vineyards. The pace of story moved slowly at times, almost hypnotizing as it immersed me in the Italian countryside setting. The story was lovely and romantic and with a very light sprinkling of drama and angst.
“We all pretend that we live in castles made of stone, but in reality they are made of sand, one bluster of wind away from crumbling into the sea of the long-forgotten past.”
I had trouble connecting with the slow pace of the story at first, but once I got caught up in its rhythm, I was able to enjoy the romanticism of the tale and its amazing setting which was as much a part of the story as any of the characters.
“I had to touch him. I could not let him go, not even for a single second. He was a drug I could not forego. I lusted for the hit of his taste, the high from the heat of his body.”