2016 Finalist for Romance, Foreword INDIEAngelica Domenico is born in a blossoming lemon grove, a prophetic fusion of sweet bloom and bitter fruit on an island governed by volcanoes and earthquakes.In the continuation of Nina Romano’s epic Wayfarer Trilogy, an early childhood accident propels Angelica to battle trials in a world where proof of virginity is paramount. She suff ers the trauma of her … suff ers the trauma of her aunt’s death in childbirth and is catapulted on a voyage towards the nunnery to seek refuge from a fear of intimacy. Fate intervenes on the Feast of Crucifixion when Giacomo Scimenti enters the family shop, and Angelica feels herself rent by lightning the instant they come face to face.
Lemon Blossoms is the story of Angelica’s struggle in pursuit of feminine identity and heritage while coping with the intricacies of loss, love, and yearning.
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Absolutely Superb!
“Lemon Blossoms” by Nina Romano is the second book in her Wayfarer Series. The genre of this novel is historical fiction with whispers of magical realism. Romano’s lyrical & poetic writing is brilliantly woven. The author has created a stunning novel.
Romano’s characters are always realistic and set against and in a magnificent geographical backdrop that reinforces the historical culture as well as themes of family, loyalty, femininity, and love. In “Lemon Blossoms” resilient and empowered women pass wisdom through generations with tenderness, grit and tenacity. Nina Romano portrays these women who maintain the family matriarchy with profound realism. It is the female thread that brings vividness to the landscape of the family, the individual, the kitchen, and even the geography. The author’s writing and story are both subtle and profound.
This novel takes place primarily in Sicily, a land of sensuality and reverence that speaks through lemon groves, almond trees, sweet herbs, geographical events, family, and religion. The manner in which the author writes enables the reader to the feel the scents and aromas of the landscape.
Ultimately, this is a novel about love and the surrender to another with trust and faith, and both the willingness and unwillingness to grow and transform. In this growth, there is grief, loss and joy of leaving the family to start anew with another. This creates a lovely tension as the book is set against the backdrop of the cultural mores of the historical period: early 1900’s in Sicily.
This is not an author to miss. Her writing is superb!
What I love about historical novels is learning about a time and a way of life that has virtually disappeared from this earth. In “Lemon Blossoms”, author Nina Romano shows her passion for delving into forgotten times, fleshing her story out with details and nuanced imagery that instantly transported me to Sicily, pre-industrial revolution.
The story begins with a very young and curious Angelica, whose future comes into question when she takes a fall and suffers an unfortunate injury that could define the course of her life. This accident, coupled with her mother’s profession as midwife, convinces Angelica she’s destined for the convent. To put a finer point on it, that’s all she thinks about. Not seeing any other future for herself, she relished the idea, driving her loved one crazy with her obsession. But as she blossoms into a beautiful teenager, life starts opening her eyes to a world of emotion and yearning she never believed could exist.
Through customs and protocols that defined what a woman could and couldn’t be or do, the author paints an intricate portrait of the values and challenges women had to contend with throughout the centuries. Angelica is born on the cusp changing times, though she must grow and assert her will and determination to get what she wants from life. I found her story fascinating, and it really made me appreciate how much the world has evolved in a relatively short period. Very well done!
Incredible!
I wondered how this book could possibly compete with the first book of Nina Romano’s I’d read, The Secret Language of Women. Now I can say it was just as poignant and memorable, and I can’t wait to read the next installment. In fact, I’m NOT going to wait!
I don’t know how to put into words the talent this woman has with the heart, soul and depth she puts into her story, pulling you into the world she has created, touching the very core of your being.
She pulls you in so intimately with each lovely character, you physically feel their pain, fear, and joy! The tale she weaves takes you on the journey of a lifetime, into places you’ve only imagined!
There are few writers that have a gift of creating an escape into the pages of their work, as does this author! I am eager to read anything she creates! I can’t recommend this book or The Secret Language of Women enough!
Lemon Blossoms is the second book of the Trilogy by Nina Romano. I enjoyed it very much and can’t wait to read the third installment.
Lemon Blossoms is the second book in author Nina Romano’s Wayfarer Trilogy. I have to admit after reading The Secret Language of Women and absolutely loving it, I was a little concerned how I was going to like this second book knowing that Giacomo would find a new love. I was having a hard time letting that first book go! But after truly being enchanted by author Nina Romano’s writing in the previous book, I decided to trust her writing skill and grabbed my Kindle and dove right in!
First I will say Nina Romano is a genius! She let me get to know Angelica and her family first before springing on me a new romance for Giacomo. We watched young Angelica grow from a curious girl to a head strong and determined young woman. This book was also written with Angelica’s mother’s perspective and I felt that it gave us a deeper understanding of how Angelica became the woman she was. This was truly a beautiful written story set in Sicily in the late 1890’s, rich with family, culture and food. You truly began to feel you knew this family and were experiencing all their joys and heartbreaks. As with the previous book, I felt drawn into the story and had a hard time putting it down throughout the day. So when Angelica and Giacomo finally did meet and fall in love, it just felt right! This story was so much more than a love story about two people, it’s about family and tradition, love and loss, it’s about life! It’s truly an exquisite story and series that is a joy to read and shouldn’t be missed. Highly recommend!