Could one summer on the Italian coast change Brie’s life forever? Brianna Middleton has won the hearts of millions of readers with her sweeping love stories. But the girl behind the typewriter is struggling… Not only does she have writer’s block, but she’s a world-famous romance author with zero romance in her own life. So the opportunity to spend the summer teaching at a writer’s retreat in an … at a writer’s retreat in an idyllic villa on the shores of Lake Garda – owned by the enigmatic bachelor Arran Jamieson – could this be just the thing to fire up Brie’s writing – and romantic – mojo?
Brie’s sun-drenched Italian summer could be the beginning of this writer’s very own happy-ever-after…
Escape to the Italian coast in this sun-drenched, heart-warming story from the bestselling author of A Springtime to Remember.
What readers are saying about Lucy Coleman:
‘I adored this book. A wonderful escapist read … For me, it’s a 5 star read!’ Katherine, Katherine’s Book Universe.
‘I adored this beautifully written tale. The score is a well deserved and easy 5* out of 5*’ Ginger Book Geek.
‘This book gives you all the feels. It’ll make you want to move to France and start a new life … Lucy Coleman has a way of writing where it feels like you’re actually there standing beside Anna and you mentally really feel involved in the story’ Stacey, The Cosiest Corner.
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I love the concept of this book – and thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of characters who write. There is so much truth in these stories, so much that is relatable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I was championing this love story from the start.
This was a good beach read. British romance writer Brie is recovering from a traumatic breakup and subsequent social media flogging when she is offered the opportunity to participate in a writers’ workshop on Lake Garda in Italy. The workshop is hosted by Arran, another author, who is going through his own personal problems. The two hit it off and the story follows the usual path but this was well written and entertaining. Definitely recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.
It’s been incredibly cold and snowy in northern Illinois this winter, and I really needed a book to help me escape the drudgery of bundling in 10 layers of clothing and shoveling three feet of snow! So I searched the virtual ebook shelves and discovered “Summer on the Italian Lakes” by Lucy Coleman. Sounds like the perfect armchair getaway, doesn’t it?
This story is about Brianna “Brie” Middleton, a romance author who recently ended her relationship with a world famous rock star named Paul. The tabloids and online trolls were merciless, making fun of her looks and eroding her self confidence until she found herself walking down the rabbit hole of depression. Not that Brie wasn’t pretty–but how could she compare with supermodels and actresses that her ex-boyfriend usually dated?
Brie’s agent asks her for a favor: will she help another author–Arran Jamieson–with his writer’s retreat? It seems the author’s usual retreat partner was not able to make it this year due to a family emergency. Brie, who had been struggling with writer’s block, agreed to go, hoping that the month at a picturesque villa on Lake Garda in Italy might inspire her.
Arran and Brie don’t immediately hit it off — their personalities are too different. But eventually, as they get to know each other, they begin to build a friendship that turns into something more. But there are many things they need to overcome before they can really become a couple, including an ex-wife who wants to take away the villa that Arran inherited from his beloved grandfather, financial worries, problems with the tabloids and friends and family who don’t think the two would make a good couple. Will they overcome all these obstacles? Do they feel strongly enough about each other to fight through the problems? I guess you will have to read the book to find out!
Structurally, this in an interesting book. It doesn’t necessarily follow the rules for a successful romance. For example, the heroine and hero don’t within the first few pages of the book. First, we experience Brie’s depression and see how she overcomes it. I felt like it took quite a while for the real story to begin — where Brie meets Arran. But the author’s engaging writing style kept me interested while we waded through Brie’s problems. I love the scene at the beginning of the book where Coleman has cleverly set the stage so it appears that Brie is in the room with Jude Law. It takes few minutes for the reader to be surprised by the actual situation. (I won’t give it away.)
I recommend this book for anyone who is looking for a feel-good romance that takes place in an exotic Italian location!
Interesting coincidence: Before this book, I read another book titled “A Greek Affair” by Linn B. Halton. That book also helped me survive another of this winter’s snowstorms, since it took me away for a while to Athens, Greece. Loved that book and wrote a review about it too. I just discovered that the author of this book–Lucy Coleman–is actually Linn B. Halton. (She uses a pen name for some of her books.) So my two favorite “getaway” books were written by the same author!
Favorite Quotes:
I hang my head, bringing up the rear like some wayward child as everyone files into the sitting room. It looks like there has been an explosion and most of it is snack related.
Where were you when he proposed?
Oh, sitting opposite him in the kitchen watching him chopping garlic.
Did he get down on one knee?
No, but he did stop chopping for a moment.
Sometimes a hero doesn’t arrive on a white charger or knock on your door with his arms full of flowers. Often, he makes you laugh when you least expect to – like when you are staring at a photo of you both naked on the internet and your mother comes up behind you.
‘That’s easy for you to say as it isn’t your naked rear that keeps popping up on the internet.’ The smile he’d given me was wicked. ‘Yes, but you look good, so don’t knock it… and when you’re eighty years old I bet you’ll get a little thrill when you remember that moment. I know I always will.’
It’s officially wine o’clock, and this glass has your name on it.
My Review:
This was a slowly developing story written in the first person POV of Brie, a best-selling romance writer who was initially suffering from writer’s block. The vast majority of the narrative consisted of Brie’s inner musings and observations, which were often lushly detailed from floor to ceiling. Each vista, meal, person, and room was lavishly and colorfully described while bringing each character to life fully formed in my mind’s eye. Brie was a hopeless romantic who was still waiting for “The One” to make his appearance in her life but by age thirty, he continued to remain elusive. She was sent as a last minute replacement to assist with a writers’ retreat to a lovely Italian villa, hosted by Arran, a handsome yet complicated man who primarily did not appear impressed with her romantic ideals and successful backlist, but of course that quickly changed and the sheets were scorched. The storylines were pleasantly engaging although the writing style was quite verbose and took a slow and somewhat complicated route to arrive at that oh-so-satisfying HEA. And bonus – in addition to amusing entertainment, I actually learned a lot about the process of writing fiction during their interesting and thoughtful lessons and workshop discussions.