They say there are three things you should do at least once in your life:Dance like nobody’s watching.Travel the world.And fall hopelessly in love.I aimed to do all three.I went to Italy to find myself.But he found me.It was like a story book, our eyes met across a crowded room.He asked me if I needed help reading the menu.We ate, we laughed, we danced, and I fell.Unfortunately, things didn’t go … we danced, and I fell.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go to plan, and we parted ways.
Two years later, our eyes meet across a room again.
Only this time I was on a date with another man.
He went crazy in a jealous fit.
But the man I met then is different now.
He’s colder, harder, and officially one of the most powerful men in Italy.
Dare I say it, even more enticing.
But if you dance with the devil, you get burnt.
And the fires in Italy are scalding hot.
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The fact that Ms Swan has had two consecutive books high on the bestseller list in the past couple of weeks does not surprise me at all. She is so brilliant and an incredible find for me in the last month. I loved The Stopover but The Italian totally blew me away. It was totally impossible to put down I even had to keep sneaking peeks at work!
Many of us dream of meeting a totally hot and sexy foreigner while travelling alone to an exotic place, but Olivia actually did it meeting Enrico in Italy. It was wonderful to live vicariously through her and also feel her sadness and anger when he stopped communicating with her. Move on two years and she gets a dream job offer that she cannot refuse and she moves from Australia to Italy to work at Valentino. Enrico has pulled considerable strings to get her back into his life.
As the “run into each other” in Milan, sparks fly again and soon a passionate love affair is underway but Enrico is hiding many secrets that are bound to be revealed the closer they get. Will Olivia deal with the life that is now Rici’s? How far will Rici go to protect her? Will Rici betray his heritage to love her forever?
This book is a total roller coaster ride with incredibly hot, passionate love scenes between the two of them and an insight into Rici’s life of violence and murder. Whew, incredible and not to be missed.
Enrico is a hot Italian cop and Olivia is a clothes designer from Australia. Olivia is on a vacation to Italy when she meets Enrico. The two have instant chemistry and spend time together. Enrico has to take over his family’s business after his life is turned upside down. Olivia returns to Australia for her business. Years later the two meet again and this time Enrico won’t lose Olivia. A good read and recommended.
And a Half Stars
The Italian is an incredibly sexy romance read with a touch of darkness and intrigue, wrapped up in a beautiful Italian package. It is a romance reader, avid travelers dream. In it we meet Olivia, she’s Australian and touring Italy. One night she meets an exquisite adonis of a man in a restaurant – Enrico. They hit it off. Their attraction is fire engine red hot, their chemistry explosive. Unable to deny themselves they indulge in their instincts and have an incredibly hot affair. It ends when she leaves for her next stop on her tour. Enrico is a hot blooded Italian Stallion (I’ve never liked the term but it fits). He comes from a very wealthy family but works as a police offer. All that changes when his father and grandfather are killed. It is then that he discovers that his family’s wealth derives not from honest business dealings but from other less than pristine ones. His life is thrown upside down but he can never forget her. Determined to have her back in his life, he sets out a plan to reconnect and it works. Their journey towards happily ever after is not tied up with a bow but a long and torturous journey. A beautiful love story and an awesome ode to La Bella Italia.
Enrico Ferraro and Olivia Reynolds meet in Rome and their instant chemistry was almost tangible. Rico is a confident, charming Italian playboy yet hardworking, family oriented and supportive. Olivia is an aussie girl who has an inner strength that she draws on and a feistiness that is great to see.
The descriptions of each character and location are so clear that it is easy to visualise everybody and the scenes without any difficulty. At times they made me yearn so badly to hop on a plane and fly to Italy straight away. The Pantheon scene at 11pm is so magical.
You feel the full gambit of emotions in this story. From excitement and happy to anger and despair but my favourite us the subtle humour sprinkled throughout. For example here when Olivia thinks…”I’m so close to coming that the smoke machine might set me off.”
I have to admit the beauty of this author’s books is never knowing what is going to happen, there are twists and turns that make the story intriguing and entertaining but it’s the fact that each story is so different that makes her stand out.
Another fantastic story I recommend to everyone!
A thrilling intense read.
I loved this book.
It’s a complicated twisty storyline.
I had no clue the direction in which the story would take.
I won’t give away what it is so it can be thoroughly enjoyed for other readers.
But it was gripping till the very end.
I loved Enrico and Olivia.
They were perfect for each other.
The more they got to know each other the more they balanced each other.
He’s dominate and possessive.
And she loves it.
She feisty and funny.
And he loves it.
They are both passionate people.
So their connection and chemistry was not only off the charts but sizzling too.
This book has a lot of serious issues going on.
But there are also some laugh out loud scenes.
My favorite was Olivia’s tinder date.
Omg some of the lines Olivia says and thinks were hilarious.
Even though Ms. Swan does include an epilogue I hope she gives me more of Rico and his Bella
Sei tutto il mio mondo (You’re my whole world)
Give me a man with an accent, an Italian one to boot and I turn into a puddle. Enrico Ferrara is the whole package. Dominant in the boardroom and the bedroom Enrico takes sexiness to a whole new level. Olivia Reynolds felt like she was dreaming when she locks eyes with the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. The electrical current between them is so super charged, they end up spending a glorious weekend together. But after their whirlwind weekend, they end up going their separate ways. Life interference has a habit of doing that.
Two years later they see each other again and they are still obsessed with each other. Their story is not an easy one. Enrico is not exactly the same man she remembers from 2 years ago. Deadly distractions are all around them. This story has intrigue and suspense and takes the reader on a ride they will not soon forget.
Wow this book took me on an emotional ride! Wendy for Janise’s Jivin’ Book Blog
This was my first TL Swan book and I loved it! The beginning was sweet and fun as Olivia and Enrico first meet but the intensity is amped up for the rest of the story. Olivia did find herself and she became the feisty, tough woman who could handle Enrico’s new life. The author gave us just the right amount of twisted suspense to keep me turning the pages. Well written story with great characters. I will be looking for more by TL Swan.
Ah what can I say about this book? T.L. Swan does it again! She is a Chameleon of writing. Just when you think you know how she’s going to write a book, she writes The Italian. Enrico is all Italian, how he lives, speaks, breathes and works. Olivia is a carefree yet grounded single woman on vacation in Italy when he is drawn to her immediately. He can’t leave her alone and she decides for once in her life to just go with life. When their weekend is up, they promise to see each other again, however life gets in the way. Ernico’s life is flipped upside down and he’s forced to take over the family business. But then years late fate gets involved, or does she? They are too connected to even stay away from each other. Their love is so real, you feel it off the pages. The heat between these two will burn your fingers from holding the book. This book will have you laughing, crying and maybe a little screaming but through it all you will love that love always wins!
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Olivia Reynolds is a fashion designer from Australia and is on a trip to Rome where she meets an incredibly good looking stranger at a restaurant one night and then follows a magical few days until she has to leave but vows to return to Enrico Ferrara. Yet when she returns she is shocked at what happens next and how suddenly the man she thought would be there for her is no where to be found.
When Olivia returns to Italy two years later she is shocked when she sees Enrico while she is out on a date and he is enraged that she is with someone new.
What has happened to him in the two years since she left him and why does he continually push her away yet won’t let her go?
This was such a fantastic book from start to finish and even though it was a long book I never wanted to put it down!
Olivia was such a great character who had been through a lot and was on the trip of a lifetime trying to find her place and enjoy herself. She is immediately swept up by Enrico and is shocked at the immediate chemistry she has with him yet when she returns to him the circumstances around her return flip everything upside down and she leaves Italy heartbroken and in a terrible place.
Enrico Ferrara is a policeman and was encouraged to become one by his father so he could learn to serve the people but when an event occurs everything he knows in life is a lie and he must take his place in a life he has not been prepared for.
Enrico has so much chemistry with Olivia but knows he can’t be with her but at the same time he is finding that he can’t be without her and wants to figure out something so he won’t lose her. Yet Olivia is not prepared for what Enrico has to offer after he confronts her upon her return to Italy.
There is so much back and forth between Olivia and Enrico and when secrets gradually are revealed through the book it sends Enrico off the edge so many times and really makes him consider what is important to him. He also really has to try and figure out how to put all of the pieces of his life together when it’s obvious that someone out there really wants to destroy him.
There is one character that I never trusted due to situations that involved in Olivia and I knew he was so slimy and he made my skin crawl. I really wanted her to be more open with Enrico about her feelings about this other character as I knew he was shady.
I loved Olivia’s relationship with Georgio and how he was continually there for her through the whole book and really helped stir the pot when it needed to be done!
I hated how other characters used Olivia although I really wasn’t surprised that it was done and why it was.
Things got super intense towards the very end of the book and I still have no idea how they were discovered and I wish that was explained more after everything that was done. The end made me happy and I really hope that they get this “family’ time but I can’t wait for more of them!!
The secrets were intense and the very end of the book was so jaw dropping with the next one in the series!!!
By Rebecca
The Italian was an unexpected treasure from TL Swan that had you hooked from the very first chapter. Olivia and Enrico have that instant attraction, you know the one where they lock eyes across a crowded room and you instantly feel the heat that smolders between them. However as drawn to each other as they are events erupt and these two are torn apart. Time does not mellow anything between these two and actions are put into place to ensure that they cross paths again. Cards are laid out, the heat and passion is turned up and Olivia and Enrico try to find their feet in a relationship as a world neither of them expected to be swallowed into, surrounds them. This is a suspense filled story, with secrets, lies and an overflowing amount of drama. A little angsty with a serious amount of steam and emotion to have you captivated and glued to every word. If I had to find a negative it would be that I just wanted a little more time with Enrico and Olivia at the end to experience some more of the calm before anymore impending storm within the family.
Yes! This book is an absolute winner. It is a great take on the ‘mafia’ theme, in that it takes it in a totally different direction. Olivia and the mouth watering Enrico, are gorgeous protagonists. They are both strong minded, stubborn and deeply emotional. I love them! With an involving story that romps along at a satisfying pace, characters that draw you in to the narrative, very sexy interludes ( that’s my new way to describe very hot scenes ) and building tensions, The Italian has it all..plus a setting that is to die for. Oh, and that epilogue….
6 STAR RATING!!!
So, I’m a huge fan of TL Swan’s books, but nothing prepared me for this one. The storyline of this book is rather unexpected, it definitely will keep you on your toes and awake. I don’t tend to give many books 6 stars, but this one is very deserving of 6 stars – the first book I’ve read this year that I’m happy to give such a rating for! I hope you all fall in love with Enrico and Olivia as much as I did whilst reading, they have been one of my favourite couples to read this year!
This story wasn’t what I expected. To be honest with the title The Italian I had no inklings to what the story would be. I have read most Italian male are playboy cheating scumbag and I’m glad to say this is not Enrico at all. He’s very passionate, intense and loyal. A man who’s very family orientated. Life becomes interesting when he meets an Aussie girl. He’s enthralled as is she. They have an incredible connection and chemistry.
He’s can be very sweet when he’s not being an angry arrogant ass. I liked Olivia’s feistiness she needed it to deal with grumpy butthead Rico. This has the most erotic sex scenes I have read, you will come just from reading these. Olivia was hilarious is dealing with her lust over Rico.
‘I want him draped all over me like a scarf’
I loved how weak she is around him.
‘Be cool not fan girl’
This is a beautiful love story, not an easy one that’s for sure. Although I liked how it ended I felt it was rushed. The next book, holy F.