Blog Tour Review: One Summer in Rome

Posted 9th May 2018 by Emma in Blog Tours, Reviews / 2 Comments

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

One Summer in Rome by Samantha Tonge
Also by this author: How to Get Hitched in Ten Days, Game of Scones, Forgive Me Not, Under One Roof
Published by HQ Digital on 9th May 2018
Genres: Chicklit, Humour, Love & Romance
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible
One Star

To 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 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.

Thank you to Rachel for letting me be part of this tour and HQ Digital for my copy of this book via Negalley. I have read a few of Samantha’s books in the past and I really enjoy her style.

For the first few pages I wasn’t a fan of Mary. I felt like she needed to believe in her self a little more. I found her a little bit pathetic. But after a few chapters Mary really came into her own. As we hear more about Mary’s past her actions and lack of self worth become more understandable.

Dante is rather grumpy when we first meet him. His life has been tough over the last couple of years and his heart has taken quite the beating. Dante is however determined to live as normal life as possible and will not stand for being patronised.

There were a lot of things in this book that were easy to predict or work out but I just loved the journey Samantha took us on to get there. I could see the romance blossoming from the very first meeting and really enjoyed watching it grow and grow.

I really liked the Rossi family. They were so welcoming to Mary and despite all their issues they still found a reason to smile. Lucia is the cutest little kid and Natale works so hard to be a good mum to her and help her father in the restaurant. I also loved Rocco. He was cold at first but as you began to break down his walls you realise he is a pretty decent guy.

This book is perfect for this sunny weather we have been having recently. I read most of this book while at the park under the rays and I could have easily been in the Vatican Gardens with Samantha’s vivid descriptions of Rome. So grab an ice cream and settle down under the sun with your copy of this book now!

About Samantha Tonge

Samantha lives in Cheshire with her lovely family and two cats who think they are dogs. Along with writing, her days are spent cycling, willing cakes to rise and avoiding housework. A love of fiction developed as a child, when she was known for reading Enid Blyton books in the bath. A desire to write bubbled away in the background whilst she pursued other careers, including a fun stint working at Disneyland Paris. Formally trained as a linguist, Samantha now likes nothing more than holing herself up in the spare room, in front of the keyboard. Writing romantic comedy novels and short stories for women’s magazines is her passion. Her bestselling debut novel, “Doubting Abbey”, from CarinaUK Harlequin, was shortlisted for the Festival of Romantic Fiction best Ebook award in 2014. Its fun standalone sequel is From Paris with Love. Mistletoe Mansion is a fun Christmas novel. Her fourth romantic comedy, Game of Scones, won the Love Stories Awards 2015 Best Romantic Ebook category. Her festive novel, My Big Fat Christmas Wedding is out now!

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