Rome is the city of love and seduction, right? Not if you find yourself staying in a beautiful apartment with your childhood-friend-turned-arch-enemy, Will Ryan…no matter how hot he is!
Romance is the last thing on Lisa’s mind. She’s got more important things to focus on, like hunting down her estranged father. Except when her search falls at the first hurdle, Will doesn’t just help her get back on track, he also shares the romantic sights – and exquisite tastes – of the Eternal City, and Lisa starts to wonder if it’s not just Rome seducing her.
Only, as Lisa and Will dig into the past, neither of them is prepared for the long-buried secrets they reveal. Secrets that will turn both their world’s upside down …"
Rating: 5/5
I was thrilled to be asked to kick off Jules Wake's blog tour for her brand new book From Rome With Love. I've read most of Jules' books before and loved them, so was excited to get stuck into reading this one. I love the cover, it looks summery and certainly entices you into wanting to read it. When I began reading, I realised several of these characters have popped up before in Jules' other books, and it was lovely to catch up with Siena, Laurie, Cam and co again!
This time, however, we follow the story of Lisa, who is determined to go to Rome to locate her father to return a family heirloom after the death of her mother. However, all Lisa knows about him is that he didn't bother asking her to live with him once her mother died, and all she has is an old photo with an address that is decades old. Instead, she hops on a plane with her Italian friend Giovanni, and another local Will, who owns the pub and is opening his own restaurant. The pair have a bit of a past so Lisa isn't thrilled he's hijacked her holiday. But will she be able to find her father in Rome, and can Lisa and Will admit there's more than a little attraction between them?
I really enjoyed this story from the beginning. I liked Lisa straight away. She's grown up with grandmother who isn't the easiest woman to get along with, and I certainly felt Lisa's frustration and love towards her grandmother through the entire book - despite the many arguments the pair had you could really feel the love that they had for each other. Lisa's relationship with Will however was a bit more complicated but I really enjoyed that story unfolding and seeing the friendship between them blossom while they were in Rome together.
Jules Wake has clearly done her research when it comes to Rome because she describes is so beautifully throughout the book. I haven't been lucky enough to visit Rome myself but I loved reading about it, from the famous tourist hotspots such as the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum and the Trevi fountain, to the small Italian cafe's that Lisa and Will frequent, and the other places they travel to research Italian food and drink for Will's restaurant. I found Wake's descriptions to be really vivid, and I loved seeing these things through Lisa's eyes because she was so excited about everything to do with Rome, her enthusiasm was catching!
As well as the holiday to Rome, there was the more serious storyline of Lisa trying to track down her father. There were a few twists and turns along the way, it couldn't all be plain sailing for Lisa of course, and there was a bit of a shocking conclusion to that too which had me really surprised! It set up Lisa's return to the UK and the return of a few characters too which was nice to see. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read from Jules Wake, and there's not a lot I can fault about this book at all! I loved the characters, the setting, there was some humour and a storyline that kept you wanting to read on until the last page! Highly recommended!
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