3 Stars from me.
Jo is desperately trying not to fall for her future brother-in-law, Corrado, while visiting her sister and her fiancée in Rome. Jo has sworn off all gorgeous men, and Corrado definitely falls into that category. Corrado has made a promise to his brother and Jo’s sister to stay away from Jo. But they get along really well and decided to ignore the attraction between them, and just be friends for the sake of their families. Corrado swears high and low that love doesn’t exist, it’s just a mix of chemicals in the body, and as much as Jo would like to agree, she isn’t nearly that sceptical about love.
I really enjoyed the writing style of the book and the author’s descriptions of Rome and some of the other places in the book. Mr. Williams managed to bring those places to life on paper and makes you feel as if you are there.
Now, I have enjoyed the interactions between Jo and Corrado very much, as well as their growing friendship. I’m not sure if this next bit gives away too much of the story, and I’ll try my best not to, so POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD:
I feel that Corrado took away Jo’s choices. For all we know they could have been very happy together in Rome without her taking the job in the US. But he made the choice for her. Why couldn’t he have discussed his ideas for expansion with her and maybe they could have come up with a solution together? And why wasn’t Jo angrier that he broke her heart? She seemed almost unperturbed at times with what had happened, and she capitulated very quickly when Corrado explained his actions to her. I do love the Epilogue, and it is a fitting end to the story.
Daisy was the star and a real treat. The two main characters were well developed and interesting, but the rest of the cast were only the supporting characters. They didn’t stand out on their own. The story is written in the third person, but only from Jo’s perspective. I would have liked to know more about what Corrado was thinking and feeling, but we only get that from what he says to Jo and what she interprets from his words and actions.
I enjoyed reading the book, and I will read more from this author.
I received an advanced copy of the book from Netgalley to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Was I hooked by this book? Yes, it was a good one.
Genre: Contemporary Romance