Rome for the Summer by Lynne Shelby. A guest post

 

Kate Harper has always loved the painting that has hung in her parents' dining room for years, never suspecting that it is worth a fortune. When her art dealer boyfriend cheats her family out of the proceeds of the painting's sale, she is left devastated and alone.

Kate discovers that two hundred years ago, the girl in the painting, Charlotte Browne, ran off to Rome with the artist who painted her portrait, but her eventual fate is unknown.

Hoping to uncover the mystery of what happened to Charlotte, Kate seizes the chance of a summer job in Rome, where she strikes up a friendship with Jamie Taylor, an English artist. As they explore the city and start to piece together the surprising secrets of Charlotte's life, Kate finds herself wondering if a summer in Rome can mend a broken heart...

Title:  Rome for the Summer

Author: Lynne Shelby

Published By: Headline Accent

Publication Date: 23rd June 2022

Links: Amazon

Lynne Shelby Guest Post

For me, one of the best things about books is that they can take you anywhere in the world – and to other planets, if you’re into science fiction, or to the past, if you read historical novels! I love travelling, and like to set my contemporary romantic novels in a location that I’ve enjoyed visiting. Whether I’m exploring a foreign city like Paris or enjoying a beach holiday on a Greek island, I always make sure I carry my writer’s notebook with me so I that I can make a note if I can see or hear anything that ignites the spark of an idea for a story. Although I take lots of photos when I’m travelling, I find I can recall the atmosphere of a place more vividly if I draw it, so I also take a sketchbook. 

My new book, Rome For The Summer, was originally inspired by a conversation I overheard when my husband and I were returning to our hotel after a day’s sight-seeing in Rome, although I didn’t write the book for several years as I was writing other stories. When I started writing the book, I would have liked to take another trip to Rome to check that I’d remembered the layout of the city correctly, as well as details like whether you can hear the water plashing into the Trevi Fountain before you see it (you can!), but travel restrictions were still in place at the time, so I had to make do with maps, guide books, photos and my drawings to jog my memories.

In the book, my heroine, Kate Harper, has always loved the painting that has hung in her parents' dining room for years, never suspecting that it is worth a fortune. When her art dealer boyfriend cheats her family out of the proceeds of the painting's sale, she is left devastated. Kate discovers that two hundred years ago, the girl in the painting, Charlotte Browne, ran off to Rome with the artist who painted her portrait, but her eventual fate is unknown. Hoping to uncover the mystery of what happened to Charlotte, Kate seizes the chance of a summer job in Rome, a city she has never visited before, where she strikes up a friendship with Jamie Taylor, an English artist . . .

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Rome again through Kate’s eyes, as she and Jamie explore the city together, visiting iconic sites like the Colosseum, and the Spanish Steps – I have drawings of both in my sketchbook – as they start to piece together the story of what happened to Charlotte two hundred years before. I hope that readers of Rome For The Summer will enjoy exploring the city’s narrow cobbled streets, sitting by a fountain in a sunlit piazza to eat a delicious gelato, and gazing at the sunset over the Roman skyline in Kate and Jamie’s company as much as I did.

Thanks so much Lynne for visiting our blog and good luck with the book.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Lynne Shelby writes contemporary women's fiction and romance. Her debut novel, French Kissing, now re-released in e-book as Meet Me In Paris, won the Accent Press and Woman magazine Writing Competition. Her fifth novel, Love On Location, was shortlisted for a Romantic Novelist’s Award. When not writing or reading, Lynne can usually be found at the theatre or exploring a foreign city with her writer's notebook, camera and sketchbook in hand. She lives in London with her husband and has three adult children who live nearby.

Website: www.lynneshelby.com

Twitter: @LynneShelby5

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LynneShelbyWriter

Instagram: lynneshelbywriter

The Summer Trip by Isabelle Broom

What if your life worked out perfectly . . . for someone else?

It's been 18 years since Ava spent the summer on the Greek island of Corfu, but she has never forgotten what happened during those months - or who she left behind.

Now single, estranged from her family, and preparing to wave her daughter off to university, Ava's life seems a million miles away from the one she dreamed about as a teenager - a life now being lived by her sister instead.

When Ava decides to return to Corfu for the summer, she knows she must finally face the place and the people that broke her heart. But with old resentments festering, long-buried secrets lurking, and familiar feelings resurfacing, it looks set to be a holiday that will change all their lives forever. .

Title: The Summer Trip

Author: Isabelle Broom

Published By: Hodder & Stoughton

Publication Date: 23rd June 2022

Links:    UK: Amazon   US: Amazon

 Our Review

I am a huge fan of Isabelle Broom and she is definitely one of my favourite authors. She also very kindly named a character after me in one of her books, A Year and a Day which I was delighted with. The beautiful descriptions of the setting inspired me to go to Prague with my family. It was so detailed that I knew exactly what to look for when I was there. Now I want to go to Corfu for a delicious taste of Greece, you really don't need a guide book to all these wonderful destinations, you don't even need to get on a plane as Isabelle's books leave you feeling like you've just spent a chillaxing fortnight in the glorious sunshine.

The Summer Trip is about Ava who inadvertently ends up on holiday with her daughter in Corfu, a place she hasn't visited since she was a teenager. I loved the twist at the beginning and thought it was really clever how her mum persuaded her to go.

Once there she is reunited with her two sisters and her brother in law Niko the sexy love god. The three sisters couldn't be more different to each other and it was interesting to see how the story weaved through their dysfunctionality as a family. I really felt for Ava when her daughter seemed to be being led astray and the strong emotions she went through on trying to protect her with all her heart and having to let her grow into a woman.

The setting once again was described beautifully and Isabelle manages to transport the reader to each new destination with ease. I could imagine sitting in Niko's family's taverna enjoying the delicious food or swimming in the glistening sea.

Seeing Niko again stirs up memories for Ava and she is weighed down by secrets from the past. Although her sister is living the life she wanted she doesn't seem happy and her bullying mother in law doesn't help matters. When Ava has to move rooms because one of her sisters is rather noisy in the bedroom she overhears a private conversation between her other sister Mattie and Niko and realises that all is not is how it should be in this marriage.

A story of family complications, mixed emotions, sun, sea and secrets this story has everything I've come to expect and love in an Isabelle Broom book.

Thank you to Hodder for my advanced review copy.

Sincerely

Book Angel x

About the Author

Isabelle Broom was born in Cambridge nine days before the 1980s began and studied Media Arts at university in London before a 12-year stint at Heat magazine. When she is not travelling all over the world seeking out settings for her escapist novels, Isabelle can mostly be found in Suffolk, where she shares a home with her two dogs and more books than she could ever hope to read in a lifetime. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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