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
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