Angela Scipioni
Published: 2018-10-26
Total Pages: 394
Get eBook
Hurt by a painful break-up which has left her without a boyfriend, a job, and a home, Jolene Whitacre fears that love and happiness will elude her forever. Working as a caterer aboard a tour boat on Cayuga Lake, she meets Filippo Garaventi, a debonair Italian hotelier who wins her over with his charm, romanticism and old-world manners. His descriptions of Locanda Luisa, the quaint hotel his family owns in Manarola, a picturesque village in Italy's fabled Cinque Terre, fascinate Jolene, fueling her fantasies.By the time Filippo must return to Italy he has convinced Jolene to accompany him: a plan complete with a marriage proposal and an offer to work together on the renovation and relaunching of the family hotel. Spellbound by Filippo's devotion, captivated by a dream that seems within her grasp, and excited at the prospect of starting over in a country whose people, food, wine and language have always attracted her, Jolene buries her last lingering doubts and jets across the Atlantic with her future husband.Once in Italy, though, nothing is as she envisioned. The village is strikingly beautiful and picturesque, but the family dynamics are confusing, the crumbling Locanda dismaying, and misunderstandings abound. Inquisitive and determined to adapt to her new family and their culture, Jolene uncovers an unexpected past, ultimately finding herself center-stage, the main player in a drama for which she is utterly unprepared.