A Venice Summer by Lynne Shelby #Review

 

Having enjoyed Lynne Shelby's The Summer of Taking Chances,and Rome for the Summer, I am delighted to be joining the celebrations for her new summer read, A Venice  Summer. It was published on May 12th by Shaldo Books. 

 
Art conservator Rose Bennet is still reeling from a bad break-up when she is offered a dream job in Venice, restoring an art collection in the Ca’ D’Ambra, a six-hundred-year-old Venetian palazzo. Despite her fears about travelling to a foreign country on her own, Rose is soon heading to Italy for the summer.

While she is awestruck by the breathtaking beauty of Venice, Rose finds the owner of the palazzo, the arrogant and short-tempered Luca Casserini, insufferable. When he questions her ability to do her work, she almost heads straight back to London, but decides that she won’t let herself be intimidated or driven away before she’s even had a chance to ride in a gondola.

Losing her way in Venice’s picturesque maze of canals and alleyways, the last person Rose wants to see is her employer, but when they meet by chance and, to her surprise, he offers to show her around the city, she feels it would be churlish to refuse.

Spending sunlit summer days exploring Venice with Luca, Rose discovers a passionate side to him, very different to her first impression, and her feelings towards him begin to change …

Rose knows she can restore a damaged painting, but can she mend Luca’s damaged heart?

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the dual timeline aspect of this story. Most of the storyline takes part in the present day when Rose finds herself working as an Art Conservator in the historic  Ca’ D’Ambra, concentrating on an unknown painting of a young woman in a blue dress. As the story unfolds, you find out more about the story behind the painting and its artist. Rose is nursing a broken heart when she arrives in Venice and finds the family atmosphere comforting and a source of hope.

  The family in  Ca’ D’Ambra have had a tragedy in the past which has affected all their lives, none more so than Luca who has had to take over the running of the establishment. Although their first meeting is unfortunate, a friendship develops between Rose and Luca which comes under severe strain. As Rose travels around Venice, you are given a wonderful picture of life in the city and its rich history. With a range of characters and interesting information about art history and the care of the paintings, this is a delightful Summer read.

In short: italian sunshine and romance 

About the Author

 

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

You can follow Lynne here: Facebook   |  Twitter   |  Instagram 

                                          |  Website

Book links: Amazon UK   |  Amazon US  

 

Thanks to Lynne Shelby, the publishers and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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