Secrets of the Villa Amore: the brand new blockbuster for 2023 from the Sunday Times bestseller

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Speaking about what her latest offering is about, Carol told Tom Allen, who has been covering for Chris over the past fortnight: “It's set on the beautiful Amalfi Coast, and the story follows two families who are wine producing families. One is more successful than the other, and their lives have been intertwined for generations. And it's expected that the siblings from each family will marry in what promises to be the wedding of the year. Carina is marrying her childhood sweetheart, Giorgio, who has secrets of his own and isn’t who he appears to be. Edie is Carina’s friend and bridesmaid. This emerging Hwood actress has secrets she cannot reveal. Phillipa, Carina’s mother, has a happy life but finds things drifting apart. Complications arise when her former lover enters the scene. They stared at each other in horror and disbelief at what had just happened. One of them had killed a man, a fellow soldier and compatriot. This crazy war had turned everything on its head, and now they were fugitives. I have read a couple of Carol's books before and I really enjoyed this one. There were bits that I found a bit disappointing but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book. Do you have to go?’ Carina murmured, wrapping her arms around her fiancé as she gazed up at his handsome face.

The younger nodded and they drained their amaro, a locally produced, bitter-tasting herbal liqueur. They swayed unsteadily as they stood up from their wooden stools – this was far from their first drink of the evening – pushing their way through the throng of uniformed men, all yelling and singing and carousing. You might be writing a book, are you?" Carol replied: "I am, yes. My third one." Carol giggled as Jon said: "Are you writing through the weekend? Are you still writing?" I was hoping Giorgio would face the music for his actions. While he does to a minor extent, the book sadly sweeps a good portion of it under the carpet. Financial fraud is one thing, infidelity and mistreating women is another matter. He isn’t even questioned about it. That is NOT acceptable.Carol replied: "Yes." Nina said: "Are you reading a book at the moment Carol? What are you reading?" The meteorologist replied: "More or less," after Nina quizzed her on whether she "always had a book on the go." Anybody who's anybody has been invited. So, from glamorous Hollywood starlets to the mafia, and really no expense has been spared for this wedding. But both families have secrets that could ruin lives, that could ruin relationships as well.” Carina had lived here all her life – except for her university days studying business in London – and her existence had been a charmed one. She and Giorgio had grown up together and it seemed natural that their friendship would blossom into something more as they matured into adolescence, with the accompanying rush of hormones. It was a union strongly encouraged by their parents, and Carina felt the weight of expectation – that it was their destiny to unite the two wine dynasties. They would marry at her family’s palatial hillside property in Amalfi: the Villa Amore.

To summarize, Secrets of the Villa Amore is an easy and light read despite the complex plot. It’s nothing great or memorable, though. A time pass read.His friend looked at him, terror in his eyes, but resolution too. ‘Yes. We must run. But not together . . . alone.’ Can’t it wait until later?’ Philippa interjected, her voice taking on a firmer edge. ‘We were discussing the wedding.’ The dialogue is nice, but I didn’t like it. The conversations sound off in many places. It’s like the characters are acting their part in a play rather than being themselves on paper. How is your day going?’ Rafaella asked as she began wiping down the table where she’d just been working. A certain small yet highly influential character says, ‘ No man is worth losing your self-respect…’ Indeed!

Philippa smiled as she replied to Bianca and ended the call. ‘Of course, every girl dreams of practicality on her wedding day,’ she teased, as Carina laughed. Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK (Fiction), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Busy, with the wedding plans. Although I just found out that Giorgio is leaving for a few days. He has business in the US.’ Philippa’s tone made it clear what she thought of that. ‘The timing isn’t the best, but he’s an ambitious young man. He wants to provide for his family,’ Rafaella said neutrally. Carina had a sharp business brain too, and her father had rewarded her devotion to the company by making her brand director of Casa di Russo. She’d more than risen to the challenge, recently overseeing an international campaign with Brad Pitt to raise the company’s profile in the US. It had been a huge investment, but Carina had convinced her father it would pay off in terms of brand awareness and sales. Now it seemed she’d been proved right, and she was thrilled. Then he was gone, and Carina was left fighting a whirl of emotions: frustration, confusion, disappointment.

With that he darted out into the alleyway. Turning only once, he said, ‘Remember, my girl, the promise?’ Giorgio, we’re almost married. Surely it doesn’t matter if we . . .’ She let the question hang, an unspoken invitation. The Scots presenter was getting on with her usual day job when she let slip to viewers she's got another exciting project on the go. Whenever Philippa tried to talk to him about Carina and Giorgio, Salvatore shut her down immediately. He seemed determined that this wedding should go ahead, as did Rafaella, and Philippa couldn’t understand why it was so important to them or why she felt that everyone was in on something apart from her. In all the years she’d lived with the Russo family, she had never felt excluded once. Now, for the first time, she was starting to feel like an outsider. Glancing out of the kitchen window, she saw Salvatore and Carina stroll across the terrace, passing the fountain with its statue of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and festivity, on their way to the vineyards beyond. Sometimes, Philippa felt that she loved and hated those grapes in equal measure. Yes, they had given her a wonderful life, with two beautiful houses, holidays to the South of France and the Seychelles, as well as the opportunity to mingle with interesting and cultured people, but it felt as though she was forever coming second to a pile of fruit – at least in her husband’s eyes. It seemed to be a theme with the men in her life, she thought wryly. The main and side characters could have been much better but end up as cardboard cutouts. Also, a major development made me roll my eyes at the FMC. This could have been achieved in better ways.