Art restorer Emily Price has never encountered anything she can’t fix—until she meets Ben, an Italian chef, who seems just right. But when Emily follows Ben home to Italy, she learns that his family is another matter.
Emily Price—fix-it girl extraordinaire and would-be artist—dreams of having a gallery show of her own. There is no time for distractions, especially not the ultimate distraction of falling in love.
But Chef Benito Vassallo’s relentless pursuit proves hard to resist. Visiting from Italy, Ben works to breathe new life into his aunt and uncle’s faded restaurant, Piccollo. Soon after their first meeting, he works to win Emily as well—inviting her into his world and into his heart.
Emily astonishes everyone when she accepts Ben’s proposal and follows him home. But instead of allowing the land, culture, and people of Monterello to transform her, Emily interferes with everyone and everything around her, alienating Ben’s tightly knit family. Only Ben’s father, Lucio, gives Emily the understanding she needs to lay down her guard. Soon, Emily’s life and art begin to blossom, and Italy’s beauty and rhythm take hold of her spirit.
Yet when she unearths long-buried family secrets, Emily wonders if she really fits into Ben’s world. Will the joys of Italy become just a memory, or will Emily share in the freedom and grace that her life with Ben has shown her are possible?
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“Narrator Kate Rudd provides a blend of sentimentality, sweetness, and dissatisfaction as the voice of art restorer Emily Price…The warmth and tenderness in Rudd’s portrayal of Emily makes for a credible and sympathetic protagonist…[And] Rudd’s smooth, deep tones highlight Ben’s soothing seductiveness and the tension between family members.”
— AudioFile
“Another rich, multilayered story from Katherine Reay. Fabulously described settings will make readers long to visit Italy…This is a lovely tale that will nest in the reader’s heart and won’t let go.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick!)“Reay’s sensually evocative descriptions of Italian food and scenery makes this a delight…[Reay] writes novels that speak to the universal truths in the human heart, and her latest will appeal to readers of new adult fiction with its focus on the power of following a dream.”
— Library Journal (starred review)Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Katherine Reay has enjoyed a life-long love affair with the works of Jane Austen and her contemporaries, who provide constant inspiration both for writing and for life. She is the author of four novels, and her debut, Dear Mr. Knightley, was a 2014 Christy Award finalist, winner of the 2014 INSPY Award for Best Debut, and winner of two Carol Awards for Best Debut and Best Contemporary. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University.
Kate Rudd, actress and Earphones Award–winning narrator, has appeared in several independent films and shorts, as well as in multiple episodes of the television show Perks. As an audiobook narrator she has been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration.