I have been a fan of Alice Clayton's since I first read Wallbanger. I absolutely loved that book and have enjoyed everything I have read from her since. I was excited to see what a book from her and Nina Bocci would be like, since this is the first I have read from Nina. While there were things that I liked about this story and I did find it entertaining, I have to admit that this one didn't work entirely for me personally.
After catching her husband cheating on her and getting a divorce, Avery heads to Rome to get away and spend time with her best friend Daisy. Avery never expects to run in to the man that she once fell in love with while in college. Marcello was always the one that got away, but now that Avery is newly single and looking for an adventure, can she find a way to have a second chance with him?
I liked both Avery and Marcello. They were easy characters to like, and I felt both the chemistry and connection between them. I am a huge fan of second chance romance stories, and these two definitely had some history that I found interesting. But I have to admit that as much as I wanted to get behind their story, I found it kind of difficult to really see what had happened in the first place. I just felt like it was a bit weak and didn't entirely make sense.
The other big issue I had here was a personal one, and one that is likely not to be a problem for most readers. I mainly read romance novels at this point, and because of that when a story is said to be in the romance genre I want that to be the focus. Not that I don't want there to be a good story to go along with that, but I do expect that to be the main part of the story. I felt like this book was more chick lit than it was romance, with much of the story focusing on Avery herself and her adventure in Rome. I loved the rich backdrop that Nina and Alice gave us, and I really felt like we were there right alone with the characters. But if I am honest, I found myself skimming through parts at time because I was bored and didn't care about some of what was happening. I wanted more of the focus to be on the relationship and romance between Avery and Marcello and at times that got lost in everything else. Overall, it was still a good story filled with humor, adventure, and love. I just personally wish that the focus had been the couple rather than the adventure. If you are looking for a great summer read about traveling with romance, this is definitely one worth checking out. I am interested to see what these two authors write together in the future, and I did enjoy this book even with the criticisms I did have.
**ARC Provided by Bocci PR**
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