Secrets on the Italian Island - T.A Williams

 

Her work has got in the way of relationships before – but never like this

Anna’s job as a geologist takes her all over the world, including to the beautiful island of Elba, where she’s sent to look for precious metals. And the island isn’t the only thing that’s gorgeous – she can’t believe her luck when she meets windsurfer Marco and sparks fly.

But Anna must keep her role on Elba a secret to avoid upsetting the locals, which means lying to Marco even as they grow closer. When her old friend Toby visits, Anna suddenly finds herself torn between the attentions of the two men. However, Anna’s not the only one keeping secrets.

Is Marco being entirely honest with her? And why did Toby really come to visit?

A fun and escapist romance, perfect for fans of Lucy Coleman and Alex Brown.

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/SecretsIsland

My Review:

Let T.A Williams whisk you away this summer with the brilliant escapist read. The third book in the Escape to Tuscany series; each a standalone but a wonderful selection of reads – I highly recommend! Fantastic descriptions of scenery and surroundings; I could picture myself there among the action – I wish! 

Anna is a hardworking geologist, with no work life balance. She is at a point in life where she thinks a change may be needed, no matter how much she loves what she does. Her work takes her to the stunning island of Elba; an Italian dream destination, in search of precious metals. 

She soon makes friends in the local community and struggles to keep the reason for being there a secret. Elba residents are protective over it’s natural and undisturbed habitat and Anna realises just how difficult a position she is in. Anna tries to come to some conclusions about her life – in terms of relationships and who is right for her as well as what she wants from her career.

I liked Anna, she seemed kind, caring and passionate about what she does as well as those she cares about. I was worried she would be easily led by those that couldn’t be trusted. 

Great writing, wonderful location and interesting characters make this one book you need to pick up! A great summer read, romance and adventure galore - I highly recommend. 

Author Bio:

I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I did languages at university a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to Italy for seven years as a teacher of English. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only seven years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

The fact that I am now writing romantic comedy is something I still find hard to explain. My early books were thrillers and historical novels. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations, even if travel to them is currently difficult.

Social Media Links –:

Website: www.tawilliamsbooks.com

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/tawilliamsbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrevorWilliamsBooks/

BLOGTOUR: Love, Unscripted - Owen Nicholls

Owen Nicholls’ Love, Unscripted is an uplifting love story, following film projectionist Nick as he tries to understand the difference between love on the silver screen and love in real life. 

Perfect for fans of David Nicholls, Nick Hornby and Laura Barnett. 

For Nick, love should look like it does on the big screen. And when he meets Ellie on the eve of the 2008 presidential election, it finally does. For four blissful years, Nick loved Ellie as much as he loved his job as a film projectionist in his local cinema. Life seemed pictureperfect. But now it’s 2012, Ellie has moved out and Nick’s trying to figure out where it all went wrong. With Ellie gone and his life falling part, Nick wonders if their romance could ever be as perfect as the night they met. Can love really be as it is in the movies?

My Review:

If only our lives were like the films that we all enjoy… if love played out like the iconic scenes we all know so well.

For film enthusiast Nick, we read his struggles, his inner dialogue; we discover his insecurities and what he puts at risk because he cannot see a way by them.

Love, Unscripted is a wonderful take on someone moving through his 20s into his 30s with who is a complicated, worried soul and how he perceives the relationships he has with everyone around him.

I love how the story of Nick meeting Ellie is interspersed throughout the whole book, as parts of his life seem to break down, we get to see more about their first encounter. I remember the excitement and anticipation that surrounded the 2008 US presidential election, the general feelings of hope for a nation which serves here as a good reflection for the hope and anticipation in this blossoming relationship between the two young characters.

Nicks character frustrated me, I liked him and think he was a funny, quirky character but annoying at times. His inability to see anything from another perspective, well yes it makes him who he is, part of the problem I guess but frustratingly selfish. I do like how he is written, very realistic and very relatable to a lot of people nowadays.  I was rooting for him though, I wanted him to be happy and figure out the best ways forward, I was willing him on and wishing he would sort himself out.

I like how this book is very true to life, realistic characters and realistic situations – sometimes we are given characters that just aren’t relatable but here we have plenty. They all have problems; they are all flawed in one way or another; nobody has the perfect life, and all have a rollercoaster of life experiences.

I loved all the film references littered throughout – you are bound to find one from a film you enjoy. I found myself chuckling away as I was reading, it is really amusing and rather witty. Very well structured and wonderfully written, I thoroughly enjoyed this realistic and modern love story. 

About the Author:  

Owen Nicholls is a screenwriter with a Masters in Scriptwriting from the UEA. His work has appeared in Empire and NME, and earlier this year Love, Unscripted was selected for the Escalator Scheme run by Writers' Centre in Norwich.

Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OwenNicholls