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Amalfi Coast, Italy – Present Day Charlotte Williams-Jackson thought her life with her NBA superstar husband, Cliff, was perfect until the day he asked her for a divorce. The high profile of their marriage allowed her to get her first book published to great success, and she is trying to write a second book, but has writer’s block. While she’s licking her wounds over her failed marriage and living at her parents' house, she receives a letter out of the blue from an attorney. Charlotte didn’t know she was adopted and learns that her birth mother had died in Italy, leaving behind a twelve-year-old daughter. This would be Charlotte’s half-sister. Understandably, Charlotte is confused, but she knows that she needs to meet her half-sister. Her two best friends, Sloane and Julian, offer to go with her. She will rent a beachfront villa along the Amalfi Coast. The trio arrives, and immediately Charlotte’s half-sister, Lilly, is deposited in her care. It appears that their mother, Sabrina, was a free spirit who used men if they had money. Her latest paramour, Luca, isn’t interested in keeping Lilly. They will have to spend the month trying to decide whether Lilly stays with Charlotte or goes elsewhere. Meanwhile, Sloane is using the time to decide what to do with her marriage to Ben. He wants a child, but she isn’t sure whether she ever wants a child. Julian is her twin brother and is a world-renowned photographer who travels from one country to another. Unfortunately, he’s just been dealt a blow. He has Parkinson’s Disease and he isn’t sure how to handle it. He hasn’t even told his family. Will he finally tell Sloane and Charlotte on this trip what is going on? He is attracted to Charlotte but is afraid to upset their friendship. As for Lilly, she has been thrust into a world she isn’t sure about. It was always her and her mother. Now she has an older half-sister, and she isn’t sure what her future will hold. Will the two develop a relationship that includes a future together? MEET ME IN ITALY is told from the point of view of the four characters mentioned here. Charlotte needs to get her book written since she can no longer expect to be supported by Cliff. Oh, and now that she is out of the country, Cliff keeps calling or texting her that he wants them to reunite. But he isn’t fond of children, and Charlotte is leaning towards keeping Lilly with her. Will she have to choose between them? Sloane hasn’t directly confronted Ben with the knowledge that she doesn’t want kids, but he is aware of her wariness. Will being around Lilly help change her mind? Julian is moody and clearly has something on his mind. His twin and Charlotte suspect something is wrong, but he won’t discuss it with them. He is, however, getting closer to Charlotte because he has a good shoulder for her to lean on when it comes to her problems with writing and Cliff. Readers sense that the news about his illness will be coming out in this tale. Meanwhile, Charlotte is learning more about her mother and falling for Julian. MEET ME IN ITALY is filled with emotion and is an entirely engaging tale that will keep readers engrossed. All four characters are sympathetic, though they are not always truthful with each other at times. Not a bad trait, but secrets are held, which eventually do come out. By the end of the book, I hated to see it end because of the characters and because of the beautiful country they are in. They explore the Amalfi Coast, giving readers a sense of being there. But by the end, everyone is happy, which is a good feeling to have while reading a book. How did they reach this happy place? You will have to find out by grabbing a copy of MEET ME IN ITALY. You won’t be sorry. Patti Fischer |
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MEET ME IN ITALY – Brenda Novak