Dreaming of Italy came at a good time for me as I had just visited the country for the first time back at the beginning of February, although I went to the one place they avoided in the book due to the crowds – Florence.

The plot revolves around workaholic Emma who works for a film company in Hollywood and was just about to start filming on a movie when she is asked to travel to Italy to find some locations for the companies big upcoming movie featuring two leading Hollywood stars.

She isn’t happy about leaving her other movie in the hands of someone else but she knows that this is the chance to climb the corporate ladder and make a name for herself. Just before she leaves for Italy she is told that her boss’s son, Richard, will be travelling with her as her assistant and for her to show him the ropes.

The movie they are finding locations for is set just before WWI and so they need someone who knows the history of the country to guide them to the best locations, welcome rich, sexy Mark who has Emma’s heart all in a flutter. As the pair spend more and more time together Emma finds herself more attracted to Mark, but she is there working and making a name for herself in Hollywood not to find love, isn’t she?

Dreaming of Italy is such an adorable book. I loved the characters and the setting so much. Author T.A. Williams obviously knows the country very well as you feel like you are there with the characters visiting these beautiful places and eating the exquisite food. There were even a few places I’d never heard of before that I had to google and boy are they gorgeous.

From the first page, I was captivated and flew through the book quickly. The characters all felt very realistic which made the story so enjoyable. The pace throughout was constant, no fast or slow parts and there weren’t many big reveals, except for who Carmen is, but the lack of shock moments works in a book like this.

This is a light-hearted read that is the last in the authors ‘Dreaming of’ series. The writing is sublime and had me invested in the book from the very first page. This is one of those books that you want on a cold dark rainy day to cheer you up or to take to the beach and relax with on your sun lounger. It just makes you feel happy whatever your situation.

I was born and bred in Exeter and I did a Modern Languages degree at Nottingham University. After that I went abroad, but now I live in a little village in sleepy Devon, tucked away down here in south west England. I love the place and I love Italy where I spent eight memorable years – and found my Italian wife. That’s why you’ll find leafy lanes, thatched cottages, villas and vineyards in many of my books. Oh, yes, and a black Labrador in memory of my dear old woofer.

I’ve written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I’m enjoying myself hugely writing humour and romance. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair, it isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it.

What did you think of Dreaming of Italy? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!