Gorgeous cover on the book. Glad to say it lived up to the expectations. Lovely summer feel good read. Great location, nice characters and a great book to escape and lose yourself in

I feel like I have read this story before. However, a nice quick summer beach read. Not too cheesy, but the male dialogue was not genuine I thought.

Love at the Italian lake is an easy read and perfect for the beach.
The story is based around Italy and Darcie has done a great job of describing the places and the views so well you think you are there. The main character is Sophia who has just caught her boyfriend cheating on her so within minutes she quits her job and goes out to visit her Nanna in Italy, at the airport is where she literally bumps into Joe a hunk of a man but as the story develops you get the feeling he has a secret as like Sophia's Nanna also does.
The story sets off well and at times at the start is a little slow but once the secrets start to be revealed this keeps up an easy steady pace and was a delight to read and loved that the epilogue covered all unanswered questions.
I would like to thank netgalley and Canelo for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolute delight of a read, perfect for Summer. I loved my visit to Italy, really did feel like I was there for real, as the setting and locations were so well described and well written and as for the Italian food, oh just heaven.

The story plot was lovely, a very nice easy read. Loved the characters, getting to know Sophia and Joe, and seeing how things progress and develop with them both throughout the story.

I'll definitely be looking forward to reading other books by this author in the future.

I love Darcie Boleyn's books and the gorgeous setting for this one really made me want to book a trip to Lake Garda. I easily lost myself in the descriptions of this beautiful place and the characters are so well drawn that you feel instantly close to them.
Sophia is escaping to Italy to get away from a broken relationship. She bumps into Joe at the airport and this starts a great relationship between the two. She is staying with her grandmother and it's so sweet to see them bonding after a lengthy absence.
There are hints of secrets that could upset everything and they are dealt with very sensitively.
I absolutely adored everything about this book.

A lovely setting for this book at Lake Garda. After having her heart broken Sophia goes to Italy to visit her grandmother who for some reason has not seen her or her mother for a number of years. A chance meeting with a handsome man and a family secret add to the story. I found this to be a very nice love story and a nice safe read. I had great hopes for the secret but it's over and done with in the blink of an eye. I gave up reading Milks and Boons years ago but if you enjoy stories like that then this book is for you.

Boy did I love this book, couldn't put it down,I would love to go to Italy,made me feel like I was there,great book.

When Sophia arrives home to find her boyfriend in bed with another woman she realises that her life needs to change and drastically. She has spent her whole life working all hours to get on in the rat race in London and when her request for leave is turned down she quits!

Sophia's grandmother lives in Italy by Lake Garda and what better opportunity to go and visit her, but things do not start well when she collides with a man at the airport and ends up with a split lip and egg size lump on her head - he was rather handsome though!

Joe is staying at Lake Garda for the summer helping out at his uncle's hotel, although he feels that he should be in England helping his mother as his father has the early stages of dementia, but his mother is burying her head in the sand and refusing to believe anything is wrong. When he bumps into Sophia at the airport he is instantly attracted but he has too many other problems to cope with love at the moment....doesn't he!

A lovely summer read perfect for the beach - easy reading but with good likeable characters and definitely a beautiful setting that will make anyone want to hop on plane and get out there!

This novel opens in London but you are soon transported to beautiful Lake Garda to follow Sophia as she finds out some family secrets and tries to decide what to do with her future. It has all the ingredients of a holiday read- gorgeous setting, romance and the odd obstacle in her heroine's path. I flew through the book and particularly enjoyed the descriptions of life near Lake Garda with the odd trip to Verona, thrown in.

Reading this book was like looking through a book of black and white photographs when Sophia was in London and then suddenly turning the page and being presented with the brilliant Italian sunshine. Life there seemed larger than life. Sophia's Nonna was a delightful character with her own huge secret but her kindness shone through. Another feature which I loved was hearing from Joe and getting to find out what he was thinking. Shifting occasionally to his viewpoint was a refreshing change.

In short: warm and life affirming

Thanks to the publishers for a copy of the book.

I enjoyed this book and wanted to know what happened to the two main characters- Sophia and Joe as I soon had empathy for them. It was lovely to read a book about summer,sunshine and the beautiful Lake Garda.

Sophia goes to live with her Nonna in the beautiful Lake Garda town of Malcesine after a breakup with her disastrous boyfriend Lee. On arrival in Italy, at the airport, she is literally knocked off her feet by the good looking Joe and it was interesting to see the romance progressing from both Sophia and Joe's point of view. There are plenty of sparks of attraction and the relationship between the two of them develops day by day. Both have difficult pasts and there are secrets and misunderstandings all around but they can see new opportunities in the everyday life in the pretty town of Malcesine.

The book is heartwarming and well written and after reading this book I definitely want to visit the Lake Garda area as the descriptions of the food and the towns in the area are easy and enjoyable to read. The plot is a good old fashioned romance and would make a great holiday read.

I downloaded this book as a light summer read, plus the fact I was in Italy when reading it. It was an enjoyable summer read and although my favourite genre is psychological thrillers, this light romcom was just enough to satisfy my craving for a girly read. Good to read if you're going on holiday, especially to Italy.

(Malcesine is pronounced: Mal – chez – eenay… I had been wondering!)

This is a lovely, heartwarming novel set in Malcesine on the shores of Lake Garda. It is also a perfect choice for TripFiction because Italy and the little town are beautifully brought to life for the reader within an enjoyable story.

Sophia Bertoni is in dire need of a break. Lee, her boyfriend is a cheat. Enough is enough, and Sophia is soon persuaded to go and stay with her Grandmother – Nonna Katherine Spinoli – in Malcesine, on the shores of Lake Garda. As she arrives in the airport she literally gets knocked sideways at the airport in Verona (physically, but maybe also emotionally, let’s wait and see!) by Joe Lancaster, who as it transpires, is also spending the Summer on the same Lake, in the same town.

Sophia’s Mother and her grandmother have never really been close and it is whilst Sophia is staying in Malcesine that she stumbles upon a family secret which needs quite some emotional processing.

This novel has all the ingredients (and I haven’t even got to the foodie bits yet!) for a wonderful summer read, with a bit of romance and beautiful scenery thrown in. The markets are redolent of Italian groceries and colour – you can almost see them in your mind’s eye. Just how do you choose between all the cakes, whether it is cannoli or zeppole. Or all those vegetables just oozing colour and flavour. Or accompany Joe on the cycle route from Navena to Castelletto di Brenzone; or with Sophia from the harbour to Castello Scaligero. As readers we are taken with exuberance to this beautiful part of the world. Just sit down with a good Espresso and enjoy.

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A glorious sun-drenched romance set in the Italian Lakes. Once again Darcie Boleyn has taken me on a journey; a journey of emotions with the characters and a journey around the beautiful, picturesque setting of the Italian Lakes.

Sophia Bertoni makes a startling discovery and realises she isn't quite effected by the discovery as she ought to be. Sophia has been living the same daily ritual for a good while; concentrating on her career her personal life has taken a back step. This discovery makes her think twice about her life and she decides to get away from it all and visit her Nonna in Italy. Leaving her high pressured job and ex behind her looking for rest for her heart, mind and body and hoping for inspiration.

Sophia's mind was definitely 'off' men until she stumbles across Joe Lancaster. Joe Lancaster, A fellow Brit, who is staying in the same village as Sophia's Nonna. Joe is also inbetween jobs and with complications at home and heartbreak in his part he's also looking for a light or a sign regarding his future. His sign and light comes from the connection he felt when his eyes met Sophia's dark eyes. Sophia also felt an instant attraction with the depths of Joe's emerald eyes drawing her in to a handsome face and she couldn't shy away from his kind demeanour.

A friendship developed between the pair however, Sophia and Joe were soon quarrelling with their own conscience over the ever growing emotions they were feeling for each other. Should they enjoy the here and now and not worry about what the future may hold?

Whilst Sophia is staying with her Nonna she unearths a secret that will send repercussions through her family heritage and could break her family apart.

A wonderful journey of self-discovery, a journey of new beginnings, a journey of discovering new beauties all around the Italian Lakes.

Thanks Netgalley, Publisher and Author. This was a real summer read, I could envisage the scenery on the lake and feel all the emotions of the characters in the book. Brilliant.

Wow! Wow! Wow! I absolutely. blooming loved this book and it so deserves a five star review.

Sophia comes home from her stressful job one evening to find her boyfriend Lee in bed with another woman. This results in a life changing decision for Sophia who decides to jack in her pressurised job in the city, and go and visit her Nonna in Italy. After an accident at the airport she literally bumps into Joe and it goes from there.

Set in my favourite country of Italy, the descriptions in the book, actually took me there, I could feel the heat of the sun on my skin, the breeze of Lake Garda in my air and when Sophia went to Verona, and visited Juliet's balcony, I actually squealed in delight as it is a place I have always wanted to go to, but Sophia beat me to it!!!

A brilliant book I loved the characters and now want to go on holiday and work for Sophia and Phoebe!!!

Fortunately, Canelo is one of the publishers I'm autoproved for on NetGalley, so I was able to access a copy of this right away. I love chick lit and romances set in either Italy or Spain. The setting made me want to go to Italy, as Darcie Boleyn's descriptions were so vivd. I was pleased to recieve an ARC of Love at The Italian Lake via NetGalley. Thanks so much to Darcie Boleyn, Canelo publishers and NetGalley for my opportunity to read Love at the Italian Lake and also participate in the blog tour for Love at the Italian Lake.

The title grabbed me, and I thought "oh, that sounds so romantic!" I wasn't wrong.

Sophia Bertoli lives in London and comes from a wealthy Italian family. In love with Lee, hard working and ambitious, one day her whole life changes when he cheats on her. To make matters worse, she isn't really happy with the job she has had since she graduated from Cambridge and decides she needs to make a change in her life. This leads her to resign on a whim and pack her bags for Italy where she plans to stay with her grandmother who she hasn't seen in a decade.

There, she meets Joe who is there to visit his uncle, and they begin to get on..... My My first impressions of Joe was that he was a little clumsy, but sweet with it. He turned out to be well-meaning and likeable though.

This is the third book I have read by Darcie Boleyn, after A Very Manhattan Christmas and Summer at Conwenna Cove, and is the second NetGalley ARC after Summer at Conwenna Cove. Boleyn has an uncanny ability to take simple plots and make them into romantic and unforgettable stories.

In Love at the Italian Lake, I was drawn in by Sophia's personality and by her family's and grandmother's warmth. The descriptions of Italy and its customs made me really feel I was there although I have never been.

If you are looking for a summer read, try this! The book is so emotional, so romantic and filled with emotions, love and sadness, that I had to fight back tears at more than one point. Love at the Italian Lake has loveable characters, and by the end I wanted to read it again and was rooting for Joe and Sophia. I was very happy with the ending. I'd love a sequel to this!

Darcie Boleyn has to be one of my favourite authors of all things romantic! She instinctively knows exactly what I want from her books and she delivers every single time. I need to know when I pick up this genre that it’s going to do exactly what it promises to do. I want to WANT the characters to be together and have their happy ever after! And I always sign deeply after finishing Darcies books as she gets it right every single time, with realistic characters that I’ve come to deeply care about as they have reached the right time in their lives to finally let that perfect person for them in.

I have to admit that I was rather jealous of Sophia here. I have never been to Italy as it’s one of my dream destinations for a holiday that always seems to get jinxed! I’m a HUGE fan of everything Italian especially the food (if you’re ever up my way I MUST take you to Don Alberto’s which is the most wonderful Italian restaurant in my village!) which leads me to say that if you’re not hungry when you start this book, you soon will be! The descriptions of all the fabulous pastries, pizza and pasta dishes made my stomach rumble out loud at one point! And to be surrounded by not only the food but the most beautiful Italian Lake setting seemed like heaven on earth to me. When Sophia meets Joe Lancaster the sparks do fly (as does Sophia!) but it’s much more in-depth than that. Neither of them have the inclination to play games anymore but you just know that secrets are still being hidden and misunderstandings will take place before their hearts lead back to where they are destined to be. I adored Nonna, she’s definitely the type of grandmother I aspire to be, aging gracefully but really coming back to life again once she has had family round her again.

I spent a very chilled afternoon in the garden with a glass or two of prosecco and a bowl of fat green olives becoming entwined with the lives of Sophia and Joe. I felt their connection boost my own internal battery leaving me with a warm and fuzzy glow and the strength to face those everyday stresses of real life once again. Darcie Boleyn writes like a dream and anyone who’s never read her books before is really missing out on some good old fashioned romance, brought to life with a spark of humour and an often bittersweet edge. Just try them and see-you won’t be disappointed!

Highly recommended by me!

Darcie Boleyn is fast becoming a favourite author of mine, its not been long since I read her last novel - Summer at Conwenna Cove - yet she is back already with another summer novel filled with romance.

As with Summer at Conwenna Cove being set in Cornwall, Darcie remains bang on trend with Love on the Italian Lake as this years holiday destination for books seems to be set in and round the idyllic location of Lake Garda - yes I have immediately added the small town of Malcesine to my bucket list!

Love at the Italian Lake features Sophia and Joe as the main characters.
Sophia has fled to Italy to spend some time with her Grandmother after her world is turned upside down due to a cheating boyfriend and lack of job satisfaction causing her to quit - despite the healthy bank balance it has provided her with.

Her break away however gets off to to a flying start - quite literally, as she is knocked right off her feet by the ever so handsome Joe. Despite their being some instant attraction, Sophia decline's his offer to take her to where she is staying and Sophia opts for the long and uncomfortable coach journey to her Nonna's house.

The last thing she expects when spending time with her Nonna is to bump in to Joe again!

Sophia is loving finding herself, the weather, the coffee and the Italian food but after looking though some old photographs with her Nonna - something she discovers is troubling her and it is Joe that she opens up to.

Sophia and Joe get closer and closer and although she has opened up, Joe seems to be holding back despite his clear feelings for Sophia.

As time goes on and new opportunities arrive, I was sure Sophia and Joe were headed for the happy ever after that Darcie writes so well... and don't get me wrong, we got there eventually but once again Darcie has stepped up her writing abilities with lots of twists and turns in the sub plots.

With great characters, beautiful settings, hidden secrets and warm romantic moments, Love at the Italian Lake is another brilliant novel from Darcie that guarantees you will be unable to put down.

I love Darcie's books and this is no exception. Great characters, beautiful setting and lovely ending :)

I just love Darcie's work, and this is no exception. She draws me and holds me in the world she has created. Superb writing and oh boy what a fantastic story. More please