Have you ever wondered what was going on in Italy during WWII? For someone who wasn't there it is all so confusing; the Black Shirts, the Communists, the resistance, the allies, Mussolini – was he in or was he out?

In her new novel, The Tuscan Secret, Angela Petch uses historical fiction to help us make sense of what was really happening in the hidden valleys and mountains of Italy. The protagonist, Anna, inherits a box of old letters and diaries from her mother, who was originally from Italy. As she works her way through the intriguing primary source material, most of it written in Italian, Anna feels herself drawn to visit her mother's village. Once there she continues to unravel the mystery of her mother's war years with the additional help of the local people. Her adventure includes falling in love, unravelling her own family linage, and finally understanding the parents who raised her and the heroic deeds that shaped their lives.

Viva Italia!

This was a beautifully told tale mostly set in Tuscany, Italy and I found it absolutely entertaining. It is told both in present time and in the past of wartime Italy. If you love historical fiction and have an interest in Italy, this is a perfect read.

The story follows Anna who lives in England and is in a crossroads in her life, she’s lost her job, and her Italian born mother living in England, whom she wasn’t close to, has just passed away. Anna’s childhood was filled with stormy arguments and her parents constantly bickering.

Anna is left an inheritance from her mother Ines, which includes fifty thousand pounds and a collection of her mother’s secret diaries and letters. With her inherited money, Anna travels to Tuscany to visit the village where her mother grew up. She wants to learn more about these Italian written scribblings and diaries and have them translated to English. Here she learns of her family’s intriguing history during wartime, Ines’s new life in England as a war bride and her troubled life and secrets. Anna feels a strong connection to her mother after reading the diaries.

This story is so wonderfully descriptive I could imagine myself there amongst the breathtaking scenery and tasting the delicious Italian food. I adored the way it all came together at the end, exceptional.

Thanks to Netgalley/Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I received a free ARC from #NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Tuscan Secret reveals the troubled past of a young Italian woman during WWII through the eyes of her daughter. Her English daughter, Anna, is bequeathed set of diaries and letters from her mother, Ines, about Ines's life in Italy. Anna has recently lost her job and broken up with her older boyfriend; consequently she is rather at odds in her own life. These diaries, mostly written in Italian, compel Anna to return to her mother's birthplace to connect with her and to learn more about her Italian heritage. This novel alternates between Ines's diary entries and Anna's contemporary wanderings.

War has brought hunger, violence, and treachery to the small mountainous communities where Ines and her family live. They care for an escaped English POW named Jim whose presence puts them all in danger. The sections of Ines and her family under German occupation are exceptionally strong. If this were a movie, The Nazis would be off-screen with their evil and inhumanity permeating the day to day existence of the villagers. Inevitably, Jim and Ines fall in love and settle on returning to England at the conclusion of the war. Death and loss are cornerstones of any WWII novel and here they erode the strength of the characters. Ines and Jim do marry but, unfortunately, their marriage is marred by PTSD and violence.

Anna is determined to learn more about her parents so her trip to Italy really is about self-discovery. Her connection with the family with whom she stays is absolutely lovely as food and wine and history are interwoven. Love doesn't come easily since there are fifty+ years of secrets to unravel. The gradual translation of Ines's writing allows Anna and readers to truly feel Ines's experiences and emotions.

The early section detailing Ann's life in England is reminiscent of way too many other other novels. Stick with it; this novel is worth the effort.

An engrossing and entertaining book. I liked the style of writing, the well written cast of characters and found the description of Tuscany quite realistic.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Anna is at loose ends, having just been made redundant, mourning her mother, and wondering about her future with her older lover. Along with some cash, she has inherited her mother’s memoirs, and on a whim, she decides to go to Italy to gain more insight into her mother’s past. She makes a fortuitous choice in lodging, and quickly becomes involved in the lives of Francesco, Alba, and Teresa, while learning life-altering facts about her mother’s history. To her surprise, she also finds romance.

It’s very easy to get swept into this story. There are a few unnecessarily dramatic, formulaic moments, based primarily on misunderstandings between characters, but these are easy to overlook. As enjoyable as the story is, it really should be a screenplay, so that readers can experience the full beauty of the Tuscan setting. A quick, but memorable, read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, Angela Petch for my digital copy of her new book The Tuscan Secret and I gave it three stars.
After her mum Ines passes away in 1999, Anna decides to visit Rofelle in Italy and look into her mother's past. Anna is very interested in discovering how her Italian mother ended up living in England as a war bride and married to her father Jim? When Anna asked her mother about her past or the war she was never keen to talk about it and she always wondered why her dad was cold and distant with her?
Anna has two older siblings her brother Harry he inherited the crumbling family home and her sister Jane inherited her mother's jewelry.
Anna's inheritance is a lump sum of money, some old family photos and her mother's old diaries.
Anna's parents marriage wasn't a happy one, her parents fought a lot and Anna was a lonely child as her older siblings had grown up and left home when she was still a little girl.
After she loses her job, Anna decides to travel to Italy, she books into a Italian bed and breakfast run by siblings Teresa and Francesco.
Francesco helps Anna by translating her mother's diaries, Anna is pleased to here about her mum's happy childhood in Italy, she discovers her mum had a brother called Davide and how life in Italy changed during the second world war under the dark cloud of German occupation.
The story has many twists and turns, you discover why Anna's dad Jim ended up a bitter old man, it's due to what happened to him during the war and you also learn about how bad life was for the Italian people during this time.
Ines really struggled as a new bride in England, her new husband is distant and cold. She didn't speak hardly any English when she arrived in England, how much she missed her parents, how cold England was compared with Italy and how much she hated the new food.
In Italy, Anna meets a rather grumpy old man who grew up in the same village as her mother, why is he so reluctant to talk about Ines and what happened to him during the war? Anna with Francesco's help slowly uncovers the truth about her mothers past and how the war had such a terrible in pact on her mothers family.
Anna also starts a romantic relationship with Francesco, I did find this part of the book a bit predictable but that's just my opinion and some readers might like a little romance included in the story!

Anna is a young English woman who takes a trip to Italy to research her mother’s past. Ines Santini, Anna’s Italian mother, didn’t talk about her time during the war. Ines married a British soldier when the war ended and they moved to England.

When Ines died she left her diaries to her daughter Anna. There was a large family estate left to the older brother Harry and jewelry left to her sister Jane. Mom knew Anna would appreciate the diaries. When you get midway through you’ll understand the importance of the diaries and secrets they hold.

The old diary entries and time in present day Italy was interesting. The parts about Ines after she moved to England was sad but set the plot for important revelations.

Once Anna arrives in Italy you can see what is going happen by chapter four when Anna is annoyed by the good looking Francesco who becomes a guide. Anyone? Hands raised that we go from annoyance to an attraction she wants to deny to full blown love.

I love the cover, such a beautiful setting. Also the Italian dialogue throughout was a great authentic touch.

This book seemed familiar yet I know I couldn’t have read it. It won’t be published until June 26, 2019. As I read more and enjoyed the descriptive passages about the food and setting in Perugia Italy, it clicked why this was so familiar. The premise is so very similar to The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen which I read in February of 2018.

In fairness The Tuscan Child plot involved only one adult daughter and it was the deceased father who left an inheritance of old love letters from Italy. Also during WW II and also involving an old house. This is indeed a different story just very similar. If you are a fan of books set in Italy and the split time line spilling the secrets of the past, you will enjoy this book.

Foodie items include fresh chicken and polenta, Cibatta, black olives, pecorino cheese, ravili with chicken beast, leon zest and nutmeg, aubergines, wine – lots of wine. The English foods include Toad in the hole, battered sausages, Yorkshire pudding, Victoria sponge cake, apple pie, fruitcake.

Sharing with Heather for her June Foodie Reads and Joy for British Isles Friday as the author is British and part of the setting is in England.

Much thanks to Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. Publication date is June 26, 2019. I will look for more by this author. All opinions are mine and I was not compensated for this review.

I thought this book was almost perfect. I truly imagined myself in Italy and thoroughly enjoyed the setting. It was also beautifully written yet heartbreaking to read. Reading about WW2 is always difficult for me and I always learn something new. The parts with Anna were a little too cliched at times that I found myself rolling my eyes. Other than that . I would recommend this book. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

For the most part, I really liked this book. The back story of Anna's Italian mother Ines is fantastic. Her ordeals in WWII and that story behind her being an Italian war bride moved to England was 5 star. It had me in tears many times. The heroics of the average person in Europe fighting against Nazism was very moving to me. However, Anna's story set in 1999 was just too perfect. In a nutshell, Anna leaves her home in England for an Italian trip to investigate her mother's inheritance to her and ends up in love with a handsome Italian prince charming. All in all, I would recommend mostly because of Ines' story from the past. The writing flows along and the book moves at a good pace and the author Angela Petch makes you feel you are there on location while you read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Anna, the youngest of three siblings, is left £50,000 and her mother's diaries. Anna decides to use the money to travel to Italy and see the area in which her mother was brought up. She initially stays in a guest house owned by Teresa and where Anna meets Teresa's brother Francesco, who helps Anna translate her mother's diaries.
The narrative moves between the time of the diaries, 1944 towards the end of the second World War and 1999. For once this does work out well. Maybe some things in the diaries were more than we needed to know, but overall it gave a gruelling account of Italy living under German occupation and the horrors that went with it.
Parts of the narrative with Anna were a little bit clichéd, and didn't add to the story. The little bit we learnt about her siblings was pretty much irrelevant and almost felt as though it was added as an after thought.
While there is plenty of loss during the book, it all ends as expected.

Genealogy-based romance set in separate generations and countries: 19-yr old Italian partisan Ines falls in love with wounded British soldier Jim in war time Tuscany... and after she dies her diaries are bequeathed to her youngest daughter Anna in present day London. Anna's discoveries of her mother's inner life lead her on an Italian adventure, new self-perception, and historic revelations.

Brit-in-Italy author Angela Petch does a wonderful job of mixing the writings of young Ines and young Jim with that of mature Ines, and alternating them with chapters about Anna and her burgeoning relationship with Francesco. It's interesting to see Ines adjust to her new life in England while Anna adjusts to her new life in Italy. Petch's research and writing skills bring to life the stories and characters in each generation equally. I liked the inclusion of so much Italiano, it made the dialog flow convincingly, and I learned a lot about the resistance movement against the Teds (tedeschi, Fritz, or Germans).

The Tuscan Secret is a fabulous historical fiction story that was wonderful. Angela Perch is now added to my favorite author list. The characters are well developed and interesting. The rich details of the story are captivating. A must read.

Wow what a story I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest opinion,can recommend this book for all types of readers.I was attracted to the blur on the cover but it did not do the book justice,liked the way the plot slowly developed together with the character's not a boring moment throughout the book,the description of the place and people made you feel that you were reliving the story.
This book should be on all readers to read book,could not put it down,don't want to spoil it for other readers,so get a copy of the book .........

A lovely story, though sometimes sad, about family history in a time of war. At times, it seemed very real despite being fiction and not based on any one story.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great book! Something fascinating to curl up with on a rainy evening, holding a cup of tea... The characters are believable and realistic. Kudos to the writer!

Not the story I thought it was going to be - I thought this was going to be a straightforward war time story - but this was a much more varied and interesting read.
It had all the ingredients I love - secrets of the past, dusty documents, a house left to someone in the present day…Those documents are written in Italian so are even more mysterious…
When Anna started to delve into the past, the story really comes alive and there are delicious diaries that we get to read as well. Anna’s parents lived in troubled times where loyalties, perceived or otherwise could get you killed. Habouring someone from the opposition would definately do it.
I enjoyed finding out about the diary entries as Francesco types up the translated notes and finds out more and more. Then the characters in the present day visit some of the places mentioned. This gave a nice frisson to the whole affair and brought out the past and present threads meeting in the middle, very nicely indeed.
Life in the time of war, in the valleys and villages of Tuscany was a difficult time. War affects everyone and seems even more tragic somehow when the countryside seems so peaceful and nice. Times then were hard and older people in the present day don’t or can’t talk about those dark times. No wonder. Anna finds it hard to find out about her mother’s life, but when she does, the pieces of a lost and forgotten puzzle come together.
It’s a war story but a story about the truth, the hidden past and secrets we all have and a desire to understand our parents and relatives.

Our ancestors call to us, especially when we are given such a small glimpse and are intrigued to learn more. Sadly, Anna’s mother has passed away and left her journals to her youngest daughter. As Anna reads them, she comes to two realizations: she will need help translating the Italian entries and she really wants to go see where her mother lived as a child and met her British soldier father during the war.

The older generation didn’t want to speak of the war. They had seen and experienced horrible things, but Anna wants to learn more about her mother, she must! And she is certain there are some older residents in the area that may even remember her mother. As Anna begins her journey into her mother’s past, she comes across family secrets that can change everything.

The story is well written and brings together the life of locals in Italy during the war and the modern day life that Anna is living. History, family, and love come together to overcome everything and help Anna understand her Mother in a way she never could when her Mother was alive. Be prepared to be transported to Tuscany as you immerse yourself in this story.

An unexpected delight! I thought this story was going to be predominantly a tale from the war however it was mostly set in the present day with flashbacks through the form of diary recordings to World War 2.

Anna is bereaved of her Italian mother (Ines) and decides to travel to Italy to find out more about her family history given some of the snapshots Ines provided in her later life.

As part of Ines' Will, Anna is bequeathed the sum of £50,000 and also some old documents belonging to her parents written in Italian and she uses the money to travel to the region Ines grew up to make some sense of the past and Ines' reference to the harbouring of a member of the opposition during the war which was punishable by death. This leads to the diary entries that follow Anna's parents marriage which was sorrowful and truly affected by the war.

Anna stays in a family guesthouse, making friends with Teresa and Francesco (siblings) whilst also utilising Francesco to decipher the letters and diary recordings Ines has left behind. This is where the history aspect comes in which was not touched on as frequently as I'd expected as Francesco types up the translated version in stages but it still made for fascinating, and sometimes horrifying, reading. Francesco and Anna also visit some of the places that are referred to in Ines' diary recordings which was a nice 'then and now' touch. I liked the snippets of Italian used throughout as it made me feel like I was learning some of their beautiful language.

A really sad book due to the content but the ending was fitting and the book was very sensitively written.

My many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing me with this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.