The richness and depth of the author's writing set against the backdrop of Tuscany and WWII never fails to impress me. The characters in her latest are so well-drawn and the attention to historic details is second-to-none. There is a love story at its heart, but it is intertwined with threads of intrigue, savage brutality and yet an overriding sense of people's courage and fortitude during unimaginably difficult times.
This was a longer book than my usual reads, but such is the skill of the author, every chapter kept me enthralled to the very end. Highly recommended.

Beautiful. Heart rending. Stunning writing that blows you away. Characters that become your friends. Felt for every one. A book to savour.

I really enjoyed this book, and I really love Italy!!! The cover really makes you fall in love and the story keeps the pages turning!

Richard, an ex solider purchases this house. He starts revisions on it only to come across remains. The locals say they belong to a lady named Fosca, yet she shows up on his doorstep.

Fosca tells the story of how her best friend, Simonetta disappears without a trace, how she survives the war and how traumatic it is for her to leave her son, even if in the hands of someone she holds to the highest accord.

The different backgrounds of Richard, Fosca and Simonetta have tied everyone together rather nicely in this book. It wasn't too long, nor too short, 400 pages of well written historical fiction.

This is the first Angel Petch book I have read and I will now be adding her others to my Goodreads TBR pile.

The Tuscan House is the fourth novel I have read by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed being transported back to Tuscany within this book – although each book is a standalone novel!.

Richard is an English Pacifist who makes the decision to join the Friends Ambulance Unit during WWII with the knowledge that he would much rather be saving lives than being the person to take someone’s life away. However, this path he has chosen to take certainly does not shelter him from the sheer devastation that the front line brings. In desperate need of peace, and a sanctuary of his own to try and allow himself to recover from the terrible ordeal, Richard purchases the old Tobacco house – both himself and the house are in need of some serious care.

When we meet Fosca, she has a strong connection with the neglected Tobacco house. Fosca is a member of the resistance throughout the war, and this house holds the answers she needs regarding the disappearance of her friend Simonetta. When Fosca returns to the house, she meets Richard, and together they embark on a journey in the hope of uncovering the truth of Simonetta’s fate.

This story is told through the various perspectives of Fosca, Richard and Simonetta – and this is achieved perfectly via the dual timeline the story follows throughout. Alternating between 1947 and the final years the war, we get a much better insight as to how these characters lived their lives throughout these troubling times.

The story is well structured and it is clear the author has done their research when it comes to bringing the years in which this story is set to life for the reader. The storyline is poignant and compelling, really grasping your attention and holding it firmly until the very end. The characters are all so realistic and have their own in depth personalities, and it is truly fascinating to see the ways in which their varying traits will affect the situations they encounter.

A truly beautiful story that flowed effortlessly from start to finish. I adored this story and I look forward to future releases by Angela Petch.

'The Tuscan House' by Angela Petch is part of a series of four books set in Tuscany. I have read one of them and now this book. It is fine, as I found with the previous book read on it's own.
The story alternates between 1947 and the final years of the Second World War. It is told from three characters perspectives Richard, Simonetta and Fosca.
Richard has returned to Corbella in Tuscany from the war, he volunteered as a medical orderly, as he is a Pacifist. He has bought an old tobacco house and is restoring it. Fosca, who used to live in the house during the war and aided the resistance has returned with her son. A body is discovered in the grounds of the house and Fosca is sure it could be Simonetta, a fellow resistance fighter and her friend.
This is a story of people and how they all deal with loss in their own personal way. A touching and sometimes brutal story of determination and hope. There is no secret that I am a history geek and I really enjoy getting swept away in history. Italy is not a country I know overly a lot about from the war years and Angela Petch is the author I have learned about Italy and it's resistance from mainly. She shows us how the community lived back then and their problems in their lives at this time. I am enjoying learning my history through this writers eyes and thorough research.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

I am really enjoying reading historical fiction at the moment and this was a slightly different take on World War 2 fiction for me. Spanning time between the war and just after in 1947, Richard and Fosca share memories of their experiences over the previous years. I liked the main characters and found it interesting reading about what they had been through. I liked Richard's regretful reflections on his role as a pacifist compared with Fosca's reflections on her time as a reluctant partisan/resistance fighter. Obviously the setting, rural Tuscany, was beautiful and it was so nice to be transported away at a time when we cannot travel. I liked the way this book transported me from my current life and situation, to another time and place.

Wow!!!! There are many World War II novels on the market and each time I think there is no way anyone can come up with something unique that hasn't been used as a storyline before. This book proved me wrong! I would consider this book a cross genre novel: historical WWII fiction meets mystery/suspense. The characters are fantastic and THANK YOU, Angela Petch, that the book didn't have any "InstaLove" romance in it. That drives me crazy in a lot novels listed as romance and the reason I'm steering clear of romance as much as a vampire does with garlic or silver bullets. This book didn't only have slow burn romance, but also so many other different elements in it: you have the typical WWII resistance element, the romantic elements I just mentioned, a murder mystery, a single mom trying to find answers, a soldier who seems to keep running away from his past (the typical anti-hero), and also elements of a travel journal. Tuscany is the perfect setting for this novel and look at that cover!!!! I would have read this book simply because of the cover!!! From my own experience I can tell you that Tuscany is just as pretty as shown on this cover! The characters come to life in this novel and the plot is believable. I loved how I had to wait almost until the end of the book to find out what really happened to Simonetta. I loved slowing putting together the puzzle. This was my first novel by this author and it will definitely not be my last.

The Tuscan House by Angela Petch
Publication Date: April 7, 2021
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Description from NetGalley...
“Corbello, Italy, 1947. A woman and a little boy stagger into the ruins of an old house deep in the forest, wild roses overwhelming the crumbling terracotta walls. Since the war, nowhere has been safe. But they both freeze in shock when a voice calls out from the shadows…

For young mother Fosca Sentino, accepting refuge from ex-British soldier Richard – in Tuscany to escape his tragic past – is the only way to keep her little family safe. She once risked everything to spy on Nazi commanders and pass secret information to the resistenza. But after a heartbreaking betrayal, Fosca’s best friend Simonetta disappeared without trace. The whole community was torn apart, and now Fosca and her son are outcasts.

Wary of this handsome stranger at first, Fosca slowly starts to feel safe as she watches him play with her son in the overgrown orchard. But her fragile peace is shattered the moment a silver brooch is found in the garden, and she recognises it as Simonetta’s…”
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Thank you to @netgalley @bookouture for the digital ARC in return for my honest review.
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Thank you to @bookouture and Angela Petch for inviting me to the book blog tour.
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My thoughts....
I want to clarify that though you may see this under Petch’s Tuscany Book series, this is a stand-alone book that was set in Tuscany. Petch did a great job in her detailed description of Tuscany that you can easily imagine the area. One of the things I like about wartime historical fictions is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and here, Petch unapologetically sets her characters to do just that. I like that the timelines were quite close: one during the war and the other soon after. The story is a slow burner, but it made sense for the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was a total escape to Tuscany. The vivid description of Italy and the town of Tuscany made the story come to life. The story was entertaining and heartbreaking. This rapid page-turner will have you flying through the pages. The description of the food will make you crave some Italian.

After Fosca’s best friend Simonetta disappears without a trace, the entire community is ripped apart. When Fosca finds the silver brooch in the garden, that belonged to Simonetta, the mystery of how it got there, will have you totally engrossed. The historical aspects of World War 2 were well developed. With the story being told from the memory of WWII and the current time of post war (1947) the storyline is sure to keep your attention. As the story unfolds, the relationship between Richard and Fosca develops as they search for the truth of why really happened to Simonetta. As Richard and Fosca reminisce of their experiences during the war it is sure to have you grabbing for the Kleenex box.

Thank you Angela Petchand Bookouture for this wonderful escape.

This is the first Angela Petch book I've read and I will be reading her three other books at some point.

This is set post world war II in Tuscany Italy.

The descriptions of the Italian Countryside are written amazingly. The characters of the book are well thought out.

I was hooked from page 1 and kept going until the end.

Although a standalone novel rather than part of a series, The Tuscan House is the fourth book by Angela Petch to be set in her beloved Tuscany. The author’s love of Italy and its culture is clear to see, not least in the delicious descriptions of its landscape: ‘cypress-lined avenues meandering up to hilltop villages perched on ridiculously steep rises, churches and little chapels holding ancient treasures, simple shrines by the side of the road.’ And talking of delicious, surely only in Italy could a meal such this be served by monks in a monastery: ‘A first course of home-made tagliolini pasta, with a source made from slivers of truffle sourced from the woods was followed by tripe… tender, succulent slices flavoured with tomatoes, olive oil and herbs’.

Alternating between 1947 and the final years of the war, the story is told from the perspective of three characters – Richard, Fosca and Simonetta.

Haunted by memories of what he witnessed during the war serving as a non-combatant in the Friends Ambulance Unit, Richard’s return to Corbello represents the opportunity for a new start, a way of wiping the slate clean and leaving behind the grey skies of England. I liked the way his project to renovate an old tobacco factory acted as a metaphor for his own physical and mental recovery. That recovery is echoed in the return to life in the surrounding landscape, with poppies blooming where there were once trenches and fields cleared of mines returning to cultivation. However, the impact of the war still remains, not just in the damaged buildings but in the fractured minds of people, the rifts that persist between families, the recriminations for actions taken, and the witch-hunts against those suspected of collaborating with the enemy.

The parts of the book told from the perspectives of Fosca and Simonetta powerfully depict the horrific realities of war, such as the harsh winters when food and fuel was in short supply, and the village was cut off from the outside world by deep snow on the perilous mountain roads. The dangers of working for the resistenza, or even assisting its members by offering shelter or gathering information, become all too apparent and will have lasting repercussions, especially when not everyone can be trusted. Fosca’s and Richard’s search for answers to the mystery of Simonetta’s disappearance is sure to keep readers glued to the book until the very last page.

The Tuscan House is a skilfully crafted story demonstrating that not only does courage come in many forms but so does love.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books by the author set in Tuscan so was looking forward to The Tuscan House. This book was everything I hoped it would be. I really enjoyed the writing in the book, the author writes beautifully and I was impressed by the research clearly taken into Tuscan during the era the book is set in and the culture and people. These really bring the book to life. The book does contain a love story but there’s so much more going on as we get to know the people impacted by WWII. I really connected to Richard, a pacifist suffering from PTSD due the sights he saw as a volunteer during the war who decides to return to the town which triggered his PTSD for reasons that gradually become clear. I really enjoyed this book.

Richard is an English Pacifist who joined the Friends Ambulance Unit during WWII to save lives rather than take them. But it didn’t save him from experiencing the horrors of the fighting front lines. Needing to find much-needed peace, he purchases the neglected Tobacco House – both the house and Richard need restoring.

Fosca, a member of the resistance during the war, has an affinity to the house: she needs to find out what happened to her friend, Simonetta. Returning to Tobacco House for answers, she enlists Richard’s help, and together, they embark on a search for the truth.

The Tuscan House is poignantly, magnificently scripted with expertly researched historical details woven within beautifully written fiction. Its genuine, relatable characters and storylines, move seamlessly together through time. Angela Petch is magical with her transporting of the reader to the beauty, sights, and smells of the gorgeous Tuscan landscape.

I have read all of Angela Petch’s Tuscan-themed books and loved each one. If you can’t get to Tuscany in real-time, her books will take you there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the read of Angela Petch’s, The Tuscan House.

Loved it!! I would give it 4.5 stars. I think this might be my favorite "Tuscan" book by the author. I loved the story, characters and writing style. Really enjoyed how it alternated between during the war and only a few years after the war ended. My favorite part of the book was Fosca's story and learning what happened to Simonetta. Richard was the perfect person for Fosca to meet. Karma seemed to play a huge role and several people got what they deserved at the end of the book.

Definitely recommend the book. Love the description of Italy and all the food. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Before The Tuscan House, I had not read much about WWII in Italy outside of my world history classes. Angela Petch brings the Italian city of Corbello to life, both during the war and after as it is rebuilding. The people of Corbello showed an intense friendship and loyalty to Richard, welcoming him back as if he had always belonged.

Fosca was an interesting character. I'm still not quite sure what to think of her. She was brave, but selfishly so at times. I guess that makes her more human. Richard was the same. I think that is what really stands out for the characters in Corbello - they are human. They try to do the right thing, but feeling, life, and circumstances sometimes get in the way - and a few are just downright awful people. It's a very realistic mix.

The town was busy rebuilding, and Richard was trying to rebuild his life. It was a fitting place for his story. When he finds the body of a woman in the garden behind his new fixer-upper, the story takes quite a turn. There's a case of mistaken identity, some blackmail, stolen gold, and even an ex-girlfriend thrown in.

But I feel the heart of the story was further in the past - during the war - when the resistance was doing everything they could to harm the Nazis and Fascists. The daring and bravery of these folks were riveting, and their adventures and sabotage may have really helped the war effort. The Tuscan House has made me add some more books about how Italy managed during the war to my non-fiction list.

I was fully on board, 100%, 5-stars all the way until the very very end. It felt a little contrived, and almost like the author had to wrap up a loose end and didn't know how else to manage it.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Tuscan House' by Angela Petch.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Angela Petch, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 7th April 2020.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching and colouful cover and its captivating synopsis. I also wanted to read something a bit different from the same genres I've been reading lately and this historical novel seemed to attract my attention. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 38 chapters and an afterword. The chapters are medium to long in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in both England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 UK 🇬🇧, Venice and Tuscan, Italy 🇮🇹.The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.


This book is written in third person perspective with the protagonists being Richard, Fosca and Natalie. The The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

It is set over multiple timelines via flashbacks When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

This is a beautifully written story with vivid descriptions. The synopsis and cover suited the storyline perfectly. Although this is the fourth book in the series it was easily read as a standalone with no problems, I didn't read any of the previous books.

The storyline is a slow burner but thay is perfect for the storyline. Although this book is already set in the past I enjoyed that it went even further in the past and finding out all about both Simonetta and Fosca's history and backgrounds. I did have to Google a few words but being set in Italy I thought this was appropriate and it also shows that the author did her research on the language, either thay or knows Italian. The author emerges her readers into the storyline as well as the settings and actions and emotions of the characters. I was slightly concerned about not reading the previous books in the series (as I always am when reading a book in a series where I haven't read any previous ones) but my worry was unfounded.

This book is fascinating and gloriously intriguing, a devastating, beautiful, heartbreaking, compelling and riveting page turner. It is perfect for fans of historical and WWll stories and of course any fans of Angela's previous books. I for one am looking forward to reading the previous and next books in this series. I definitely believe Angela has done plenty of research and it shines through.

I was absolutely shocked by the two big reveals and it's killing me trying not to say too much as not to spoil it for future readers but I did not see them coming!!! If your looking for a book with a twist this is definitely for you!!!

The characters are absolutely fantastic as well as intriguing, unique and realistic. I loved discovering and delving into their history and background. I loved watching Fosca and Richard's relationship develop as well as Simonetta and Fosca's friendship along with the other characters inside and outside of partigiana and monastery. The ones that also stood out for me include Pasquale, Rosa, Although I absolutely adored many of the characters there were also quite a few I actually despised. Several of them being Gobbi, Hansen and all of the tedesco for obvious reasons (once you read the book). Barbara was another character I seriously disliked. The way she was so flippant in the way she left Richard was disgusting and her attitude just grated on me.

I was devastated when I found out the destiny, shall we say, of a certain character as I had kept my hopes up throughout the book that they would reappear but it was not to be. However, Karma is a wonderful thing and I was delighted by the ending. Again, I don't want to reveal too much and spoil it for future readers.

Overall a devastatingly beautiful, heartbreaking and memorable historical page turner.

Genres covered in this novel include Historical Fiction, Romance Novel, War Story, Historical Romance, Diary Fiction and Holiday Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of historical and WWII fiction and anyone looking for a beautiful, romantic yet devastating page turner which will shock and leave you thinking about the story for a long time .

400 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

Love everything Italian so was drawn in to this

Absolutely loved it
Loved the language, really evocative of an area I know well

A fabulous summer read

I have read all of Angela Petch’s books as I love well researched enthralling reads about Italy during WWII.
This new offering is yet another captivating read about a Tuscan house that was a tobacco drying factory.
Italy saw and had a terrible time during the war. Families torn apart, buildings bombed .....so much death and destruction. How do people recover and heal after such tragic events.
This book tells the story of the people that lived and are living in the Tobacco House. Richard, an English pacifist who was part of the Friends Ambulance Service during the war has returned to Corbello in Tuscany to be part of a memorial where he is honoured as a hero for the work he and his fellow medical staff undertook during the war. Richard is trying to escape the horrors he saw and encountered during the war. He finds peace in Tuscany and purchases the Tobacco House from the Mayor’s wife but the Mayor is not happy about this sale. While Richard is restoring the house he comes across the body of a young woman buried in the yard. The horrors of war are still being felt.
Fosca who lived in the Tobacco House during the war returns to the area with her young son to face life in the village again despite being an outcast. She had begun helping the resistance and befriended Simonetta who with her fellow partisans often stayed with Rosa in the Tobacco House. Fosca never knew what happened to Simonetta and feels she needs to find out.
Richard agrees to let Rosa reside in the Tobacco House and helps her in the quest to find out what happened to Simonetta. The lives of Richard and Rosa intersect as a result of what occurred in the House.
A truly engaging, heartbreaking, memorable read. I look forward to Ms Petch’s next book.

Having read and loved the other books in Angela Petch's Tuscan series, I knew I would be for a treat with The Tuscan House. The author writes a beautifully descriptive narrative of the area in Tuscany, with plenty of research into the people and their lives in that era.

This is the haunting story of locals and partigiani fighting to survive in the Second World War. The Germans have taken over the area, and people's once-tranquil lives are now full of hardship, But the author has done a fantastic job of showing how people's resilience shines through even in the harshest times, and how hard people fought to save their country and their dignity.

This is a love story, but it is also so much more. We see the harsh brutality of war and the lengths desperate people will go to, but also compassion and a willingness to help others, even when it could mean death. The characters, and their lives, will remain with you for a long time after you've finished reading. Highly recommend.

4 Stars
The cover and the blurb of the book got my attention, and despite the page count (400 pages), I requested an ARC. The Tuscan House is a story set during WW II in Italy. We have Richard, a Quaker pacifist, an Inglese (from England), Fosca, and her young son, Giampiero, and many other characters who play different roles in the book.
The story, as such, starts with Richard trying to overcome PTSD (he worked with Friends Ambulance Service treating and helping the wounded on all sides) after the war has subsided. We see him deciding to move to the same place, a small town in Tuscany, which was the reason for his trauma.
Then enter Fosca and her son. Almost immediately after a dead body is found in the tobacco house (rather ruins), Richard buys to make it his home. When she reveals that the body belongs to Simonetta, a series of questions arise.
Fosca starts to reveal her story to Richard, trying to understand who had killed her dear friend, an active member of the resistance team.
What I like about the story is the narration that goes at a consistent pace. It did feel a little slow at times, but there is a lot of backstories to cover. I probably could have finished this book earlier, if not for countless delays that slowed my reading. Still, I could pick up the book where I left it more than a couple of days ago. And there was no confusion. That, for me, is a plus. The author has good control and command over her story, and it shows.
When it comes to historical fiction, research is important. But knowing what to include in the book and when to stop dumping information is even more crucial. The author scores here as well. It’s not surprising since her previous works are all historical fiction. I do intend to read them someday soon.
The setting is perfect; the descriptions are neither sparse nor excess. Some characters have less prominence than others, but that’s expected.
What I wanted to be better was that the blurb sounds a lot like a semi-thriller. But this book hardly has any of it. Yes, there are questions and a bit of action towards the end. However, the storyline is set by then. It doesn’t create that sense of urgency in the reader.
The best way to read the book is to consider it detailed historical fiction and not focus too much on the mystery and suspense part. Even the action scenes from the past don’t make your heart race. The narrative style doesn’t allow for it.
Overall, this is bittersweet as most WW II historical fictions are and will make a good choice for those who like stories set in the countryside with enough importance given to human emotions. Oh, yes, it’s got food and wine too (after all, we are in Tuscany).
Thank you, Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.