Super Cute! The perfect fun, light beach read for a relaxing book! It will hook you very early on and have you wanting more, smiling to yourself as you read. Any fan of romance would enjoy this book!

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the e-arc! This is a cute romance set in Italy. I read it in one sitting and gave me all the Summer vibes!! Def recommend:)

I was drawn in by the cute cover and stayed for the setting and Jake! I absolutely loved the setting of the Italian castle and think this would be the perfect read for a getaway holiday. I loved Jake and Anna’s balance as well as the cast of side characters.

The Italian Job
By Kathryn Freeman

Read if you like…
Fake dating
Enemies to lovers
Opposites attract

Anna likes planning, lists, and having control of situations, but currently she’s heartbroken, homeless, and jobless after she catches her boyfriend, who is also her boss, cheating on her. While trying to figure out where to go next in life, she comes across a “dream job”listing, living in Italy while managing a castle on Lake Como. The one problem? It is requested that only couples apply for this position…insert Jake, her insanely attractive neighbor and resident bad boy. Even though he and Anna have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake is up to the challenge because he could definitely use a change of scenery. Two polar opposites set to live, work, and pretend to be in love with one another for a year in Italy, what could go wrong?

The Italian Job was your classic good girl-bad boy, opposites attract story set in a romantic castle in Italy, I mean how do you not fall in love? The banter between Anna and Jake and the amount of tension between these two characters is absolutely amazing, I could not get enough of it. There was a lot of character growth in this story, I liked how these characters carried their own insecurities but were able to help one another see the best in themselves. Even though they were completely different, they were able to help one another in ways they couldn’t. The conclusion was precious, albeit a little predictable, it still gave me all the feels. I really enjoyed this read.

ARC kindly provided by the publishers and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

The Italian Job is my second Kathryn Freeman book (after The Beach Reads Book Club) but it still won't be my last. It was a light read, charming, with a beautiful setting - who wouldn't want to fall in love and work at your dream job in a castle on Lake Como?

Anna has just lost her boyfriend, her job, and her home all in one fell swoop, thanks to the cheating boyfriend that she was living with who also happened to be her boss. She moves back in with her father, which happens to be next door to Jake, the bad boy of her youth who recently finished a short stint in prison for assulting none other than that same cheating boyfriend of hers. And with whom she can't stop bickering with. In the midst of despair over losing her job and having to live with her father, she starts searching the internet for "dream jobs"... and finds a position as a caretaker for a legitimate castle in Italy's famous Lake Como. And she's actually qualified! The only problem? The job requires the potential applicant to be a couple, to handle the cleaning, cooking, and maintenance. Convinced this is her chance to have a career outside all the restaurants in her area that are owned by her ex-boyfriend as well as get away from all the gossip surrounding her breakup, she convinces Jake that he needs to pretend to be her other half. Jake has his own reasons for playing along with Anna's fake dating scheme, so they apply and ultimately get the job. Once they are in Italy, the pair continue to rub each other the wrong way until they hit the breaking point. But we all know how fake dating goes...

There is lots to recommend this book as a light, funny summer read - a beautiful setting, mutual pining and lusting, and a happy-ever-after epilogue. The dual POV certainly helps set the scene between the pair and allows the reader to see each of their inter turmoil. Their lovely neighbors, friends, and families keep things humorous and heartwarming. And there's just enough steam to keep it from being bland!

Before I get to the snark, I need you to know that I really enjoyed Italian Job by @kathryn.freeman_author and I want you to read it bc it’s light and sexy and the perfect, easy “fake dating” summer read.

Anna is a type A, uptight chef who has moved back in with her dad after her piece of shit boyfriend cheated on her. When she finds the perfect job as a caretaker for a castle on Lake Como in Italy, she jumps at the chance, but the job requires her to be part of a couple to do the job. Enter Jake, her bad boy, ex-con neighbor who spent 6m in the clink for punching Anna’s ex bf in the face. Little shitty bitches get stitches. Isn’t that the saying?

Anna and Jake pretend to be lovers, but she’s horrible at it bc she’s such a control freak and can’t relax and let a hot, hunk of man touch her without freaking out. Relax girl!! Chill!!!! Fake it till you make it. Get this girl some intensive dick therapy stat. Despite Anna being annoyed and/or mad at Jake most of the time, she’s pretty and has big boobs which offsets her initial harpy personality and thus, Jake falls hard. He eventually wears her down and they turn from fake lovers into real lovers which complicates everything. Anna eventually chills da fuq out and the two sort through their insecurities and coping skills associated with trauma from their pasts. As with most of the romances I enjoy- everyone just needs a little therapy! And for Anna, a bit of dick therapy goes a long way. I really liked Anna and Jake as a couple at the end and was rooting for them to sort their shit out and make it work. Spoiler alert- they do.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

3.5 stars

This is a great summer read! It has all the elements that I love in a romance book (let's keep it spoiler free, but I will hint to enemies to lovers AND fake dating I mean SIGN me UP). Anna and Jake are polar opposites, which leads to loads of friction. I must be honest when I say the constant arguments and miscommunication (especially in the first half of the book) irked me quite a bit. But besides that, I loved the characters, the incredibly satisfying ending, how the storyline developed and the writing is great.

What if you could work your dream job, living in a castle and cooking amazing food for guests? After Anna’s life implodes, she searches for dream jobs on the internet and this is one of the options that comes up. Down side? It requires the people working in the castle to be a couple and Anna just got out of a relationship with her cheating ex. Enter her bad boy neighbor, ex-con, Jake Tucker. Jake was sent away for punching Anna’s ex (in an unrelated incident) and can’t seem to find work anywhere despite serving his sentence. Can these two fake it long enough to seal in this sweet job?

This book was such a fun romance read! Take water and oil, there you have Anna and Jake. Yet, it seems they have more in common than one would guess. Clearly, an enemies to lovers scenario, I was here for it! Everything about the two was very hallmark-esque, making it my perfect spring into summer read.

Overall, I gave this book 4 stars. It’s pretty much what you would expect, but as far as romance goes there’s something beautiful to the formula. If you like imagining Italian castles on lakes and getting swept away, this is definitely the book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter HarperCollins UK for the ARC of “The Italian Job” by Kathryn Freeman. This book comes out May 6th!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An enemies to lovers and fake dating romance set in a beautiful castle in Lake Como in Italy, can it get any better than that?

After getting cheated on by her boyfriend and losing her job at his restaurant all in one day Anna Roberts is stuck living with her dad, an ex-policeman, until one google search leads her straight to her dream job. The catch is she has to pretend to be in a relationship with her annoying neighbour Jake Tucker while menaging a castle in Lake Como.

The Italian Job was a fun and enjoyable read and I finished reading it in a couple of days. I would also say that it's really fast paced and that the plot wasn't too complicated or anything like that. The worldbuilding was very minimalistic which is great since I don't usually like to see a lot of it in a romance book.

The characters were all really interesting and well thought out. The relationship development between Anna and Jake was my favorite part. Their banter was everything and I love how they slowly started falling for eachother.

What I didn't like about this is the constant use of the miscommunication trope. I swear it always ruins the whole experience for me and I wish that it wasn't the case with this book but sadly it was. So much time could have been saved and we could have gotten more of the wholesome content that was piled up in the last chapter instead.

All in all, The Italian Job is the perfect read for fans of enemies to lovers and fake dating!

I have been a sucker for all things Italy since the tender age of 16 (so almost more than a decade ago) and so, when I read the title and description for this book, I just had to jump on it. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work at a castle in ITALY??? Not only that, but there’s romance?! Not any romance either but fake dating, close proximity, and opposites attract? Sign me up.

Now, you’re probably wondering how it actually was, and let me tell you this book was good. I did struggle to get into it at first, but once I was in, I was IN it with Jake and Anna.

First off, I love the setting (like I said, sucker for all things Italy) and how it played a huge roll in the character’s life. It symbolized a chance at escape, but beyond that also a dream and the way it played into the story was lovely. It wasn’t just there for extravagance’s sake, you know?

Second, I loved the romance between Jake and Anna. Their chemistry was sizzling and they complemented each other so well. I was rooting for them so bad and watching them pretend there wasn’t this roaring tension between them was fun, as was watching them finally admit it. I also will not spoil you too much, but there’s a scene where tattoos and kissing are involved and it was 🔥

Finally, I really enjoyed the journey they both went on as people. They were stretched and they grew and I appreciate that so much.

This book was such a fun summer read! It gave me all the enemies to lovers and fake dating vibes, as well as made me wish I was living in a castle in Italy! What else do you want in a rom com!? This was such a fun and quick read, perfect for the summer which is quickly approaching!

I really liked the chemistry between Jake and Anna, and I really liked their bickering. They were complete opposites, but somehow, that worked for this book, and I felt like they were a good match for each other!

As for the characters, there were some things I really liked about them, but also things that annoyed me. I liked how Anna made lists and had a bit of anxiety with needing everything to be perfect, as that is one trait I was really able to relate to personally. However, I was a bit annoyed by the way she was described in the book a couple of times, like when they called her nagging. As for Jake, I overall liked his character. He had a good heart and I liked how to the point his character was, but I found that he was a bit too focused on the fact that he was an ex-convict, which I felt hindered his growth a bit. I was also annoyed at how often he walked off during arguments. Overall, I quite liked the characters, and I like the chemistry that they had with each other. I liked how both characters had close connections with their families, which I really enjoyed. I felt like both characters could have grown more throughout the story, but overall, I liked them.

As for the story, I really enjoyed how it was enemies to lovers as well as fake dating. Those are two tropes I really like, and I honestly thought they were pretty well executed. I also really liked how the story took place in a castle in Italy! I wish there were more descriptions of the surroundings and everything as I felt liked it lacked a bit which made it not exactly feel like Italy, and could have been anywhere in the world.

I believe romance lovers would really enjoy this book, especially if you love:
🇮🇹 Third Person POV
🇮🇹 Enemies to Lovers
🇮🇹 Fake Dating
🇮🇹 Opposite Attract
🇮🇹 Castles in Italy
🇮🇹 Strong Family Bond

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC! Out May 6th!

3.5⭐

This was a cutie little romance set in England then Italy, which is the ultimate dream, obviously. It was super cute and classically predictable (as every romance is.) This book comes out Friday, May 6th! Thanks a lot to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for gifting me this digital ARC.

Anna, a chef, and Jake, an ex-firefighter/bad boy get the opportunity to move into a castle on Lake Como to be the personal chef and handyman. The only catch is they must pretend to be a couple in love. They host their employers and their employer's friends and family including their son, Nigel, who turns out to be a real pain in the ass.

You get a bit of enemies (ish) to lovers, a bit of bad boy, and some grumpy/sunshine. Overall a cute read!

Sending my gratitude to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, the premise sounds promising and the cover was pleasing to the eyes but I wasn’t really hooked much into it. As every contemporary romance, the plot was predictable but it was a cute read! Although I’m not particularly impressed with the quotation marks (if that’s what you call them), and the dirty talk wasn’t really ‘it’.

This was a lovely romance filled book. The story was great and the characters were fun. This is exactly the kind of book I’d take on holiday or read on a warm summer night.

thai book is such a good book for a beach read and will definitely make it easy to sell for people looking for beach reads

The Italian Job was a cute story about two unlikely neighbors who go to Italy and work together. I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and the side stories were cute and interesting too. While some of the story was a little redundant, in the end, I enjoyed this book and found it to be a quick read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Super cute fake dating story <3
Loved how their relationship developed and how they protected each other and helped each other grow as a person.
The only thing that made my slightly uncomfortable was some of Jake's descriptions of Anna, 'womanly curves', 'big boobs', etc. Maybe uncomfortable isn't the right word, it gave off written by a man vibes

Overall super cute and fun, I always love a good fake dating trope, and this was no different. Definitely recommend to any contemporary romance lovers out there, the chemistry between these two was excellent, their banter and the build up (and eventual HEA) was very sweet.

Rating: 3

This book had so much potential to be five stars. While I did enjoy it I definitely didn’t love it. It started out really strong, I immediately liked both main characters but that didn’t last. The writing style felt different and I liked how we got both sides of the characters without it necessarily being 2 different POVs. I liked how strong and determined Anna was. She wanted the job in Italy and would even work and live with her enemy Jake in order to get it. Jake was your typical bad boy character. He was sexy beyond belief, charming, and misunderstood by everyone. I wish his character had more depth and wasn’t written to be such a cliche.

My main problem with this book was the miscommunication and the constant bickering. As you all know I love enemies to lovers but I don’t like toxic relationships. It could just be me but I found this one to be a little toxic. How they interacted together in the beginning didn’t make me swoon or make me happy, instead it reminded me of an unhealthy relationship. It got to the point where I didn’t really want them to end up together. They didn’t know how to communicate with one another and were just constantly angry and mean towards each other. Also, so much time was spent on describing Anna’s body and not in a good way. It definitely added to why I couldn’t connect more with Jake.

Honestly, I was expecting a cute romcom and sadly didn’t get that. Even though I didn’t enjoy it, I definitely think others might. This is one that you have to try for yourself.

2,25 stars

I read a book by this author previously and I love it when I’m able to see an author grow. That was definitely the case for this one.

The story was cute and I felt like I had a way better idea of who the characters were than I had when I read Up Close and Personal.

That being said however, the characters could definitely have been more fleshed out. There were a few elements to the main characters’ stories that were absolutely milked, it was basically their entire personality, which is a shame, and gets pretty boring after a while. Also, self deprecation gets boring too.

I also didn’t really enjoy the writing this time around. There was some weird dialogue using words no one in real life would actually use, the banter was nonexistent and there was a lot of telling instead of showing when it came to the emotions and feelings of the characters. (I mean we didn’t even get a description of her dress in the epilogue. “She looked beyond stunning. Vibrant, elegant, but sexy as hell.” (Show me!)

Other things:
- the fact that Anna just googled “dream job” and within five minutes found the castle’s job listing 🙄 (it just felt like the author was hurrying the plot along)

- the dirty talk just isn’t it: “He was there, in front of her. A vibrant, potent male. Pushing all caution aside, she did what she’d wanted to do ever since she’d seen him walk back from his swim in the lake that first week. She ran her hand down his chest, feeling the ridges of muscle, the coiled power. She imagined taking off the T-shirt and letting all that hot, hard flesh slide against hers. ‘God, you’re also stupidly sexy. Like, so sexy, it’s insane.’He groaned, pressing his hips against hers.‘If you don’t want me following you into your room…’ His hands grasped her waist. ‘Don’t want me stripping you naked and feasting on your body…’ He leaned closer, his mouth inches from hers. ‘If you don’t want me sliding into the slick heat of you when you’re aroused and wanting….’ His gaze locked with hers, his eyes a storm of blue and grey. ‘Then you need to go to your room and lock the door.’”
- I’ve also noticed that the author has a tendency to stereotype: “Anna’s striking green eyes stared back at him. He’d never really understood how a woman who was half-Italian could be so rigid. He’d never met her mum – apparently she’d walked out on them when Anna was a kid – but his own mum had told him the woman was a dark beauty with a fiery temper.”
- and: “Another low rumble of laughter. ‘I’m copping a feel.’ When she tried to shift he simply pressed his hand against her, anchoring her in place. ‘I’m a guy who wears jeans to interviews, who doesn’t shave that often, has tattoos, and hasn’t been to a barber in a long time. You really think I’m going to dance with my woman and not have my hands all over her?’”
- because of course this is how men think: “Again, she looked uncomfortable. He kind of liked it, but he also wanted her to spit out whatever it was she wanted to get off her chest – her voluptuous, had to be a D-cup at least, chest, not that he’d looked, much – so he could finish his beer and go.”
- something I also noticed in the first book I read by this author is that the “she’s not like other girls” thoughts are pretty prevalent in Freeman’s writing: “Jake hauled the second of Anna’s cases off the carousel and onto the baggage trolley. Considering they were going to be in Italy for a year, he was secretly impressed she only had two. His sisters needed a huge case when they went away for a week.”
- also the “who wears the pants”/“under the thumb” kind of line happened at least twice: “Will sniggered. ‘Not hard to work out who’s the boss in your relationship. Didn’t think you’d roll over. Figured you as more of a rebel.’ He was. So why was he now being such a walkover where Anna was concerned?”
- this is supposed to be a grown ass man. “His eyes swept up and down her and he grinned, revealing those attractive grooves and giving his face a boyish look. ‘Nice legs.’”
All of that being said, it was definitely a cute story. I did enjoy myself, even though I also found myself rolling my eyes quite a lot.

Much thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.