It takes a Villa by Kilby Blades takes place in beautiful Amalfi Coast in Italy and it makes our want to go there and take vacation.

I would Highly Recommend all Readers to grab this book now and enjoy.

I loved the setting of this book. I hadn’t read anything set on the Amalfi coast before but now I want to read more! The characters worked their way into my heart. I, personally, could have done without the open door scenes, which I wasn’t expecting.

I really love Kilby's books. This one was so beautifully written with awesome characters and chemistry. Loved reading about Natalie and Pietro.

3.5/5 rounded up

My Spice Rating: 🌶🌶/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

It Takes a Villa is the first time I have read Kilby Blades, and I definitely wouldn't be against reading another (slightly steamy) novel from her! I loved that this is set on the Amalfi Coast which the author has actually visited, and it was so easy to fall into the culture and beautiful setting. Natalie is a wonderfully strong female MC, and I had a delightful time seeing the story through her eyes. The reno aspect was a nice touch and of course, it helps create a budding romance between her and one of the locals. There is some steam, but I was honestly expecting more so that was a pleasant surprise, and they were pretty quick scenes as well.

This was actually a bit longer than I was expecting it to be with the audiobook at just over 11 hours, but it goes by super quickly, and I thought everything about the story was a really refreshing take on your normal romance. Zuzu Robinson is a talented narrator, and I found the audio to be very enjoyable so I would fully recommend it to others. I did find the end to be a little abrupt and a tad confusing, so I might have missed something along the way, but it wasn't what I would have expected after going through everything that we did. That took my enjoyment of the book away just a touch, and it was lacking the emotion that I was hoping for. However, this was still a good solid summer read, and if you enjoy sweet romances that are set in gorgeous places, I would recommend it!

It Takes a Villa is an enthralling read! In this modern-day Cinderella tale, Kilby Blades creates a story of romance, courage, and homecoming.

The reader follows the protagonist, Natalie Malone, on her journey to restore an abandoned villa on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. Natalie is bravely pushing her comfort zone while trying to revive this old building into something special. However, when she meets the architect, Pietro Indelicato, who begins to critically observe her progress, we soon find out the full challenge ahead.

The beauty of It Takes a Villa is that the main characters do not expect things to turn out perfectly. Instead, they strive to make something great despite the setbacks they are bound to encounter. What could have been a straight-forward tale of a woman versus a difficult dream quickly becomes a blossoming story of falling in love and creating a sense of home.

Kilby Blades is an inspiring storyteller, crafting a vibrant story of courage, hope, and joy. The picturesque views of the Amalfi Coast only help to add depth and vividness to the narrative. It Takes a Villa is a must-read for anyone who needs a little courage to dream big and take a risk.

Beautifully told romance and women's fiction combined.
Very charming and atmospheric. I have never been to a foreign country such as Italy and I am now ready to go.
The friendly people, the ideal scenery, the delicious foods, the exciting romance. The warm weather. I am ready to go. I took a mini vacation through this book and loved it.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

I love reading romances set in other countries and taking in the beautiful descriptions and cultures that get sprinkled in. This was a heartwarming romance with all of that added in, making it a great book to pick up if you're in need of a vacation to somewhere new!

Book wasn't meant for me. Hopefully someone will enjoy it more. I will look into renting it in the future

My bags are packed and I’m ready to board a jet plane and fly out to Italy !!!!

So besides being ready to head off to Italy I must just say I love the cover-art ! It’s so inviting you just want to climb into the book , right !?

So there we have it , the cover tells me how much I’m going to love getting lost in the pages within 📕❣️

So Natalie has invested in a villa in the beautiful Almalfi Coast , a lift me upper and she only had a few months to get it renovated and ready for operations …. She really wanted to restore the villa to its former glory with its rare marble 🤩

I loved watching how things unfolded and take place , the people grow on you and each character has a place in my heart and I have a newfound admiration for our humble lemon 🍋❣️

Do yourself a gentle favour and go and get lost in a coastal Italian town ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The writing is very atmospheric and blends romance with renovations. Charming read.
Many thanks to Entangled Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Like I said, a vacation without ever digging for your passport, to the beauty, history, and heritage of the Amalfi Coast. Natalie was a dreamer, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that...except when people knowingly take advantage of those dreams. The villa she bought, comes with strings attached, and an unrealistic timeframe to turn things around, made even more so by obstacles that keep stacking against her. Good thing she's tenacious. Good thing she is made of tougher stuff. Good thing...she runs into the likes of Pietro and the tender side of his heart connects with what she's wanting to accomplish, and WHY she's wanting to accomplish it. Their work relationship turns into something more, but, just like their project has a cutoff date, so does any goings on between them. Does that sour things in the mean time? Certainly not because the countrymen are known for living for the day...but that doesn't mean that they don't slip under each other's skin, leaving a lasting impression that even they can't deny. What will be harder to say goodbye to if things fall through? The dream...or the new addition to that dream neither ever saw coming?

Natalie was a wonderful character, and I appreciated her can do attitude, along with her never-say-die mentality. Considering her recent loss, she's pulled herself up by the proverbial bootstraps, and making a go of things...just as it was planned. True, she's minus her partner-in-crime, but she knows that they would have wanted her to follow through, even if they could not. The stumbles she has along the way were expected, a foreigner in a foreign country, there's a certain certainty that people will try to take advantage of you...and we're not disappointed, but don't lose heart because there are those with genuine interest, concern, and love to share...and they may center around those you were quick to write off. The side story of the mysterious benefactor, and the family history kept hidden for a lifetime, were additional gems in an already beautiful crown, and I couldn't have been happier for Natalie's discovery.

All in all, a great escape for your summer reading adventures. Filled with heart, adventure, secrets, and love, you can't go wrong with this wonderful story.

Being a fan of books where the main character moves to another country and repairs a house and usually their life in the process (Under a Tuscan Sun immediately comes to mind), I was immediately caught up in Natlie's story. In fact, the real charm of It Takes a Villa is the Almafi Coast and the renovation of the crumbling villa. The lead characters are likable and the romance is fine, but the author describes the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Italy with more passion than the romance. The last thing on earth I want to do is travel right now with COVID and the general state of the world, but this book made me want to back up and head to the Almafi Coast. It also had me craving lemons and all manner of Italian food. This made for a pleasant reading escape, and my only true complaint was that the ending was quite abrupt--so much so that I wondered if I was missing pages in my ARC. Otherwise, I enjoyed this easy and engaging read.

I was so taken with the Italian Amalfi Coast that I spent an hour searching Google Maps along the one hour and forty-six-minute drive between Soronto and Salerno along the Via Giovanni Augustariccio searching for the small towns that were the setting of this book. I had completely moved in!! I loved the ex-pats, the town folk, and Pietro's family including even his politician father who was Mayor and argumentative Presider of the Zavona Economic Development Council. This group had come up with the plan to entice foreigners to buy the right to rehabilitate within six months abandoned historic sites of the small town at one Euro. Accomplishing this and operating a business to add to the local economy earned them the title to the property. Blades makes all the strife, along with all the pitching in to help one another, perfectly understandable. The heroine is Natalie, an actuarian with many talents, who has calculated her budget to the penny. She has quit her job and left Illinois after burying her Gram, who had lived on this Italian coast as a teenager and planned this move with Natalie before she got sick. The drama starts for sure when Architect and EDC member, Pietro Indelecato, is recommended for a consultation. Afterward, Natalie has to wonder if Pietro is a curse or a blessing. Makes me want to join her in a couple shots of the Uncle Dearest Bourbon she brought from the USA. I can't imagine a reader who wouldn't enjoy this book!

What a wonderful story! It combines armchair travel with a bit of family mystery, all in a region of Italy that I was able to visit last year. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Natalie has done what so many have thought of doing when seeing the advertisements for the $1 homes in Italy. We ask ourselves questions. Is it too good to be true? In some ways, because the rules for purchasing the homes are quite stringent, i.e., earnest money has to be put down and the updates/repairs have to be made within a specified amount of time which requires ready money to pay builders and contractors. Another thing to consider is timing as Natalie found out. Italy and much of Europe are on vacation typically for one full month in the Summer. Permits for the building have to be purchased and there are rules that must be abided by for some of the homes that have historical value to them. That historical value dictates the type of update that must be completed. This of course is just the minimum of what a buyer is signing up for when they purchase a $1 home, especially if they do not have the ability to do any of the work themselves.

Natalie is an intelligent, quick learner who can follow videos she has found on the internet. She had grand plans for purchasing one of the $1 with her grandmother. This property is not just a typical home. It was a much-beloved hotel in a city that is counting on these renovations to draw jobs and visitors to this beautiful region of the Amalfi Coast. The creation of jobs is also another requirement of the purchasers of these homes, so it does draw buyers with dreams of opening their own businesses also. Things really start going wrong for Natalie from the time she lands in Italy, some of which relate to not speaking Italian. Some of the property is in pretty good shape, but, there are things that require update that she is not prepared for either physically or financially.

She is lucky enough to start crossing paths with Pietro, who decides that Natalie needs help and he wants to ensure the renovations to the hotel bring the property back to the standards that are required. Pietro is very knowledgeable and he is also purchasing and renovating many of the properties in their town. Natalie does not want to accept help, but, as she meets others in the renovation program, she realizes that she is one of the few that are working alone and she needs help to meet the deadlines. Pietro, who is also part of the committee responsible for the renovation program, is also butting heads with others on the committee who are more concerned with bringing jobs, money, and people into the area than they are about the renovations being done properly. All of this makes for a great story with a sweet romance, not just between Natalie and Pietro, but, also between the reader and the Italian town on the Amalfi Coast. This review can also be read along with other reviews at Lady Techie's Book Musings http://LadyTechiesbookmusings.blogspot.com.

When I think of romance, I think of books just like this one, that gives all the feels and satisfies every romance junkies' heart. This is a perfect book to snuggle up with on any day.

I really enjoyed this one!

All of the scenery and culture were amazing to follow. The renovation was also such a fun concept.

Our two main characters, Pietro & Natalie, were so great. I loved learning about them both and seeing their fears and growth throughout the novel. I loved that this book showed growth and trust without the reliance of another person. The way they supported each other, you could feel the connection between the two of them!

What a charming story. Perfect for this time of the year. I enjoyed getting to know Natalie and Pietro while they restored Natalie's villa in the imaginary idyllic town on the Amalfi coast. It is a slow-burn romance but with enough steam and drama incorporated. The main characters are strong and different but opposites attract right? I like how the author brought the story to us and every description of that place. I enjoyed reading it and will read the author's other work in the future

This was my first read by Kilby Blades and I was not disappointed. The storyline was good. It made me personally think about packing up and moving to another country. If I had to pick a country to go to, it would probably be Germany, it’s so beautiful there. This story also made me really jealous at times cuz I’ve never even been to Italy. Overall good story!!

It Takes A Villa transports you to Italy in this fun book!

Natalie has bought an abandoned villa in a small town along the Amalfi Coast for 1€ but she needs to follow strict rules and timeliness in order to makes her dream of opening up a B&B turn into reality. Will she be able to do it?

This was a sweet read. I loved all of the characters and the idea of being able to renovate and revitalize this town through an initiative like this. I liked Natalie as a character and of course the beautiful Italian scenery!

Favorite Quotes:

Betrayal was never accidental. It was always a choice.

Pietro’s charm was universal— not something meant specifically for, or uniquely affecting, her. Natalie had seen toddlers swoon in his presence.

That’s why I came to Italy. To live in a beautiful little town with quirky but lovable people, great weather, and delicious food. Jorge gave me a rundown on the merits of naked beekeeping last week. Between him and Signora Carlota, I’m exceeding my goal.

She had once thought kissing straightforward— formulaic— then she experienced what Pietro could do with his tongue. Natalie was torn between wanting to be jealous of all the practice that had left him with skills like that and wanting to write personal thank-you notes to every woman who had contributed to his technique.

She didn’t think she’d ever felt so many different emotions at once. Pietro appealed to her sense of freedom, to her sense of humor, and even to her sense of logic. He knew how to get at her from anywhere.


My Review:

This was an entertaining and relatable read with generous sprinkles of humor, a slowly developing new romance, gasp-worthy sensuality, observant insights, family drama, DIY renovations, gorgeous Italian sightseeing, and an interesting mystery. The writing had a smooth and easy-to-follow flow with taunting tidbits that teased my curiosity and kept me reading when the clock argued otherwise. The angst and contrived conflict levels were low, which is exactly how I like it. This was my second time reading her work and I find I enjoy Ms. Blade’s engaging writing style and liberal injections of humorous descriptions and amusing observations, which are some of the excellent reasons why she has been added to my list of favorites.