A gloriously beautiful book that tugs at your heart and leaves it warm all in one. I can’t wait for the next book in Soraya Lane’s wonderful #TheLostDaughtersBookseries!

Thank you, Soraya Lane, Bookouture & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

I loved the concept of this one and I really wanted to love it but sadly it just wasn't for me... I felt that it was quite predictable and kept wanting something more from it. Having said that it's clearly popular so maybe it's just me!

I’m not going to go into the details of this book..the description says it all. I will say I loved this book and have loved every book by Soraya Lane I have read. I would recommend them all to you!

This is a lovely story, it is heartbreaking but it also shows how strong love can be and what they will go through to prove that love, come along to Italy and meet the wonderful characters in this story from the 1940’s and present day.

Estee was always going to be a ballerina and it is what she was pushed to do by her mother, it was hard in 1936 pre- war with no friends not much food, when she meets Felix who is two years older than her twelve years and there is an instant connection a true friendship starts and last for many years. Estee gets her chance and becomes a ballerina at La Scala in Milan the only problem she sees is that she will never see Felix again.

But years later after the war it is 1946 and Felix meets up with his beloved Estee, but Felix is due to marry Emilie in an arranged marriage and Felix does not want it to go ahead he wants Estee to be his wife, a choice has to be made and hearts are broken will they ever be mended?

Present day London and Lily is a winemaker and has travelled to many countries learning her trade, she is stopping at home before she starts her new position in Italy and there is a letter from a lawyer about the estate of her late grandmother, she is given a box that has two pieces of paper in it, a program from La Scala and a recipe and this now creates a mystery to be solved, will Lily uncover her grandmother’s past and find answers to what happened all of those years ago and will she find herself and maybe love in Italy, there must be a connection.

This is a beautifully written story that pulled me in from the start the characters are wonderful and the emotions are flying off the pages, it is one that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a good historical and a beautiful romance, and yes there were tears.

My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

This is my first book by Soraya Lane, and it won't be my last. This one is a great start to a new historical fiction series about lost daughters and the story gripped me from the very first page. Both stories that are intertwined are wonderful, captivating, heartbreaking, and simply perfect. A group of women is called to a meeting where they get a sealed box with objects that are from their ancestors (young mothers that gave up their children for adoption). What is the connection between Estee, Felix, and Lilly, also the secret recipe that stayed in the family for generations, kept me reading the book until early in the morning. I simply had to know. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read the next installment of this series.

Italy, 1946. "Estee, I bought this ring years ago and have kept it safe ever since. You're the only woman I've ever loved." She reached for Felix's hand and gently closed it over the box. "No," she whispered. "I want you to propose only when you're truly free."
An utterly enchanting and heartbreaking novel about lost loves, family secrets and enduring hope. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.
Overall 4 stars
Writing Quality 8/10
Image / Illustration Quality 8/10
Character Development 8/10
"Couldn't Put It Down"-ness 8/10
Intellectual Depth 9/10
Originality 8/10

Another fantastic historical read from Soraya Lane. Told with dual storylines which were easy to follow. The strong female characters were well-written, as was the description of the scenery in Italy. The story was slightly predictable but not enough to spoil the pleasure of reading this book. Fans of the genre will love the new series.

Thank you to Bookouture, Net Galley and Soraya Lane for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.
The Italian Daughter pulls you in with themes of unrequited love, history, and family. Estee and Felix always thought they would live their lives happily together. As you read, you watch the many sacrifices they both make during their lives. It is only when Lily is able to pull together her family background that you fully understand the heritage that encompasses this novel.
Recommend 4/5 stars to all lovers of historical fiction and literary fiction.

I enjoyed this story and would happily read the author again. I liked the settings and the dual story and loved the way the two interwove by the end. Didn't want it to finish and found the ending very poignant.

This book follows a woman who is a winemaker, just like her father who has passed. She has traveled from New Zealand to Italy to continue her research and training in hopes of one day having her own vineyard. Before she leaves for Italy she gets a strange email from a solicitor asking her to come in in a have a meeting. When she is there she is given a clue to her family history that she wasn't aware of. Conveniently enough the clue takes her to Italy.

When I read the synopsis for this book I thought it sounded great, reminiscent of a Lucinda Riley book. Unfortunately it missed the mark. I guess having read Lucinda Riley who delves so deep into her research of characters, locations and plots made me go into this book with maybe too large of expectations. It could have been great but it just wasn't.

I didn't connect to any characters, it all felt rushed. The writing I will say was nice, with the brief glimpse of locations spoken off in the book the writing did do it justice. However the characters and the plot just wasn't that deep and fleshed out enough for me. The love connection to me had to chemistry and seemed just odd.

I think given the writing was good and the plot was okay, I feel like the issue here was the size of the book. It was too small to have such a wide space in time, too many characters and too much plot/story to cover to do it efficiently and well.

Courtesy of Netgalley, I received the ARC of The Italian Daughter by Soraya Lane. This dual timeline novel was compelling, intriguing, and romantic. Two women follow their instincts and search for their destiny in Italy, surrounded by family loyalty and secrets. I was riveted by this storyline.. highly recommend!

I enjoyed this historical romance set in Italy and the UK. The premise is that Lily (who loves in London) receives a letter from a lawyer to retrieve a box left by her grandmother which holds a bakery recipe, a theater program and other clues about her great grandmother.
Lily is an apprentice winemaker who travels to Piedmont Italy to begin this apprenticeship.
The dual timeline of the story added to the richness of the novel as Lily's great grandmother Estee was a poor but talented dancer who attended ballet school in Milan and became a ballerina at La Scala.
Both protagonists carried through on dreams by their parents. Lily's father had a dream of learning the secrets of viniculture to bring home to develop their own family vineyard; Estee's mother, who was a strict disciplinarian, planned and managed Estee's career in Milan.
The romances were a little predictable. The plot was interesting however, and it was a light romance. The characters were likable,
I rated this at 3.5 stars. I received an ARC and an audio book from NetGalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

NOTE: This review was based on listening to audiobook version, but I wanted to share it on the e-book page as well.
This is the story of two loves, decades apart and connected by family ties. The first story is of Estee, a poor Italian teen who is selected to attend ballet school in Milan in post-WWII times, and Felix, the son of a wealthy family in her town. Their budding romance is doomed when she moves to Milan and his family has arranged a marriage for him to another wealthy girl. But, they persevere despite obstacles.

The modern-day story focuses on Lily, a winemaker who travels to Italy to learn what she can about her late grandmother's birth family. She takes a job at a vineyard and meets Antonio, the son of the owners, who helps her to decipher the clues she has about her grandmother. The story they discover is inspiration for their own feelings for one another.

I liked the characters in this book. And the plot was interesting, though somewhat predictable. An enjoyable book, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A really lovely book. Very similar to Lucinda Riley’s Seven Sisters series and I’m pleased to find something that’s a close copy style wise. Looking forward to the second book.

This book is a beautifully written book with a dual tale of Lily in the present day and Estee from the 1940s. The story really enchanted me and I enjoyed it immensely. I will definitely read more of Soraya Lane’s work in future.

The Italian daughter is a dual timeline story, set in Italy and Londen, in the years right after WWII and in the present. This seems almost a standard format for historical novels, but this one works out quite well.

Descriptions of both places as well as characters are vivid and evocative and the characters have enough depth to be interesting. You can feel the air sizzling between Estee and Felix and I could really feel their pain when they got separated. Also Estee's love for the ballet was very tangible.
In the present day Lily's search for her grandmothers roots and her love affair with both the wine making profession and the gorgeous Antonio are very interesting.
I loved the descriptions of the places in the book, especially lake Como where was staying while I read part of the book and of course the descriptions of Milan and La Scala, which really make me want to visit this great city sometime soon.
Also the descriptions of the winemaking profession were very interesting.
I liked the way the two stories merged effortlessly together.

Full four stars for this excellent start of a new series.
I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Italian Daughter follows Lily as she seeks to find the details of her great-grandmother's adoption.from papers found in a box. Lily is an assistant winemaker who takes a position at a vineyard in Italy. While there she seeks answers about her great-grandmother. The story is told in alternating chapters between current day Lily and Estee and Felix from the great-grandmother's generation. There's the mystery of the papers in the box along with a little romance thrown in makes this a chick lit book to me. I did enjoy it.

What an absolutely beautiful book this is! I enjoyed every minute of it.

The story has a dual timeline, and I loved each story equally. Estee and Felix seemed destined to be together, but their moving and emotional storyline tells a different tale at first.

Lilly comes to Italy for work, but finds a whole lot more in store for her, with an enthralling search into the past and a budding romance.

I was totally captivated by this gorgeous book. It flows beautifully and it kept me under its spell right up until the end.

I’m so delighted to discover that it’s actually the first in a new series and I’m already looking forward to the next one.

For anyone who enjoys an enchanting, emotional and enjoyable read, this one comes so highly recommended.

The Italian Daughter is my first Soraya Lane (and the first in a new series) and I'm sure it won't be my last! I downloaded this at midnight on day of release and was glued to it to the very end! You will need tissues. The story is told over two timelines - 1946 and present day from Estee and Lily's perspective. Estee - a talented ballet dancer who wants to marry her childhood sweetheart and Lily, who discovers things about her grandmothers start to life. It is a beautiful yet heartbreaking tale of love and loss with the country of love involved.

The two timelines in this book melt together to form a touching story of family, secrets, and love. An emotional tale from start to finish.