As regular visitors to Portable Magic will know, I don't often read women's fiction, but I always make an exception for TA Williams. Change Of Heart is set in Parma, and although I've never been there myself, I love how the author's description of the historical buildings (particularly the castle that Alice is enlisted to restore), the nature and the delicious food can take me to Italy and I can lose myself in the story for hours. I read Change Of Heart in a single day, which emphasises how engaged I was in this story.

The protagonist of Change Of Heart is Alice, and it's obvious from quite early in the novel that she has been through some difficulties in her life. I felt that TA Williams approached these with great sensitivity and it really made me root for her as she tried to overcome these difficulties. I really hoped that Alice would find the happiness she deserved.

Change Of Heart is a really well plotted story, and I love how the author has developed the feud between the Varaldo and Montorso families. I enjoyed the edge it gave to the romantic elements of the novel and the drama and tension it created throughout the novel, which kept me hooked from beginning to end.

This story follows our main protagonist Alice.

A young woman, who finds herself being made redundant from her current job.

As luck would have it an Italian family way up in the hills of Parma (Italy) are looking to open their much loved castle to the public and Alice who previously worked in Italy might just be the woman for the job.

Could this be fate?

What follows is nothing short of remarkable.

Like his previous stories, Williams manages to write a beautiful romance blended in with glorious surroundings.

I found myself wanting to jump on a flight to Italy. Not only for the descriptions of the town and its farmland surroundings but also for the food that I could instantly imagine melting in my mouth.

Of course the path of true love never runs smoothly.

Along with a long-standing family feud, just to keep things interesting, there is also a bit of mystery added to this story too.

Over all, I'd describe this tale as wonderfully cosy.

Special mention to Frank the dog, the animals are always the stand out characters aren't they?

If you are looking to escape the world for a couple of hours then look no further than Change of Heart, it really is the perfect pick-me-up.

I can never resist a T.A. Williams novel because of his amazing talent for creating compelling plots set in Italy and the way he shows relationships between characters. His romance books are the ultimate pick-me-up novels to brighten your day.

The castle is an original choice for a backdrop and the family feud had me holding my breath wondering what was going to happen.

Alice sees her life change when she moves from Devon to Parma in Italy. Will she find happiness in life and love?

Change of Heart is the twelfth book that I have reviewed. It’s the second one in the Beneath Italian Skies series, and both were good, with different main characters discovering another side to life and finding new beginnings and love in Italy.

4 stars

Thanks to T.A. Williams, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

A well written, essentially, romance set in beautiful Italian countryside. Alice is made redundant but finds a new job in Italy helping an aristocratic family to open their old castle to the public; she finds romance as do various other members of the family; lovely descriptions of the countryside and food. A cosy romance with the requisite mis-understandings. Personally I would have liked more of the challenges Alice faced in turning the castle into a flourishing visitor attraction, I really find it hard to imagine she did that in about 9 months with Italian bureaucracy. Still, it is a story and there is the obligatory Labrador. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Another great book from TA Williams. Alice works at a Devonshire stately home but when there are cutbacks she can either keep her job but have a demotion, or try and find another job elsewhere. It just so happens that friends of hers know of an aristocratic family who are looking for someone to oversee opening their medieval castle to the public. However it is in Italy and she left there four years previously after a life changing accident. Can the picturesque countryside, a welcoming family and a rather dishy architect help her to move forward with her life? This had some fabulous characters, a stunning location and a divided community. I loved how all the characters interacted, there was a backstory for each one and it was easy to work out how they were all connected. A very enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed this latest book by TA Williams. The story is about starting over, forgiveness, and finding your place in the world. The characters are strong, well developed, and truly relatable. The plot moved along quickly and the description of the setting once again left me with a desire to go back to Italy. Highly recommend.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Alice is working as an assistant manager in a stately home when cutbacks mean her job is made redundant. Rather than accept a lower hob (and salary) she starts looking for alternate work and the former owners of the stately home find her an opportunity through friends. An aristocratic Italian family intends to open its castle to the public for the first time and is looking for someone to manage the process. With her Italian language skills, honed from several years working in an Italian ski resort, and her estate management training Alice would be perfect for the job.

When Alice gets the job she discovers that the family who own the castle have a long-standing feud with one of their neighbours, who also happens to be the mayor of the town. Will the animosity hinder their plans to restore the castle?

Since a tragic accident four years earlier, Alice hasn't been romantically involved with anyone, but a handsome stranger she sees in the local restaurant awakens an interest she thought was long gone. But with star-crossed lovers and feuding families this seems more like a Shakespeare play than modern Italy.

This is the first romance I have read by this author, although I have read some of his detective stories (also set in Italy) and I would describe this as a cosy romance. It is a pleasant read, its all very PG, and its very likely to induce an urge to eat antipasto and buy a bottle of Italian wine.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! I love TA Williams work and was so in the mood for a good escapist novel! This was set in beautiful Italy. I loved the character of Luca and could picture the beautiful scenery which the turn of each page. Definitely a great read if your missing summer already!