This historical novel has a dual narrative. One narrative follows Betty in the 1940s, and the other follows Sadie in the 1970s. Both of their stories began to come to life for me, after reading just the first few pages. I felt a strong connection with both characters, even though their journeys were different.

The story had some classic romantic elements that seemed familiar but timeless, and I became quite emotionally invested, to a point where I was tearful. I became so invested that I couldn't lay the book aside, until I had finished. It was beautifully written, and I would buy a copy to read again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

This is a such a beautiful book from the front cover illustrations to the back.

Set in dual time lines and countries the book introduces us to 27 year old Sadie. Left to put the family house in Broadstairs on the market after her parents deaths, she shocked and saddened to discover a document that says she was adopted. And the two people who brought her up, were not in fact her real parents. Torn between a need to know the truth and reeling from it, Sadie set on a journey to find out who she truly belongs to.

Without giving too much away of the story this book deals with the sacrifice, love, courage and the difficult decisions people had to face during WWII. Not just for themselves but for friends and family members around them. Decisions in those days could cost lives.

It is beautifully written and breathtakingly emotional. I was so invested in both Betty and Sadie that I finished the book in one sitting, I just needed to know the truth. The is the first book I have read by the author but I will certainly be adding more to my to be read list.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this dual-timeline drama, I couldn't put it down because I wanted to see what would happen next. The storytelling is easy and it is not hard to follow. There is a mystery, a romance, and suspense throughout. A bit more drama and spice would be a perfect addition to the story. I'm looking forward to reading the author's future work.

Promised to one man but in love with another, that is the problem Betty Bean faces in WWII England. She has known Samuel her entire life, and everyone expects them to marry when he returns, but since the Japanese captured him, she barely hears from him, and he feels like a distant memory. Meanwhile, POW Gianni is handsome and kind, making her feel things she never has. But she knows she can't have a life with him; he will return to Italy, and her place is at home, married to Samuel, caring for her father like she promised her mother on her deathbed. So, she jumps at the opportunity to join the British ATS and be a chipor. A chance to see some of the world and get away from the man she has fallen in love with, perfect! But the ATS takes her to Italy, the place that reminds her most of Gianni, and before she knows it, he is again thrust back into her life. More is going on, though. Besides her love life, things are going missing at work, and Betty is positive one of the women she works for is secretly a spy! She is quickly drawn into a world of espionage, all while trying to figure out if commitment is more important than true love.

Meanwhile, in 1970s England, Sadie is reeling from the death of both her parents. While cleaning the house one day, she discovers her birth certificate, revealing a family secret. Sadie is adopted! More than adopted, she was abandoned by her birth mother. Sadie is determined to figure out why her real mother left her, but she only has a few clues: the name of the woman she was left with and a trinket carved with care from a place called Eden Camp. She may find more than she bargained for when her journey takes her to Italy.

This WWII historical fiction novel is filled with love, loss, and wartime anguish. It's a tale of duty and honor but also one of discovery and courage. These two women, years apart, are both learning what it means to be yourself and follow your instincts and heart. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romantic historical fiction novel.

Disclaimer: While I received a free advanced readers copy of this novel, the above review is solely my own thoughts and opinions

A new to me author and a title that I decided to read because of my love of Italy.

Written in the popular dual time-line style with in this case the prologue setting the scene. It is 1945 and in London a young mother abandons her baby although she had only intended it to be temporary. The first story line is set in the 1970’s and the protagonist Sadie discovers that she is adopted. The second story line tells us of the wartime adventures of Betty a young Yorkshire lass. The vividly described Italian backdrop appears in both timelines as the two women’s stories gradually merge.

If you find romance intrigue and Italy appealing in your choice of reading material then I feel you will find this an agreeable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The story crossing two countries, several decades apart is an emotional one. A young couple divided by war and promises made.

Set in Yorkshire at a camp housing Italian prisoners of war, was where Betty first set eyes on Gianni. Fast forward to Betty being signed up for the war effort and her prowess in Morse, making her an ideal candidate for being a cipher. Her meeting up with Gianni again in Sicily was pure fate. Fast forward to 1972 and Sadie trying to recover from the loss of her parents and suddenly discovering she is adopted.

Even for 1972 Sadie seems very sheltered and her trying to go back step by step to discover her roots seemed to have been an ordeal. Starting off in Yorkshire then going back tracing her father from a memento with just his initials was a massive undertaking. Meeting several helpful souls on the way helped and the story of her parents love affair, Betty’s role in the war, Giannis life post the war all add up to a family saga very well told.

Weaving many strands into the story, encompassing many characters this was an excellent read.

A Letter from Italy is a dual timeline story which begins with a prologue of a woman dropping off a baby at a stranger's home, which confused me but also made me want to continue reading to figure out who did what and what was going on! The first timeline takes place in 1972 with Sadie cleaning out her deceased mother's home and learning that she is adopted. The second timeline takes place during WWII in the UK with Betty, who lives in Yorkshire and is promised to her childhood sweetheart, meeting Italian prisoner of war Gianni and feeling a connection with him. There is so much going on in this novel - it's a story of the strong women involved with war work as well as a love story and one of second chances. I just loved it!

It was 1945 and World War II was raging on across Europe. Betty reminisces of the letter she wrote when she was at the beautiful Villa Teresa in Italy. Her wish was to save her beloved Gianni and just like everyone else she wants the war to end. She was forced to make the hardest decision of her life, she had to give up her baby in order to protect her and give her a chance to live. Present Day, Naples Italy, Sadie holds in her hand an old tattered letter. She knows that this letter is the key to her finding her birth mother. She has Luca, a local that is helping her retrace her history. While combing through old newspapers, Sadie and Luca are shocked at what they discover about the woman they believe to be Sadie’s birth mother. But Sadie refuses to give up, now she must find her birth mother and uncover the truth before time runs out.

A Letter From Italy, penned by Rose Alexander is a wonderful historical fiction time slip story. I really enjoyed the characters, Betty, Sadie and Luca. Betty was a POW in an Italian camp during WWII. The story I about her life and how she survived. She endured horrible war time conditions as did many others. Sadie and Luca were a great team and I was hoping that Sadie would be able to find her birth mother. This emotional read is one that will stay with me. I am a huge fan of the author as I always enjoy her stories. Historical fiction and time slip novels are always a favorite of mine. If you are looking for a heartbreaking and emotional read, this is the story for you. Don’t pass this one up. I highly recommend this book, I loved it.

A letter from Italy was a novel that kept you wanting more. I'm really starting to love the double narratives where it goes back and forth between two characters. In this one, it goes from Betty, a woman finally coming of age and wanting to make a difference in the war in 1945 to Sadie, a young adult who's just lost her last remaining parent in present day 1972.

Starting with Betty- she's born to be a character you'll love- she's determined and wants to learn and make a difference and isn't afraid of standing up for herself or doing things that may get her in trouble. She's a character who will do anything to save someone, even if it means putting herself in danger or in a poor situation. I also think it's cool to hear exactly some of the work that a woman might've been asked to do back in the wartime.

Sadie made me so proud. The fact that she ignored her boyfriend and friends advice not to go looking for her parents made me so happy for her. I can't imagine having that knowledge of being adopted, but not wanting to do everything in your power to find them. While I'm not sure I could travel country to country to do so- it's quite a tale that she did.

As always, the ending had me wanting more- I wanted to hear more of how Sadie and Luca came to be and how Betty and Gianni came back together. You could predict each would- but it'd still be lovely to hear how and more about it. I'd also LOVE to hear how Susan got caught and if she was ever found or charged. She certainly turned out to be an unexpected character...

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this ARC.

A Letter from Italy by Rose Alexander is a touching story that might require some tissues!

The narrative unfolds across different time periods. In 1943, we follow Betty Bean as she meets Gianni, an Italian prisoner of war held at Eden Camp. Their love story prompts Betty to make a life-changing decision. Fast forward to the present day, Sadie, while going through her mother’s belongings, stumbles upon documents that lead her on a journey to uncover her birth mother in beautiful Italy. Will she unveil the events of 1945?

The story revolves around strong women striving to reach their full potential. Rose's vivid writing style will immerse you in the tale. I was captivated from beginning to end.

A Letter from Italy is the new novel from Rose Alexander. I really enjoyed her last book, The Lost Diary, so I was looking forward to this one. It opens with a very intriguing prologue set in London in 1945. A new mother creeps through the streets with a two day old baby and knocks upon a strangers door. A woman answers and the young girl leaves the baby with her promising that she will be back. She has an urgency about her as she is desperate to meet someone. Instantly, I wanted to know who was the girl? What were her circumstances? Who has she to meet and why? These questions along with several more ran through my mind but to get the answers the reader needs to be patient and go back to where it all began.

The book then moves back and forth between 1972 and the war years.I definitely preferred the chapters set during the war years especially when the main character goes to Italy for war work. The chapters set in the more modern day although essential to the plot didn’t hold my attention as much as they perhaps should have. I think it’s because the story of Betty in the past really caught my attention and I was keen to see how her story would develop.

Broadstairs, April 1972 and Sadie is starting the arduous task of clearing out her mother’s house following her death from cancer. Her father has been dead for ten years and now she feels this incredible sense of desolation and abandonment. Clearing out the house is a form of closure, a final goodbye although through this process she is adrift and drowning and things don’t get much better for her as when she searches through the attic she finds a box that she has never laid eyes on before marked baby. Inside she discovers baby shoes, a hand knitted hat with photographs and a birth certificate and also hidden is a wooden heart with a wooden key which has the initials GU. Sadie’s life is torn apart to discover that she had been adopted. Everything she had thought true in her life is now clearly not and she can get no immediate answers as her parents are gone.

Sadie knows that she will not find comfort, peace or acceptance until she discovers her true heritage and hopefully locate her biological parents. That’s if they are still alive. She wants to know why she was adopted and sets about seeking answers.Her journey takes her back through the steps that her birth mother made during the war and yes it was a interesting journey and Sadie learns many things as she edges ever closer to the answers she so desperately wants and needs but it was actually going back to the past and reading all about Betty that really caught my attention. I found myself rushing through chapters that featured Sadie and I became completely enamoured up with Betty’s story especially when she went to Italy. Romance does feature for Sadie and it is also a very strong and tangible feeling in the past as elements of the story woven together.

Betty’s story is one of sacrifice, bravery, courage and determination. She was a character whom you wished would follow their heart but yet she has a dedicated sense of duty and loyalty and she can’t abide doing the wrong thing as the weight of expectation falls upon her. She grows up in the Yorkshire village of Malton. Her sister has married and moved away. Her mother is dead two years and she is left to be there for her father. She is a telephonist but war has made life bland and dull for Betty and she is angry about that. Her childhood sweetheart turned fiancée Samuel is away fighting in the war but has been captured and sent to a Japanese prisoner of war camp. Devastated as she is by this news Betty wonders were they ever truly deeply in love or were they just expected by their families and society to marry and rear children?

Betty questions her feelings for Samuel continuously throughout the story and the reader can’t blame her and nor did I judge her for it as I felt she had been pushed into a situation that she wasn’t truly comfortable with. With the outbreak of war everybody’s situation changed along with their feelings and is she had harboured doubts before these were only increased tenfold when she meets Gianni, an Italian prisoner of war, being held at the local internment camp - Eden Camp. To be honest, I was quite surprised that prisoners were allowed to meet with locals aside from the work they were tasked to do in the locality. But the friendship between Betty and Gianni that strays into different territory felt real and worthwhile and I just wanted her to be happy long term but still the thoughts of Samuel imprisoned and enduring god knows what prevent her from falling 100% under his spell. She holds herself back a little bit even though the connection they have is evident and believable. Deep down, Betty understands that for many reasons he can never be hers but that doesn’t stop the longing.

When Betty receives call up letters from the war office this is the point where I felt she really came into her own. She knows if she stays she will fall even more for Gianni and loyalty to Samuel and doing what is right and expected will only continue to hold her back and bring anxiety to her father. Betty proved to be adept at code and cipher work once her training was complete. She soon found herself in a world so very different from the small village she grew up in. She is a grafter and will not let her country down and time and time again she shows that she is brave, intelligent, knowledgeable and perceptive. All these characteristics will stand her in good stead, and I found myself wanting to read more and more about her exploits especially when she is sent to Italy specifically Naples and the Villa Teresa.

I adored the chapters set in Naples. It felt like I was there myself as the author brought the setting so vividly to life. I could feel the heat and visualise the vistas and the sea but also the destruction and devastation caused by the war. The inclusion of new characters came at the right time in the book as Betty makes friends with Susan, Deborah and Lily. The details of the work she undertook in the code room were fascinating and offered an insight into the essential war work that helped save the lives of so many. I loved the inclusion of the storyline involving some espionage. It added excitement and intrigue to the story and it made my opinion of Betty rise even more. But throughout it all Betty still questions who she owes her allegiance to as does the reader. It felt clear cut to me but for her it wasn’t.

So how does Betty’s story connect back to Sadie in the present day and do both women find the answers and contentment they seek? Will Betty be strong enough to survive the onslaughts of war that she is bombarded with? Will her end loyalty lie with Gianni or Samuel? Did I get the ending I had so desperately wanted? To discover the answers you’ll have to read A Letter from Italy to discover the answers. All in all A Letter from Italy was an enjoyable read. It didn’t pack the same punch as the previous book from Rose Alexander but I am definitely glad I read it as Betty is a character whose story was full of angst, passion and indecision.

This page-turner of historical fiction, romance, and mystery began in England at the start of WWII. Betty is living in England and taking care of her father. A group of Italian POWs came to town. She developed a friendship and started falling for Gianni, one of the Italian POWs who taught her Italian and she taught him English. Promised to her childhood sweetheart, she joins the ATS and eventually ships to Italy to become a cipher operator. Decades later Sophie is going through her mother's things when she discovers she’s adopted. She soon heads to Italy, where she meets up with her guide and interpreter who helps her in her quest to discover the truth about her parents.

This is a beautifully written love story. It was also an interesting story about the war effort in Italy, the women supporting the troops, as well as the Italian's involvement in WWII. I didn’t want to put it down, wanting to find out what happened.

Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author of this ARC.

OH MY ITALIAN BROKEN HEART!!!!!! A Letter from Italy written by Rose Alexander was raw, beautiful, pure, honest, gut wrenching, and even heart warming at times. When I saw the title and the cover for this book, I knew I had to get my hands on it immediately, and I'm so glad I did because I loved every single minute of this story despite how heart breaking it was. If any book deserves a million stars, A Letter from Italy is that book. That cover is just so beautiful, you would have never guessed how heart breaking this book is just by looking at the cover, but let me tell you, A Letter from Italy was absolutely gut wrenching. I can't even count the number of times I sobbed while reading this book, while my heart was just shattering into pieces. As an Italian myself, I can truly tell you Italy is a beautiful country, but as this book took place during World War Two, Italy was fighting for their country while people were dying, and their country was being destroyed. I can't recommend this book enough, please do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this book immediately because it truly was beautiful. I couldn't help but want to reach into my kindle and just hug all of these characters. Rose, you owe me at least two-five boxes of tissues because your book destroyed me mentally and physically.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND BOOKOUTURE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!

"Amo la mia vita perché mi ha dato te. Ti amo perché sei la mia vita".

A Letter from Italy is an emotional and gripping novel about a tragic love affair in World War Two and how a daughter lost for decades finally follows her heart home. One night in 1945, the tiny bundle of joy in Betty Bean's arms barely stirs as Betty runs out into the dark street to hand her baby to some woman she never met. Betty tells this woman she will be back to get her baby, but she never returns that night, instead she comes back a few days later. Betty Bean and Gianni Urso had a beautiful love story. Betty is just a young twenty year old caring for her father after her mother passed away, and Gianni is an Italian Prisoner of War staying in Yorkshire, England where he meets Betty. Betty and Gianni instantly hit it off and become love birds, but meanwhile Betty has a boyfriend, Samuel who is fighting in the Fall of Singapore. While Gianni is stationed in England, him and Betty start spending time together, Gianni teaches Betty Italian, while Betty teaches Gianni English. At the age of just twenty years old, Betty Bean becomes a cipher operator in Italy, after leaving Yorkshire, England and Gianni behind, honestly Betty had no choice but to go and serve as a cipher operator.

At twenty years old, Betty witnesses World War Two happening right in front of her face, Italy vs. Germany. During the Christmas season, Betty and Gianni get leave and decide to spend time in Rome, well in Rome, Gianni and Betty have a love affair, but Betty promised Samuel she would be waiting for him when he got back. Present Day, Sadie is cleaning out her parents house when she is looking through boxes and finds a piece of paper saying that Sadie is adopted. Sadie knew something was different while she was growing up because she had no siblings, and she had no resemblance to her adoptive parents. With nothing but the name of the crumbling palazzo Villa Theresa scribbled on a piece of paper, Sadie heads to Naples to try and find her birth parents. When Sadie arrived in Italy, she had no clue how to speak Italian, so that made it ten times harder, but in Italy Sadie meets, Luca Ricci, Luca is now Sadie's tour guide and translator. I adored watching Luca and Sadie work together trying to find her birth parents. Sadie's best friend and ex-boyfriend kept telling her she would never find her birth parents, but my girl Sadie, proved them wrong. That ending truly had me shocked, but oh my gosh, it was so so beautiful.

What a Page Turner, following the Letter from Italy and its dual timeline was quite exciting. Set in the 40s telling Betty’s story and in the 70s telling Sadie’s story.

Betty a strong and supportive daughter with great aptitudes for many things. Promised to her childhood sweetheart, in love with a POW, grabs the chance to escape and join the ATS which takes her to Italy and a whole lifetime of adventures. Spending the War with her new friends Lily, Deborah and Susan. She embarks on her time in Nepal’s with pride. Her heart longing for Gianni and her sensible side knowing she cannot break her promise. War makes everything magnified and complex. Lives full of hope, loss, trauma and responsibilities. Surrounded by scenery. Betty’s return eventual return home is a wakeup call and a time she ends up handing over the most precious thing she could ever imagine.

Sadie discovers a secret to her identity she never would have dreamt of, proof she was adopted. The search begins, with little to go on but the journey takes her from London to Yorkshire to Italy. Will she find who and what she is looking for? You’ll have to read the book to find out. I will admit to being more invested in Betty Bean’s story. However, I fully recommend this wonderfully written story.

An intriguing prologue to this one, set in 1945 London, as a young mother – with increasing desperation – knocks on a door, thrusts her baby into the arms of the woman who answers, and disappears into the night.

What follows is a beautifully told dual timeline story. The first thread finds Sadie in 1970s Broadstairs, clearing out the attic at the home of the woman she always believed to be her mother, uncovering the fact that she was adopted, and embarking on a search that ultimately takes her to Italy. The second follows the life of Betty Bean from Malton in Yorkshire, called up in wartime, torn away from Italian prisoner-of-war Gianni at Eden Camp to whom she was becoming increasingly close – despite the expectations of her family that she will marry her childhood friend – finding herself living a very different life in a palazzo near Naples working with codes and cyphers with the ATS.

Both stories have that perfect emotional touch the author always has, and an Italian backdrop vividly drawn in both the slowly converging timelines. We share Betty’s wartime experiences, with plenty of drama from the moment the HMS Arcadia nears the Italian coast, and more to come when it becomes clear that there is a traitor in their midst who she must help uncover. But there’s also a moving and convincing romance when her path crosses Gianni’s once more, now returned to Italy, in constant danger while living and working with the partisans. And, back at the palazzo, there’s a particularly strong focus on female friendship – young women far from home, developing strong bonds despite their very different backgrounds, looking after each other.

Romance features strongly in Sadie’s story too, as she grows ever closer to Lucas, the journalist helping her find the clues that will help her find her birth parents. And as the time periods alternate, the details they’ve been searching for slowly begin to emerge, some of them wholly unexpected – a gripping story of wartime bravery and self-sacrifice, as Sadie draws ever closer to understanding why her mother was forced to give her away.

Both women are beautifully drawn and well-rounded characters, easy to take to your heart – and their shared story constantly intriguing and compelling, hooking me in from the beginning and keeping the pages turning through to its perfect ending. And I really must mention again the way the author brings the Italian landscape to life – the zest of the lemon groves, the brightness and warmth of the sunshine, but also the impact of wartime, the seedier Naples back streets, and the dangers of living in the shadow of Vesuvius.

If you’re a fan of wartime fiction with plenty of intrigue and more than a touch of romance, you’ll love this one as much as I did. It’s a little more gentle than the author’s previous books, and perhaps without quite the emotional impact I was expecting (and I’ll happily admit to rather high expectations…) – but this was a thoroughly enjoyable read I’d most certainly recommend to others.

The split timeline shifts from WWII to 1972. Sadie discovers a secret that transforms her life.
Betty is an English lass doing her part for the war effort and is dispatched to Italy.
It’s always heartbreaking to read about relationships that cannot be and there are a couple of them in this novel.
I loved all the rich descriptions of Italy both in WWII and the early 70s.
I also liked that both interrupted relationships and a good conclusion. It was rare for what happened in one of them to occur in the early 70s due to the nature of society.
This novel will take readers back when honor and integrity meant something.

This was a beautifully written book, historical and dual time-line. I really enjoyed this and got caught up in it very quickly. It was so absorbing. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I DNF'd this book...

I have only ever DNF'd one other book in my life... I just couldn't do it. I also got to 48%, so I promise I tried. I really think it was the style of writing. I can't tell you the last book I read that was in third person, and that is probably why I am not finishing this book. It seemed impersonal. I felt like it was cheesy but also the paragraphs were chunky. It took me 5 days just to get to 48%.

Maybe I will read a chapter a day just to finish it, because in the end, I do like the story. I liked the little bit of Italian thrown in there as well, as I am studying Italian. But in the end, it is not enough for me to try to take another 5 days to finish this story.

This is a book that captured my attention from page one. It felt as if I was reading someone’s personal story. The characters were familiar; you could feel their pain, passion, torment, and love. I really enjoyed reading this story and would highly recommend it to others.

"A Letter From Italy" is a historical romance fiction telling the love story of Betty and Gianno through WWII in Europe and Sadie who finds out years later she was adopted and her journey of finding out who her birth parents are. Will she discover her origin story, and find love of her own?

I enjoyed reading this book, the description of the locations made me feel like I'm in Italy looking at the blue sea and yellow lemons! I also loved reading about the women and the work they did in code and communications during the war. It was a bit slow at times, but I kept reading to know what happens next. I thought the romance between Sadie and Luca happened too quickly and was predictable. I felt it would have been better if it was just one romance? But perhaps that's just me!

Overall, it was a good read, and I would recommend it for lovers of historical romance fiction!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!