would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this is a slow build up

the pandemic years as they will always be known hit people hard, val was one of them.... she worked hard at her brothers restaurant helping to keep it open but it became her life line.... all of her hopes and dreams had gone but she struggled on doing the best she could....

susan castle was a software engineer and very good at her job.... what she wasnt was tolerant of anyone who wasnt... so when she came into contact with one of vals nephews she wasnt impressed.... either with his demands to be paid and tipped for a wasted journey delivering the food that he thought she had ordered....

val had tried to smooth over the mistake between them.... and had given susan a voucher for some free food.... and as val and susan spent more time together they began to get on with each other and know each others quirks....

but susan was well aware of the age gap between them and always stopped anything romantic happening between them....

a gentle sunday morning read

Set in the times just after Covid, Val is working at her brother's pizza restaurant following the collapse of her cleaning business. I found her story interesting, especially how she manages the difficult customers, her family however are just awful and take advantage of her. One day Susan comes in to complain about Val's nephew and Val is intrigued by this quiet serious woman. They start a friendship that very slowly builds into a closer connection. Susan's life is calmer, she is very successful, financially stable and at 60, 19 years older, I enjoyed having an older main character. The story was engaging and kept me reading, the main characters are interesting in their own ways but phew the minor characters are truly awful, even poor Susan has a problematic friend. Overall a gentle, slow burn connection with mature main characters.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall, a good story. It took me a little while to settle into this one but powered on as I knew i would not be disappointed. This was a slow burn with an age gap between the main characters. The ending felt a little bit rushed in my opinion but nevertheless, I'm still giving these one 4 stars.

Thank You Bella Books and NetGalley for this ARC copy.

In the wake of the pandemic, Val Nardi’s dreams hang by a thread. Putting her own aspirations aside, she decides to help her brother and goes to work in his restaurant. But the sacrifice she’s made means her dreams might be forever out of reach. Then everything changes when she crosses paths with the enigmatic and successful software engineer, Dr. Susan Castle. As Val fights to save her family’s business and rebuild her life, Susan’s intriguing presence is something she can’t ignore. Despite the odds stacked against them—the attraction between them is undeniable.

This book is less about COVID and more about Val rebuilding her life. I loved Val and Susan and their relationship, but there was so much toxicity from secondary characters and family that this wasn't the 'feel good' romance that I was looking for. While I like to (mostly) go into a book blind - without having read much about the story, I think it's worth noting this before you pick it up. As long as you know what you're getting into, it's an enjoyable read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

The pandemic robbed Val Nardi of her partner in both life and business. In the vacuum that followed, Val went to work for her brother at the family Italian restaurant, working to pay her bills and to keep the restaurant afloat.

Now, in these post-pandemic times, Val continues to work at the restaurant, taking on anything that her family needs.

While Val is mostly content, she has unknowingly become stuck in a rut, playing it safe where familiarity is a blanket of safety wrapped around her.

That's until she meets Dr. Susan Castle, who sees Val for who she really is and sneaks under the barriers Val has built, lighting a fire of lust and love as she does so.

Susan Castle is a neurodivergent 63-year-old computer geek who struggles to form close relationships. Yet, without knowing how, Val Nardi easily gets through Susan's defences.

Can Val and Susan accept finding happiness and make it as a couple through everything life has to throw at them?

Val and Susan are great characters, and I loved that Susan was older and more technically grounded, as well as there being an age gap between them. They both had issues to work through, confidence to find, and the need of the right support to open themselves up to love and life.

Please be aware that Val's family is largely filled with toxic gaslighters who do nothing but take advantage of her. This dominated such a huge part of the storyline that I not only hated some of them after a while, but I was emotionally fatigued and glad when I reached the end.


*I received an advance reader copy for free, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review*

An age gap, later in life romance. Can a notoriously kind woman win the heart of the distant and much older computer geek?

I received an advance copy from Netgalley for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Val Nardi has felt the effects of the COVID pandemic both personally and professionally. She lost her partner to the virus and the cleaning business they built together. Now, she is working for the family’s Italian restaurant mostly to help out her brother Joe. He did everything to keep the business open during that difficult time. Val doesn’t mind but it’s not her dream of being a waitress. She is also aware of her family not respecting her boundaries, asking her to work double shifts often or come to their rescue in other ways. When she meets Dr. Susan Castle their paths seem to cross very often. Susan’s friendship and clear view of Val as a person become very important in Val’s life. And even though Susan is considerably older, Val can’t stop the growing feelings she has for her new friend. They are very different people, but does that matter in the long run?

It took me a while to really get into this story. The writing didn’t flow well and I thought the setup of the characters took a little too long before anything significant happened. Once it did though, I definitely wanted to keep reading.

Val is as sweet as they come, in fact her family often takes advantage of her kindness because Val wants to help everyone where she can. She is the same with Susan. The beautiful thing is that Susan does not take her kind disposition lightly. Susan appreciates Val as a person. The more time they spend together, the more they are drawn to each other. Susan is the opposite of Val. She keeps her distance and has no interest in physical contact, but Val seems to defrost her over time. Susan worries about the vast age difference between them even though Val couldn’t care less. It’s really sweet when they finally come together and express their love.

I love stories about older women and I don’t mean women in their forties as is the case in most of the ‘live later in life’-romances. The fact that Susan is 63 makes her all the more interesting. She is set in her ways, but somehow allows Val into her inner sanctum. That’s proof of a very strong connection. I’d really like to see more stories where the main characters have already lived a whole life before a new romance starts. Because it’s never too late to love, right?

Worth the Wait is a fun, cute story of Susan, a wealthy older woman who works way too much and Val, a younger Italian woman who has fallen on hard time and her family takes advantage of her situation. While I enjoyed the book, and it does have a HEA, I did feel a little disappointed at the ending. (An epilogue would have, IMO wrapped it up in a nice tidy package) I don't want to give spoilers, so won't explain what I mean. Read it and see if you agree.

Good story. I wasn't sure if I would want to read about the pandemic in a romance novel again, but this story was more about Val trying to save her families business in the aftermath of the pandemic. This is also a slow burn romance with the main characters slowly getting to know each other in the process of all the family drama surrounding the main character Val. This was interesting to read and it had all the elements that make a book hard to put down for me. I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to what's next from this author.

This book, the sibling and sister in law, so far have no redeeming features. I can’t say I’m buying in to why one main would stay working with them. 75% and I really do not like any of the family. One main is used as a doormat. The others characters, apart from a grandma aren’t even likeable. The other main doesn’t seem to have much family but they seem to be users too. Most customers aren’t pleasant.
There is then a plot device that irritated me.
Then a meddling friend irritated me.
Then, of course a bit of distance with the mains, and three minutes reading left in the book…..
A book should make you feel. I might have felt irritated and had feelings of dislike but I did feel.

This is a story about Val who works as a server and cook in her brother’s Italian restaurant. Val is a very generous and giving person to her family, anytime they need something they come to her for help. She meets Susan Castle by accident when her nephew makes a pizza delivery to her house on accident. Susan is an IT professional who has sold her very successful company and now is doing consulting.

From the first meeting, Val is amazed with Susan and her professional but very private personality. She doesn’t understand why she’s drawn to her but she keeps meeting her on accident and is always trying to get to know her more. Soon they both start with little touches of affection but Susan is also aloof and retreats back into herself.

I really liked both characters, Val was terrific, she never gave up on the chance that she and Susan could be in a relationship. She had so much patience and kindness to everyone.

This book wasn’t perfect but it spoke to me. The way the relationship developed between Val and Susan felt real and personal . Yes it’s an age gap story but it didn’t feel that way with the women’s personalities.

This is my first book by White and I will definitely be reading some books in her back catalogue.

Thanks to Bella Books and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This started a little shakey. I wasn't sure if I liked Dr. Susan, and Val seemed a little wishy washy.

But, as they get closer and go through a bunch of different disasters it got so much better and a really interesting story.

It was definitely a slow burn, and, I wil say the ending seemed a little rushed. Some of the storylines not really concluded entirely. But overall I really liked the characters, and how much they changed and grew. It was a really great read.

Val Nardi is still recovering from the Covid pandemic. She lost her business and her partner during that time period. Now she gets by working for her brother in the family’s Italian restaurant. It managed to survive the lean years but only barely. She meets Dr. Susan Castle at the restaurant when she comes to complain about the rudeness of their delivery boy, who happens to be Val’s nephew and the owner's son. Their meetings start incidentally with Val referring Susan to another brother to get wood or handling taking care of a favor another day.

There is an age gap between the pair with Susan being 63 and Val in her early 40s. Susan is a brilliant mathematician and coder who has sold her company and still consults. The pair quickly become friends on their way to possibly more. The easy friendship between the two worked well for me. There is no rush as these are mature women who can take their time getting to know each other. I also liked the reality of the challenges for small business during and recovering from a worldwide pandemic.

What didn’t work as well for me was I didn’t like any of the side characters. Her brothers are fine using Val and demanding extra because family comes first. Susan's only friend introduced in the story turns out unworthy of the friend moniker. And so much of the story takes place in the busy restaurant I was thrilled anytime they moved away from that location. The ending felt rushed and abrupt.

This is a very readable story of two mature women overcoming obstacles and finding each other. But I would have enjoyed a little more romance or a stolen kiss or two.

There's a few things I liked about this book and a few things I disliked. The way that the author describes the challenges of the economy during and after Covid, and Val's realistic reactions to her difficult family are really well done. As well, I enjoyed the progession of the relationship between Val and Susan. Things between them start off very rocky but eventually they start to progress into friendship and things take off from there. As for the things I disliked, I didn't like many of the other characters. I thought Val's family was honestly really awful in the way they constantly took advantage of her. In addition, Susan's friend Jillian initially seemed fine and even encouraging Susan to enter a relationship. However, by the end of the book she does a one-eighty and actually somewhat sabotages their relationship. The book was one challenge after another befalling the characters, and their relationship somehow progressing despite these obstacles. As well, I did feel the ending was pretty abrupt and a bit rushed. Overall though, the book was interesting, had cute moments, and made me incredibly hungry for delicious pizza and calzones. 3.4/5

This is my first read of a Kenna White story. I have to say I am kind of in two minds about what to say about it. Yes I enjoyed it on one level, but on another I found the style of writing quite formal, awkward at times and I am not sure even though I liked both main characters that I felt that they had enough romantic connection. I fancy that White was implying that Susan was on the neurodiverse spectrum and thus found it hard to express herself romantically. To say this was a slow burn is an understatement…….it sort of stumbled along and then sparked and faded quickly. The “romantic “ conclusion was unexpectedly quick and overboard.

I basically read this in a day, so I was invested in the story, hoping it was going somewhere, deeper and certainly for Val to wake up to the fact her family was taking advantage of her good nature. Basically I guess I enjoyed it BUT….I wanted more…..more romance between Val and Susan, less of the work drama of routine work life. Something just didn’t feel “right” about the pacing and storyline.

It was an ok story for me.

A f/f romance like a smooth wine
This romance was as easy and enjoyable as a smooth good wine - where you find that the bottle suddenly is empty although you not really noticed that you consumed it.
I loved that Kenna White choose to focus on how small business owners suffered from the restrictions and lockdowns during the Covid pandemic. Some survived like the Italian restaurant of Val‘s brother, some went under like Val‘s cleaning service and the most unlucky ones lost a loved one. Val survived by working for her brother. I loved how warm and kindhearted she comes across. Enter the ice-queen, nerdy workaholic and techy Susan.
Despite the serious backstory this was a sweet read. The romance unfolds slowly and beautifully. Leisurely White explores the characters and as a bonus - they are mature women (44 and 63). With all the food and cooking it is a joy for all foodies and lovers of Italian food. I totally enjoyed this romance.

I received an ARC from Bella Books via netgalley. The review is left voluntarily.