The House by the Cypress Trees

I so loved this book! The details and descriptions are simply exquisite!
Julia is looking for respite following the death of her adopted mom.
Julia lovingly provided the needed twenty-four hour care until her Mom's death for many years.
What better place to be than Italy? Turns out as well that her adopted mother lives in Italy. Why not go find her? It will be a perfect trip to recoup and replenish her soul and perhaps find her first mother. Who knows?
However, life does not always go according to plan and Julia finds so much more than she ever thought possible!
I felt as though I was on a trip through Italy while traveling through each page of this novel.
I was on the estate, wine tasting, cooking and shopping in all the beautiful boutiques with Julia.
If you want a trip of your own with romance, love, family and friendship, then start reading now!

Mikalsen describes Tuscany in all its glory, stirring up images of the landscape I saw during the years I lived in Italy. Her details and descriptions are superb. Texas teacher Julia is taking a break after providing long-term care for her now-deceased adoptive mother. Her father urges her to visit her birth mother in Italy. Along the way, Julia runs into a British man visiting his family vinyards. This is a forced-proximity trope romance in the vein of old romantic comedies: light, fluffy and amusing.

Really a fun read! Transported me to Italy! Readers will enjoy the romance and travel with a few twists and turns !

When Julias adopted mother dies she goes to Italy in search of her real motherwith a picture her mother sent her. I thought the saying Solo Noi was beautiful. It is a song. She finds a puppy, a man and much more in the search for her mother. The descriptions of Tuscany and the lemons were beautiful. If you love romance read The House by the Cypress Trees.

This book was so good! I was captivated by the second page! This was a hard to put down book, I quickly devoured the pages racing towards the ending! Loved the rescued puppy too! Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy, definitely recommend!

This story has a great give-take from both characters (Julia and Daniel) and I love how they both need and appreciate each other in their respective journeys: Julia to find her birth mother and Daniel to follow his passion within his career. It is set against the great Italian backdrop and I enjoyed the supporting characters' journeys, too! I liked Julia and Daniel's vulnerability with one another and their growth together.

THE HOUSE BY THE CYPRESS TREES by Elena Mikalsen is a sweet and touching story of chance encounters and finding love when you least expect it. After her adopted mother passes away from an extended illness, Julia Ramos travels to Italy for a brief respite after her constant care-giving. She also hopes to find her birth mother, a woman she has never heard from but she has been told lives in Italy. A series of mishaps causes Julia to literally collide with a handsome British man who is in Italy for an important work presentation and a romantic getaway with his latest girlfriend at his family’s home in Tuscany. When Daniel’s presentation bombs and his girlfriend suddenly dumps him, he knows that his trip is slated for disaster. As he heads out to his sister’s vineyard home, he offers to help Julia find her way to her mother’s home nearby. The two set out on a journey that leads to several misadventures and more than their share of misunderstandings. There are many amusing and romantic moments as the pair are forced to spend time together under these unusual circumstances. The descriptions of the cities, the beautiful vineyard estate, the Amalfi coastline and the sumptuous food were so vivid, I felt like I was there with the characters. I enjoyed this charming story of family, friendship and love and highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I loved everything about 'The House by the Cypress Trees" by Elena Mikalsen. This is just such a feel-good and emotional read. Elena Mikalsen has written a light-hearted, entertaining, captivating, witty, romantic and adventurous novel. The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, and Romance. The author describes her colorful cast of characters as cautious, and easily relatable to.

Julia Ramos, a teacher comes to Italy on a school break to find her birth mother, once her adopted mother passes away.  First, she finds herself rescuing a small dog from an abusive character. Next, as she is running with the dog, she falls to her knees and avoids being run over by a driver of a car. 

Daniel Stafford is an architect is hoping to close an important deal and then visit with his family in Italy. He is extremely disappointed with the decisions of the businessmen he is working with. Preoccupied he almost runs over a pretty young woman holding a dog in her arms.

After "running into each other" again, Daniel offers Julia a ride. Did you think this was going to be easy? The clutch burns out and both find themselves sleeping on the side of the road waiting for help. Julia is worried about what will happen to the dog, and what will happen when and if she finds her birth mother. Daniel is concerned about the architectural job he might lose.  Do either realize what is in store for them. Don't ask about Daniel's family!!

I appreciated the author's vivid descriptions of olive groves, vineyards and the landscape in Italy. I also appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, friends, love, and hope. I highly recommend this amazing story.

Elena Mikalsen once again wrote a book with characters you fall in love with. You can't help but cheer Julia and Daniel on as they journey through Italy and find love. Julia is a Texan traveling in Italy for the first time. When by accident she has a run in with Daniel a Britain there on business. Together they travel across Italy falling in love with the history of the country and maybe each other.

Lovely feel good read. It was well written and flowed well. I enjoyed it very much. The plot was good and interesting. Hard to put down

A delightful romance set in the gorgeous setting of Tuscany. It was a fun read and kept me turning pages all the way to the end.

💕Romance, family, good food and la dolce vita: lovely!😊

👍👍Great Italian setting with romance permeating the air and wonderful characters (and with a little dog, too!). The bittersweet moments of heroine Julia's losses are tempered by her blossoming relationship with Daniel, a British architect whose man about town ways may just be a thing of the past. I really enjoyed Julia's travels around the country on the trail of her Italian family connections. The food and countryside descriptions made me want to get a ticket and jet off to Italy for my own adventure!😊

Thanks to publisher The Wild Rose Press and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book. This is my voluntary and honest review.

My review will be provided on Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub and Barnes & Noble the week of publication.

This was a great love story, but also a tour of Italy for the reader. I was drawn in the author's descriptions the beauty found there. The romance between Julia and Daniel begins when she is searching for her birth mother, so her life is forever changed in more than one way.

The House by the Cypress Trees by Elena Mikalsen is a fun, entertaining and sometimes emotional story of two very different people who meet when they have an accident. Julia, a high school geography teacher from Texas, has come to Italy to find her birth mom. Daniel, an architect from London, is in Italy on business and to visit family. Neither could know how a single accident would bring them together.
The story is told from the alternating points of view of both Julia and Daniel, giving more insight into their personalities, their strengths, and weaknesses. I liked following their struggles and seeing their thought processes. I laughed, I cried, and I yelled but I enjoyed every minute.
An added treat, was the description of the beautiful settings in Italy where the story took place. The colorful descriptions of the vineyards and gardens and of the architecture made me want to be there.
I highly recommend this book. It has multiple storylines that are interwoven and characters are engaging and relatable.
Thank you#Netgalley and #WildRosePress for approving my request for an advanced readers copy. All the opinions in this review are solely my own.

I always love a feel-good read. Mikalsen has written a romantic and adventurous novel with witty moments and a fabulous tour of Italy along with this light-hearted and fun adventure.

All proceeds are donated to several pet rescue organizations. A big bonus!

This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it very much.. Having been to Italy and saw most of the places in this book the author did an amazing job of feeling like you were right there! Amazing story with wonderful characters!!

A true pleasure to read, this romance wrapped in a love letter to Italy will satisfy readers who love to read about love and who long for books that will sweep them away to romantic locales.

What an intoxicating read for me, so absorbed in the details it was like reading a movie. This book is about Love and how life has its plans for you. Not looking for love it hits you when you least expect it to. Very much enjoyed Elena Mikalsen has the talent to bring a reader into the lives of her characters.