Search

Search only in certain items:

Must. Move. To Italy. Now.

This is one of those books where you can live vicariously though the author and feel like you are living their life (and truly wishing you could!) Part 'Under the Tuscan Sun', a dash of 'Bridget Jones' Diary' and some hints of "Eat, Pray, Love" I am dreaming of Florence, it's people, it's food, and can easily picture the beautiful scenery after reading this!

Kamin is stuck. Shes in a bit of a rut professionally, personally, and mentally. The stresses of everyday life combined with lingering heartache are wearing down on her immensely and she takes a giant leap of faith and moves to Italy for a year. To write, mostly, but the lessons she ends up learning will change her life forever.

The way this book is structured is my absolute favorite! Every chapter is a month of her new Italian life, and starts with little snippets of the month (Smells, What's in season, Italian phrases learned) and they all end with AMAZING recipes that were talked about in that chapter. I adore how she shares these almost intimate details, and feel as if I'm there with her.

I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to try some of the recipes, and I aim to embrace "Bella Figura!"

I received a copy of Bella Figura as part of the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for my honest review.
  
Scone Cold Dead
Scone Cold Dead
Karen MacInerney | 2019 | Mystery
9
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Can Natalie Find a Scone Cold Killer?
It’s late spring on Cranberry Island, but the beautiful weather is doing nothing for the tensions building. Something is going on with the lobstermen on the island. There are rumors of illegal activity, but no one seems to have any proof. Natalie Barnes is concerned about that, but she is also concerned that her bed and breakfast doesn’t have reservations like in years past. Fortunately, she does have some guests thanks to the new artists commune her niece, Gwen, has opened. But when the tension on the island leads to murder, will Natalie figure out what happened?

It’s always a pleasure to visit Cranberry Island, and this book is no exception. The characters are old friends by this point, and there are a couple of sub-plots that focus on them that helped pull me into the book early. Not that the mystery itself wasn’t compelling, and the sub-plots and mystery weave in and out of each other expertly. There are several good fully developed suspects we meet and plenty of turns before we hit the suspenseful climax. Natalie is working on recipes for a scone competition, so it is no surprise that three of the recipes at the end of the book are scones. Fans of the series will be happy with our latest visit to the island, and this book is fun enough to hook new fans as well.