The last person she wants to see in Magnolia, North Carolina, could be exactly whom she’s been waiting for…
Mariella Jacob was one of the world’s premier bridal designers, but one viral PR disaster later, she’s trying to get her torpedoed career back on track in small-town Magnolia, North Carolina. With a secondhand store and a new business venture helping her friends turn the Wildflower Inn into a wedding venue, Mariella is finally putting at least one mistake behind her. Until that mistake—in the glowering, handsome form of Alex Ralsten—moves to Magnolia too.
Mariella ruined Alex’s wedding by announcing that his starlet bride-to-be was sleeping with Mariella’s fiancé. While he’s furious when they’re forced to work together, there’s no denying Mariella is hardworking, talented…and gorgeous. In fact, though Alex keeps reminding himself that they’re enemies, something deeper is growing…daring them to admit that a rocky past might lead to something unexpectedly wonderful.
Mariella and Alex have a history – and it isn’t a nice one. It might not have been so bad if they still lived in the big city, but somehow they both ended up in Magnolia, North Carolina, a small town, and it’s a lot harder to avoid each other. And not only can they not avoid each other, but somehow they end up working together on a project. A project that features part of their not-so-nice history.
This isn’t the only thing seeming to pull these two together. On every page, it seemed like fate was going to drag them into each other’s arms even if it killed them. And they may just need to figure out how to put the past behind them so they can both move on with their lives. Because along the way, they find out it isn’t just their lives they’re impacting anymore.
Mariella was a wounded character. Her past weighed very heavy on her shoulders, and it seemed to consume her every moment. While I understand the concern over her reputation coming back to hurt her new business and friends, she just wouldn’t let it go. Her struggle was very real but was too much of the main focus at times.
Alex has similar issues. And they really interfere with him running his company successfully – mainly because he refuses to take advice and hire Mariella to help. But he can’t seem to stop thinking about how hot Mariella is, and how attractive he suddenly finds her. It was a lot superficial at first. In the end, he learns she is a really great person though.
While I enjoyed a lot of the story, there was a little too much of the main characters hating on themselves for things in their past. Too much avoiding the issues. I think the best part of the story wasn’t the romance but wrapped up in a side character with unexpected connections.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read Contemporary Romance:
It Takes a Villa by Kilby Blades takes place in Italy – an old small town in need of a little repair – that sounds absolutely beautiful. The sights, the sounds, the smells – they all come to life.
Natalie Malone is one brave and determined woman. Picking up everything and moving to Italy to restore a villa she bought for $1. That takes some guts.
Pietro truly loves his town and restoring its beautiful buildings, and you can’t help but fall in love with him and his strive for perfection.
For the reasonable price of $1, Natalie Malone just bought herself an abandoned villa on the Amalfi Coast. With a detailed spreadsheet and an ancient key, she’s arrived in Italy ready to renovate—and only six months to do it. Which seemed reasonable until architect Pietro Indelicato began critically watching her every move…
From the sweeping ocean views to the scent of the lemon trees, there’s nothing Pietro loves more than his hometown. And after seeing too many botched jobs and garish design choices, he’s done watching from the sidelines. As far as he’s concerned, Natalie should quit before the project drains her entire bank account and her ridiculously sunny optimism.
With Natalie determined to move forward, the gorgeous architect reluctantly agrees to pitch in, giving her a real chance to succeed. But when the fine print on Natalie’s contract is brought to light, she might have no choice but to leave her dream, and Pietro, behind.
It Takes a Villa by Kilby Blades is a fun mix of contemporary romance leaning towards woman’s fiction. Natalie is determined to make a new life for herself in Italy. And the first step is to fix up the villa she purchased for $1. This is a type of program that I’ve seen run in several European areas, but I hadn’t seen it brought into play in a book before. The biggest catch is she only has a short period of time to complete the renovations. And there is a lot to do.
She is not the only person from the rebuilding program living in the area. She connects with a group of fellow re-builders from around the world. They were fun, supportive, and helped her navigate the first few confusing days in Italy. But she also finds herself relying on Pietra, a local man with a love for old buildings and restoration. And he’s quite the expert on how to get it done correctly.
I found Pietro’s conflict with his father – who seems to never really respect Pietro’s expertise – to be one of the most interesting parts of the story. The generational struggle and possible disappointment of not following where your parents thought you should go as an adult is a situation many can relate to. Natalie struggled mostly with repairing her villa in time to meet the program’s deadlines. And while I learned a bit about architecture, it just didn’t draw me in as much as Pietro.
There is plenty of drama, a little catastrophe, and lots of relationships being built. There were a couple of things that really threw me off. The first was the sudden change from what was reading as a fairly clean romance to a spicier romance. While I don’t have a problem with either, the tone of the book changed and it threw me off. The second was the ending. It just sort of stopped. The resolution was there, but then it just cut off and didn’t tell me the wrap-up. Which is one of my favorite parts.
**I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book**
As an affiliate at retail sites, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure for more details.
Three Reasons You Should Read This Middle Grade Fantasy:
The Mirrorwood by Deva Fagan is an amazing fantasy that pulls from all my fairy tale tropes and takes a deep look at what really makes someone a person.
Moth, Fable’s cat, does a great job of playing the part of loyal sidekick, best friend, and at times, a guide as Fable travels through Mirrorwood and navigates the landscape of how she views herself.
The creatures and inhabitants of Mirrorwood were inventive while remaining just a little familiar. It’s fun and creative, with just a little creepiness to make the atmosphere fit.
Fable has been cursed by what the people in her village call the Blight, a twisted enchantment that leaves her without a face of her own. To stay alive, Fable has to steal the faces of others, making her an outcast that no one trusts. When the fierce Blighthunter Vycorax comes to kill Fable to stop her curse from spreading, Fable narrowly escapes by fleeing into the thorny woods surrounding her small village.
The treacherous forest has been ruled by a demon-prince for centuries, a deadly place trapped in time. Fable—and her opinionated feline companion, Moth—is the first to dare enter in a very long time. There, she encounters a tediously chatty skull, dangerously meddlesome deities, and a beast so powerful it tears at the fabric of reality, leaving nothingness in its horrible wake.
Fable will soon discover that, in the Mirrorwood, nothing is quite like the stories say, and the perilous realm may be the only chance she has to break her curse and find her true self.
The Mirrorwood by Deva Fagan is an amazing mashup of fairy tale tropes and concepts. Recognizable, but twisted around in a way that made them feel brand new. From Wonderland to Beauty and the Beast, so many seemed to be represented. And it all starts when Fable is blighted (cursed) to always wear another’s face. While this may not sound too bad, the author did an amazing job of showing how mentally devastating this was to her and her family.
Fable’s only real solace is her cat, Moth. Moth couldn’t have been more perfect. He was Fable’s Jiminy Cricket with words of wisdom paired with some general cat aloofness. He was her constant companion and best friend – and I really wish I could know this little furry ball of love.
Vycorax, Fable’s unexpected companion who tried to kill her at first, is a Blighthunter. Sworn to protect the realm and remove all the blighted people. Vycorax begins by blindly following her duty, but when she finds herself stuck in the Mirrorwood with Fable, forced to work together, she has to re-examine her thoughts. Vycorax was another great character that could have easily been the lead character if she had wanted to. She was tough, determined, and utterly loyal once you earned her trust.
The Mirrorwood was almost a character itself. A vast realm cursed by the Blight and slowly disappearing (hello Neverending Story!) The land itself came alive with amazing creatures and a Sleeping Beauty-esque curse that only gets worse as the girls get closer to the castle. I wish the land had felt more vast. It was supposed to be a large area, but the travels made it seem rather small at times.
I really want more Mirrorwood, but if that doesn’t happen, this book does come to a very nice conclusion.
