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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**
Title: Feisty Author: Julia Kent Genre: Contemporary Romance
It was one little dare with razor-sharp teeth—work for him. Yes, he’s a fire-breathing grump and gazillionaire bachelor. Yes, I just gave him an ego check he’ll never forget. Yes, he’s still offering me the job dreams are made of.
But Cole Lancaster is the stuff of bossy nightmares. Too handsome for real life. Big Coffee kingpin. Guarded papa bear. His precious daughter is the only reason he ever stops grumping for five seconds. I’m sure I can deal with his scowls and cutting glances for one huge payday.
Only, sometimes your best assumptions are dead wrong. Like the business trip to paradise that shows me a different Cole. A man with a beating heart and a billion-dollar smile. A master of soul-stealing kisses. A mess of secrets that leave me reeling.
I wish my taste in men didn’t match my coffee. Strong, steamy, and unspeakably complicated. When I took the job, I didn’t know the risks. What if one crazy dare means falling in love?
I can smell him. Earth, citrus, a hint of espresso, and overpowering alpha male.
“You just can’t sit still, huh? You had to take over the flight attendant’s job?” His voice is a low rumble, a purr that plucks at my nerves.
The attendant rounds the corner and gasps. “Oh, I’m sorry, sir! I offered to do it, but she said she wanted the experience. I didn’t see the harm…”
“Guilty,” I say without looking at him. “I couldn’t pass up a chance to join the coffee mile-high club.”
His eyes flash with a wicked gleam when I realize my mistake.
“Are you done bothering me, Mr. Lancaster?”
He smirks at the flight attendant. “It’s fine. I know how Eliza gets.”
What? He doesn’t even know me.
Why is he acting so familiar?
First the flirting, and now this?
Did he really bring me on this trip for the sake of coffee science? What do I know about Kona beans, anyway? I’ve never picked them by hand.
The sudden crisis of confidence hits like a Mack truck.
“Why don’t you sit down? I’ve got this. I think we’re the only people left without coffee,” I say, ignoring how he squeezes into the tight space next to me.
Lancaster doesn’t move. If anything, he inches closer, watching how I tremble every time he brushes me and—oh, God. He’s enjoying this, isn’t he?
When I grab the new carafe, I almost elbow him in the gut on my way out.
“Do you mind? Like I said, I’ve got this.”
His look reminds me how very little I’ve got anything when it comes to self-control. I almost drop the coffee container on the floor.
When his hand darts around my wrist, I almost hit the ceiling.
I’m barely breathing as he moves his fingers slowly up my hand, gently lifting the carafe away from me.
“You’re shaking like a leaf with a container of hot liquid. Are you sure you don’t need a hand? Serving coffee isn’t below my pay grade, sweetheart,” he whispers.
Dear Lord.
I shake my head fiercely, until he gives up the carafe again when I reach for it, touching his fingers.
For the faintest second, my hip brushes his.
“I can handle my coffee, Mr. Lancaster, but…but thanks.” And because I can still feel his breath when he’s so achingly close, I add, “It’s not as hard as I thought it would be.”
He clears his throat loudly.
At first, my mangled words don’t register.
Shocked that this self-possessed man seems so flustered, I replay the last two lines in my head.
Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.
Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty. With over a million books sold, she lives for the joy of making two people fight with every bit of their soul for a Happily Ever After.
Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.
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.
