The Italian

I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book, but it was different than other books I’ve read from this author. I’ve found that I need a good plot with my romance and this to me had one. It held my attention the entire time.

The only negative I might have is the ending of the bad guy. It was a quick and predictable ending for that but still didn’t take away from my experience. For a romance author trying to add in some action, I will take the predictability. Overall an enjoyable read.

I stumbled upon this book while scrolling through social media, and I’m so glad I decided to give it a chance! With my Italian heritage and fluency in Italian, I found it especially enjoyable. I loved following the protagonist’s journey to Italy and her experience of finding love there. It was a nice touch to see bits of Italian language sprinkled throughout the story.

The relationship between Olivia and Enrico was adorable, and I appreciated the dynamic where he was both a boss and a romantic partner—it added a refreshing twist. This wonderful story of two people from completely different worlds finding love and how fate plays its part is a definite 5/5 read!

The Italian was a delicious read! The story centers around Enrico Ferrara, an Italian policeman in Rome and Olivia Reynolds, an Aussie clothing designer on a 5 week holiday that's coming near to a close in Italy. He approaches her while out with his younger brother at a restaurant and the two hit it off. There's instant attraction - he's hot as hell, sweet, flirtatious, dominant in the bedroom (as she soon finds out) and an all around nice guy. After the first night together when she throws caution to the wind, they end up spending a wild and blissful weekend at his 'apartment'. When they get there she realizes he may be a policeman but his family is seriously loaded. The Ferrara name in Italy is actually attached to billions in hotels, auto manufacturing - they're a huge conglomerate and Italian household name. This Olivia is oblivious to. They sightsee all over the city, dine, and create massive steaminess in the bedroom. When it's time for her to go down to the Amalfi Coast for two weeks to hook up with her best friend before coming back to Rome for a few days before going back to Australia, they exchange numbers, promise to stay in touch everyday and see each other when she gets back.

Only that never happens. Just after seeing her off at the airport Enrico gets one of those dreaded telephone calls regarding family one never wants to get. There has been a serious accident and his world flips from the outcome. Not only is he dealing with the results of the accident but he is also dealt a shocking blow when this leads to family secrets coming to light and putting him in a place of being forced to make a commitment to something he does not want nor believes in. He is overwhelmed, angry, absolutely betrayed and resentful of his situation. To say this changes him is an understatement.

For Olivia, not hearing from Enrico or ever having him answer her messages while she's on the coast stings and leads her to believe he was just a player and she swears to write him off. And when she arrives back in Rome for her flight home, their original plans are dust in the wind.

Cut to almost two years later, and Olivia is still designing pyjamas for a store chain but has put in serious time, resources and resumes to try to get with a good fashion house. She applies to the New York branch of Valentino but ends up being given a job in the Milan branch instead, hmm wonder how that happened. And surprise, surprise, she runs into Enrico again. But this time he's not the free spirited soft guy she met. He's hard and unyielding and seemingly way out of line with how possessive he is of her and how jealous. This guy hasn't seen her in almost 2 years after seemingly blowing her off and that's how he's going to act? Olivia wants no part of it even though she never forgot him, try what she may.

Of course, she eventually caves. The fact is while she's thought of him for all this time, he's also constantly thought of her too. And once again, they slowly find their way back together. Enrico is madly sexy although he vacillates between the hard businessman and the completely sentimental guy. He's still dominant and now very bossy but it's clear he never got over Olivia. However, the secrets he discovered on the day of the accident and the position is has now put him in lead him to a constant balancing act of wanting Olivia forever and wrestling with going against tradition by doing so. On top of that, there is the constant danger and threat that comes around now leading the family business and trying to conceal the less appealing facets of that from Olivia. First to keep her safe and secondly because he dearly doesn't want to lose her.

For Olivia's part, she was a great match for Enrico. Far from home and country, she was willing to give up everything and learn the Italian way to compromise and make a life together. These two have some massive blowouts with each other and a tad of OW almost drama but they're obviously fated to be and getting there is the fun part of the journey.

There were several times I wanted to punch Enrico in the face but then he'd turn around and do something so nice or show such sentimentality that he'd be back in my good graces. All in all, a swoon worthy guy with a woman that wises up fast and learns how to help support him in finding his way. A really entertaining read!

This is about Enrico and Olivia. She is an Australia on vacation alone and meets "Riki" as she calls him in a restaurant one night when she was trying to read a menu written in only Italian. They had a great night together and he takes her back to her hotel and leaves her like a good boy though they go sightseeing the next day and end up spending the whole weekend together. His place is amazing making it clear that his family has some serious money even though he only works as a policeman. He's charming, carefree and smiles a lot. Just a happy, carefree guy. Olivia is meeting a friend in Sorrento so she has to leave for 2 weeks but she'll be in Rome again for a couple of days before she flies home to Australia. They exchange numbers but he doesn't respond when she tries to get ahold of him. It turns out that right after he drops her off at the airport to go to Sorrento, he gets a call that his father and grandfather have been in a car accident. They both die and then he's told that his father was the head of their family. A crime family and now Enrico is expected to be in charge. He didn't know a thing about this and was upset but in the end he agrees to be the new "Don". This is why he didn't answer his phone when she tried to get ahold of him. He was a little busy with other things. He was ashamed of his father and grandfather for the crime they were involved in but felt like he needed to step up to protect his family. This book is about how Enrico and Olivia come together again (he engineered it) and their love story. A very good book and I would recommend. I would read it again.

Spoilers**

• The drug arrest. This was never explained. He got her a great lawyer and she was escorted out of Italy. Okay great. Who planted the drugs? How was she able to get back into Italy once she received the Job offer in Milan? She had been arrested for drugs, even though she wasn't charged. How was this not even mentioned?

• She didn't tell him about the police going to see her at work. I mean what was that all about that she didn't tell him?

• She didn't think to mention it that Sergio creeped her out and was most likely getting off on her underwear upstairs before she got home?

• It is mentioned they are "engaged to be married" and in the book it said it was three words. Hello but that phrase is four words.

So these are some things that I didn't like that occur throughout many of her books that I've read:

• Someone will smile "goofily". My god I hate this. It's okay every now and then, but all the time?

• They say "Oh" all the time. Maybe it's just me but not everyone speaks in the same way but in her books they do.

• The overuse of the words "sneer" and "smirk. Sneer is worse. And the author uses it. All. The. Time.

• The MMC can't finish during sex unless he's pretending it's the FMC. I've read this in more that one of her books and it's just a big turn off. We don't want to read about him having sex with someone else anyway but that just makes it worse.

Okay I definitely love Rico like omg he is amazing!!! Man at times I was annoyed with Olivia it felt like she couldn’t decide what she wanted like come on girl. You are attracted to his jealous but don’t like it when he’s trying protect you. You can’t have it both ways. Also the way she just disregard what he’d say at time’s really annoyed me. Though I love the different prospects POV over Jessica, Giuliano and Francesca. Also it kept me on edge over what was going to happen next. I didn’t feel like the story kept repeating with how long the book was. Overall I really enjoyed this book I never really like second chance romances but I love how T L Swan does any of her second chance romances!

I enjoyed this book about Enrico Ferrara. He is the eldest son in an Italian family that gets the shock of his life. He falls in love during a weekend with Olivia, who is an Australian visiting Italia. Their weekend romance is sweet and sexy all good. Even after their weekend and plot twists and turns start happening, the book continues to be good. However when Enrico takes over the family business and is working towards better solutions, he doesn’t notice the danger? His great security is some how flawed, when and how did that happen? His people are falling apart out of nowhere? Enrico accidentally tell Olivia the truth and she accepts all of him, but still balls at security? She gets befriended by a random person and agrees to let this person plan her event rather than working with Enrico’s Family, when Olivia had asked his mom to give her a chance? Why all the conflicting behaviors I am wondering? It’s like at the end the author gave up on being consistent or real in the book’s reality. The author seems to rush through to wrap up the story quickly.