One Summer in Tuscany

by Annie Seaton

Gia Carelli is a talented artist who works in the family restaurant in Tuscany and dreams of a life where her strict parents allow her to move to Florence to pursue the art she lives and breathes. The expectation that she will marry a local boy and raise a horde of bambini, as the rest of her siblings have done, is one she fights to no avail.
When a gorgeous, wealthy stranger visits their village, Gia wonders if maybe her stars are about to change.
Nic Baldini has returned to his villa for a much-needed summer break away from the responsibilities of his dominating family. The joy and sadness of Gia’s paintings touch his soul; her raw talent and passion eclipse the art he has always dabbled in.
In order to gain Gia’s trust, Nic lies about his identity so he can assist her to organise an exhibition. As their patron-protegée relationship is quickly overtaken by desire, Nic realizes that one tiny lie could cost him the woman he's falling for. Will their intense attraction to each other allow their love to grow, or will the lies and deceit prevent a happy ever after?

Previously published as Ten Days in Tuscany-2015

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2023

About the author

Annie Seaton lives near the beach on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. She is fulfilling her lifelong dream of writing and has been delighted to discover that readers love reading her stories as much as she loves writing them. Her career and studies spanned the education sector for most of her working life until she took up a full-time writing career. Each winter, Annie and her husband leave the beach to roam the remote areas of Australia for story ideas and research.

Readers can contact Annie through her website annieseaton.net or find her on Facebook and Instagram.

Reviews

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gia Carelli meets Nic Baldini and in order to develop their relationship he foolishly lies about his identity. When the truth comes out will he lose her forever? Beautifully set against the Tuscan background, the story itself is a bit predictable, and I felt cross with the couple for not having a decent conversation which would have solved the issue in minutes.

So not one of my favorite books by this author. I found out afterwards that this is a rerelease in 2023 of a book originally titled Ten Days in Tuscany and published in 2015 as book 4 in a series called Men of the Zodiac.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nic Baldini was holidaying in Tuscany for a month over summer, in the luxurious villa he'd had renovated. When he met Gia Carelli for the first time, she was rushing to work in the family restaurant, running late as usual, on a bike with an almost flat tyre. Nic was a wealthy man, but his decision to create a different persona for himself when he spoke to Gia, would cause untold problems with his burgeoning relationship with her, who was a passionate artist, but one her family didn't believe in. Their opinion of her future was much different to her dreams...

One Summer in Tuscany by Annie Seaton is a book I was frustrated with. The deceit and lies from Nic was heartbreaking as it was obvious the train wreck was coming. Gia had been beaten down by her family's negativity, although done from love, and when she blossomed it was good to see. Unfortunately though, for me, it's not one the author's best.

[Joanne Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed - highly recommended
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