Italian With A Side Of Pasta

The Italian #2

by Suzanne D. Williams

"Look down," he said. Down? She inclined her head and the sight of the words scrawled in the moist sand filled her heart. Ti amo, he'd written, and drawn a heart with their initials, S.C. & V.C. --- Sergio and Vittoria Colafranceschi have a good life: three beautiful children, a nice house, and bountiful family on both sides. They are the American dream, children of Italian immigrants who came seeking a better life. Yet all they have today has developed through both good times and bad, from first love to heartbreak, through sickness and new beginnings to a strong, sustaining love as an example for their children. This is their story. A heart-warming short story romance from best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams.

90 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2013

About the author

Best-selling author, Suzanne D. Williams, is a native Floridian, wife, mother, and photographer. She is the author of both nonfiction and fiction books.

www.feelgoodromance.com
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Reviews

[Vista Waddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Restoration

It was a great restoration. Story of decisions gone wrong. Once he surrendered to God, all things work together for good for them that are called and according to HIS purpose

[Deanna Gottreu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Italian With a Side of Pasta by Suzanne D. Williams is a quick easy read that is also a great story. Sergio and Vittoria Colafranceschi have been married for twenty-one years and have a son fifteen, a daughter seventeen, and another son nineteen. They are a happy and loving family with lots of extended family that adds to the happiness and love. About half the story takes place in a couple of days in the present time, but the flashbacks go back for twenty-three years when Sergio and Vittoria met. Normally I do not care that much for flashbacks in stories but the author included a date when there was a flashback and this made the switch from now to then and back to now very easy. The entire novella was a very enjoyable story but I actually think that I liked the flashbacks the best. The flashbacks had a good bit of humor and that always adds to my enjoyment of a story.

The characters and scenes were so well developed that I felt as if I were right in the middle of all the things that were going on with the family. I especially liked the dialogue and a great deal of it lead to some good laughs. One comment that Sergio made really gave me a great laugh. He was wondering “Why did his personal life always involve a female who wanted to remove his shirt?” This is a good, clean, Christian story so don’t get the wrong idea. To learn why Sergio said that, you will have to read the story. I really liked the way that the author gave Sergio and Vittoria a chance to look back and remember when they met and think about everything that led eventually to their marriage. It was nice to read a love story that involved a couple in their forties since it seems that most romance books are about couples in their twenties or thirties. Another thing that I liked about this story is the way the author portrayed the couple as a loving one and that they were still deeply in love after twenty-one years and three children. I also appreciated that God was included in the lives of the characters.

I highly recommend this short story that you can finish in two hours at the most. I only have one negative thing to say about the story…it was too short. I wanted to read a lot more about the family.

Thanks to the author, Suzanne D. Williams, for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Paula Hrbacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Italian With a Side of Pasta” by Suzanne D. Williams is not your typical love story, either in format or ending. It is one day in the life of a married couple. The husband has an hour to himself in his home, with his wife and children off running errands. Instead of taking a nap, he flips open a photo album and spends the hour going down memory lane; how they met, how they fell in love, their wedding and their life together.
The chapters alternate between now and then. First he sees a picture and remembers that moment in his life. Then, after a chapter break, the story goes back into the past, and the entire scene is acted out as it happened back then. Once the reader catches the rhythm of now, then, now, then the story turns into an enjoyable read.
It should be read after “Flight Risk” because the characters from that book reappear. Giovanni is the husband’s cousin. One purpose seems to be to introduce the entire family so that the author can continue telling stories about these warm-hearted people.
My only disappointment was that the author didn’t let the Italians be Catholic. At a tragic moment in their life, they recite a Psalm, The Lord is My Shepherd. That’s a Protestant behavior. A Catholic, especially an Italian one, would make the sign of the cross instead. The sign of the cross is an unspoken prayer that means “what I think, what I feel, and everything I do, in your name.”
There are things that Catholics do that other people don’t always understand. Some people think that the sign of the cross is a superstitious practice like tossing salt over one’s shoulder. The author could have used the scene to explain something that is often misunderstood, in a very gentle, non-threatening way.
Personally, I love Italians. Whenever I take a liking to someone immediately, sooner or later I’ll find out that either they are Italian, or else they are from Texas. They have an attitude that other people don’t have. And while this was a heart-warming, pleasant story, I would have liked it better if they had been everything that Italians are, including being Catholic.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a quick read but a wonderful way to spend an afternoon or evening curled up with a good book that makes you sigh and fall in love with love again. It tells the story of two people still in love after many years of being together, each with their own reflections on the past and how they met and dated and finally fell in love. It's not a perfect "saw each other across the room and fell in love" story; it's a human story of imperfect people, falling in love imperfectly and how love can still triumph. I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun quick read about a married couple whom are still madly in love with each other. They have three children, and love their family madly too.

I loved the flashback writing style, and seeing the many struggles they came through and how this made their love, true and secure. So cute to see the little ways they still make each other feel so loved.

Pick this up and enjoy a great romantic ride.

I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what to say on the book. It was a good story about a couple who found lasting love. It was interesting to "listen" to the memories of the couple along with where they are today. It is a short read and not a waste of time. I did enjoy the other title of the author's I've read (Flight Risk) more than I did this one.

I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my review.

[Patti Whitman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read!

If you are looking to escape for and hour or so, this is it! The descriptions paint a clear picture in the mind's eye truly bring the story to life. I really love a strong loving relationship that even though there are difficulties the love prevails. Thank you for a heart warming story.