Description: Valentine is a member of an outgoing Italian family. Her mother is the person who holds them all together. Her father is caring and loves his children. Her sisters have love and families. And her brother is still a bit of a stick in the mud - but he is the financial backing for the family.
Valentine quit her job as a school teacher to start working at her grandparents custom shoe design business. When her grandmother comes clean and says they are overextended Valentine doesn't know what to do. She wants the business (and the building) but her brother really wants them to just sell it and move on. (Doesn't hurt they can sell it for millions).
Valentine will do anything to save the business and make it her own. Meanwhile their is Roman - a fellow Italian american - who has his own business to run. Roman seems like the perfect man for Valentine. But they each have their issues. Can they work through the romance and have their businesses take off?
Thoughts:I loved the dynamics of the Italian family. How things revolve around food, behavior, and family. They are all close and that is both a blessing and a curse. And even though they are Italian they hold their own biases towards their kind (things like infidelity).
Valentine is a complex character. She fights for her grandmothers business as much for her grandmother as for herself. Though she grows to love the business and the process even more as time progresses. She wants love so badly, yet is attracted to men whose focus is their own careers and would ideally like her to not really do anything but spend time on them.
It was very hard for me to watch the relationship between Roman and Valentine. Yes there is love. But for love to be treated in that fashion is sad. They both are consumed by their careers - and that is not necessarily a bad thing to be that driven. But to let their careers have them do things to the other like they do is upsetting. I don't know what I would do in that situation.
I am interested in seeing where this trilogy goes. Are they going to continue to explore things from Valentine's point of view - or move around in the family. Is Roman a good guy who needs to learn to put his priorities in order (though to be honest - he did come clean and say that was why his first marriage ended) or is he going to be a cheating scumbag? Valentine is coming forward and doing all sorts of things for her grandmother's business. Can she really make it work?'
What genre would you consider this?
Family Dynamics
Overall:
2 comments:
I really want to read this one....My hubby's name is Roman and he is 1/2 Italian....and I love hearts ....I mean is this book calling to me or what?
Some of my parents best friends were Italian and we had some of the best fun at their houses especially on holidays.This book sounds like such a fun read.
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