December 04, 2023

THE LOST GIFT TO THE ITALIAN ISLAND

MY THOUGHTS:

Tori Coleman’s boyfriend Jeremy wants to get married, but Tori just discovered that she is adopted.  She isn’t ready to marry him because she doesn’t know who she is.  She has an old postcard with a picture of a beautiful wedding dress that her grandmother Giulia made.  She was told that the wedding dress was given to a museum on an island in Italy.  This is the only information she has as to who her biological family is.  She decides she must put her life in New York on hold and travel to Italy to find out everything she possibly can about her family. Tori arrives on Parissi Island, and is mesmerized by the beautiful sparkling waters of the Mediterranean.  Her first stop is the museum and she discovers that her grandmother Giulia was Jewish and secretly lived there while World War Two raged on across Europe.  When Tori discovers a notebook she soon finds out the truth behind her family.  


The Lost Gift to the Italian Island, written by author Barbara Josselsohn was an amazing addition to the Sisters of War series.  This story captivated my heart from the very first page to the last.  This wonderful and heartwarming story of the connection of family through the decades was amazing.  I loved everything about this book from the storyline to the characters.  What a wonderfully written story.  I could see the sunshine dance on the beautiful turquoise waters of the Mediterranean.  This unputdownable book was a wonderful escape.  I will recommend this story over and over.  I loved it and it will definitely be one I will read again.  This story is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone, however, my suggestion is to read this phenomenal series.


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


DESCRIPTION:

Rating: 5 out of 5.
THE LOST GIFT TO THE ITALIAN ISLAND
Author:  Barbara Josselsohn
Publisher: Bookouture 
Publication Date: December 4, 2023
Pages: 320 
Buy on Amazon 

Italy, 1943. With tears in her eyes, Giulia listens out for the sound of bombers flying overhead and thinks of the baby growing inside of her. Through the fabric of her lace dress her fingers touch the cold bullets carefully sewn into the seams. Luca might never forgive her, but she has to do this…

New York, present day. When Tori Coleman discovers that her mother was adopted, her whole world shatters. Jeremy, her boyfriend, wants to get married, but how can Tori commit when she doesn’t know who she truly is? The only clue to the identity of her biological family is a mysterious postcard with a photograph of an ornate wedding dress her grandmother Giulia made, which she’s told was gifted to a museum on an Italian island…

Tori arrives on Parissi Island, surrounded by turquoise Mediterranean waters, with the sweet smell of orange blossom filling the air. She soon finds the museum and learns that Giulia was Jewish, and secretly lived there during World War Two. 
She thought her grandmother abandoned her mother, but was she forced to leave and give up her child?

Just as she’s getting closer to answers, an unexpected call from Jeremy stops Tori in her tracks. As he passionately urges her to find out the truth, suddenly Tori wishes he were in Italy by her side, ready to propose again.

But then Tori is shocked to find bullets sewn into the lining of one of Giulia’s dresses and a notebook claiming she did something terrible during World War Two. 
Will the secrets in her family help her follow her own heart, or send her home from Italy with it finally broken forever?

ABOUT BARBARA JOSSELSOHN

Barbara Josselsohn is an award-winning writer who loves crafting stories about strong protagonists facing a fork in the road. Her novels include The Bluebell Girls, The Lilac House, The Last Dreamer, and her newest release, The Lily Garden. She has published hundreds of articles about family, home and relationships in national and regional publications, and also teaches novel writing at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She lives just north of New York City and enjoys escaping to the beach or the mountains whenever she can. Other than writing, her biggest passion is her family: her husband, her three kids, and her indefatigable shih-poo!