A LETTER FROM ITALY

MY THOUGHTS:

It was 1945 and World War II was raging on across Europe.  Betty reminisces of the letter she wrote when she was at the beautiful Villa Teresa in Italy.  Her wish was to save her beloved Gianni and just like everyone else she wants the war to end.  She was forced to make the hardest decision of her life, she had to give up her baby in order to protect her and give her a chance to live.  Present Day, Naples Italy, Sadie holds in her hand an old tattered letter.  She knows that this letter is the key to her finding her birth mother.  She has Luca, a local that is helping her retrace her history.  While combing through old newspapers, Sadie and Luca are shocked at what they discover about the woman they believe to be Sadie’s birth mother.  But Sadie refuses to give up, now she must find her birth mother and uncover the truth before time runs out.

A Letter From Italy, penned by Rose Alexander is a wonderful historical fiction time slip story.  I really enjoyed the characters, Betty, Sadie and Luca.  Betty was a POW in an  Italian camp during WWII.  The story I about her life and how she survived.  She endured horrible war time conditions as did many others.  Sadie and Luca were a great team and I was hoping that Sadie would be able to find her birth mother.  This emotional read is one that will stay with me.  I am a huge fan of the author as I always enjoy her stories.  Historical fiction and  time slip novels are always a favorite of mine.  If you are looking for a heartbreaking and emotional read, this is the story for you.  Don’t pass this one up.  I highly recommend this book, I loved it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Rating: 4 out of 4.

DESCRIPTION:

A LETTER FROM ITALY

Author:  Rose Alexander 
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Publication Date: March 25, 2024
Pages: 462
Buy on Amazon 

A heartbreaking wartime promise. A family torn apart. A letter that could change everything. 

1945. The tiny bundle in her arms barely stirs as she hurries out into the dark street. Remembering Villa Teresa, a thousand miles away in sun-soaked Italy, Betty thinks of the letter she had to write to stop the bombing and save Gianni. Instead it cost her everything… And she will never see her beloved again. Now, letting her little baby go will tear her apart, but she knows it is the only way to keep her child safe…

Naples, present day. With nothing but the name of crumbling palazzo Villa Teresa scribbled on the page, Sadie clutches the scrap of a letter she desperately hopes will help her find her birth mother. It’s her only clue to go on. But with the heady scent of fresh lemons carrying on the breeze, and handsome local guide Luca by her side, she knows in her bones this is the right place.

Then, lost in the local newspaper archives, the pair makes a shocking discovery about the woman Sadie believes is her mother… How she did something terrible during the war. Shattered, Sadie must ask herself if she should continue searching for a woman who did her best to disappear.

Deep down, Sadie knows she can’t give up. But what really happened in that beautiful palazzo all those years ago? What led a mother to give away her baby? And will uncovering this devastating secret destroy Sadie’s heart for good?

ABOUT ROSE ALEXANDER

Rose Alexander has had more careers than she cares to mention and is currently a secondary school English teacher. She writes in the holidays, weekends and evenings, whenever she has a chance, although with three children, a husband, a lodger and a cat, this isn't always as often as she'd like. She's a keen sewist and is on a mission to make all her own clothes.

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