New Book Alert: One Month Only (Tuscany Nights Book One) by Kate Blake; Warm and Sexy Lovers And Tuscany Setting Brighten Up Beginning of Romance Series

New Book Alert: One Month Only (Tuscany Nights Series Book One) by Kate Blake; Warm and Sexy Lovers and Tuscany Setting Brighten Up Beginning of Romance Series

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: I admit that I am not the biggest fan of Romances in the world. I find the plots and characters repetitive and don't really engage in plots where the big question is "will they won't they?" When I do like Romances, they are usually combined with other genres like Historical Fiction or Fantasies. Yes, characters might fall in love, but there are often greater stakes involved like saving a kingdom or becoming involved in world events. However, some things that I like about Romances are when the lovers are particularly likeable or understandable and another is when the Romance is set in a particularly great escapist setting.


One Month Only by Kate Blake gives us both an interesting couple that alternate between passionate and warm to each other and a great setting in Tuscany, Italy. This is of a personal interest to me because I took an educational trip to Italy and Greece in 1999 and among the places that I visited was Florence in Tuscany. So, I can easily visualize the winding roads, the classic and modern architecture, and the beautiful Renaissance art. While visualizing a place in which one has never been is nice, it is more interactive when you have seen the place with your own eyes and have experienced what the characters have experienced.


Tuscany almost becomes a character itself as a place that is still historic in appearance, but whose residents are caught up in the modern world of business and tourism. There are the ancient buildings, scenic winefields, adorable sidewalk cafes and spicy Italian food that is a backdrop for big businesses that thrive on foreign interests and are foundering with the changing economy. The characters have a proud sense of family and tradition, but also are trying to maintain their individuality and their own needs in today's rapidly changing world.


The lovers in this book are Angelica and Ricardo, forner childhood acquaintances turned business minded adults. Angie's family's cashmere company is about to be sold so her father turns to Ricardo, the son of an old friend to help him find a buyer. Ricardo happens to be the current CEO of his family's multi-million dollar wine company and has been the life of a jet set Playboy in London. He returns to Tuscany for one month to help Angie's father straighten out or sell his company and romances the lovely Angie.


The plot is standard for most Romances. There is the gobsmacked reaction when the former buddies from childhood now see one another in grown up more attractive bodies. The buried sexual tension when characters talk about one thing and really mean another. The moments when the two have to pretend that they mean more to each other for older disapproving relatives. The classic misunderstanding which leads to a quarrel that lasts several chapters (or in this case to the next book). However, what carries the plot is the sheer likeability of the characters.


Angie and Ricardo are a couple who are definitely hot for each other. They are clearly physically attractive to one another and their chapters where they actually have sex are sensual and almost soft eroticism. This is a couple that does not wait around with small talk. They know what they want and aren't afraid to get it.


Besides being a couple that are sexually hot, they show a lot of warmth and tenderness that reveals that they are companions as well as lovers. Ricardo gives Angie good solid business advice to keep her cashmere company up and running as well as competitive in today's market. They reminisce about old friends and visit cozy family run places that Ricardo admits that he misses during his busy lifestyle in London. They also have many friends and relatives, like their sisters who are rooting for them to get together as much as the Reader is.


One Month Only is the kind of escapist book that is needed, especially in times like this. When one is under great stress because of the world around them, sometimes all they really need is a beautiful setting, a sexy charming couple, and to answer only one question: will they or won't they.