This book is the perfect beach read. Set in Tuscany it really makes you think of holidays and sunshine.
Widow Gracie decides to book a cookery holiday in Italy after seeing an advert in a magazine. Her friends in her Devon village and her London family cannot dissuade her and in the end her daughter Carina, a self obsessed business woman who rarely visits, decides to accompany Gracie to ensure she is ok as her mother is not used to foreign travel. Anastasia, Carina’s daughter, also goes and she gradually gets to know her grandmother on the trip- this is a touching family story as well as a romance.
Gracie has been keeping secrets for over 40 years and it is only in the Tuscany sunshine that she lets her guard slip and begins to reveal her early life to her granddaughter.
This novel takes place in two time frames, when Gracie is young in her early twenties when she is living in Italy and also in the present day when she embarks upon a bonding holiday with her estranged family.
This is a relaxing read, perfect for long Summer days on the beach. The characters were well drawn and likeable, even Carina, who softerns as the book progresses.
I loved the setting of Tuscany- the author really managed to evoke the beautiful scenery and I felt as if I was really there.
I’ve never read any books by Santa Montefiore before and now that I’ve enjoyed this one I shall be taking a look at her impressive back catalogue.
The Temptation Of Gracie is perfect for fans of Sheila O’Flanagan, Jojo Moyes and Marian Keyes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, but just a few things stopped me from giving this 4 stars. It felt quite rushed to me... some of the facts in the story were rushed over. I also thought the ending was a bit rushed... I would of liked to hear more about the Count and when they finally at last re connected.

Having said that.... the Italian writing style was gorgeous and I really felt that the location and Italian experiences were authentic.

Okay, first you have to get past the awful title, which sound like a bodice ripper from the 1980s. This is actually a story about a woman, now a grandmother, who is looking back over her life and wondering if she has time to right old wrongs. Gracie moved to Italy after World War II to learn to be an art restorer with her ne’er do well uncle. She fell in love there, but left everything behind to return to England and never looked back until now. Now she’s booked a cooking course in Tuscany and invited her daughter and granddaughter to join her, back to the place her story really began. Told in both past and present day, this is Montfiore at her best, as she tells a story of love and loss, hope and redemption