This is a book you don't want to miss. If you love reading you will love this one.

This book is so good. It's a dual timeline which I typically love. It's a double love story. I don't tend to read love stories but this one was great. It was much more than just a love story. It had so many emotions going on.

It starts out with a woman telling a man to wait. Wait and ask her when he is truly free. He wants to marry her. It's 1946. Estee and Felix are young and mad about each other. But he's promised to another. Since he was a young child he has been promised in marriage to another. His family is wealthy. Estee is an up and coming ballerina. She will be famous one day. But his family does not think she is good enough.

Life gives them plans that they may not like. It takes a turn that Estee does not expect. Never saw coming. How can she be expected to go on after all she's been through. Will they ever find their way back. Will they ever be the happy couple they were meant to be. Estee has a huge secret. How can they ever be happy.

Present day we meet Lily and then Antonio. Lily found a letter from a lawyer that sets her on a path to solve a mystery. The mystery of her grandmother's adoption. She meets Antonio and they sort of get together. He has some things from his past that make him stand back from a relationship. But he helps Lily find what she's looking for. She has two clues that will lead her hopefully to find out who her grandmother's family were.

The timelines are intersecting through the story but not in a way that you think. When they do come together it made me actually have tears flowing. Some in a good way and some in a bittersweet sad way. Things have a way of going there own way even if we think they should be different. This author did a fantastic job with this book. She pulls you in and keeps you hanging on for dear life. Keeps you wanting to know more. Rooting for a these couples to find happiness. For a child to be happy. Content and well loved. How these two couples are related was beautiful. This book is beautiful. It's a sad story in many places but full of a deep love that transcends all the odds too.

Would you walk away from your family and money for love? That would be hard but doable. In my opinion it would be doable. I loved this book from start to finish and I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you #NetGalley, #SorayaMLane, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5 huge stars and you have to read this one. It's so good.

The Italian Daughter is Book 1 in Soraya Lane’s The Lost Daughters Series. This is a beautifully well written novel that you won’t be able to put down. It is a heartwarming story and yet heartbreaking that will pull very hard on your heart strings. Told in dual timelines, this is a wonderful story of life, love, family secrets, hope and following your dreams. A highly emotional story, Soraya Lane’s extremely descriptive and detailed writings takes you to Italy and a wine vineyard where you will not want to leave. I love reading books by this very talented author, she has never disappointed me! If you love historical fiction I highly recommend you grab a copy of this extraordinary novel and follow the dreams of some wonderful characters.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Soraya Lane for an advanced copy of this engaging story.
#netgalley #bookouture. #soryalane. #arc #historicalfiction

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy of The Italian Daughter by Soraya Lane that comes out Sep 23, 2022.

Lily receives a strange invitation from a lawyer to pick up a box that had her grandmother's name on it. Inside the box are clues about her great-grandmother. Lily follows the clues to Italy and discovers some family secrets. While in Italy, she meets her new employer and his family, a wine maker! The other part of the story follows Estee and Felix back in the 1930s and 1940s. How everyone connects is yours to discover!

I enjoyed the story. I like historical fiction when it moves between time periods and it is especially good when we're solving a mystery. I liked both Lily and Estee, however they both lacked confidence sometimes. It was definitely a bit predictable, but sometimes you need that! 3.5 stars!

The Italian Daughter is a intriguing story that is set in both present day and the 1940’s. There are two love stories from past to present day and each story is heartwarming and wonderful.
A story full of broken hearts, hope and love…..
There is a lot of information about wine making throughout the story which was interesting.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was thrilled to get this advanced copy from one of my favorite authors. She is starting this new series called The Lost Daughters. As always Lane delivers one of the best historical fiction novels in the historical fiction genre. I can always count on a new view and keeps me engrossed in her books.
I enjoyed the dual time line. A group of women are called into a lawyer’s office in London. They are each told that their grandmothers were unwed mothers who delivered babies at the Hope House. They are given a letter and box with momentous of their past. Can they dig into their past? Will they find out what they are looking for?
1940’s-Felix and Estee fall in love during childhood and their future takes many complicated turns. Estee is a ballerina with dreams of joining a ballet company. Her mother is very demanding and Estee’s friendship with Felix gives her some balance, and gives her hope of unconditional love.

Wonderful beginning of what promises to be a delightful new series. Ms. Lane pens a story that celebrates family, hope and love.
The Lost Daughters series centers around Hope House, a home for unwed mothers, with seven women receiving a box with clues that hint at secrets from the past.

With expert plot pacing, Ms. Lane weaves together the stories of both Estee(1946) and Lily(present day) in The Italian Daughter.
1946-Estee and Felix's story will tug at readers hearts. This love story between a ballerina and a baker is full of hurdles that seem insurmountable. It is a story full of love, strength and hope in spite of tragedy.
Present day-Set against the beautiful backdrop of a Italian winery, Lily hopes to hone her skills as a wine-maker as she seeks to unravel the clues and discover more of her grandmother's past. Lily's journey gives her the courage to discover her own path and learn to open her heart to love.

I absolutely loved both storylines and was totally immersed from the first to the last page. I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher through Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

In this heartbreaking story, In 1945 Lake Como, Estee shows amazing strength of character. Estee started off as a young ballerina with hopes of joining La Scala, a highly sought after ballet company. With a very demanding mother, and a new friendship struck with Felix, Estee finds herself torn more than once. As a child, she has big dreams, and was being taught by her mother that winning came at a price. Thankfully, she struck up a friendship with 14-year-old Felix when she was 12 years old. Her story continues with heartbreak, love and loss.

In present day London, we have Lily, who has just come back from New Zealand. Lily is a winemaker who travels to different countries learning every nuance involved in the making of wine. She got her love for winemaking from her father, and has been following her dreams ever since. Grapes, soil and every aspect of winemaking comes naturally to Lily. Lily is hoping to make another trip, but before she sets out, she finds an odd note among her grandmother's belongings. This leads her to a box that bore her grandmother's name. The contents of that box will change Lily's life forever.

Lily is about to take on a new job, working with a winegrower and his family in the Como region in Italy. Perhaps this is fortuitous, as the contents of the box she found proves that her grandmother may have been Italian. While heading off to Italy for the next several months, she hopes to ask around to try and dig up things about her grandmother's past. More than finding answers, Lily also meets Antonio, the winegrower's son in Como, and she just might finally take a chance with her heart.

Estee from 1945. Lily from present day. In what ways do their lives converge? While Lily's story was one of hope, it was Estee's story that broke my heart into pieces more than once. We find how Estee's relationship with Felix began, flourished and floundered. Along the way we realize how her heart was fully his at a time when he could not offer her the same, although the love he had for her was palpable. It was this book that finally made me understand why certain decisions are made when they come with good and altruistic reasons.

The Italian Daughter is book one in the The Lost Daughters series by Soraya M. Lane. I was fully enthralled with this story and could not put it down. I got this ebook also as an audiobook which was expertly narrated by Zoe Mills. Listening to this book brought both sadness and joy, and the narrator did a fabulous job helping my emotions to ride that roller coaster of all the feels. This wonderful story wrapped up with a wonderful conclusion and now I cannot wait for book two in this series, which I believe will be The Sugar King's Daughter. That second book will also be in dual timeline fashion.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGAlley, the publisher and Soraya Lane for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I have read other books by this author which have tended to be more gritty and often set in WW2 - this is the first in a new series and I found a much gentler read.
However this did not make it less readable or enthralling and I was sad to realise I was nearing the end of the book.

It is a dual time-line novel set mostly in Italy and sometimes London and tells of two women - one who has loved snatched from her and the other who found it hard to move on when her father died.

I won’t provide spoilers - unless you know the premise for the series then you will guess where each novel will go at some point - but if you love Soraya’s books then try this one and I am sure, like me, you will be waiting for the next episode in the series.

Thank you again to all involved in my chance to read this book

1937: A ballerina on the stage. A young boy captivated by her grace. A love of their lifetimes.
Spanning over years of stolen moments, hidden sweets, secret kisses, grief and betrayals but most importantly infinite riches, it tells the story of Estee and Felix.

Present Day: A winemaker on her quest to unearth a secret buried for years, to find what links her father's side of heritage to Italy. In the vineyard, under the Italian sun, while she learns of her great-grandparents' past, she just might also stumble upon a family and love of her own.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 tells the tale of two woman, tested by life, but who remained true to themselves and became stronger even as they withstood the best of the worst.

- ~ -

I've to say that this was quite an emotionally enthralling read.

The writing, while there was a lack of inner monologue, was deliciously poetic. I was able to immediately connect with the characters in both eras and never once did I faze out of any timeline.

As of the characters, I think as I mentioned above, Estee and Lily were both fierce, determined and exceptional woman who endured so much, be it the loss of a child or a father, and they were stronger because of it.

Their respective love stories were also just as exhilarating despite all that held them apart from loving and breathing freely. Although, I wish it was a bit more justified why Estee fell in love with Felix and Lily fell for Antonio.

- ~ -

4.12 / 5✩

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 & 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

THE ITALIAN DAUGHTER is the first book in the new The Lost Daughters series by Soraya Lane. I’ve loved every historical novel I have read by this author and this one definitely did not disappoint. This beautifully-written and heartfelt novel is a story of lost love, family secrets and above all, hope. In Italy in 1946, Estee must say goodbye to her childhood friend, Felix, when she is offered a spot as a ballerina in the famous La Scala theater. Although they have always expected to be together forever, Estee knows that for the sake of her family, she must take the position she’s been offered. Soon Felix’s parents demand he marry the daughter of a prominent family and forget about Estee. Will this be the end of their enduring love affair? In present day London, Lily learns some shocking news about her recently-deceased grandmother’s life. Although she has only a few obscure clues to follow, she is committed to learning the truth of her grandmother’s past. Lily accepts a job with a family-owned Italian vineyard. The handsome son of the vineyard owner, Antonio, offers to help Lily solve the mystery using the clues she’s been given. As the delve into the past together, Lily and Antonio’s relationship grows stronger and stunning secrets are gradually revealed. I so enjoyed this moving and engaging story with its vivid descriptions and seamlessly intertwined storylines. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this early read. I loved the dual timelines and the story. I can’t wait for this series to continue.

The start of a new seven part series each a dual timeline focusing on seven women brought together by Hopes House.
In this first novel, in present day we meet Lily who is called to a Lawyers office and given a box with a programme from La Scala theatre in Milan and a recipe in it. What connection does this have to a grandmother she didnt realise had been adopted. Having accepted a seasonal job at a vineyard in Italy she sees it as the perfect opportunity to investigate further.
In 1946 we meet Estee and Felix, forbidden lovers who have known each other since Estee was a young child auditioning to join La Scala as a ballerina. But Felix is betrothed to someone else and Estee refuses to be his mistress. Do they have a future together or ate they meant to be apart.
This is a wonderful novel and it promises to be a lovely series. Both timelines flowed seamlessly and each of them had a wonderful story. Full of love and hope.
Fans of Lucinda Riley will love this series. I can't wait to read the next one
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this advanced copy, my opinions are my own and not expected

An absolutely beautiful story about love, life, choices and following your heart. Lily lost her father at an early age. She felt driven to follow the dreams they planned and to learn the art of wine making in various locations. Italy is her new assignment and she felt a coming home feeling. Prior to leaving for Italy she went to see a lawyer who gave her information about her grandmother. It is a shock to learn she was adopted and she begins her search for the message left for her grandmother. What will Lily find out? Will she find her own love story in the process?
Thank you netgalley for complimentary copy.

The story of Estee and Felix is both complicated and simple, heartwarming and painful. Loved reading about their relationship and the effects on people well into the future. This is yet another book by the author that I truly enjoyed!

One of my favourite historical fiction authors is launching a new series of 8 books, The Lost Daughters. Each book in the series will be a dual timeline and will focus on one of the group of women who are called to a London lawyer’s office. These women are told that their grandmothers were born at Hope House, a home for unwed mothers, and are each given a letter and a box containing clues about their past - one none of them even knew they were searching for before arriving in the office.

The Italian Daughter is the first in the series and is set in Tuscany in 1937 and London in present day. In the 1930s timeline, the author introduces readers to soulmates, Felix and Estee, who are torn apart by family loyalty. Estee is being groomed as a prima ballerina in hopes of being accepted at the most prestigious dance academy in Italy - La Scala. When she meets the baker’s son, Felix Barbieri, it’s love at first sight. The two have an intense connection and have no doubt that their future is with each other. Unfortunately, social standing and parental expectations stand in their way.

In the present day timeline, we meet another lost daughter who is trying to find her way in the world after her dad’s death and her mother’s new relationship. After studying winemaking in Australia, Lily agrees to help with harvesting at the Martinelli winery in Lake Como. Lily is one of the women who’ve met with the London lawyer and she hopes to uncover more of her grandmother’s secrets while she is in Italy.

As she slowly stitches the two timelines together, Lane explores the notion that it’s important to live in the moment and be open to what life can teach us when we are willing to enjoy what we can control, rather than spending energy on what is out of our hands. Both women are changed by their time in Italy, they meet family and people who change the way they look at the world and change the way they feel about love. It truly is an enchanting novel that highlights following your heart, uncovering family secrets and coping with lost love.

You’ll love this book and will be longing for an espresso and a saccottini al cioccolato as you read. I think you’ll be like me and wish you had a friend who leaves treats worthy of the gods on your bed, too.

I’m so excited to travel to Cuba in Lane’s next installment in this series. More importantly, YOU need to read this book and discover why Soraya Lane is an auto-read author for me.

I was gifted this advance copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Stroll through the vineyards of Italy as Lily discovers who she is and where she came on from on this lovely journey of self discovery.

When Lily is unexpectedly summoned to an attorneys office regarding her late grandmother’s estate. She’s at a loss. What else could there be? When she arrived, she’s handed a small box with her grandmothers name on it. Inside, she finds an old recipe and a program to a famous Italian theater.

On her way to Italy to study under an expert winemaker, she takes her clues to the past with her and thanks to the help of the winemakers son, she’s able to trace the clues back to her long lost Italian family.

Set in a dual time line of present day and the late 1940’s, this story paints a beautiful portrait of Italy and the traditions of family.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Soraya Lane for early access for this great weekend read!

This book tells two intertwined stories, connecting Lily, in the present day, with Estee in the 1940s. It was an intriguing tale and I particularly enjoyed Estee's story. It was a light read, a good holiday book, with a simple story. I can see many have rated this book highly and although I would recommend it for an easy read, for me the characters and scenes lacked depth and I was perturbed that it often seemed to be the men in the story calling the shots, with the women responding or being affected by their actions. I was also hoping for more evocative scenes of Italy and La Scala.

I think on balance, this is probably just not my kind of book but nonetheless, I did enjoy a different type of read and raced through it wanting to know how it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have read by this author, but it will not be the last! I always enjoy novels that jump from present day to the past. Though I have found some authors do not make the transition as seamlessly as this one. I especially was drawn to Estee and Felix's story. Their relationship was so tumultuous, but the love between them so pure. I was surprised at the ending, which doesn't usually happen with me. Though often I don't get as drawn into the present day part of stories, I did in this one. I appreciated the decisions Lily had to make, and how she accepted the need to move past her grief to follow her dreams. I felt both the women grew throughout the story. And didn't hurt that a lot of it was set in Italy! Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I definitely recommend!!

Estee’s great-grandmother had met and fell in love with a man at Lake Como. He was betrothed to another but pressure from the family required him to complete the arranged marriage planned for him as a boy.

Estee feels the pull to Italy even though she does not know why. Felix had gone missing and was nowhere to be found. Pregnant and alone, she disappears to London to give birth to a love child.

Generations later, Lily in America is given a box with a recipe for a mixture of chocolate and hazel nuts and the corner of a program from Teatro Alla Scala in Milan. Italy calls her like a siren and cannot ignore the urge to visit.

The author has woven a generations old tale of broken hearts and lost loves! The fabric of this story is well woven with physical attraction and love torn asunder. I found myself wrapped in sympathy for each of the women.

The dual timeline is well-plotted and strongly descriptive, emotive, and atmospheric. Both timelines are equally engaging, WWII and present day. Gripping and hard to put down, the characters are strongly dominant. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

What a brilliant read, loved the duel storyline and how the present meets the past, how the present character searches to find the truth and finally reveals the past and the heartbreaking story that comes with it
Wonderful setting and descriptive and a lovely cast of characters
Would highly recommend this book could not put it down