The Temptation of Gracie

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A contemporary mother daughter novel that largely takes place in Italy and explores lost loves and second chances. Widow Gracie Burton manages to send her entire British village into a tailspin when gossip swirls that she is heading to Italy- ALONE. Feeling the desire to intervene, a gossipy neighbor alerts Gracie's grown daughter to her mother's unsafe plans. At first, Carina, cannot see the point of taking time away from her busy work schedule to figure out her secretive mother. But when her husband points out that Carina doesn't have any type of relationship with their teenage daughter, Carina decides they are heading to Italy. During this week long journey, over food and sunshine filled days, Gracie will reveal to her daughter and granddaughter a tale of love and loss. The Temptation of Gracie's Flappy now takes centre stage in her very own novel, more charismatic and competitive than ever! Don't miss Flappy Entertains – out now** Santa Montefiore in 2013Gracie Burton is an unassuming widow, living independently with her two dogs and keeping herself busy by involving herself in various village activities in Badley Compton in Devon. She has a reputation for efficiency and for getting things done and is relied upon by the unlikely-named Flappy Scott-Booth, who sees herself as the self-appointed lady of the manor – for which, read busybody. Gracie claims to have led an unremarkable life and no one has any reason to disbelieve her – not even her nearest and dearest. Ramsay and Grace were very well-suited and apart from the above-mentioned issue, there was always great communication between the two. I’ll give this one four stars. An enchanting read overflowing with deliciously poignant moments' DINAH JEFFERIES on Songs of Love and War

It has been a long time since I have read anything by this author, so unfortunately this is the first book in this series that I have read. And while that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this story, I do feel that certain parts would have made more sense had I read the prior novels.Gracie tells Carina that she is going to go to Italy and Rufus suggests that she and Anastasia accompany her. Throughout the book there are a number of scenes with Samantha and Heathcliff, the couple from the second book in the series. I really enjoy Grace’s friendship with Samantha and how supportive Samantha was of Grace. Plus I really like Samantha and Heathcliff as a couple so it was fantastic seeing them again. The couple from the first book, Liliah and Lucas, appear towards the end of the book and I enjoyed seeing them again as well. This is the third in the series about three Regency lords who manage a club called Temptations and how they find their loves, this one featuring Ramsay, Marquess of Sterling, the most strait-laced of the three, and Grace, the ward of one of the other two. Although both characters were introduced in previous books, this can be read as a standalone.

It took me awhile to get into this one, the pacing was maybe just a bit slow. I found Grace to be rather immature and that made it hard to believe she'd end up with Ramsey or make a good match for him, especially when she took so little notice of him at first. In the previous book she was very educated and serious, not so given to fancies, but in this one she's infatuated to the point of silliness that seemed rather out of character, though maybe this is just what first love does to you. Still I wouldn't have expected such naivete from her, especially in her willingness to completely trust someone she doesn't know. It just made me annoyed with her. Miss Iris Grace Morgan is hoping to live up to her name and show a bit of grace during her first season. But after a near disaster at her first event, Grace isn’t sure that’s going to happen. Ramsey Scott, Marquess of Sterling, avoids gossip and scandal like the plague but after witnessing Grace’s debacle, he cannot help but offer his assistance. However the more time Ramsay spends with Grace, the more he finds himself drawn to her. And after Grace unexpectedly shows up at Ramsay’s office in his club, the pair are unable to ignore their attraction any longer.It is obvious throughout this novel that Santa Montefiore spent time in Tuscany herself. The romantic and vivid ambience is described so well I felt that I was there and drinking it all in. The story is tastefully written (and I’m not just talking about the food) and vibrant in sound, colour, and taste – a true feast for the senses. I started off feeling positive about this book - the heroine, hero, and their friends are likable, and the Regency setting is always fun. Some characters were obviously featured in the two previous books; reading those first would probably have added to my enjoyment a smidge, but is not at all necessary to understanding this story.

One day, Gracie encounters an advertisement in a magazine, announcing that Castle Montefosco, in Tuscany, is currently open to the public. Strangers can come and stay for a few days and learn how to cook authentic Italian food. Although everyone knows Gracie as someone who hates leaving the comfort of her small town in England, she makes the seemingly crazy decision to travel to Italy. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster UK for a digital galley in exchange for an honest review. I just finished the entire series, so I'm posting an all over review here because I feel like I read the same book three times. I enjoyed them, but only barely. There is only so much giggling you can handle or "knowing glances passed between friends" lines you can read before it gets boringly repetitive. Although there were some predictable points in the storyline, I felt that there was enough material in the story to keep me interested. The relationship between Gracie and her granddaughter, Anastasia was beautifully written and made me miss my maternal grandmother very much. As well, just like so many other books set in Italy- I finished this book very hungry. As well, I will always remember that garlic and onion divorced and that is why we don't cook them together. Haha! The author's comments and the Prologue pulled at my emotions from the beginning and I knew that Ramsey and Grace deserved to find a happiness that knew no bounds. This is a wonderful story of two special souls who needed each other, although it may have taken awhile to slowly come together.Even though this is book #3 in this series and there are characters that tie these books together this one reads well as a standalone. What ensues is a delightful read that jumps between Gracie spending 10 years of her life in Italy in the 1960s and the cookery course in 2010.

There were a few twists in the story that I did not anticipate, although anticipating outcomes and being right about them is fun, it is a real delight to me when they are unexpected. Maybe the novel was a bit predictable in some regards, but it didn't honestly spoil the experience for me. I was *rooting* for my predictions to come true, expecting they would, but hoping they'd come faster. I really enjoyed this book. It is essentially a feel-good story where the reader has a feeling from the start that all will end happily ever after, they are just not sure how. It is a light and easy read though not trivial. There is a good plot that works well and great characters many of which I recognise from life! I raced through this book as it had all the ingredients for a good read - good characters, a sound plot, a bit of history, some light amusing bits and an ending that worked well. Sometimes story mesh well with me, and sometimes they don't. There was nothing particularly wrong with this one, but there are some excellent, new historical romances out there and this one didn't stand up against them. This book was enjoyable but I will say it took me awhile to get into it. I felt this book was very much into the character's stories individually and not so much into the bedchamber olympics. Which is great, if that's what you're looking for. But then when I had begun to lose hope of having someone awarded a Gold Medal in the boudoir, a scene popped up. It felt......weird though. That's really all I can say. Just.....weird. Not wrong but not right either. Not in the creepy wrong way just in the IAmDeadInsideAndFeelNoEmotionsDuringThisLoveScene way.WINNER OF THE GOLDSBORO BOOKS HISTORICAL ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARD 2019, FROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR