Romance novel set in Valle D’Aosta
- Book: What Happens in the Alps
- Location: Valle d'Aosta
- Author: T A Williams
A delightful romance novel set amongst the glittering peaks of the Italian Alps.
Annie’s husband Steve died a couple of years ago, and as the book opens she is trying to get back to a semblance of normality. She has found premises for her venture, an English language school, based in fictional Santorso… Paolina is on hand to help her manage all the bookings that start to come in.
As the winter sets in, Annie re-connects with life after her extreme loss, and one of her great pleasures is to take off over the peaks in one of the ski lifts above the village. One day there is a small accident involving Leo the dog, and although he is largely unscathed she finds herself getting to know members of the Lago family (patriarch Lago owns the dog); and of course there is sexy Alessandro Lago who is definitely candy to the eye. A suave man about the slopes who engages with the good life – a quick spin in the car with the black horse emblem seduces Annie, but only to a certain extent. It’s not quite her thing.
Enter Matt, her husband’s friend, who was with Steve when he took his death tumble on a climb in the mountains. Matt is such an irrepressible womaniser, but nevertheless good friend to Annie. All her friends are naturally smitten. She of course is not, there is no way she would get involved with such a footloose and fancy free lothario, however attractive he may be.
As the reputation of her school grows, she pursues her dalliance with Alessandro, and the denouement comes at the masked ball. Who will be her skiing partner as the book closes?
Paolina and her unique dress-sense (not many women would sew appliqué Edelweiss over moth holes in a garment) form an entertaining feature in the book, as she changes clothes as often as Matt changes girlfriends (perhaps it is the descriptions of Paolina’s dress sense that hint that the author may not be female!).
An easy read for cold winter nights, this book certainly whisks you off, right up into the Italian Alps. The author clearly knows the area well. He is fully familiar with the vagaries of the ski world, the delights of a quick espresso, and Italian food such as Bagna Cauda. The writing is very readable, and the storyline is an enjoyable mix of mystery and romance.
Enjoy. I am just off for a sample of the local drink mentioned in the novel – genepy...cheers!
This review first appeared on our blog, where we chat to the author
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