I have seen a great trend in romance books lately. More authors are writing what they are calling, "Clean Romances". This basically means that you can read a Romance without having to read graphic sex scenes, that usually are not needed. I recently read a feel-good romance, with a great mystery that needed to be solved by the heroine. Here is what it says on the back cover:
"Tiziana Manoretti is an only child in her late twenties blessed with loving parents, a promising career, and a best friend who fiercely protects her. When her mother falls seriously ill and the relationship between her parents becomes suddenly strained, a carefully hidden family secret is revealed and Tiziana’s seemingly idealistic world is turned upside down.
After discovering she was born in a Naples orphanage and subsequently given up for adoption, Tiziana sets out for the small town of Gaeta in an attempt to find her birth parents. Meanwhile, her best friend Christopher is sending her mixed messages, causing her to wonder if there is more to their relationship than just companionship. As she becomes intertwined with a handful of interesting characters who help her uncover her past, Tiziana needs to decide whether her feelings for Christopher are deeper than she realizes. She discovers herself and others all while her family’s resilience and love for one another is tested when confronted with a shocking truth.
The answers lie in a box found in a closet in Italy, and Tiziana must determine if she wants to embrace the heartache and the pain from her past in order to learn forgiveness and find peace in the future"
After discovering she was born in a Naples orphanage and subsequently given up for adoption, Tiziana sets out for the small town of Gaeta in an attempt to find her birth parents. Meanwhile, her best friend Christopher is sending her mixed messages, causing her to wonder if there is more to their relationship than just companionship. As she becomes intertwined with a handful of interesting characters who help her uncover her past, Tiziana needs to decide whether her feelings for Christopher are deeper than she realizes. She discovers herself and others all while her family’s resilience and love for one another is tested when confronted with a shocking truth.
The answers lie in a box found in a closet in Italy, and Tiziana must determine if she wants to embrace the heartache and the pain from her past in order to learn forgiveness and find peace in the future"
The Romantic setting in this story grabbed me from the start. Most of the story takes place in Naples, Italy. The place I want to travel to the most is Italy; specifically, Rome, Venice and Naples. The other thing that drew me into this story was the fact that Tiziana, the main character, was adopted and she is Italian. Guess what? I was adopted and I am Italian. I could relate to the character very easily. Even though there was some predictability in the storyline, I didn't care, because I liked the characters so much. I also enjoyed watching Tiziana figure out things that the reader already had guessed. Laura has one of those writing styles that the words seem to flow easily across the pages. This is a wonderful quick read, and you feel very happy when you are done reading it.
I also loved the descriptions of Naples in the story as she brought to life the beauty of the Neapolitan mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. It made me want to go there even more. Most importantly about this novel are the themes of family relationships, forgiveness, friendship, and enduring love.
I recommend this book to any person that loves a good, clean romance. This would be a great book to read while lazing around on a Saturday in your p.j.'s or a hot, Summer day while sipping lemonade.
You can purchase this book at these places:
I want to thank Laura for the review copy of, "Daughter of Mine". I did not receive any compensation for giving this review.
Today I want to introduce to you Laura Fabiani.
Education and Current Activities
Laura Fabiani has a degree in Special Care Counselling and a diploma in Writing for Children and Teenagers. She also translates documents from the French language to English for the medical community since 2000. She is founder of NouveauWriter.com, an online resource for new and aspiring writers. She blogs about books at Library of Clean Reads, where she reviews books and offers promotional services to authors. Fabiani currently teaches creative writing workshops in English and French.
Interests and Inspiration
Laura Fabiani has been writing as far back as she can remember, making use of poetry and short compositions throughout her youth to express her ideas and feelings. One of her early goals in life was to write a novel. She began several of them, but never brought them to completion… until one day her sister asked, “Laura, when are you going to finish that book you once talked about writing?”
That's when Fabiani finally sat down and began to write where she had left off more than eight years ago, when the idea for Daughter of Mine was sparked listening to her mother-in-law’s stories of her youth in her native Naples.
Italy has always held a special place for Laura Fabiani because her parents are Italian immigrants. Her father is from the beautiful mountainous region of Pescara in Abruzzo and her mother from the romantic city of Rome. In addition, Fabiani’s maternal grandmother came from a noble family in Gaeta, Naples. Fabiani has traveled several times to Italy and stayed in her ancestral home in Rome with her relatives.
When not writing or immersed in study, she divides her time between taking care of her family and sharing in a volunteer worldwide Bible education program. Of all the literature Fabiani has read, the Holy Scriptures have shaped her life the most. She has deep respect for this book that has influenced some of the world’s greatest art, literature, music and has had a significant impact on law. “It teaches us how to live the best life now and in the future,” she believes.
She is currently working on her second novel. She lives with her husband and two children in Montreal, Quebec.
Laura Fabiani has a degree in Special Care Counselling and a diploma in Writing for Children and Teenagers. She also translates documents from the French language to English for the medical community since 2000. She is founder of NouveauWriter.com, an online resource for new and aspiring writers. She blogs about books at Library of Clean Reads, where she reviews books and offers promotional services to authors. Fabiani currently teaches creative writing workshops in English and French.
Interests and InspirationLaura Fabiani has been writing as far back as she can remember, making use of poetry and short compositions throughout her youth to express her ideas and feelings. One of her early goals in life was to write a novel. She began several of them, but never brought them to completion… until one day her sister asked, “Laura, when are you going to finish that book you once talked about writing?”
That's when Fabiani finally sat down and began to write where she had left off more than eight years ago, when the idea for Daughter of Mine was sparked listening to her mother-in-law’s stories of her youth in her native Naples.
Italy has always held a special place for Laura Fabiani because her parents are Italian immigrants. Her father is from the beautiful mountainous region of Pescara in Abruzzo and her mother from the romantic city of Rome. In addition, Fabiani’s maternal grandmother came from a noble family in Gaeta, Naples. Fabiani has traveled several times to Italy and stayed in her ancestral home in Rome with her relatives.
When not writing or immersed in study, she divides her time between taking care of her family and sharing in a volunteer worldwide Bible education program. Of all the literature Fabiani has read, the Holy Scriptures have shaped her life the most. She has deep respect for this book that has influenced some of the world’s greatest art, literature, music and has had a significant impact on law. “It teaches us how to live the best life now and in the future,” she believes.
She is currently working on her second novel. She lives with her husband and two children in Montreal, Quebec.
Sheila, thanks so much for such a lovely review! I am so pleased you enjoyed the story and that it touched you. I didn't know you are Italian. What a coincidence that the story circumstances resembled yours! I appreciate your support in my book tour.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Laura
Thank you so much for letting me participate! It was my pleasure to read your book.
ReplyDeleteThe "Clean Romances" trend in romance novels is a welcome relief for many readers, including myself. Much was made about Richard Attenborough's "Shadowlands (1993)" a romantic movie in which the same formula was followed to great effect. Often there is no need to portray gratuitous sex scenes in a literary piece except as a cheap device to captivate readers. In fact, for romance to achieve it's intended goal, the physicality of romantic expression is best expressed though symbolic or inferred expressions that spark the reader's imagination and provides unique interpretation. This quality of mystery adds depth to what romance should be about.
ReplyDeleteThank you Vasilios for your comments. I agree with you that the Clean Romances are a welcome relief for the literary world. I appreciate you visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm coming very late to this post, but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading this review. And Sheila, I didn't know you were Italian! So am I! (As if you couldn't guess that by my surname. LOL!) So what was your maiden name, or are you Italian on your mother's side? What part of Italy are your ancestors from? Or will you even read this comment as I'm posting it so long after you wrote this review? Just in case you do, let me add: Next time we see each other....PASTA! ;-)
ReplyDelete