Publisher: 27th August 2020 by Canelo Escape
Pages: 211 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: women’s fiction, romance
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Synopsis:
Lucy needed a change of scene. She didn’t expect the change of a lifetime.
Doctors Without Borders has been Lucy Young’s life for the past four years. After being rescued from a conflict zone, she’s making a change from saving lives under gunfire to practising medicine in safe, serene Siena.
Now treating wealthy patients at a private clinic, she's never felt less comfortable. She’s used to helping those in dire need – not those in need of a nip and tuck. Her turmoil grows when she encounters injured tennis star David Lorenzo, whose smiles make Lucy forget her aversion to the rich.
She’s soon falling for the sportsman but is she losing herself in this world of excess? All she’s ever wanted was to help the underprivileged, so can her future lie in Siena at the clinic – with David?
My Thoughts
‘Carpe diem, she told herself. Enjoy the moment’
There were a few things that attracted me to this book, primarily a story about a doctor from MSF, who is airlifted from war-torn Congo in the very first chapter! She then heads to Italy to reflect and contemplate her future. In our current world climate where none of us is traveling far, this book provided some much needed escapism and where better than sunny Siena.
‘... her thoughts were drawn to the people she had left behind in Africa and she found herself struggling, caught between these two so very different worlds.’
I found this to be a well rounded tale and not your usual women’s romantic fiction. All up this has a great location, delectable cuisine and a sensible storyline. I feel completely refreshed. I like how romance is not what it’s all about and there are added dimensions to this read. Our lead character Lucy, was not even looking for love but rather a place to heal from her stressful escape. So yes, there is a slow burning relationship but added to that is past acquaintances, new friends with lots of food and wine.
‘On one level this almost annoyed her as she had always thought of herself as a self-sufficient kind of woman who was quite happy without the usual trappings of conventional life. Now she wasn’t so sure.’
Two things really stood out in this read. Firstly is the history and geography of Siena, Italy. This armchair traveller was most satisfied in closing the final page. The glamour of Tuscany is there for all to read - sunny vineyards, olive groves, remnants of castles across this Italian vista. I appreciated the trips to the coast and Florence but it was the history of the local area that had me scrambling to Google to read up on it further. Even the famous Palio horse race made this book rich in cultural offerings.
Secondly, and more importantly from a personal point of view, was how intelligent and mature Lucy was. I just was fully appreciative of the range of issues the author chose to highlight throughout this tale - everything from immigration to wealth distribution. The personal dilemma Lucy faces from the first to almost the last page as she wrestles with her principles, adds the extra depth and honesty to the book.
‘What did worry her, however, was the idea of going into private medicine which, by definition, would be reserved for the privileged few, when she felt sure her heart lay in helping those less fortunate than herself. Would she be ignoring all her natural instincts?’
Overall, this proved a wonderful escapist read that will see you transported to Siena. Highly recommended for those looking for something light but appreciative of a female lead in a romance that is strong and sincere to what she holds to be true.
‘After living for years in an environment containing spiders that could paralyse you, snakes that could kill you, and armed men who could do unspeakable things to you, this really was heaven. Yes, she thought to herself as she drifted off to sleep, her escape to Tuscany was turning out to be everything she had dreamed of and more.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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