xciting, Romantic, irresistible

This book captured my interest from page one. I loved the beautiful descriptions of the Italian landscapes and the Italian people and their customs, food and clothing during this period in history. I felt like I was traveling in Italy and seeing the sights.

The story is that of Richard a pacifist Quaker and a volunteer with the FAU (Friends Ambulance Service) during WWII. He did not believe in fighting so he volunteered to help the injured whichever side they were on. Never less than 30 miles from the front they tended the wounded. His story is told and after the war he returns to Tuscany in Italy and buys a house known as the Tobacco house as it used to be a tobacco drying factory.

The second part of the story is about a young woman named Fosca and her young son Giampiero. During the war Fosca lived in the tobacco house for a while with her son after she lost her job teaching school. She worked with the resistance with her friends Luca, Maria and her best friend Simonetta after her husband Silva was murdered by the German's. When the German's retaliated against the town because of a resistance act the town turned against her and after the war she and her son were outcasts. After the war she returns to the Tobacco House and meets Richard who has just purchased it.

This is the story of Fosca and Richard and the mystery of the death of her friend Simonetta. As Richard offers her a place to stay in the Tobacco House and helps her investigate her friends murder they fall in love with each other.

The story is told of the times before, after and during the war. Both Richard and Fosca's involvement in the war are told and some of the story is very sad. It is an exciting and at times suspenseful story, but also a story of love, family and the Italian land and people.
I really enjoyed reading this story and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Angela Petch, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of the book.

Book four in the Tuscan series, The Tuscan House, is a heartbreaking story that explores the incredible courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Another extensively researched and beautifully written historical fiction novel, this one centers around a couple of brave partisan women and a pacifist. Petch adds that although it’s well researched, it’s also laced with imagination. I believe she’s managed to dovetail the research and the narrative successfully because the story feels so natural.

Set in Corbello, Italy in 1947, we read about an ex-British soldier, Richard, who gives refuge to a woman and a little boy who stagger onto his property. Fosca Sentino had been involved in spying on the Nazis and passing secret information to the resistance before she was betrayed and is now outcast and in danger. Determined to find out who outted her and clear her name, Fosca searches for her friend and enlists Richard’s help. When a piece of jewelry turns up on Richard’s property, Fosca is certain it links to her Jewish friend, Simonetta. Pushing forward with the investigation puts Fosca in danger, but she needs to know the truth behind the disappearance of her friend.

Although this book was a bit confusing and a slow burn at first, it quickly took shape and revealed the desperate measures the Italians were forced to take for their survival. My heart ached at the thin line they walked each day, starving yet determined to fight back, despite having lost so much. Petch added a few twists to this plot and kept readers on their toes! Petch really is the Queen of Dual Timeline, isn’t she? I’ve never seen an author so seamlessly transition across time and location. The Tuscan House flashbacks are integrated so beautifully. I think one of her trademarks is her beautifully descriptive writing. The teacher in me loves to see all the metaphors and similes and the visual learner in me loves to imagine the setting as I read. Petch allows me to follow along in my ‘mind’s eye’ as I read. Among Petch’s strengths is also her ability to bring forgotten history alive and her dedication to connecting generations and highlighting their experiences, proving the tenacity and human desire to live and be remembered. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the four books in this series and I look forward to Angela Petch’s next book!

Publishes April 7, 2021

Thank you to Angela Petch, Bookouture and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Bookouture really do publish some fine evocative reads. Angela Petch is an author I am really beginning to like more and more the more I read her work. Tuscany is brought to life and what a place! During war time, the beauty is contrasted with the stunning scenery and this made me feel sad to think of how people living in peace and quiet suffered just as much as the cities we often read about.

The writing, characters and storyline were all very well done and I enjoyed this novel as a whole experience. There are more in the series and I will ensure I have them read before long!

The Tuscan House will delight fans of WWII dramas. This book tells the story of Fosca and Simonetta, who worked with the resistance in Italy and what transpired in the years immediately after the war ended. When the grave of her friend is discovered Fosca embarks on a journey to discover the circumstances of the death. Ms. Patch emerges readers in the settings as well as the actions and the emotions of her characters as the survivors tell their stories and deal with a sometimes not so pleasant aftermath. It’s a story that should not be missed. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

With grateful thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
My first time reading this author and certainly will not be the last.
Not having the previous 3 books in the Tuscan series I was slightly worried but it works equally as well, as a fascinating and gloriously intriguing book.
A tale that tugs at the heart strings I have nothing but praise for the beautifully written tale.