A superb read for fans of historical fiction. I was utterly engrossed from the start. A brilliant story with great characters and descriptions

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

The Tuscan Secret is the first book by Angela Petch I've read and I must say I was impressed. This is a gripping and tragic story of Anna discovering her mother's diary/memoir about her life in Italy during WWII. Anna takes a trip to Tuscany to delve deeper into her heritage and while there meet Francesco who helps her translate her mother's writing and serves as a tour guide around the area. Anna and Francesco also develop romantic feelings along the way. I really related and enjoyed reading about all the characters in this book (past and present). This is a story of history, romance, life choices and consequences, and survival. If you enjoy WWII fiction with a slight chick-lit twist, then you'll enjoy The Tuscan Secret. I am looking forward to reading more by Ms. Petch in the future.

Angela Petch’s romantic tale of love, war, and family takes place in Rofelle, Italy. She blends details from her personal experience as a part-time resident of Rofelle with the collected tales of locals who survived the brutality of the German invasion during WWII.

This meticulously researched love story tells the tale of Anna, a young woman struggling to understand her mother’s past. After her mother’s death, Anna inherits her journals. While Anna knew that both her mother and father experienced WWII in the Italian countryside, nothing could prepare her for the secrets she uncovers hidden in her mother’s notebooks.

Anna travels from her home in England to Rofelle and enlists the help of a handsome scholar to translate her mother’s words. As Anna begins to understand the complexity and danger of her mother’s life during and after the war, she falls in love with the Italian countryside that her mother spent a lifetime longing for as an immigrant in England.

While generous with sensory details describing the food, wine, and beauty of Tuscany, Petch’s work connects the struggles of the Italian resistance movement to the life-long struggles the resistance members faced as they built families after the war. Petch expertly captures how Anna’s parents pass down their trauma to their children, but not their stories. This novel provides an unexpected gateway for romance readers to experience a less romantic but equally satisfying view of the Italian countryside and its people.

Gripping story that takes you from present day England to wartime Italy. Follow the diary of a young Italian girl as she falls for an English soldier and marries him. When she returns to England with him her life changes for the worst. Her daughter traces her story back to the small village where her mother was born and finds secrets and romance.

A World War II historical novel by @Angela. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t my last. I adored her writing style. This is wonderful story of how learning about her mother history, Anna finds herself. It’s a tale of 2 love stories. It’s a great read with wonderful characters who will stay with you long after the book is closed.

This was my second book by this author and I absolutely devoured it. Couldn’t get enough! It was so beautifully written and the characters were so engaging that I was totally absorbed.
When Anna’s mother Ines passes away in 1999, she inherits some letters that are kind of a diary of her mothers life of being born in Italy but ending up living in England. So Anna decides to take a leave from work and go to Italy and search out her mothers past, since while she was alive she didn’t want to talk much about her past. When she arrives in Italy she checks into a bed and breakfast run by siblings Teresa and Francesco. Francesco helps Anna with her searching by showing her some points of interest that he finds while translating the papers for Anna. Ines really struggled as a young bride after meeting an English soldier and moving with him to escape the war.
While in Italy, Anna meets some people who knew her mother, including a grumpy old man who doesn’t want any part of telling Anna any about Ines, but as she gets to know Francesco, Teresa and some others in the village, she discovers there was so much more to her mothers story than she could have imagined, including the involvement of the grumpy old man in a much more intense way than she would have guessed.
This was full of history, love, family and self discovery. Can’t wait to read more from this author.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

If you are looking for a beautifully written story that is multi-layered with wonderful characters, this story is for you! Better yet, the story is mainly set in Tuscany, Italy. Petch does a fantastic job of making you feel as if you are right there in the story with the characters. You will find yourself wrapped up with each character and hoping for the best possible outcome.

Come to Tuscany and enjoy the friends you will make in Petch’s The Tuscan Secret!

Thank you to #netgalley, and #Forever/GrandCentralPublishing for allowing me to read this eARC. All opinions expressed above are my own.