Really good book I enjoyed hearing about the landscapes and the views and how she gets to meet her dad she knew nothing about.

My sister has become a huge fan of Julie Caplin, so when the blog tour invite came through, I couldn't resist signing up!
Caplin has a wonderful talent in describing her setting incredibly well, to really help the readers to immerse themselves in the book and feel like they're there with the characters.
The plot is lovely and cosy, and is a fabulous way to warm up when it's cold outside! I was sucked into the drama immediately and even gasped at some of the developmets!
It's a fun read, and has me looking forward to some warmer weather!

The food! The gelato and pastry treats! The wine and cheese! My mouth was watering as I read along with this fun story set in gorgeous Positano, Italy. 

It took me a minute to get into this story. I even read the synopsis (twice!) before I figured out what was going on in the first couple of chapters. It felt like it just jumped right into the middle of Italy, vs easing us in with some backstory. I didn’t fully feel the chemistry between Raph and Lia, even with Raph's mother pushing them together. I was more cheering for the family bonding between Lia and her newfound father and siblings. I especially loved Leo! I hope he makes a triumphant return in a future story!

What I did love? The scene where Raph came out of the water. Oh my goodness- “Daniel Craig, eat your heart out” had me in hysterics (while my heart was palpitating). SWOON!!

I’m a huge fan of Julie Caplin’s books and being in Italy on the Amalfi coast was very special. Julie’s writing is so evocative and brought back so many memories of my times there.
Lia’s story is a good one - her life as a textile designer sounded fascinating and the colours and pictures of her work described sounded beautiful- bringing the Italian coastline to life. I loved her spark and feisty nature - to have found out something so life altering at that stage of her life must have been shattering but I had to admire her tenacity. The sparks between her and Raph were great and I loved the one liners and comebacks between them. Oh and don’t mention that gorgeous sounding food 😊

I'm a huge fan of Julie Caplin's books and currently making my way through her Romantic Interests' Series so when I was offered the chance to review her latest in the series I jumped at the chance. As usual I was not disappointed. Yet another great story which left me wanting to travel to Italy myself. Julie's books always make you feel you are there right in the heart of the action experiencing everything that is happening. Her books often leave me wanting to explore the places she writes about and this one was one of them. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I really enjoyed joining Lia on her journey to meet her real father, Julie really captured the emotions that Lia went through and how it had affected not just her but her family as she found out the truth about her heritage and the journey that she goes on. Entertaining, moving, and a great story. Unputdownable! One not to be missed.

A great setting in Italy. Lia meets Raph in London and then in Italy, where they clash. His matchmaking mother has other ideas.

I have to say first of all how much I enjoyed the setting of this book. I visited the beautiful Amalfi coast a few years back and this book brought back many memories of just how lovely it was – and how hot it was too. I could easily picture the steep hillside with the colourful houses seeming to cling to it, the heat of the Italian sunshine, the sparkling azure water of the Mediterranean sea which the author so vividly depicted.

And the food descriptions – oh my goodness! From the home-made pasta to delicious sounding pasta sauces, from the many flavours of Italian gelato to traditionally made pizza and with the scent of lemons permeating the air, everything sounded wonderful. I think my mouth was watering throughout each chapter!

The author has created some lovely characters in Raph’s large Italian family and I really liked how Aurelia and Ernesto, despite their fame and wealth, tried to live as normal a life as possible and had such a wonderful relationship. Their warm and welcoming manner and generosity to Lia was lovely. I enjoyed the depiction of different forms of family in this book and how Julie Caplin showed that what matters most in a family is love.

Love of course is key in this book with it being part of the Romantic Escapes series. Lia was looking for escape in more ways than one but what she didn’t expect was to find that grumpy business manager Mr Knight was in fact the step-son of the man she has just found out is her biological father. Their slow burn enemies-to-lovers relationship was so well related and the passion between them soon built into a heat to rival the Italian sun. But of course, there are misunderstandings and bumps in the road so do they get their happy-ever-after? Well, you’ll have to read it yourself to find out what happens.

A Villa With a View is a romantic, heart-warming read giving a real taste of Italy. I really enjoyed my armchair visit to the Amalfi coast and found the book to have a very satisfying ending. I wonder where Julie Caplin will take us next?

A Villa with a View by Julie Caplin

This author never fails to hit the escape criteria that I am always looking for in a book, beautifully written with lovely descriptions, the Amalfi Coast felt as if it was in touching distance. Perfect for this time of year when I feel we are all in need of a little warmth and sunshine. I was routing for Lia and Raph from the get go, but I was also invested in the supporting characters stories as they were not just mentioned in passing. A lovely slow burn romance to pass away these winter months. Thanks very much Netgalley, HarperCollins UK and One More Chapter for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

This was a delighful story from beginning to end. The perils of falling in love in a beautiful Italian setting. Some lovely chaacters and a great family atmosphere. I loved the conclusion and fely completely satisfied by the end.

Raphael Knight is determined to protect his famous step-father from any one who might take advantage. From the time his mother married Ernesto, people have been using Raph to get to him. Now that Raph is Ernesto's business manager, he takes this very seriously. When Lia Bathurst contacts Raph to try to meet the man that she is claiming is her biological father, Raph is convinced that she is just another opportunist and sends her on her way.

When Lia agrees to do a DNA test for a friend, she has no idea that her whole world is about to turn upside down. The man who she believed was her father is not, and when she confronts her mother about this she is told that a famous Italian film star. She is furious and suddenly feels like she doesn't belong anymore.

Lia is a textile artists who is suffering from artists block (I assume that this is a thing, like writers block for authors!!) and so she decides to spend the summer in Positano hoping for both some inspiration and maybe to meet her father. This was actually the second book in a row where one of the characters was an artist who was struggling for inspiration.

Raph is furious when Lia turns up in Positano, having met his young brother Leo, and he is determined to keep her away from the rest of his family. However, before long Raph and Lia keep on getting thrown together in one romantic situation after another. He doesn't trust her but he is also very attracted to her.

Last year we went to Italy and we visited Positano as part of a drive along the Amalfi coast. We only stayed for one night. It was an interesting place. There was only main road through the town so if you went past your hotel you had to do the whole road again and hope you didn't miss it the next time around. Whilst we loved the whole amazing Amalfi coast we had said that we probably wouldn't do it again, at least not in the same way. Here's some video of the drive




Having read this book, I said to my husband I think we need to go back in the summer but stay for at least a week so that we could do some of the things that were in this book. For example, Lia and Raph visited a lemon grove and I could almost smell the lemons, or go out on a boat at sunset. I like to save passages in books about food and places and I bookmarked a lot from passages about lemon pasta, ice cream, lemon groves and so much more

I have read a couple of Julie Caplin books now and really liked both of them. I do have a couple of others on my Kindle to read, and I will will absolutely read whatever comes next!

I am sharing with New Release challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review blog.

Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to visit other stops on the blog tour!

Rating 4/5

A perfect summer read. Full of lovely heartwarming characters and lazy summer landscapes and settings nideal For those summer holidays and bank holidays. Indulge yourself in this warm read this summer time you won’t regret it.

Synopsis……..Lia Bathurst had always dreamed of escaping to the white sandy beaches and turquoise blue seas of the Amalfi coast – but that dream hadn’t included meeting her real father. A father she had never even known about until a few weeks ago! Yet here she was, standing outside the gates of a gorgeous pink villa being refused entry by the insufferable – and insufferably handsome – Raphael Knight, her father’s business manager.
When an old black and white photo proves Lia’s claim to be true, Raph is determined to make sure this stranger, with her long caramel waves and infectious smile, doesn’t have an ulterior motive. Even if that means not letting her out of his sight.
As temperatures rise, and not just from the heat of the Mediterranean sun, could Lia and Raph’s forced proximity lead to something more like… amore?

My thoughts…… this novel was set in the beautiful Amalfi coast as I had visited this part of the world the imagery was vivid . The food the art the scenery took you on an escape with Lia.
Lia has found out her father is not her biological father and travels to Italy to meet her rich father and his/ her family. Raph dislikes her and thinks she is after his stepfathers money but as stories goes of course they are attracted to each other . It was a slow burn but if you enjoy a summer setting and the romance then this is for you !

The most gorgeous setting to escape to and it feels so atmospheric. You can feel the sun on your skin and taste the lovely Italian food. It had my mouth watering! Lia is there too meet her birth father but it is not easy with her father's business manager Raphael standing in her way. In the beginning of the book Lia meets Leo who I liked much more than Raphael. Lia and Raphael are a slow burn romance which at times felt extra slow and repetitive but this does allow you to get to know them on a more intimate level. I enjoyed the easy banter and getting to go on a journey of self discovery with Lia was a pleasure.

I do look forward to new books from Julie Caplin and I was delighted to read this one. I know I can always rely on her writing to deliver both a wonderful romance and a culinary delight. I always end up feeling the warmth of the romance with a desire to eat some of the delights from the pages. This time, my foodie nemesis was pasta. 

A Villa with a View is a fabulous enemies to lovers story that delivered on every level. Lia was totally relatable and I could feel her displacement as she discovered that she was not truly part of the family that she’d grown up with, yet neither was she a part of the Italian family that she was getting to know. In my dreams I have a creative talent, but I could absolutely envisage her art creations and honestly feel that I have a new respect for the medium. 

Raphael – Raph – was almost perfect as a leading man. His clear distrust of the woman claiming to be the long lost daughter of his own stepfather was evident, and a tangible obstacle to them ever feeling more than friction between each other. As a reader, I didn’t need to dig to deeply to uncover the fact that he had good reasons for rejecting her claim. 

As I have come to expect, a major character was definitely the sights and scenes of the Amalfi Coast. With perfect descriptions of the surrounding area, it was natural that I could almost feel the sun shining and hear the Mediterranean waves crashing on the beach. Julie has a gift when it comes to describing the gorgeous settings for her books. 

As her characters developed, I discovered more about Lia and Raph, but also about their families. I loved Leo, he seemed like an excitable Labrador, finding fun in the simplicity of life. What wasn’t immediately obvious was that he was hiding a more serious side. The story is mainly in the company of Lia’s Italian family, but we do get to see how much love was in her home life before the devastating discovery which saw her life upturned. 

This is a corker of a story and I cannot recommend it enough.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'A Villa With A View' by Julie Caplin.

Read and reviewed for Julie Caplin, One More Chapter Publishing, Harper Collins UK, NetGalley and Rachel's Random Resources Tours.

Publication date 29th February 2024.

This is the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be my last!! It is also the eleventh book in Julie's 'Romantic Escapes' series but can be read as a standalone.

This novel consists of 37 chapters and an epilogue The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book has fantastic descriptions that set you straight in the scenes. The cover, title and synopsis suit the storyline perfectly.

Where the heck have you been hiding all my life Julie!!! Love, LOVE, LOVED this absolutely beautiful page turner!! An absolute must read!!!

OMG!!! I to get stuck in to all of Julie's previous books!! They are just guaranteed to be stunning!! I absolutely adored the gorgeous storyline An absolutely stunning book that takes you away from wherever you are when you turn the first page of this book, in my case on a sofa curled up under a fleece in rainy dreary Wales, and delivers you to the stunning Amalfi coast in Italy!! I went from feeling cold to feeling the sun on my face, smelling the zest of lemons in the air and tasting them on my tongue and feeling the stunning sights of the Amalfi Coast. Julie really does make the scent and taste of the lemons and pasta explode into the readers senses and I was absolutely devastated when I came to the end of my holiday and had to pack my bags to swap the Italian sun for the Welsh rain again! In this beautiful book we meet Lia who has just discovered that the person she thought was her father is not actually related to her and that her real father is an Italian actor. Lia has travelled to the Amalfi Coast to meet him but is refused entry to her father's beautiful villa by his business manager Raphael who refuses to believe her claims. Lia produces an old photo as evidence but Raph is still determined to prove that she is not who she says she is and must have an ulterior motive. This is a story filled with stunning surroundings, enemies to lovers, passion, suspicion, secrets, stunning food, chaos, family, drama and absolutely everything you could want in a gorgeous page turner!!! I was completely invested in this book from the very first page and was hooked throughout. I just could not put it down and ended up devouring it in one sitting!! Julie's stunning evocative writing skills really do bring the locations, emotions and the characters to life!! This is one of those books that is very easy to read and perfect for any reading situations whether you are laying on a beach or curled up in front of a fire. It is an absolutely ideal read for anyone who is looking for a beautiful and addictive read that will have you hooked from beginning to end. I absolutely LOVED the realism of this storyline which made it so easy to picture everything that was going on which had been helped by Julie's fantastic evocative writing skills. I cannot wait to get hooked into more of her books so I hope she is busy writing her one while I get stuck into her previous books!! This is definitely one of those books that will turn a frown upside down and make life seem a lot brighter. I cannot wait to devour the rest of the books in this series and travel from Wales to other stunning places that Julie takes her characters on over and over again. One moment I'm sitting on a sofa in rainy Wales and the next I'm devouring pasta in Italy!!! What are you waiting for grab your copy of this stunning escapism and get your sun-cream out for Italy today!!

Although this is the eleventh book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others although I definitely cannot wait to get stuck into the rest!!

Well done Julie on an absolutely beautiful book!!! This may be the first book I have read by her but I cannot wait to get hold of more books by this extremely talented author!!!

The characters were all an eclectic mix and each one of them were realistic and strong. I was completely invested in them all. It also makes them more realistic, believable and made me feel even more for them than I normally would. They each had their own unique personalities with positive and negative behaviours. The majority of the book surrounds Lia but we also get to see what is going on from Raph's perspective which I enjoyed as it gives a bigger picture to how the characters are feeling. I absolutely loved both Lia and Raph as individuals but also when they are together as I loved 'watching' their fiery and lively interactions and seeing them develop together and separately. I love the fact that they are determined not to like each other even when they are so similar in regards to their career focused minds along with the fact they are both the 'outsiders' of their families. This book is a fantastic friends to lovers romance with characters that suit that description absolutely perfectly!! It wasn't just Lia and Raph I was invested in and enjoyed getting to meet but many of the other fantastic characters too including Ernesto's lovely wife Aurelia and the rest of the family who are very entertaining, boisterous and a little bit bonkers!!! Julie clearly cares about her characters as she has made them and their personalities very in depth and gives them realistic qualities from weaknesses to strengths along with insecurities. I loved getting to know them and am looking forward to meeting more characters that she has created. Her absolutely fantastic evocative writing skills makes them leap off the pages and come to life right before your eyes and I was sad to have to say Goodbye to them! Each and every one of the characters are memorable and unique in their own ways and they are a group that I wont be forgetting any time soon! A stunning rom com and an amazing group of unforgettable characters!!!

Pick up this book and get lost in this absolutely gorgeous page turner! This has got to be one of the most stunning escapism books I have ever read 💜!!!

Congratulations Julie on an absolutely stunning read that I just could not put down!!! I am absolutely mind blown that I have never read any of your absolutely gorgeous books yet!! I am looking forward to reading more of your previous and future books. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!!! Welcome to my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂

Overall an unputdownable, gorgeous, STUNNING page turning book filled with romance, escapism and so much more!! A gorgeous, romantic and stunning read!!!!

339 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle and £9.19 in paperback at time of review via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

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This is book 11 in the romantic escape series by Julie Caplin. I have read all of the previous books and thoroughly enjoyed them. Book 11 is another good read. The book jumps straight into the story of Lia Bathurst on the Amalfi coast. Lia has just found out that she is the biological daughter of a major movie star, Ernesto Salvatore. In her attempts to meet her father she is thwarted by the business manager / step son of her father, Raphael Knight, who doesn't believe Lia is who she claims to be. We start the story with Lia being denied entry to her fathers holiday villa and being. turned away. When a photo of Lia's mother and biological father is found, Raphael realises he is wrong about Lia. When Lia is welcomed into her fathers family and villa, Raphael is watchful. After all, Lia is not the first person falsely claiming to be fathered by Ernesto. We follow the twists and turns of Lia and Raphael's relationship. All in all, an entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have enjoyed every book of Julie's that i have read o far and this one is no exception. With a gorgeous Italian landscape, a moody Italian hero and a heroine looking for her father, what's not to love? the dynamic between Lia and Raphael is excellently done and who can resist the delicious descriptions of Italian cuisine?

A trip to the Amalfi Coast has long been high on my bucket list of trips but the opportunity has never yet quite presented itself. I am going to make it close this summer when Naples is one of the stops on our cruise itinerary. However, given I am travelling with my partner and five teenage daughters and we only have a few scant hours in the port, I’m not sure my wish for a visit to Positano and Sorrento is going to win the day, I might have to make do with Pompeii and some authentic margarita pizza (sounds like a hardship, doesn’t it? Not) Anyway, this being the case, the chance to take a virtual trip via Julie Caplin’s latest novel was too good to be true. When you pick up one of Julie’s Romantic Escapes books, you know you are going to totally immersed in the location of the story.

This one is no exception. From the moment you start the first chapter, you can feel the warm, Italian sun on your flesh, smell the lemon and basil and taste the delicate flavours of the pasta. Even if you have never seen any pictures of the Amalfi Coast, you will have a vivid picture of Positano in your head painted entirely as a result of the author’s descriptions in the book. You will feel as if you are exploring the steep and higgledy piggledy streets of Positano with lit, tasting the gelato, feeling the lap of the Mediterranean waves over your toes. I’m feeling relaxed already!

Aside from being travel porn in novel form, this has a cracking romance story to boot. Take one independent-spirited artist, a buttoned-up businessman, a glamorous movie star and is chaotic Italian family, a parental secret, an atmosphere of suspicion, a scheming ex and piles of delicious food and mix it all up between the pages of a novel and you hav the perfect recipe for an entertaining summer read.

Lia and Raph have a lively, sparring relationship which sets the book alight. I love characters who spark off one another and whose antagonism manifests as sexual tension. There is plenty of passion and heat in this story, but it also goes deeper than that for those who like their romance with a little more subtlety behind it. This author is really great at giving her characters proper, human weaknesses and insecurities and exploiting them to provide grist to the mill of the story. We might know how the story ends but that won’t stop us being surprised, frustrated and entertained along the way. Just as we like it.

A holiday romance that delivers everything you could possibly want from your summer reading. I am just hoping that we haven’t seen the last of Leo!

Julie Caplin is one of my FAVORITE romance authors....her last few books have absolutely been phenomenal. Villa with a View had so much heart, so atmospheric, so family oriented, it hit all the right notes. I loved Lia's character, quirky, creative, fierce, but so vulnerable still the same. And Raph...dark, brooding, so guarded. Perfectly matched. The inevitable final curveball to keep them apart didn't feel forced and their reunion was simply beautiful. I'm gushing. I adored this book to pieces.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for the ARC.

DNF 30%
While I loved the Italian setting, I cannot comprehend this book.
For me they are family if they have the same father, even if it’s not actually blood-related.
Ernesto even says it himself at the end of chapter 9.

Sorry but this bugs me too much…