Rose heading to Italy to stop her best friend Luna from marrying a man she met only a month ago , next to her at the airplane is sitting Ben Lucas s best friend who is there and he is trying to persuade her that the wedding must go on . Rose is always trying to find Luna and talk to her about her upcoming wedding but Ben is always there and they have to do chores away from the villa . Even though she doesn't believe in love thanks to her parents she can't deny that Ben is breaking all her rules . Will he be able to make her realize that his feelings are true and real ?
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publisher as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Rose is the 'Love Doctor', trying to protect others from romantic heartbreak. So when her best friend invites her to Italy for her wedding, she is determined to protect her from heartbreak. So she heads to Italy, determined to put a stop to this wedding. She hadn't anticipated Ben, the groom's best friend. to put a wrench in her plans.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I loved Aurora! She was such a fun character. Rose was annoying at first, but she grew on me. I would've loved more of Marco and Luna, as well as his fun family. Anyway, it was a fun summer romance read, and I loved all of the characters. Plus, the descriptions of living in the villa, as well as being in Italy. Maybe a sequel?

Thanks @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author for this arc.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Very Italian Wedding' by Donna Ashcroft.

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY DONNA!!! YET ANOTHER ABSOLUTE STUNNING ESCAPISM!! ! A perfectly gorgeous and heart-warming book and absolutely perfect to read at this time of the year with the sun shining down!!! The vivid descriptions left me feeling the warm air of Tuscany, smiling and laughing with the characters and following in love with Tuscany and the characters!.

I have absolutely loved each and every one of the amazing Donna's books that I have read so far and this one is no exception!!! How she does it time and time again I will never know but I am just over the moon that she does as every time I need a feel good book to turn a frown upside down Donna Ashcroft is my go to woman!! Honestly if you are ever in need of a break and fancy the gorgeous Tuscany in Italy then grab this absolute stunner or just grab any book by Donna and be swept away in another one of her beautiful stories. I have never been to Tuscany but this book really is the next best thing as it genuinely felt like Donna had swept me away at the turn of a page!! As soon as I finished I just wanted to jump on a plane and head there to see if it is as beautiful as Donna's stunning evocative descriptions! Seriously, you need to grab this book today and it will take you on a holiday and turn a frown upside down!!! There was plenty going on throughout and it kept me hooked from start to end. This book is absolutely rammed full of love, wedding planning, happiness, laughter, stunning settings, friendship and much more!!!! The storyline was sweet, romantic, uplifting and everything you want in a heart warming romance and I completely fell head over heels in love!!! I was devastated when I came to the end and realised I would have to unpack my suitcase as I genuinely felt as if I'd been on a holiday. It was an uplifting breathe of fresh air and It ended absolutely perfectly!!! Again, just another stunner from this extremely talented author!! I genuinely have no idea how she does it again and again but she does and I love her for it!!!! Just like this book her words and stunning descriptions are magical dropping you straight into the middle of this stunning book watching everything and everyone come to life in front of your eyes. It is one of those stunning books that it is impossible to say just one more chapter to. I gave up even trying to lie to myself saying just one more in the end as every time I came to the end of one chapter I just HAD to know what was going to happen next and this ended up happening so many times I ended up devouring the whole book in a several hour sitting!! I just could not put my book down and I was absolutely gutted when I came to the end of the book! The storyline was sweet, romantic, funny, uplifting and everything you want in a heart warming romance and I completely fell head over heels in love!!! This book is an uplifting breathe of fresh air!!! It ended absolutely perfectly!!! I cannot wait to get stuck in to more of Donna's amazing books!!

The characters were all strong, well defined and realistic and I fell in love with every single one of them!! I was absolutely gutted when I came to the end and had to say Goodbye to them. They made me laugh, smile, swoon and made my day so much brighter!! I absolutely loved getting to know Rose, Ben and every single person I met throughout while seeing and hearing everything they were doing through their eyes thanks to Donna's brilliant descriptions. As always Donna does an amazing job of weaving the multiple protagonist perspectives of Rose and Ben together perfectly with alternating chapters at the perfect times ensuring the reader gets the bigger and best picture of everything that is going on. I was completely invested in the main characters and rooting for them throughout but it was not just Rose and Ben that created this stunning book but also several other characters. There were so many other characters that I really enjoyed meeting and who will be missed. I could go on and on but I best stop there. Needless to say many of the characters made an impact on me and it would be lovely to see them all again!!!

Clear your schedule ready to get lost in this unputdownable escapism.

Well done Donna on yet again another absolutely gorgeous book. This is why you are one of my favourite authors!!! I am thoroughly looking forward to reading more of your books past and future. Congratulations on another stunning success and here's to your next one 🥂!

Overall another absolute stunning escapism from this amazing author!!


#AVeryItalianWedding #DonnaAshcroft #Sphere #Bookouture

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I am very excited to have spot on the blogtour for ‘A Very Italian Wedding’ by the funny and talented Donna Ashcroft. 

The characters are fun, complex and I love how they develop.

The story is told from different perspectives. We get a a sense of their individual quirks.

Rose the bridesmaid meets Ben  the best man on the plane to Italy.

Their friends Luna and Marco are getting married and they have only been together a matter of weeks.

Ben is excited and Rose is not! Being a therapist she sees many red flags. Luna has been her friend since they were 8.

Add Coco the dog to the mix, and its evident whom she likes more.

Arriving to a number of issues and detours, and flamboyant Italian aunt Aurora and her metaphysical predictions and ways and other fun characters.

I had laugh out loud moments and enjoyed the set up. Can you really fall in love at first sight?

You will have to join me in diving in, you won’t regret it. X

What is a wedding without a little chaos along the way! A Very Italian Wedding was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. I loved the Italian wedding setting! It made me want to take a trip to the Italian coast for sure!

At first I did not like Rose as a character at all but as the story went on and we learned more and more about her I started to really enjoy the character. I think she grew so much by the end of the book it made me wanting so much more!

I loved Ben from the start but really enjoyed his character development as well. I wish we got more of Marco and Luna though.

It was a quick read and a very enjoyable one! I will definitely be reading other books by this author and am hoping for more of these friends in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an Arc.

A Little Slice of Italian Sunshine (Even When It's Raining in the UK!) 🇮🇹☀️

Warning: May cause an uncontrollable urge to book the next flight to Italy!

Thjs is the kind of feel-good story that's a perfect antidote to a dreary week – and trust me, reading this during a particularly rainy spell in the UK, it was a much needed dose of sunshine!
The star of the show, for me, was undoubtedly the gorgeous Italian villa setting, with a vivid picture of the rolling hills, delicious food, and charming atmosphere that you can practically taste the limoncello and feel the warm Tuscan sun on your skin.

I'll admit, I struggled to connect with the FMC at the very beginning. Her initial portrayal didn't quite click with me. However, as the story unfolded, the chemistry began to build, and that, coupled with the idyllic setting, really drew me in. It's a story that blossoms, much like the Italian countryside it depicts.
While it might not have been a perfect five-star read for me, it was an enjoyable and heartwarming journey. If you're looking for a light, romantic escape that will transport you to a beautiful Italian wedding, this is a lovely choice. Just don't blame me when you find yourself googling holiday websites!

#averyitalianwedding #netgalley

Who doesn’t want to escape to Italy in the summer? We sure do! Reading this book felt like we were the ones traveling to Italy alongside Rose and Ben…plus who couldn’t forget Aurora and Aldo. 😂

The primary premise of this book is Rose is traveling to Italy for the last-minute wedding of her best friend, Luna, who has decided on a whim to marry Marco, a man she met only a month ago. To some people, this would sound extremely romantic…to Rose, it sounds completely crazy and she’s determined to convince Luna to call off the wedding. The only problem? Marco’s best friend, Ben, is along for the journey to Italy with her and wants to ensure the wedding happens and Marco gets to marry the girl of his dreams.

As you can imagine, chaos ensues from the moment Rose meets Ben on the plane and he spills his coffee all over her thanks to turbulence. And it only gets worse from here…everything that can go wrong on this trip does and puts the entire wedding in disarray. That’s where you start to see everyone’s true colors come out and multiple characters in the book have to deal with some of their baggage where the root of the issue may not always be what it initially seems.

This book is the perfect summer read. It has a wonderful cast of unforgettable characters, two-legged and four-legged…and technically a spirit too. It also includes some of our favorite tropes including forced proximity, opposites attract, holiday romance, and found family. Plus, the characters dish up some extremely hilarious scenes and dialogue…we’re looking at you Aurora, and we get some incredible spice in a surprising location. It also will make you feel a ton of emotions, but won’t cause too many tears so you don’t have to worry about getting sunscreen in your eyes while reading this book at the pool or beach.

Highly recommend adding it to your TBR list if you’re looking for a summer read with unforgettable characters, great spice, and fantastic storytelling.

This cover is so colorful and inviting I wanted to step into it.
I wanted to be the one to sit on luscious Ben’s lap on the flight to Italy instead of the dog.
Aurora was my favorite character with her glitzy wardrobe and her announcements.
Both Ben and Rose had to face their scars and see that putting yourself out there can pay off.
It’s a sweet story.

3.5 ★
Overall, A Very Italian Wedding was a very cute and heartwarming read. The Italian setting was absolutely dreamy—Ashcroft captures the sights, sounds, and flavors of a small Italian town so vividly, it felt like a mini vacation in book form. The charm of the cobbled streets and family traditions added so much richness to the story.

The characters were genuinely enjoyable. They had a nice mix of warmth, humor, and depth, and while the plot leaned a bit on the predictable side, the emotional beats still landed. Their relationships—both romantic and familial—brought a sweet, comforting tone to the book that made it feel cozy and satisfying.

Not a groundbreaking story, but definitely a delightful one. It’s the kind of book you’d want to read on a sunny afternoon with a glass of wine (or maybe a cappuccino). Light, feel-good, and full of Italian charm.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Ah, a wedding in Italy! How lovely! The perfect setting, the scrumptious food, love in the air, and a villa in Tuscany sounds like a dream! But for Rose, the bride's best friend, it's a ball of worry and concern. Her best friend Luna only met Marco a month ago, fell madly in love and is getting married. Rose knows that Julie is making a mistake! On the way to Italy, Rose sits next to Ben the best man at the wedding. Ben is handsome, charming, and happy that Marco has fallen in love and is getting married. His reaction is the complete opposite of Rose's reaction to the upcoming wedding!


I always say, with romance novels it is all about the journey and this was a journey set in a lovely setting full of interesting characters. Rose, initially felt like an older woman to me. She is stodgy, set in her ways, unyielding, and felt cold at times. She really did come across as bitter. Even Coco, the dog, was a little uptight at first. Ben on the other hand is fun, happy-go-lucky, charismatic, and supportive. They are total opposites!


I enjoyed their banter, the descriptions of the beautiful setting, the unique side characters and of course, Coco the dog! Coco just needed a little joy in her life to have her wagging her tail! Coco stole every scene she was in as did Marco's Aunt Aurora who was a fun and interesting character as well! Plus, can you really remain stodgy and uptight in Italy?

As I got to know Rose better and learned more about her backstory, I warmed up to her and began to understand her character. Rose goes on quite the journey in this book and it was a joy to see her character evolve. Not only did she go on an individual journey she went on a romantic journey as well!

I found this book to be charming, fun, entertaining and heartwarming. I enjoyed Donna Ashcroft's wonderful writing, her vivid descriptions, her interesting and unique characters and the journey all of the characters in this book took while in Italy for A Very Italian Wedding!

The publisher may want to put a warning on this book that reading it may have you dreaming of Italy and Italian food!

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved reading this book.

Rose is attending her friend Luna’s wedding and alongside her Ben is also attending the same wedding for Marcus his friend.

Rose thinks that Luna shouldn’t rush into the wedding and is hoping to talk to her friend into delaying it, whereas Ben wants to wedding to go ahead as planned.

The story had many twists and turns. Marcus’s family and his aunt Aurora, who’s psychic are also eager for the wedding to go ahead and there’s plenty of funny moments and rituals that have to be done before the ceremony takes place.

I loved Aurora and her conversations with her dead husband.

I highly recommend this book.

My thoughts:
What a fun trip to Italy with engaging characters. The dog pretty much stole the show:)
The beginning of the book was a bit slow but things pick up pretty quickly.
All in all, an enjoyable read with a slow burn romance and humorous moments that made me laugh out loud.
This is my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Let’s start with the name: Rose Loveheart. That’s not a character—that’s an AI-generated cupcake.

From page one, this book commits to a Hallmark-meets-horoscope energy that never lets up.
The plot is less “will-they-won’t-they” and more “oh-they-will-by-chapter-three.” By chapter five, I wasn’t wondering what would happen—I was wondering how long it would take to get there. Despite all this, it wasn’t entirely unenjoyable.

For me? It was a sugar-free cupcake: sweet, but ultimately unsatisfying.

When Rose discovers that her best friend Luna is engaged to Marco and getting married within days in Tuscany, she packs her bags and heads over in an attempt to delay the wedding. Yet when she meets Ben, the best man, she has to try to convince him as well, as he believes that love can conquer all. Soon Ben has Rose questioning whether her rules when it comes to love need to be rewritten.
A very cute read with plenty of delightful characters that added to the storyline. The enemies-to-lovers storyline works well with Rose at loggerheads with Ben, largely due to her own experiences with love, centered around her parents. The backdrop is amazing, and together with the twists and turns, this was an enjoyable read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Solid summer romance, perfect holiday read, few parts of the book I didn’t follow brilliantly but on the whole an enjoyable read

Well done to Donna Ashcroft for another delightful novel that lifts and encourages the heart! This enemies to lovers’ romance set in Italy has lots of Donna Ashcroft charm. As always, it is well written with beautiful descriptions that put the reader in the centre of a stunning location.

In A Very Italian Wedding, we are dealing with a seriously flawed leading character. To be honest, Rose is not very likeable at times (nor is she supposed to be) due to her judgemental attitude and unrealistic rules but after a series of events, her world and views are turned upside down and she has to admit maybe she does not know as much as she thinks about love. She may be called by her regular clients the ‘Love Doctor’ in her relationship psychologist role, but her advice and views are tarnished by her parents who race into romantic liaisons, get married quickly only to end up divorced. Rose has been caught in their crossfire more than once. This draws sympathy from us as we know she has been shaped by repeated negative family experiences. And it has given her a jaded view of relationships as she measures every one by her parents’ failures. She does not have faith in ‘love at first sight experiences’ which has now happened to someone she cares deeply about: her best friend, Luna. So, although she is on her way from England to Italy to her best friend’s wedding, she has one mission, to talk her out of getting married. But on the plane she meets the groom’s best man, Ben, and he challenges her rigid beliefs. This sets up the story with lots of expected conflicts.

The tension mounts when Rose arrives, as everything begins to come undone. So many things go wrong and she is challenged on all sides as she encounters a very superstitious family and one member is a clairvoyant. The groom’s older family members definitely go against her fact laden viewpoint.

Handsome best man, Ben Pearson, is determined to keep the couple together while she is bent on the opposite. This puts them at odds and places them in some awkward positions but Rose Loveheart is determined to prove her point.

Ben is a wonderful character with a good heart who gets to share his viewpoint. He also goes through some dramatic changes but he is always likeable—especially when he won’t go along with a scheme to deceive Rose. Of course, you know from the start, these two will clash but also unite eventually—yet not until there have been some serious changes in their lives.

This novels addresses the fact that no marriage is perfect as no two persons are but through communication, understanding and forgiveness— situations can be resolved and that arguments in marriage are part of the fabric of wedding bliss.

Coco the dog is an amazing character with attitude plus and Rose’s reference to him as a demon is quite humorous at times. But he plays an important part in restoration and helping her overcome fear making us see that even dog’s can bring about change!

Rose redeems herself at the end as she manages to fix so many messed up relationships but not before she has altered her thinking. And these changes put the sparkle in the ending. Her transformation is quite dramatic and by the end we smile and breathe a sigh of relief that she has learned valuable lessons and put those revelations to use in helping others by restoring the broken relationships that transpire over the story. So in that respect, Rose becomes the hero! She cares about her friend and her family-in-law so what she does to bring back balance into their lives is done out of love, from the heart, not from head knowledge (which was flawed to begin with). And that means we are given a happy ending!

Donna’s stories always provide wonderful characters we care about, animals that we adore (though Coco was a bit different at first!), relationship issues that need rectification, themes that makes us feel love is essential in our lives and stunning settings that whisk us away as if we have gone on vacation. A Very Italian Wedding is all these things— along with being sincere, honest, heartfelt and pure. Thanks once again to Donna Ashcroft for another great story that tackles beliefs and restores the need for romance in our lives. Loved it! 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for a review copy.

Rose is heading over to Tuscany for her best friend, Luna’s wedding. She finds herself sat next to the best man, Ben.

Due to Rose’s past and her parents, she lives by a set of rules, rules she made also for her profession as a love doctor.

This was an enjoyable romance story. I loved the setting in Tuscany and enjoyed getting to know the groom, Marco, and his family. His Aunt Aurora was an eccentric and fantastic character, she made me smile a lot.

There was a lot of humour, as well as a more serious side to the story.

Coco the dog definitely stole the show in the story, I couldn’t help but laugh at her antics.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Luna, Rose's best friend, announces she engaged and is getting married in a few days Rose feels her professional life as 'The Love Doctor' crashing full pelt into her personal life. She hops on a plane determined to stop, or at least delay the impending nuptials however then she meets the best man, who seems intent on the wedding going ahead and Rose realises life is a lot more complicated than her set of 'rules' for relationships.


This is a great chick lit read; it's got a strong enemies to lovers theme and is a little predictable in a comfortable kind of way. The characters develop in the story, the setting is beautiful and. there are enough twists and turns to keep you interested. There's nothing shocking nor too heavy to deal with...I just really enjoyed it - in the way you enjoy a catch up with an old friend?

A very cozy rom-com. The plot was moving fast and there was one miscommunication part but it resolved fast. It is a slow burn and there is one open-door scene. Overall, I enjoyed this book as its perfect to read on summer vacation.

Thank you, @netgalley for my gifted copy of the audiobook. The publication date is June 5, 2025.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

I thought this was a good, average romance. The cheesiness off the bat with a FMC called Rose Loveheart, a self proclaimed ‘love doctor’ who has been unlucky with love her whole life, made me giggle.

BUT, this book felt completely predictable. There was no other way I could have seen the epilogue going based on the first 100 pages. The explicit foreshadowing from the psychic Aunt Aurora removed any tensions that could have made this book more interesting. I just wanted more mess to be honest.

As characters, Ben and Rose seemed to lack the chemistry I needed to be convinced on their relationship. Everything was so rushed between Luna and Marco too. We know nothing about them apart from how they’ve known each other for less than a month, yet are supposed to root for them even when Marco is obviously a bad person. I wasn’t sold on either of these matches by the end.

I also found the writing off putting at points. I want to include some quotes from the book just so you can gauge the cringe factor before you decide to read it:

‘The man looming over her was gorgeous - with capital O, M and multiple Gs’

‘Ben paused, the smile disappearing momentarily before it reappeared like a dolphin performing a spectacular somersault out of the sea’

‘The look Rose gave him would have soured tiramisu.’

While not necessarily bad, this still failed to impress me at the end of the day.