He’s the old flame she’s tried to put out. But should they rekindle their love—one more time?

When bestselling romance novelist Olivia Sackville arrives at Venice’s prestigious winter literary festival, she’s prepared for everything except seeing Leo Greene—Britain’s number-one crime author and the man who’s forever turning her life upside down. The festival’s demanding schedule keeps throwing them together, and in a city like Venice, there’s no escaping the past—or each other.

While Leo seems determined to prove he’s changed, Olivia battles against the magnetic pull between them—twenty years of almost-love have taught her that falling for Leo Greene only leads to heartbreak.

Between champagne receptions and foggy canal walks, their undeniable chemistry resurfaces. But with both harbouring devastating secrets and the scars of old betrayals still fresh, they must decide if their story deserves a second draft—or if some loves are better left unfinished. As the festival’s five days draw to a close, will they finally find the courage to write their own ending?

Fiona Collins grew up in an Essex village and, after stints in Hong Kong and London, returned to the Essex countryside where she lives with her husband and three children. She has a degree in film and literature and has had many former careers including TV presenting in Hong Kong, being a traffic and weather presenter for BBC local radio and as a film and TV extra.