Fate has a sense of humor in this witty, heartfelt tale of love and second chances told in two perspectives—a woman in midlife desperate for something new, and a lost dog seeking his purpose.

After years of dreams deferred, Josie Ballard’s life is about to change. She and her husband are off to Sorrento for a summer adventure, but on the eve of their departure, Josie discovers his infidelity. Devastated, she leaves her faithless husband, heading for the sun-drenched Italian coast. Alone, future unknown.

Five thousand miles away, Cicero, a rather snobbish terrier of indeterminate breeding, is likewise living an upturned life after his beloved human’s passing. Heartbroken, he wanders the wilds of Pompeii. When a flustered tourist with a kind smile appears in the ruins, clutching her tote bag and map, Cicero and Josie collide like the two lost souls they are.

In a series of turns as twisty as Sorrento’s streets, Cicero leads Josie to her second act: Hugo, a charming and somewhat contrary local bookseller. Against a backdrop of quaint villages, sun-dappled olive orchards, and the shimmering Mediterranean Sea, Hugo and Josie embark on a friendship that just might tiptoe into romance, with little Cicero to help them along the way—for dogs, he reasons, are nothing if not experts when it comes to love.

© 2026 by Kristin Beck, all rights reserved.

Kristin Judd is an acclaimed author of historical and contemporary fiction. A former teacher, she holds a bachelor of arts in English from the University of Washington and a master’s in teaching from Western Washington University. When she’s not reading and writing, Kristin loves anything that gets her outdoors, whether it be hiking in the mountains, riding horses in the woods, or digging in the garden. Kristin lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, children, and many pets, including an opinionated terrier much like Cicero.