Bella Fortuna

It was good until Valentina goes to Venice and runs into smarmy Stefano. After she met and responded to him, I stopped and read ahead to see if the story is worth finishing. Not sure I will. I don't like the end.And then to describe him as a Rick Springfield lookalike! I thought she might be bringing him back to meet Aldo, or that she and Aldo, who is her best friend and knows her better than anyone else, might, after all, fall in love even though Aldo is gay. Stranger things have happened, and it's a shame they didn't happen in this story.I would have liked the story better if she had enjoyed Venice on her own, as a sort of sabbatical, and recovery from her failed wedding, clearing her mind and heart of Michael and going home with a clear head instead of being drawn in by a smarmy tour guide who has probably used his charms on other unsuspecting female tourists, and behaving like a loose woman herself in response to Stefano's stalkerlike behavior. Valentina, ignoring the advice of her mother fell in love on the rebound and in the throes of sexual attraction with a questionable character who has probably made his moves on any female tourist who attracted him and was 'easy'. She knows very little about the man whose proposal of marriage she accepted. Stefano is not a well-developed character, and the reader does not get a clear impression of him either. He has no history, and his family is barely mentioned.I did finish the book, and I give the author points for her description of Valentina's Italian-American family, neighbors, and their interactions.The lush Venetian atmosphere and the destination wedding there was beautifully depicted. It was a nice escape for the reader.Just didn't like Stefano. Valentina who describes herself as conservative and traditional certainly doesn't behave that way. She always seems to follow her instincts, even when the 'better angels of her nature' counsel against them. She is not a likeable heroine.

This book would have been much better if some of the dialogue was eliminated. I got bored with all of the yacking, especially among Valentina and her sisters. I was bored to tears with all of the name dropping of designers and in the first part of the book, when Valentina was engaged to Michael, I thought she was a snob and a brat. Her thoughts upon receiving shower gifts that weren't on her registeries and especially a piece of Mikasa china in that she would NEVER buy Mikasa, made me want to slap her. Until Michael broke their engagement, I felt that Valentina was a vapid character. She did, however, grow up and redeem herself as the book progressed which makes it a book about redemption or, perhaps coming of age. Nonetheless, it was an entertaining and fast read.I would suggest to the author that she provide more translations of her Italian conversations. I can read a little Italian but feel that I missed a lot.This book reminded me a little of Adrianna Trigiani's books about Italian American families and believe that Ms. Chiofalo shows real promise because she feels the heart of the immigrant family.

This book was recommended by a friend. To be honest I expected another novel about Italian Americans in New York. Though the characters were Italian American,and yes it was New York, I enjoyed the storyline. This is a tale of romance, starting with a girlhood crush, putting your love and trust in a young an you've imagined being married to all your life. This was the case of the main character, Valentina, and Michael, who should have remained a friend. Instead he developed a romance with Valentina, prepares to marry her, than backs out because he wasn't truthful with his past. She ventures on to the destination where their dream wedding was to be...Venice. And finds that though hurt by Michaels suddenly backing out of their wedding, unexpected love is found again. Back in NY, her widowed mother finds an old love from her youth in Sicily.The author brings out the emotions of the characters very well, especially when Valentuna's father was dying, and her encountering girls who decided to fight her just before her father's death. Also, the raw emotions on her being told her fiancé didn't want to get married.This is not only a romance novel, but a novel on true friendship. Valentina has a special friend, more of a confidant name Aldo, who knows her better than anyone else.Rosanna Chiofalo is a great story teller. Her writing style compliments the story, making this a book that will be hard to put down once you start reading it. I am looking forward to sharing this novel, and reading more of her novels.

I picked up Bella Fortuna because it let me travel to Venice, which was the first stop on my honeymoon. Fond memories of the watery city were the reason I kept reading this story that followed a classic formula: girl meets boy, girl loses boy, girl meets better boy. Valentina's love life was the main plot here but it felt a little juvenile. She was in love with Michael even though I didn't feel that the story really supported it, which I guess made it easy for me to believe that she would be able to fall in love to quickly with a random Italian. Another love story popped up regarding Valentina's mother, which again, lacked enough substance to give it the impact it deserved. For some reason this writing in this novel was clunky and the story was too jumbled to make this a favorite. As a result, this will be my last book by this author.Please read more of my reviews on my blog: http://fastpageturner.wordpress.comor follow me on twitter at @dana_heyde (less)

This is not my normal genre I usually read but I truly enjoyed it. I was attracted to the cover. Venice is one of my favorite places I've ever been. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that there are a lot of lines written in Italian and I don't know Italian. This would have been ok if the author had translated, maybe in parentheses, after the lines. I sometimes felt like I was missing something. Otherwise, I loved the book and want to read more by this author.

I enjoyed this book very much - not an author I had come across before until I read a favourable review.

I thought I'd incorrectly selected from the teenage section or a Mills and Boon novel. It was cheesy, immature and like reading a teenager's diary!

Did not finish it ... sigh. Basic, predictable and uninteresting story.