Bella Fortuna Paperback – August 28, 2012

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.

I too found it a little wordy in the beginning but once we got to Venice it was great!I too went to Venice with my Italian husband (he was born in Italy and I met him in mid life when he emigrated to the USA) for our honeymoon. The attraction and the way Vee resisted for a while was typical of my first meetingwith my Italian man. Italian men, those from Italy, are surely different. When I was with my Eneo I felt beautiful.They seem to really appreciate women. The touching part when they first met rang a bell for me too. My Eneo reachedover and touched me within minutes when we first met. He had seen me a few weeks before and remembered me. It took me a year + before I gave into his seducing but it was the best choice I ever made. He remembered what I wore a year before when he first saw me. He said "come with me, we will play like children" "Would you like to go to Italy orBrazil. Come with me!". I did and had a most wonderful life I never dreamed of. He is gone for a year now and I havewonderful memories of all our trips to Italy and yes, Brazil and all over the world. He traveled for business & I went along.I have joined the Sons of Italy to have an Italian connection. And I am learning, slowly, a little Italian so whenI go back to Italy to visit with some of his friends I will be able to speak a little Italian. But most of them spoke English so it wasn't usually a problem. I look forward to reading Carissima.

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 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.