Beneath an Italian SkyBy Stacy Henrie
Christian Historical Romance
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 320 Pages
April 23rd 2019 from Mirror Press
Summary
A love match turns into a lonely marriage. Will Clare and Emmett reconcile their differences before it's too late?
From USA Today bestselling author Stacy Henrie, comes BENEATH AN ITALIAN SKY, An American Heiress novel.
BENEATH AN ITALIAN SKY
--1908--
American heiress Clare Herschel made what she hoped was a love match when she married the handsome, witty Emmett Markham, the Earl of Linwood. A little over a year into her marriage, though, Clare finds herself wintering in Sicily—alone. She is sure the mild climate is the answer to avoiding another miscarriage and Emmett’s apparent indifference, so she’s determined to remain in Italy as long as possible. The last person she expects to show up at the villa is her husband, especially when Emmett confesses he’s there to convince her to return to England.
As the only surviving son of a marquess, Emmett has done everything his father has asked of him—even agreeing to run for a seat in the House of Commons. However, this latest task comes with a nearly impossible caveat. He must convince his wife Clare to come back to England with him in order for them to appear to be a happy couple for his political campaigning. Emmett isn’t confident Clare will agree to the plan, though, not when she seems to want nothing to do with him or the life they’d begun building before she abruptly left him for Italy.
When a massive earthquake strikes Messina, Sicily, claiming the lives of thousands, Clare and Emmett must set aside their mutual misgivings about their marriage in order to survive and lend a helping hand to others. But in the wake of the destruction, they begin to realize they’ve been given a chance to decide if their love is stronger than the upheavals of the past.
AMERICAN HEIRESS SERIES:
Night at the Opera
Beneath an Italian Sky (April 2019)
Among Sand and Sunrise (October 2019)
Other books by Stacy Henrie:
LOVE INSPIRED HISTORICAL
A Cowboy of Convenience
The Rancher’s Temporary Engagement
The Outlaw’s Secret
The Renegade’s Redemption
Lady Outlaw
The Express Rider’s Lady
OF LOVE AND WAR:
Hope at Dawn
Hope Rising
A Hope Remembered
A Christmas Hope
My Review
BENEATH AN ITALIAN SKY is a story of a husband and wife who have lost themselves and their love amidst challenges and doubts, but still have hope in mending their relationship. It's set mostly in historical Italy before, during, and after the aftermath of a large earthquake, with flashbacks to their courtship and after their marriage in England. Readers will easily connect with these characters and have their hearts pulled on by this sweet story.
I really enjoyed these characters! Emmett was a little lacking in confidence and I wanted him to find his backbone, but I felt like his story had the most character development as he came to terms with his grief, his wife, and his father. Clare was fairly steady and consistent through the whole story. She was sweet and kind, but would do whatever she could to fight for her unborn child and for the sweet girl who came into her's and Emmett's lives. Emmett and Clare seemed to circle around each other and their doubts for much of the story, but eventually they came to an impasse where they needed to decide if they would open their hearts, be vulnerable, and trust each other. Their relationship and love was beautiful as was their trust in God. This is the first story I've read that involves an earthquake and I thought it was a somewhat intense and interesting aspect. There were some serious challenges and dangers and it forced the characters to come together. I also adored Antonina! She was a sweet addition to this story.
I had a few complaints... First off it began rubbing me wrong in how Clare places much of the blame for her marriage's issues on Emmett and on how he didn't grieve with her. I feel like everyone grieves differently, and though I understood her side, I also felt it was judgmental and selfish when she could have also opened up and talked to Emmett about why he felt or acted as he did instead of just distancing herself from him. Not that he was correct in not grieving with her, but that they both needed to try to understand each other instead of holding to their own preferences. I also felt the story was tied up too perfectly in the end. I actually would have preferred a specific person (a secondary character) to not so easily open up and flip positions. I felt like that could have been not resolved so easily, but maybe by the epilogue or with eventually the character coming around.
In the end, was it what I wished for? I enjoyed this story. The characters were delightful, with some good character development, a sweet romance, and a test of faith. Fans of the genre and the author will find much to enjoy here! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Among Sand and Sunrise, to release this fall.
Content: Clean
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author's publicist, which did not require a positive review nor affect my review in any way.
Other Books in the Series
Night at the Opera
(An American Heiress #1)
By Stacy Henrie
Christian Historical Romance
Paperback & ebook, 276 Pages
October 16th 2018 by Mirror Press
Summary
From USA Today bestselling author Stacy Henrie, comes NIGHT AT THE OPERA, an American Heiress Novel.
NIGHT AT THE OPERA
(1908)
When American heiress Gwen Barton aids an injured gentleman in an opera box in London, she shares a kiss with the stranger that changes her life. More determined than ever to be herself, in spite of the limp she’s sustained since childhood, she will marry for love and not a title. She also resolves to learn the identity of the man she helped—and kissed. Surely he can’t be the irritating Avery Winfield, though. But as circumstances continue to throw Gwen and Avery together, she begins to wonder if there is more to this man than she first thought.
While most of London only knows him as the nephew of a duke, Avery Winfield is actually working for the Secret Service Bureau to ferret out German spies from among the ton. It’s a profession that gives him purpose and a reason to remain a bachelor. But the more he interacts with Gwen Barton, an heiress from America, the more he begins to question his plans and neglected faith. Then he learns Gwen is the young lady from the opera box who helped him. Now his most important mission may have nothing to do with saving Britain from danger and everything to do with risking his heart for the woman he met that night at the opera.
Read my review HERE.
Read my review HERE.
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