‘Under The Italian Sun’ by Sue Moorcroft is an uplifting romance story that transports us to a gorgeous country so we can almost feel that summer sun beating down.

We meet Zia who has had the shock of her life. Stunned that everything she believed about her family is a lie. She has been brought up by her grandparents after her mother died. She has undoubtedly got Italian heritage, her mum gave her a name that almost spelt it out. Zia has no idea of her father or any family in Italy. She has even learnt the language and looks Italian too. Her relationship has broken down irrevocably and she has been made redundant, cue Zia wanting to go and work in Italy. With Brexit, there are changes to the immigration process and Zia needs to attempt to provide a family connection. She searches in the attic and comes across a suitcase of letters which don’t help in any way, they just cause more questions to be raised about who she really is. Her friend
Ursula decides to come with her so they set off to Umbria in the hope they can find out more.

They arrive in Umbria and Zia begins on a journey that unravels history in a way that she would never have thought. She starts to grow closer to Piero whose winemaking family are fighting to stop the head of the family from selling the family-run vineyard to a large corporation. Zia discovers things that she knows will affect everyone around her and begins to struggle with the knowledge she has.

I have only read a few Sue Moorcroft books up to now and I find they are always much more than ‘just’ a romance. ‘Under The Italian Sun’ for instance is a book that deals with so many more issues than just romance. There is mental health, family issues, traditional values and parenthood. These are the tip of the iceberg and Sue Moorcroft deals with every single one sensitively and in a way that the multiple threads of the book all come together so well.

I actually could have there in Italy with Zia, a character that was suffering from one minute not knowing enough to slowly feeling that she knew too much about everyone around her and the impact her knowledge would have. Her romance began the same way as a fledgling bird, teetering around and having false starts until the impossibility of it happening becomes history as the chemistry takes over. Even with their issues and personal histories they have to deal with they keep ongoing.

Everything about this story has been created in such a real and true way that these characters feel so much like flesh and blood. How things are dealt with have just the perfect ingredients to make the story feel so real and everyone so human. A testament to Sue Moorcroft.

A book that is so much more than you would think and one so very well worth diving into. Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and Avon for my copy of the book.