We'll Always Have Venice by Leonie Mack ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

When I first started this book, I thought it would be a sappy romance that takes place in Venice.  I'm glad that the scenery kept me reading the book as it ended up being more than a romance.  It's a story of love and rejection, sisters and mothers along with wonderful descriptions of the sights and people of Venice.

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April 2022; Boldwood Books; 978-1801623957
audio, ebook, print (344 pages); romance

Norah has been living with her mother and sister for the last year while she recovers from a horrific accident that left her with pins in her legs and needing a cane to walk plus ended a long-term relationship that she thought would be her happily ever after.  Even though she loves her family, her life is becoming sheltered as they try to take care of her even as she wants to get back to life.  When she's offered an internship in Venice, she is thrilled at the chance.  She's a microbiologist working on her Ph.D. and is thrilled to get back to her chosen career with the ten-week internship.  She feels immediately that she made the right decision for her life - to work on her algae project with no disruptions.  That ends when she meets Gianluca, a gondolier, and craftsman who lives in Venice.  He has been assigned to take her to the small islands around the city to do her study.  At first, they aren't real impressed with each other but the more they get to know each other, the more they realize that there is a possible romance.  Norah is determined that she will leave Venice in ten weeks, she doesn't need a man to interrupt her work and she wants to be just friends with him.  They spend an increasing amount of time together and it gets more difficult to remain 'just friends'  What will happen at the end of her internship?  Will they both be able to discard all of their baggage and their memories of relationships gone bad and be able to fall in love?

This was a well-written and fun book to read.  I really enjoyed the banter between the two main characters and enjoyed the way that their romance progressed.  I loved the fact that the main female character is an intelligent and career-driven woman.  I also enjoyed the descriptions of Venice.  I've been there several times and was able to take a mental vacation back based on the descriptions of the beautiful city in this book.

I didn't realize until the end that this is the second book about this family.  Book one is about Norah's sister and boyfriend.  They can both be read as standalones but I need to go back and read book one A Match Made in Venice. I really enjoyed the way the author told this story full of love and family plus a bit of humor.  It was a fun book to read.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. She enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook.

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