April 23, 2025 – My Sanctuary

Julia Volpe’s Italian dream has turned into a nightmare.

Still living with her ex, Luca, a year after they’ve broken up, desperate to sell the dilapidated B&B that was meant to be their future, Jules knows she needs to leave. There are just two problems. Her passport has expired and she’s broke.

Not quite ready to ask her parents for help – at the ripe old age of twenty-seven – Jules decides to head as far away from Luca as she can to work on an olive farm until she has enough money to pay for her passport and a ticket back home.

Jules has sworn off love, but she hadn’t bargained on the beauty of Cividale del Friuli, the ancient Italian town on the banks of the gloriously blue Natisone river. As the community of farmers, neighbours and locals generously welcome her into their lives, Jules can feel her defences crumbling. But it’s when she meets Alex, broodingly handsome yet charmingly gallant, that Jules truly knows she’s in trouble. Because Alex has sworn off love too, and his reasons run deep enough for him to keep his word just as Jules is starting to reconsider her resistance to romance.

About The Author

My Review

This heartwarming story follows Julia, an Australian who moved to Italy for love, only to find herself abandoned, homeless, and struggling to figure out her next steps. Her only constant companion is her dog, Arco. While waiting for her passport in the small Italian village of Cividale del Friuli, Julia unexpectedly meets Alex, a busker with his cat Attila. Their chance dinner leads to a series of events that neither anticipated, intertwining their lives temporarily.

Both characters are grappling with recent personal struggles, not intending to fall in love, especially given their diverging futures. Julia is portrayed as the stronger, more complex character, while Alex offers a lighter contrast. The story explores the challenges they face while also bringing humor and emotion to the forefront, especially through the vivid depictions of Italian rural life and the farm work Julia takes on.

While the novel delivers charming autumnal scenes and moments of giggles, it lags slightly in the middle but remains an overall enjoyable and detailed read about self-discovery and unexpected connections.

My Rating

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1941: For the townspeople of Poole on the Dorset coast, the war feels like it’s right on their doorstep. And with more and more men leaving to fight, one fisherman’s daughter is determined to do whatever she can to help. Peggy volunteers to use her skills on the water to work with the flying boats alongside the RAF based in the harbour. But when she is asked to undertake a special mission, she will have to make a terrible choice – between her duty to her country and her only chance of happiness.

1998: Rebekah has travelled halfway around the world to take up a role on Brownsea Island. This tiny island off the coast of England is a treasure trove of natural wonder, but it still carries the scars of fighting. And when Rebekah discovers a lost letter from the war, hidden all this time, she becomes determined to deliver it, fifty years later.

But the idyllic Dorset harbour hides many more secrets, and Rebekah’s search for the truth will change her life in ways she never imagined possible…

About The Author

My Review

The Island Girls by Rachel Sweasey is a dual-timeline novel set in 1941 and 1998. It follows Peggy Symonds during WWII, who works in Poole, England, assisting with wartime efforts while being asked to uncover a German spy, putting her love and loyalty to the test.

In 1998, Rebekah Martins, a wildlife ranger on Brownsea Island, teams up with historian Paul to investigate a lost letter from WWII, hoping to uncover its mystery.

The story combines love, sacrifice, history, and mystery, with vivid settings and well-developed characters, making it a compelling read for fans of historical fiction.

My Rating