Title: The Italian Job
Author: Kathryn Freeman
Genre: Romantic Comedy
My Rating: 5 out of 5
Synopsis
Dream job. Dream house. Fake fiancé.
A year in a gorgeous Italian castle…
When Anna Roberts’ life implodes, an online search leads her to an ad for the ultimate dream job – management of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como, accommodation included. The only catch? Anna can’t do it alone…
…With the last man on earth she’d choose!
The castle owners will only accept a couple as caretakers, which means Anna needs a man on her arm at the interview. Enter her neighbour, Jake Tucker. Though Anna and Jake have never seen eye-to-eye, Jake’s had a rough few years and an escape to Italy sounds ideal. Yet, when they get the job and jet off, Anna and Jake face an unexpected challenge. Pretending to be a couple is difficult … but pretending the tension simmering between them doesn’t exist is quickly proving impossible!
My Review
Kathryn Freeman is a literary genius. She has gone and done it again with The Italian Job which is another incredible read to add to my collection of her favourites, these already include The Beach Reads Book Club, Mr. Right Across The Street, Up Close and Personal, and The New Guy.
Anna and Jake. Jake and Anna. Two people who couldn’t be more different than each other, and certainly not two people you would ever think likely to fall for each other. Which is a good job that they only have to pretend to be a couple to secure a dream job – being managers of a gorgeous castle on the shores of Lake Como in Italy. At first, they both get on each other’s nerves so much, that Anna starts to think she has made a huge mistake.
Both the main characters – Anna and Jake are very complicated people. Both have suffered heartache in the past, and both are very wary of getting hurt again. Anna is very organised and practical, which sometimes can make her appear a bit aloof and almost arrogant – I definitely felt this came across to me several times throughout the story. Jake, on the other hand, is very laid-back (or so he likes to appear) and can also come across as arrogant, although I actually feel this is more to protect himself from getting hurt even further.
After a few months of living and working together in the beautiful castle, Anna and Jake find a happy balance between working together and living together. The longer both Anna and Jake pretend to be a couple, the more the real chemistry between the two of them develops and gathers pace so much and so intensly – surprising both Anna and Jake, but they both give in to the feelings.
The Italian Job is a fun, light-hearted read packed full of incredible characters, friendship, and love, and all set in the most incredible and beautiful location. Trust me, this is an absolute must-read this summer.
Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources for providing the materials for this post and organising the Blog Tour. Be sure to check out the other blogs that participated in this Blog Tour.
