A summer in sunny Positano, family secrets, a war-time love story, and Agatha Christie meets Clue who-dun-it set in a luxury hotel make up this month’s list of book recommendations. The least features two debut novels, Black Cake by author Charmain Wilkerson which will be adapted into a television series on Hulu, and The Maid which will be turned into a feature film starring Florence Pugh.
One Italian Summer
Rebecca Serle
One Italian Summer is one of those books that you won’t want to put down. You’ll pick it up first thing in the morning while you’re having breakfast and looking forward to curling up to get a few chapters in before going to bed. The book is centered around Katy Silver, who after losing her mother who has been her best friend her entire life finds herself unsure of how she can possibly go on with life now that the one person who mattered most to her is gone.
When the plane tickets for the Italian vacation that she was supposed to go on with her mother arrive, she leaves her life in LA behind and travels to Positano and the Hotel Posideon… where she meets her mother but she’s not the mother she knew back home, instead, she’s the 30-year-old version of Carol, who dreams of becoming a designer and lives her life ‘in the moment.’
One Italian Summer is full of beautiful descriptions of the Amalfi Coast, and delicious Italian food, but what it is more than anything is a heartwarming love story that will capture your heart if you let it. Order it on Amazon.
Rating: 4 Stars
Black Cake
Charmaine Wilkerson
Black Cake is the debut novel from author Charmaine Wilkerson, and after reading just the first few chapters it’s not surprising to hear that the book is being developed into a tv series. It’s one of those books that ensnare your senses and your curiosity as you wonder just what secrets will be revealed next.
The story goes between a Caribbean island in the 1960s, a harrowing escape to the UK, and present-day California where the story of Eleanor Bennett is revealed to her children Byron and Benny following her passing. The family lawyer shares a recording that Eleanor made where she reveals her hidden past along with a request regarding the very last Black Cake she made which now sits in the freezer of the family home.
This character-driven novel is definitely a must-read for 2022! Order it on Amazon.
Rating: 5 stars
Under the Golden Sun
Jenny Ashcroft
From the author of Meet Me in Bombay, comes a sweeping war-time story set between wartorn England and the open expanse of the Australian bush.
After being unfairly discharged from the WAAF following a devastating loss, Rose Hamilton answers a newspaper advertisement to accompany an orphaned child to Australia. Even before she sets sail for Australia, Rose finds herself growing closer to her young charge, their recent losses binding them together. Rose leaves behind her family, fiance, and the life she knew to travel to a remote cattle station that Walter Lucknow has inherited.
Once she arrives, she meets Walter’s family including his Uncle Max, a war hero whose scars are both visible and hidden as well. Unable to leave Walter so soon after their arrival, Rose stays on at the cattle station getting to know Walter’s family, exploring the land around her which starts to feel more and more like home.
Under the Golden Sun is one of those love stories that you can’t help but become personally invested in, watching the love blossom, long-kept secrets revealed, and the endless possibilities that hope brings. Order on Amazon.
Rating: 5 stars
The Maid
Nita Prose
Nita Prose’s debut novel, The Maid is an Agatha Christie meets Clue who-dun-it that will soon be adapted into a feature film, and with such a colorful cast of characters, it’s not surprising that it’s coming to the big screen.
After losing her grandmother, Molly a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel loses the only person who truly understands her. Her difficulties understanding social cues, and the true motives of those around her do not work in her favor when one of the hotel’s most notable guests, Mr. Black turns up dead.
Used to being invisible, Molly finds herself accused of his murder, and she must figure out who her true friends and enemies are in order to catch the true culprit. Order on Amazon.
Rating: 4 stars
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