From the blurb:

Though the name of her celebration and wedding cake business is up in lights, Bronte Ludlow doesn’t care for the trappings of success. All that matters to her is her company, her independence and her heritage, The Dower House. Home to her ancestors since the seventeenth century, no way will she part with it to ‘a man with too much money and no soul’.

Nico Ferranti’s only passions are money and power… He’s a man who stopped believing in romance long ago and Bronte’s a romantic, yet the attraction sparking between them like fireworks over the Piazza del Popolo stuns Nico.

When Bronte’s brother is badly hurt in a car accident in Rome, Nico whisks Bronte to the Eternal City. He wants her and he wants The Dower House and Nico Ferranti always gets what he wants.

But Bronte’s heart has already been broken by one ruthless charmer and although tempted she isn’t about to give up either her heart or her home to the charismatic Italian without a fight!

I found this to be an enjoyable, passionate read.

The author’s use of dual viewpoints means you can really get to know both Nico and Bronte and see the story from both angles. I’m always a fan of Latin heroes with dark, smouldering looks and machismo – and I liked Bronte too. There’s something very appealing about an entrepreneurial baker!

The characters’ first meeting had me smiling (not ideal to meet the man of your dreams while hanging out of a toilet window…), and from that point on I found that I wanted them to be together. The author leads the characters through obstacles and trials that they feel realistic, and I liked the fact that, beyond the passion between the protagonists, the story has the concept of family at its core.

For me, the best element of the book is the description:

But then he saw her.

His breath caught in his throat.

Lei e cosi bella.

She was beautiful.

The black silk gown clung to small breasts and narrow hips. As she swung the silver curtain of her hair to one side, she turned and he got a full view of her back, naked and smooth as silk.

His tongue felt thick in his mouth.

A young man, his colour high, dragged Bronte laughing and protesting onto the dance floor. He spun her around, held her back against him thrusting his pelvis in time to the hot beat of the music. The uplights shone through her dress.

Nico couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Good God, she was naked? Eyes narrowing, his mouth a tight line, he stalked towards her.

There is much attention to detail in the description, and care is taken to explore character’s feelings, which makes for a strong connection between the reader and the story, the characters and the setting.

What stands out most in the book, though, is the passion – attraction, lust, sensuality, sexuality. It’s the kind of read that makes one fan oneself, without crossing the line into erotica.

In all, a fun, pleasing read, and when I finished the book, I found myself wishing it were double the length, as I was sad to be leaving the fictional world created by the author.

Reckless Nights in Rome is available now from Amazon; click on the book cover below to visit the store.