The Star-Crossed Sisters Of Tuscany

by Lori Nelson Spielman

A trio of second-born daughters sets out on a whirlwind journey through the lush Italian countryside to break the family curse that says they’ll never find love, by New York Times bestseller Lori Nelson Spielman, author of The Life List.
 
Since the day Filomena Fontana cast a curse upon her sister more than two hundred years ago, not one second-born Fontana daughter has found lasting love. Some, like second-born Emilia, the happily-single baker at her grandfather’s Brooklyn deli, claim it’s an odd coincidence. Others, like her sexy, desperate-for-love cousin Lucy, insist it’s a true hex. But both are bewildered when their great-aunt calls with an astounding proposition: If they accompany her to her homeland of Italy, Aunt Poppy vows she’ll meet the love of her life on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral on her eightieth birthday, and break the Fontana Second-Daughter Curse once and for all.
 
Against the backdrop of wandering Venetian canals, rolling Tuscan fields, and enchanting Amalfi Coast villages, romance blooms, destinies are found, and family secrets are unearthed—secrets that could threaten the family far more than a centuries-old curse.

• ISBN10: 1432872826
• ISBN13: 9781432872823
• Publish Date: 8 May 2021 (first published 17 November 2020)
• Publish Status: Withdrawn
• Out of Print: 23 November 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thorndike Press Large Print
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Our tale begins in Brooklyn where second-daughter Emilia is content being a baking in her grandfather’s deli. Her cousin Lucy, also a second-daughter, is desperate to break the curse, going from one lover to the next in search of her happily ever-after. When Emilia’s estranged Aunt asks them to accompany her to Italy for her eightieth birthday claiming she will break the curse on the steps of the Ravello Cathedral, the girls accepted despite opposition from family members.

The tale that unfolds was delightful and filled with growth and self-discovery as their Aunt Poppy shares her own love story and curse as a second-born daughter. Each character was unique and flawed. It was wonderful learning their secrets, seeing them experience and grow.

I laughed, sipped my wine, imagined the sites of Italy and fell in love. Spielman made me cry, laugh and cheer even as I held my breath and crossed my fingers.

The book left me red-eyed and smiling. Even now a week later memories of moments pop into my head and these characters craved a spot in my heart. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer