This is a lovely story, it is heartbreaking but it also shows how strong love can be and what they will go through to prove that love, come along to Italy and meet the wonderful characters in this story from the 1940’s and present day. Spanning over years of stolen moments, hidden sweets, secret kisses, grief and betrayals but most importantly infinite riches, it tells the story of Estee and Felix.

Soraya M. Lane is now living her dream life as she always dreamed of becoming an author right from her childhood. She fantasized about recreating the stories she loved reading during the day and in her bed at night. Lane is now a full-time author and spends much of her days writing her novels and parenting her two little children. She finds the inspiration for her romance novel characters from her home where she spends hours thinking of plots and character traits. When she is not doing that, she can be found watching documentaries and trawling historical books looking for stories for her next historical fiction novel. Since she writes in two genres, she has two names with her contemporary romances published under Soraya Lane while her historical fiction is released under the name Soraya M. Lane. She currently lives with her husband and children on a small farm in New Zealand and works from her small home office that overlooks a patch of grassland where her horses often graze. De liefde hangt in de lucht en dat is een rode draad doorheen beide verhalen, maar er komt zoveel meer bij kijken. Door de zoektocht van Lily krijgt het verhaal meer diepgang en het maakt de lezer ook nieuwsgierig. De harde jeugd en de zware jaren waar Estee zich moet door ploeteren zowel voor, tijdens als na de oorlogsjaren, zorgen voor een meer pakkend, zwaarmoedig en ontroerend geheel. Een leuke afwisseling waardoor je doorheen het verhaal vliegt en je emoties wisselen van het ene uiterste naar het andere. Wanneer alles ongeveer op zijn plaats begint te vallen, weet de auteur je toch nog te verrassen met een leuke twist. Nadat ze een geheimzinnig kistje heeft gekregen met een paar oude bezittingen van haar overgrootmoeder van vaders kant, gaat ze op zoek naar haar familie. Lily is about to take on a new job, working with a winegrower and his family in the Como region in Italy. Perhaps this is fortuitous, as the contents of the box she found proves that her grandmother may have been Italian. While heading off to Italy for the next several months, she hopes to ask around to try and dig up things about her grandmother's past. More than finding answers, Lily also meets Antonio, the winegrower's son in Como, and she just might finally take a chance with her heart.Travelling to Italy and taking a job on a vineyard, Lily is determined to unravel the mystery of her past. The vineyard owners, in particular their charming son Antonio, offer to help. They tell Lily that the recipe belongs to the wealthy Rossi family, known for their bakeries which opened after the Second World War. Antonio offers to drive Lily to the Rossi’s village and deep down, Lily is delighted to have him as her guide.

The food at The Italian Daughter is as authentic and amazing as any you will find this side of Sicily. The made-from-scratch menu focuses on handcrafted pasta, stone fired pizzas, seafood, veal dishes, and new twists and tastes on Italian classics. Roasted Potato and Rosemary Pizza. This is a wonderful novel and it promises to be a lovely series. Both timelines flowed seamlessly and each of them had a wonderful story. Full of love and hope. Ich fand die Geschichte sehr unterhaltsam und mochte die unterschiedlichen Perspektiven. Hierbei fand ich wie in den meisten Fällen die Geschichte in der Vergangenheit noch ein wenig berührender. Jedoch muss ich auch sagen, dass mir auf der emotionalen Ebene bei beiden Geschichten ein wenig was gefehlt habe. Mich konnte die Geschichte leider nicht ganz überzeugen. She has recently started a new job with a well know winery. She and the owner’s son take a holiday to learn more about wine business but also find out the bakery where the recipe originated as she believe is will provide her with more about her great grandmother. Consumer advisory + consuming raw or undercooked meats + poultry + seafood + shellfish + or eggs may increase your risk of food borne illness + especially if you have certain medical conditions

Publication Order of Bellaroo Creek! Books

The Italian Daughter is the first in the series and is set in Tuscany in 1937 and London in present day. In the 1930s timeline, the author introduces readers to soulmates, Felix and Estee, who are torn apart by family loyalty. Estee is being groomed as a prima ballerina in hopes of being accepted at the most prestigious dance academy in Italy - La Scala. When she meets the baker’s son, Felix Barbieri, it’s love at first sight. The two have an intense connection and have no doubt that their future is with each other. Unfortunately, social standing and parental expectations stand in their way. In fact, the owner was furious that Lily had a copy of this recipe that she said has been kept secret for decades.

In this first novel, in present day we meet Lily who is called to a Lawyers office and given a box with a programme from La Scala theatre in Milan and a recipe in it. What connection does this have to a grandmother she didnt realise had been adopted. Having accepted a seasonal job at a vineyard in Italy she sees it as the perfect opportunity to investigate further. One of my favourite historical fiction authors is launching a new series of 8 books, The Lost Daughters. Each book in the series will be a dual timeline and will focus on one of the group of women who are called to a London lawyer’s office. These women are told that their grandmothers were born at Hope House, a home for unwed mothers, and are each given a letter and a box containing clues about their past - one none of them even knew they were searching for before arriving in the office.Some of the strongest memories that fill the minds and spirits of those who grew up in Italian families are those of family dinners — in particular, Sunday dinners … which sometimes stretched from lunchtime until bedtime. And…how is she going to find out anything about her grandmother with the few clues she has from the box...a recipe for a chocolate dessert and the name of a theater, La Scala Academy. In addition, to this beautiful as well as very clever story, I enjoyed narrator Zoe Mills and her performances of the characters!