Bella Fortuna

Bella Fortuna (#226) by Rosanna Chiofalo was a Goodreads First Reads giveaway for me.  It's a romance partially set in Venice, the most atmospheric of cities and a place of wonderful memories for me.

Valentina DeLuca, the daughter of Sicilian immigrants, is about to fulfill her lifelong dream of marrying the man she loves in Venice.  And she'll be wearing the perfect dress she has designed for the occasion.  Valentina and her two sisters both work in her mother Olivia's shop, the Sposa Rosa, a successful New York wedding gown business featuring customized designer knock-offs.  But it turns out Michael isn't the perfect match Valentina thought he would be.  Determined not to let him destroy all her dreams, Valentina decides to visit Venice on her own.  Although imagining herself there with Michael is bound to cause her pain, she finds that there are unexpected compensations, too.

Although this is an enjoyable enough novel, it took two thirds of the book before Valentina even arrives in Venice, and frankly, the city that is featured on the cover and in the jacket blurbs gets pretty short shrift here with one notable geographic mistake for anyone who has ever been there.  I'm glad I had my Rosetta Stone background in Italian as I was reading, though, because there are a number of exchanges in the book in Italian which the author never bothers to translate, or give clues to the meaning through additional dialogue.  I find that very annoying myself.  And while I'm nitpicking, Valentina has the habit of correcting the English of the male Italian characters she runs into (while they're undressing her with their eyes, of course!), yet the author, who is herself the daughter of Sicilian immigrants brought up in New York City, employs several idioms throughout the book which are not common American usage.  Since when do Americans stand "on line" at the bakery, not "in line"?  Or when was the last time you referred to that passing cargo ship as a freight line cruiser?  I was brought up in a major port city and I've never heard that term.  It was also a bit distracting that halfway through the book Olivia DeLuca's story was inserted into Valentina's story in a seemingly random fashion.  It would have made more sense if her mother's story had been introduced earlier in the narrative.

On the plus side, though, I really did enjoy learning about the "behind the scenes" workings of a busy bridal boutique.  The designs and the materials used are all so far removed from our daily experiences it's nice to live vicariously in this world of fairytale luxury.  And for those who get hungry reading about all the delicious Italian dishes, Ms. Chiofalo includes some recipes in the back.  If you're in the mood for romance, Bella Fortuna may satisfy your romantic sweet tooth.