Rome Is Where The Heart Is by Tilly Tennant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Honestly, thank you so much Bookouture and NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for review. I jump at most any book that takes place in Rome, or really any place in Italy. Rome is Where The Heart Is will be added to my favorite books based in Italy that I will read over and over. I typically hate when a book starts out with the woman being dumped, especially in this case where Kate and her husband Matt had a deep history. I often wonder how someone loves someone for years and builds a life together and one of them cheats, or betrays the other. Kate doesn’t know if Matt cheated and at this point it is not all that important because the most important thing is that he left her when she appeared to be clueless that they were not doing well. Kate is pretty shocked, and Matt is a bit of a “tosser” so it is hard to feel sorry for someone that knows they are unhappy but never bothers to try and do something about it and just leaves. But, Kate does the one thing that I admire, head to Rome, which in my humble opinion, can never be a bad idea.
Kate has one week in Rome which not nearly enough to even see half of it, but, she makes the best with the time she has there. She sees some amazing sites and meets some amazing people. It goes without saying that she eats some wonderful food. One of the people she meets, Jamie, takes her under his wing and I like that the reader gets to know Jamie. He isn’t just a passing character. He is an integral part of Kate’s story and he adds so much color to the book. But, that is one of the great things about this book. The characterizations stand out. Each person Kate meets or interacts with is well written. Even the people who are not main characters are colorful and well-written. Kate has a mishap while out one night near the Spanish Steps and meets Alessandro, a policeman in the Rome police department. Oddly enough they run into each other again and hit it off. At this stage, Kate has made two friends in about 2 days in Rome where I have made zero when visiting for about 10 days across two different visits. I’m not sure what I am doing wrong, but, I’m hoping I have it straight for my next visit. Kate has this way of drawing people to her even when she is not trying and her personality shines through in the book. Alessandro is a good looking Roman guy who people appear to love. He loves his job and believes in his city and wants to ensure that others love it also. He has this lively, close family and he and Kate have a lot in common. It doesn’t hurt that Jamie loves him also. What is key is will Kate’s sisters love him enough to cheer for their sister’s second chance at love? It is well worth reading Rome is Where the Heart is to find out.