• Of All People by Lily Baines
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Of All People Book Cover Of All People
Of All Hearts
Lily Baines
New Adult, Adult, Contemporary Romance, Italian Literature
Independently Published
December 8, 2020
Kindle, Paperback
235

Can mending a derelict hotel help mend two lonely hearts?

Romeo Dante Lorenzo, owner of a set of cobalt blue eyes and a chiseled jawline, is one of New York's most eligible bachelors.

Too bad he’s not looking for love.

Used to a different type of women—beautiful and vain—Romeo doesn’t think much of Siena Borrelli upon first meeting her while attending to family business in Italy.

After divorcing her cheating husband, Siena started a new life in Rimini, Italy, a coastal town as unique and warm as its occupants, caring for an elderly woman who owns the old hotel she now calls home.When the woman’s great-nephew, Romeo, visits to sell the place, Siena won't let it go without a fight. His physique can be distracting, but she's determined to not let it deceive her.

Can they both look beyond the surface?

Love sees past the outward appearance…

Lily Baines gives readers a holiday treat with another heartwarming romance, Of All People,  her second book in the Of All Hearts series.  Set in the picturesque town of Rimini, Italy, this quaint seaside village is a beautiful backdrop for the unexpected romance of Romeo and Siena, two people who are jaded on love but for two very different reasons. When circumstances bring them together at the outdated inn belonging to Romeo’s elderly aunt, their initial impressions of each other do not get their first couple of days off to a good start.  Showing up in a flashy Alpha Romeo only accentuates the perception that they are not each other’s “type”.  As they start to see the other in a different light they slowly pull back the curtain on their own façade that has shielded their hearts for many years, revealing a connection they have never felt with anyone else.  Of all the people in the world they never would have thought that true love and happiness would be found in the other. 

Lily Baines is a wonderful romance writer who is able to whisk her readers away from everyday life, which at many times is exactly what we are looking for in a book.  Her characters and the development of their relationships are captivating, even though they are just regular people doing regular things.  When moments of discord happen, which are usually brought on by outside influences not of their own doing, they still try to make the right choices and be honest with each other.  How many stories have you read where the main characters do or say something you know is going to cause a problem in their relationship and you mentally cringe thinking “why would you do that?” I much prefer a them-against-the-world relationship when reading to escape.   When your normal life is hectic or stressful, Lily can be trusted for a delightfully entertaining romance with a happily-ever-after ending.

As an added bonus, the Of All Hearts series is developing into a fascinating travel guide. Her locations are stunning and off the beaten path from the usual European sites many authors tend to use.  Her writing incorporates the local customs and events into the story in such an enticing way that I keep adding them to my list of places I would like to visit someday.