This is one book that actually surprised me quite a lot. I don't read that much romance, but now and then do I like to take a break from reading crime and horror to read something a bit lighter. To be honest, I was not completely sold when it came to this book's story when I read the blurb. And, in a way, I was right about feeling a bit cautious when it came to the romance part of this book. But, I was wrong to think that this book wouldn't suit me.

However, I will start with saying that I did not care an iota about Antonio and Olivia's romance, I never found their first meeting especially memorable and the subsequent meetings over the years never interested me or even gave a hint of some memorable romance. In short, the main story, the romance between Antonio and Olivia bored me. However, the book had a much more interesting character and that was Antonio's sister Filomena. I liked reading about Filomena's struggle to be with the man she loved. It was far more interesting to read about than Antonio and Olivia's forbidden love. Filomena was the one character that made the book enjoyable for me. Filomena and the fact that I have never read about an Italien family in England during WW2 and what they had to go through. Half the family was for fascism and Mussolini and the other half, not too enthusiastic about it. And, I found it fascinating to read about how the Italians in England thought that Mussolini, il Duce, was the one that would make Italy great again.

The last part of the book was my favorite part because here Alison Love decided to twist to story in a way I never expected it to go. Here, I became was so completely intrigued by the book that I couldn't stop reading it, despite the clock closing in on midnight. And, the worst part, I loved the ending, despite it being so darn saccharin!

It was a wonderful book and I ended up enjoying it very much!

Thanks to Netgalley and TLC Blog Tours for the book! ( )

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I am a big fan of historical fiction, especially beautifully written with a happy ending. ( )

I am actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this book, considering how long it took me to read it. I had several false starts as I failed to really connect with the characters, but once I got a little farther into it I was interested to see where the story would lead. War books aren't typically my forte, but the other elements in the plot were enough to overcome that.

To be honest, I didn't love any of the characters. Some of them had potential, but they weren't particularly well developed, so most of it was glossed over or left to the imagination. Fortunately I have one, so I was able to become attached to some of them and fill in the gaps despite the author's light characterizations.

But the end of the story, the way the final pieces wrapped up and came together, was lighter than I expected, and more heartfelt (if unlikely), and I came away feeling a bit uplifted and more hopeful than the beginning suggested. I'm glad I stuck it out and finished; I hope others will give it a chance as well.

I won this copy from LibraryThings early reviewers contest.

Not what I imagined the story would be like from reading the blurb on the back of the book.

The story focuses on the 'love affair' between Olivia and Antonio. If it wasn't for the book telling the reader there was an affair, yo wouldn't get that from the actual story. Very slow and you kept waiting for the explosion of sparks and passion to come, but when it, it's just a little too late.

Of both protagonists, Antonio was the stronger one and in fact, it's his voice that opens the novel. Actually, even Olivia's husband Bernard is strong enough that he elicits some kind of emotion from you.

The book title should have been 'The Man from the Paradise Ballroom' since Antonio is definitely the main character with a better story to tell. ( )

I received this book as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer’s program.

This was a pleasant Saturday read. Although there are a few minor complaints about the character buildup overall it was a good book and taught me a few things about WWII I hadn't known. Not sure I would purchase this book but it is definitely a check-out-of-the-library worthy title. ( )