Venice, a place to heal

Synopsis

Fate brought them together, now it’s up to them to make it work…

Having left the army to recover from a traumatic experience, Captain Jane Reed is on her way to Venice to assist Lady Veronica Cooper, a world-famous writer who has lost her mojo. Plagued by grief and sleepless nights, Jane soon finds a kindred spirit in Veronica, coping with her own loss after the death of her husband.

When the two relocate to Veronica’s villa in the countryside to escape the summer tourists, Jane meets the rest of the Cooper family – including Veronica’s brooding son, David. With his own tragic past, David has resigned himself to a life of solitude. Jane finds herself determined to bring joy back into his life, even if it means finally spilling her secrets.

Can Jane and David help each other heal, and find love in the process, or are some scars too deep to treat?

My review

Captain Jane Reed left the army after a traumatic experience. While physically she has healed, even if she has scars that will always remind of her of what happened, it’s on an emotional level that she still hasn’t healed completely.
Her new job brings her to Venice, to assist Lady Veronica Cooper, a successful writer known all over the world, but hasn’t written a word since the death of her beloved husband.
Both Jane and Veronica are finding it difficult to move on with their lives, but being together, Jane manages not only to enjoy her life again, but also helps Veronica to get out of that dark place.
And when they relocate to Veronica’s villa in the countryside for the summer, and Jane meets the other members of the Cooper family, she realizes that Veronica’s brooding son David has his own dark past, causing him to live in solitude.
Jane finds herself drawn to him and makes it her mission to get that spark back in his eyes, even if that means to come clean about her own secrets. 

It’s not a secret how much I love reading the books this author writes. And no, me being Italian and that the author has a whole series taking place in Italy doesn’t have anything to do with it! 

I don’t hide the fact that Venice is not my favourite Italian city, so I was curious to discover if T. A. Williams would manage to change my mind or not. While initially Venice confirmed all my ‘dislike’ for the place, I also discovered hidden gems of the place I didn’t know before. And add that the characters move to the countryside for the summer, surely helped increasing me liking this story! 

Already in the first chapter I liked Jane. Being a Captain in the Army, and being part of that specific department is something I admire but I also know you have to be right person for doing it. I for sure wouldn’t be up for the job, and we see what happened to Jane when it goes wrong.
So obviously it makes sense leaving the Army, and having the desire to start somewhere new. And with her background and Jane speaking fluently Italian, accepting the job as an assistant in Italy was the perfect solution. 

After her experience in Fallujah, we see only a shadow of who Jane was, which again is understandable. But once in Venice, surrounded by its beauty (yes I see Venice’s beauty too, it’s just the overhyped thing and being crushed by tourists I don’t like, and the pigeons, and the water, and the overpricing of just everything…) but also surrounded by the genuine people she meets, we start to see how Jane slowly starts to see the good things of life again.

I also liked how just Jane’s presence helped Veronica out. Also in her case, I understood her pain, but it saddened me how such a great woman seemed to have just given up. It warmed my heart to see how slowly also Veronica got out of her shell again, and got her spirit back! 

It’s obvious before we even know more details, that the love interest will be David. And while he has his own demons to face, we also see, just like Jane does, his potential. His behaviour may seem odd, and we know that *something* happened, but we don’t know the details.
I have to admit, I thought that his secret would be a bigger one. Not that what he went through is not bad enough, but in my imagination I made up a story that was way worse. 

Jane makes it her mission to help David out, even if he fights it initially. But we start to see more and more the real David, and I for sure could understand Jane’s attraction.
But for me, this story wasn’t only about Jane and David. I saw it more as a journey that broken people took, voluntarily or involuntarily. Jane, David and also Veronica have endured losses in different yet similar ways and are finding it difficult to overcome their pain.
However, sometimes all it takes to heal is to have these hurt people together, sharing their feelings and knowing that someone who understands is listening, to start the process to find happiness and joie de vivre again. 

This was again a heart-warming, wonderful story about ‘broken’ people, finding each other and helping each other.
The author again managed to fulfil my high expectations and even diminished my dislike for Venice a little bit.
Because with this author, it feels like you are walking around the place yourself, you can feel the heat of a crowded city, but also the fresh air in the countryside, and even the wet nose of a lovely dog!
Just amazing!