Book Review: La Dolce Veto by Caitlin Alice Gilbert
If you love to read about traveling, this just might be the romance novel for you. If you love movies about Italy and self discovery, like Under the Tuscan Sun and Letters to Juliet, this just might be the book for you. In today’s blog post, we’re going to be discussing new release La Dolce Veto by Caitlin Alice Gilbert.
For my full book review, keep reading! And for more romance recommendations, click here.
What is La Dolce Veto by Caitlin Alice Gilbert About?
Rising star US Congresswoman Isabella Rhodes was supposed to be making history—not headlines.
But when a devastating betrayal shatters her career overnight, she flees to La Musa, a sleepy village in the heart of Umbria where the days are slow, the pasta is handmade, and no one knows her name.
At Villa Farentino, Izzy hopes to start fresh, far from the relentless eyes of the world. But her plans unravel when she learns she’ll be sharing the villa with Benito Farentino, the brooding, newly elected mayor who is just as determined to save his crumbling hometown as he is unwilling to trust outsiders.
As tensions grow over a controversial hotel development, Izzy is pulled into the fight for La Musa’s future… and further into Benito’s world. And soon, what began as a quiet escape becomes a chance to rebuild, to believe again, and maybe even to fall in love.
Izzy now has a choice. Will she risk her second chance at happiness for the life she left behind, or stay and fight for the one she’s only just begun to imagine? (from Amazon.com)
My Initial Thoughts
I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Anthea Greco. And I think she did a fantastic job. Izzy is a very hardworking person, but she also has a good sense of humor and fun to her. I felt that the narrator did a really great job capturing that.
My first thoughts about the book was that I really liked Izzy. The opening scene takes place in a meeting where she pretty much demolishes some sexist politicians. It’s easy to tell that she was meant to have a political career. It was really upsetting when she lost her district to former flame, Levi Cross.
I was so mad. I was like, “Men are the worst!” But then she decided to change her life. She left Los Angeles to go live in a small Italian town. And that’s whent the fun began.
Enemies to Lovers
I love a good enemies to lovers romance, so this book was very satisfying to me. From the beginning, every conversation between Benito and Izzy made me smile. I liked how even though he and Izzy are actually very similar, he was not willing to concede that. This made for some very interesting build up to them figuring out their feelings.
All in all, I felt that it was a very dreamy romance. Because although it took a while for them to figure each other out, the wait was worth it. There were so many funny scenes with them disagreeing. It led to some very interesting sexual tension.
And don’t even get me started on their trip to Rome!
The Sense of Community
One of the best things about this book was the characters! When Izzy decides to go to La Musa, she rents a room from Anita. While living at Anita’s house she meets her grumpy son Benito (who just happens to be the mayor) as well as a whole cast of fun characters. I enjoyed this a lot. My personal belief is that the side characters can add a lot to the best romance books.
The Writing Style
The style of writing in this book really worked for me. I appreciated that there were pop culture references peppered throughout the story. It made me smile when Benito and Izzy realized that they both enjoyed the Real Housewives (that’s all I’m going to say… you’ll have to read the book to find out more). I don’t watch that much tv on Bravo, but maybe I should start? Let me know in the comments if I should. Lol.
There’s this part in the beginning of the book when Benito and Izzy first meet, and he keeps accusing her of being on vacation. He brings up movies like Under the Tuscan Sun and Letters to Juliet. He claims that she’ll get tired of her vacation and go back to America.
As a fan of those movies I was like, “Yeah. I totally understand”. Because there’s a certain appeal to jetting off to Italy and having an exciting summer of love. Caitlin’s writing was very enjoyable and I think that readers will agree.
Who Would I Recommend This Movie To?
- Romance fans, obviously
- Romcom lovers (think Under the Tuscan Sun, Mamma Mia, Letters to Juliet, You Me & Tuscany)
- Fans of travel in books (I don’t know how realistic this setting actually is, but it certainly seemed realistic!)
- Readers who enjoy a grumpy mmc
- Fans of small town romance (or in this case, small village romance lol)
In Conclusion
Thanks so much for checking out my book review of La Dolce Veto. This may be the authors debut novel, but it is very well done. There are so many great scenes whether it’s Sunday lunch in the backyard, or visiting Rome with Benito. There are so many funny scenes between Benito and Izzy, as well as the rest of the characters.
Debut author Caitlin Alice Gilbert did a great job, and I look forward to seeing what she publishes next.
