My Fake Italian Marriage

Content warning: estranged sibling

Cleo and Luca have to fake marriage to save his family's business.

Cleo Arendse is a banker living in London. When her boss asks her to check on a questionable investment he made for personal reasons, she agrees to go to Italy for the weekend to scope out the failing vineyard he invested in. Her boss' faith lies in Cleo's discretion and the fact that she grew up on a wine farm in Africa (even though she knows nothing about farming grapes).

The owner of the Fioravanti vineyard has just suffered a stroke and will need a few months to recover. Since he runs most of the business, he calls in his lawyer son Luca to help with the winery until he can be back on his feet.

Cleo's short weekend trip becomes weeks, and she finds it increasingly harder to resist the gorgeous Luca's charms. She also discovers that the business is about to go bust, and must do whatever she can to help her boss recover from his bad investment. Then a little white lie about being married to help Cleo save face in front of an ex turns into a massive charade when practically the entire country of Italy finds out that they're "married" -- including Luca's family.

Recommended for romance readers who love a destination romance and/or the fake dating and forced proximity tropes. This novel radiates Under the Tuscan Sun energy.

Romy Sommer is a RITA-nominated romance author living in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Publisher: One More Chapter

Length: 359 pages

Release Date: November 3, 2024

Representation: side character recovering from a stroke

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.