The Italian Job

Content warning: infidelity

Enemies Anna and Jake pretend to be a couple for a dream job in Italy.

Anna is a hyper-organized woman who loves lists and is well prepared for everything she does. Neighbor Jake is ruled by his emotions and makes decisions on the fly. Anna has recently broken up with her boyfriend, and Jake was just released from prison for assaulting Anna's former boyfriend. Jake was a fireman before incarceration and they won't take him back. They both could do with getting out of England.

Anna Googles "dream job" and finds a listing to run a castle in Italy that functions much like a boutique hotel. The only catch is that the owners want a couple to run the place. Anna enlists Jake as her fake boyfriend to do the driving, manual labor, and castle maintenance while chef Anna handles the food and cleaning.

It's clear Anna and Jake can't stand each other, so how they think they can be a convincing couple is a mystery. But as soon as they're alone in Italy, they begin to feel sparks fly. Each has baggage from their past that they must let go of if they want to be together.

Recommended for fans of destination romances, contemporary romance, and the forced proximity and enemies to lovers tropes.

Kathryn Freeman is a former pharmacist and current medical writer with a love of writing romance novels. She lives in England.

Publisher: One More Chapter

Length: 369 pages

Release Date: May 6, 2022

Representation: formerly incarcerated main character, retired police officer

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