by Marianne Evans
When
the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true…
Ashley
Coratini is bucking her family, and the odds, by embracing the chance to pursue
a dream. During a three-week trip to Florence, Italy, she’s determined to
immerse herself in the world of art and to explore the gifts God has given her.
Widower
Luca DeRosa owns and operates a premiere art gallery at the heart of Florence.
He’s just over a year away from turning forty, but doesn’t mind the milestone.
He enjoys a life spent raising his five-year-old son and scouting artistic
talent. When he comes upon Ashley, he’s captivated by her artistic skills and
fluid grace, and he sees to it that Ashley’s dreams take off at high velocity.
But
as love blooms, questions mount. Will Ashley embrace her gifts and a life in
Italy that’s worlds different than the one waiting at home in America? Can Luca
trust his heart and instincts enough to embrace the love of a vibrant young
woman whose spirit speaks to him so deeply?
What
comes next when the dreams they dare to dream really might come true…?
About Marianne Evans
Marianne Evans is an award-winning author of
Christian romance and fiction. Her hope is to spread the faith-affirming
message of God’s love through the stories He prompts her to create.
Readers laude her work as “Riveting,”
“Realistic and true to heart,” “Compelling.” Her Christian women’s fiction
debut, Devotion, earned the Bookseller’s Best Award as well as the Heart of
Excellence Award. Hearts Communion earned a win for Best Romance from the
Christian Small Publisher's Association. She is also a two-time recipient of
the Selah Award for her books Then & Now and Finding Home.
Marianne is a lifelong resident of Michigan and
an active member of Romance Writers of America, most notably the Greater
Detroit Chapter where she served two terms as President. You can connect with Marianne at
www.marianneevans.com.
Connect with Marianne:
Review
A
young woman, alone in Italy. An older man, suave and charismatic, with promises
that seem too good to be true. All the earmarks of danger…and all the
expectation and excitement of love and a beautiful future.
Charcoal
artist Ashley Coratini made a promise to her beloved grandmother. That’s why,
despite a myriad of questions, doubts and uncertainties, she makes a gigantic
leap of faith and hope when a handsome stranger offers to take her and her
drawings of the city of Florence to a level of success she’s only ever dreamed
of achieving. Those dreams were part
of the promise she made to her grandmother. She has this one chance to make
them a reality.
The
lightning-quick sweep of feelings between the hero and heroine in this novella is
lovely—and exciting—as are the glimpses of Florence the author shares in vivid,
beautifully portrayed detail. Bella
Natale is a sweet, heart-stopping romance with additional touches
of beauty provided by the historic and picturesque setting. Florence is as much
a character as are the people who make up the “cast.”
Marianne
Evans loses none of her signature style of smooth writing full of deep emotion
and vivid personality, woven throughout with subtle strokes of incredible
spiritual wisdom. Bella Natale may
well be my favorite of this author’s works to date.
Mini-interview
What
inspired you to write BELLA NATALE?
I wrote Bella Natale following a trip my DH
and I took to Italy. We began our voyage in Rome, which took my breath away.
After that, we headed north, to Florence. We intended to take a day-trip to
Venice via train the following morning, but once we hit Florence, we literally
looked at each other and without even speaking a word, we knew we were going to
stay put in Florence and savor. It’s ancient, and gorgeous, and compact enough
for wonderful walks and eating, and meandering along the Arno River, or going
still before dazzling window displays, or listening to church bells sing out at
noon across the city. The history is so rich and so ever-present that you can’t
help but stop every few feet and absorb. It was truly the trip of a lifetime
and I wanted to commemorate a slice of that journey for readers.
What
smell do you love most, and why?
It’s a dead-heat tie between two:
Freshly-buttered, stove-top prepared popcorn and the aroma of my family recipe
onion bread baking in the oven. Both are heavenly!
Do
you usually insert a spiritual theme into your books? If so, do you have a
favorite?
A good number of my books center on the theme
of redemption, and the return of the prodigal. I haven’t done so by design—it’s
all God’s handiwork, which means there must be a reason for it! I do love a
good reclamation story, don’t you?
Dean Koontz still has it, people. The man can write a tale
that leaves readers begging for the next book. He had it 30 years ago, when I
read my first Koontz book, and he still has it today. 
