Chez Maximka: An Escape to Remember by T.A. Williams

Thursday, 24 March 2022

An Escape to Remember by T.A. Williams

"...she felt remarkably relaxed, unusually relaxed. Something told her the Grand Hotel del Montferrato was going to prove to be a perfect place of escape and a little oasis of calm. And she could certainly do with some of that".

An Escape to Remember by T.A. Williams is a glorious romance, set in the hills of Turin.

When Louise Rhodes arrives home from her work trip a day earlier, hoping to surprise her boyfriend Tommy, she is shocked to find him in bed with another woman. "In the space of a few seconds her whole life had been turned upside down. Tommy had been the man with whom she had been planning to spend the rest of her life but now those dreams were in tatters".

Louise is heart-broken, and wonders, "Was she the problem? Had she not been loving enough or considerate enough or understanding enough? Of course it was likely, that her job had been part of the problem... No, whatever contributing factors there might have been from her side, the blame here lay squarely on Tommy's shoulders".

Thankfully, her boss Joseph (unaware of the drama at home) comes with a grand project. He wants Louise to go to Italy, as he has just signed off on a deal to purchase a hotel in the hills of north-west Italy, just below the Alps.

The Grand Hotel del Montferrato is old, quirky and picturesque, and has been operating for over a hundred years, but it's "bearly ticking over at present" and needs a major renovation.

Joseph sends Louise to Italy with a plan, "Go through it from head to toe. Make any changes you think fit to the property itself, the facilities, the management and staff at all levels. Get rid of any dead wood and turn it into one of the best luxury hotels at all levels". That's quite an ask.

Louise is glad to have a new purpose. As it happens, the hotel is in dire need of renovations, but the staff working there prove to be loyal and hard-working. "Just like the orchestra playing on the Titanic, they had carried on as normal while the hotel had slowly started to sink beneath the waves".

Having arrived to Italy, Louise is determined to stay away from men.

"Her upcoming trip to rural Italy sounded as though it would provide a place to escape from the memory of Tommy and his woman".

To complicate matters even further, Joseph invites Louise for dinner, and their conversation leaves her confused. Is Joseph interested in her?

Her old flame, Paolo has re-appeared in her life. He was Louise's first real great love. The romance ended abruptly when Paolo "made it brutally clear that his career took priority over everything - including her". He's having marital problems back in the States, and considers it a sign from above, that he and Louise might get back together.

Tommy is still pretty much in her thoughts too.

And there's an enigmatic Count Vittorio Emanuele Dellarosa, whose family has owned the hotel for many years. He inherited the failing business and sold it along with everything else. Vittorio is a recluse, who lives in the old mill, quite close to the hotel, with Leo, his big brown Labrador.

There is a wave of sadness surrounding him, he works as a professor at Turin University but barely ventures in the local society, as if he has given up on any chance of finding his personal happiness. What is the tragedy behind his seclusion?

Louise feels "an immediate and inexplicable feeling of familiarity, almost as if the two of them had already met". Vito appears to be polite, but very reserved, unlike his dog Leo who seems to be deliriously happy to meet her every time she walks in the countryside around the hotel.

"Her head was spinning with conflicting thoughts of four men. First, there was Tommy and the still open wound caused by his infidelity, second was the former love of her life who had moved to the other side of the globe, only to reappear like magic, third her boss whose intentions she couldn't fathom, and now, suddenly, this unknown man who had made such an inexplicable first impression on her..."

Louise is excellent at her job as a company troubleshooter for the luxury hotel chain, and gradually the hotel is returning to the glory days. She knows what she is doing, but finds it not that easy to stay focused purely on the job, as she keeps thinking of the handsome hermit Vito.

His tragic past and her newly-minted policy of staying away from men make it almost impossible for any romance to bud. Will Louise and Vito have a chance to open their hearts to each other?

An Escape to Remember has been a perfect antidote to depressive thoughts, and I needed a bit of happy escapism, with beautiful landscapes and gorgeous food. And though I'm not a dog person, I couldn't but smile at the antics of the impulsive and uninhibited Leo. He is such a character that he often steals the scenes.

There are several supporting characters who make the leading story even more compelling. The stories of the hotel staff, Calogero, Domenica and Luigino, interweave into the main plotline, helping it build to a beautiful ending.

The Italian setting is so vividly described, you feel transported to Italy. The author has an impressive knowledge of the Italian cuisine too. I kept nodding my head at the food descriptions, yes, I'd be happy to eat that, and that, and that. Bravo for all the Italian food desciptions, totally spot on!

Fabulous escapism with oodles of atmosphere and romance. Made me want to re-visit Italy straight away.

This post is part of the publication day event for An Escape to Remember.

Many thanks to T.A. Williams, NetGalley and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - mybook.to/AnEscape

Author Bio – I’m a man. And a pretty old man as well. I did languages at university a long time ago and then lived and worked in France and Switzerland before going to Italy for seven years as a teacher of English. My Italian wife and I then came back to the UK with our little daughter (now long-since grown up) where I ran a big English language school for many years. We now live in a sleepy little village in Devonshire. I’ve been writing almost all my life but it was only seven years ago that I finally managed to find a publisher who liked my work enough to offer me my first contract.

The fact that I am now writing escapist romance is something I still find hard to explain. My early books were thrillers and historical novels. Maybe it’s because there are so many horrible things happening in the world today that I feel I need to do my best to provide something to cheer my readers up. My books provide escapism to some gorgeous locations, even if travel to them is currently difficult.