First published 2013
Valentine Roncalli has left her teaching career behind to run the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village. For over a century, her business has depended on leather from Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This partnership brings Gianluca Vechiarelli into her life. He works as a tanner, but he carries secrets from his past that complicate their growing romance. When Christmas Eve arrives, Valentine brings Gianluca to The Feast of the Seven Fishes with her extended family. The celebration brings unexpected news that forces Valentine to make decisions that will change everything. She remembers the advice that guided her when she first took over the shoe company: anyone who can build shoes can accomplish anything. Valentine must fight for her desires while accepting both joy and pain. She works to preserve her family business while keeping love at the heart of her choices.
Genres: fiction, romance, contemporary, 21st-century, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Greenwich Village, Tuscany
Period: Christmas Eve
352 pages · Hardcover · Harper