First published 2009
Valentine Roncalli stands in her family's cramped Greenwich Village shoe workshop, watching decades of craftsmanship crumble around her. The Angelini Shoe Company teeters on bankruptcy, and Valentine must choose between letting the business die or risking everything to resurrect it. She throws herself into learning the ancient art of shoemaking, determined to honor her Italian heritage while dragging the company into the modern world. Her quest leads her from the bustling streets of New York to the rolling countryside of Italy, where she discovers family secrets and traditional techniques. Along the way, Valentine navigates the complicated terrain of romance, torn between security and passion. As she struggles to master both leather and love, Valentine learns that saving the family business means more than balancing books. It means preserving a legacy while building a future worth fighting for.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, contemporary-romance, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Greenwich Village, Italy, New York
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
371 pages · Hardcover · Harper