Monday, January 30, 2012

Brava, Valentine

Summary:
"As Brava, Valentine begins, snow falls like glitter over Tuscany at the wedding of her grandmother, Teodora, and longtime love, Dominic. Valentine's dreams are dashed when Gram announces that Alfred, "the prince," Valentine's only brother and nemesis, has been named her partner at Angelini Shoes. Devastated, Valentine falls into the arms of Gianluca, a sexy Tuscan tanner who made his romantic intentions known on the Isle of Capri. Despite their passion for one another and Gianluca's heartfelt letters, a long-distance relationship seems impossible.As Valentine turns away from romance and devotes herself to her work, mentor and pattern cutter June Lawton guides her through her power struggle with Alfred, while best friend and confidante Gabriel Biondi moves into 166 Perry Street, transforming her home and point of view. Savvy financier Bret Fitzpatrick, Valentine's first love and former fiancÉe who still carries a torch for her, encourages Valentine to exploit her full potential as a designer and a business woman with a plan that will bring her singular creations to the world.A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis and Valentine is determined to hold her family together. More so, she longs to create one of her own, but is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her."
Plot: Brava, Valentine pretty much picks up where Very, Valentine left off. The writing of the plot is pretty steady, having a nice amount of highs and lows, keeping you excited enough to keep reading. For book 2 out of 3 it was a good plot. If this was the last book, the plot would be pointless, but since it is #2, the plot leads up to book 3 very well. 
Characters: Beside the Italian family essence that Trigiani captures very well, the characters are my favorite part of the book. Mainly cause they are so normal and real. They don't have anything overly special or damaged about themselves. They are your typical human beings and crazy family. And if it isn't your family, you know a family like this. 
Pros: Awesome sequel, realistic romance, realistic overall, a nice read
Cons: If it wasn't Book 2 in a series, I would say it was a bit longer then I needed..
Final Thoughts:  Every since I read Very, Valentine a few years back I have been waiting for the sequel.  Valentine has a very normal life, but once you add Italy, love and travel it become something very wistful. Both books give me a sense of happiness and the one thing I love is that the Valentine Series is a book I can recommend to most readers. It has a very broad audience it can relate too. 

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