The romance novel Under a Siena Sun by T. A. Williams was pure escapism. This romance reminded me somewhat of the old Harlequin Romances that I used to devour when a teen. It has an exotic location, in this case Tuscany, and is filled with characters that are appealing and warm. In this case, the heroine, Lucy, is a doctor who is recovering from her harrowing time working in Africa with a Doctors Without Borders organization while the hero is a celebrity tennis player recovering from both a career ending injury and a divorce.

The author pays as much attention to food and the beautiful location as he does to the story, and by the end of the book, I am ready to head off to Tuscany! The addition of a lovable black Labrador named Boris just helped to seal the deal! Since I was recovering from one of my last very dark reads, this book totally hit the spot.

I wouldn’t want a steady diet of books like this, but every once in awhile, an escape romance makes a nice change. I listened to an audio version of the book that was nicely read by Colleen Prendergast. ( )

Dr. Lucy Young has been in Africa with an organization similar to Doctors without Borders and has to be rescued when the civil war gets a bit too close to the clinic where she works. Needing R&R she heads off to Tuscany where her best friend is preparing to get married. Lucy had spent her childhood summers in the village of Siena and now she has returned to salve her troubled mind and exhausted body. While there she is recruited to become the staff surgeon at an exclusive clinic for the rich and famous. It goes against her principles but she is persuaded that the less fortunate will also be cared for. Here she meets a reclusive ex-tennis star and their budding friendship brings repercussions for both.

A delightful romance only wish there was going to be a sequel to see how David and Lucy fare. ( )