Warm Italian sunshine casts long shadows… In the sleepy Italian village of Santa Lucia, espresso-serving Chiara has always been the one to turn to for the juiciest gossip. But when secrets hidden in the heart of the village start to unravel, Chiara finds herself in the middle of a brewing conflict that could threaten the lives of everyone in the town. As romances blossom and tensions rise, Chiara soon finds that not all secrets are meant to stay hidden. Will the exploding revelations prove deadly? Santa Lucia is the gripping story of a town on the brink of change and the villagers that call it home. " Santa Lucia is a wonderful, sprawling, satisfying novel....This was my favorite novel of 2017." -- Caseful of Clues "One of those books that keeps you awake at night reading. Loved the characters and the story." " Santa Lucia brings small town Italy to life!" "Santa Lucia is 'un-put-downable'! This book is for anyone who loves wandering Italian villages as well as Italian culture, language and food. A wonderful read that transports you completely into the atmosphere of everyday life in a little village that could only be in Italy. You'll love the intertwining of the stories of the many characters, the secrets and intrigue that typically though not obviously exist in a small place, the twists and turns of the general story and the dramatic final chapters, that leave you gagging for more. Roll on Book 2!" "From the very first paragraph, I found myself intrigued. Michelle Damiani paints a complete portrait of Santa Lucia, her inhabitants and the aura of Umbria itself. The plot is well fleshed out, takes surprising and unexpected turns. It was difficult to lay the story aside. I can hardly wait for her next installment of the story of Santa Lucia. Bravo, Michelle Damiani." "One of those books that keeps you awake at night reading. Loved the characters and the story." "This was a fantastic read. I could not put it down. The way it ends leaves me longing for Michelle to write the sequel. Her descriptions of Santa Lucia are like reading poetry. Great Great read. You will love it!" "I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It captures the atmosphere of a small Italian town so well. I really felt like I was sipping a cappuccino at the local bar and watching the stories unfold. The characters are really well written and I really cared about (most!) of them. I enjoyed picking the book up when I had a few minutes to read and looked forward to being transported to the little bar in Italy to see what was happening. Thank you Michelle for an amazing read and I'm looking forward to the sequel already." "I've visited Italy a few times and this book takes me back to the wonderful time spent there. I got so lost in the characters and Michelle's description of Santa Lucia I could not stop reading. I kept saying to myself 'one more chapter!' I'm so glad this is a series because I get to keep enjoying Michelle's writing. Please hurry up and finish book 2 of the series!!!" Michelle Damiani is a writer and clinical psychologist currently living in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is the author of "Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center", a memoir that chronicles her year living in an Italian village with her husband, three children, and two cats. Her daily life in Umbria later inspired her romance/suspense hybrid novel, "Santa Lucia". Written in sweeping telenovela style, "Santa Lucia" is nonetheless grounded in the green heart of Italy. Her recent book "The Road Taken: How to Dream, Plan, and Live Your Family Adventure Abroad" weaves together the the backstory of how her family created their year abroad with the stories of 36 contributors to help families envision and build their own global family experience. When not plotting her next adventure, you can find her at www.michelledamiani.com.