Rating 4.5/5

This book was wonderful. It was great to get to know Mia after meeting her in Cocktails and Dreams, she was the one to tell it like it is in that book but in Prosecco and Promises, you see that there is a lot more to her. She has such a strong facade and it was really interesting how she handles being sent away and having to actually deal with the things that have happened to her.

I actually found this book really emotional, there were times that I was reduced to tears, but also strangely very uplifting, Mia’s excitement over exploring the history of the island and the treasures in the shop reached out to me and gave me that happy glow when you feel passionate about something.

It was nice to have that balance and it really added a lot of depth to the story that I wouldn’t have maybe picked up on from looking at the cover or reading the blurb.

Mia and Salvatore were amazing together, this wasn’t an instant spark and they were besotted this was more of a slow burn, an enjoyment of spending time together, that felt so natural. I loved the coffee and its symbolism! (you’ll just have to read it if you want to know what that means!)

The setting of Ischia was fantastic, I definitely wanted to be transported there and could even convince myself that I could feel the warmth even though it was wintery outside. Of course, the loud Italian family that go with it were also lovely to hear about, it was nice getting a lot of Mia’s background this way.

In the same vein as the first book there were a lot of yummy food references and also some tasty sounding drinks, I think I will definitely be giving the cocktail recipe a try.

It was nice to hear from Savvy, Jacques and Bel, who featured in Cocktails and Dreams, but you don’t really need to have read that to enjoy this one, although it is also a really good book!

Prosecco and Promises is a lovely story, with a fabulous setting and a wonderful bunch of characters and manages to pull off an emotional but hopeful tone. This is a story that you can easily get wrapped up in and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

I enjoyed this book so much!  The characters were so well written, I was there with them. I could absolutely visualise Ischia, and Naples.  I have not read any books by A L Michael before, but I will certainly be looking for them from now on.

Mia is a bad-tempered, grouchy person who makes every effort to keep the world away.  But there is a sad reason for this.  Her Italian mother died in an accident when she was a little girl, and she was bought up by her father.  In her teens her father had cancer, and was expected to die, and he became the focus of her life.  He got better, then to her horror he married a young woman, not much older than her.  She lived at home with them, but hated her stepmother, and made her life as difficult as she could.  Then her father's cancer came back.  When he knew there was no hope, which is the start of this book, he sends her away, to go and stay with her Italian family in Ischia.  He wants to ensure that her memories of him are not distorted by sad thoughts of his dying, and he also wants her to know her family, as she has only met them once, just after her mother died.  She finds it very painful to leave him, and takes her distress and anger out on the world! 

When she arrives in Ischia she finds it difficult, as she has never learned to speak Italian. Her cousin Nikki meets her at Naples airport, and soon they are at home, across the bay in Ischia, and Mia meets her aunt Allegra, and her Nonna (grandmother), and the rest of a large extended family.  Allegra welcomes her, but her grandmother just glares, and refuses to speak with her.  The reasons for this are gradually disclosed as the story opens out.  Mia goes out for a wander round, and comes across a little antique ship that she remembers going in when she came to Ischia as a young girl, and the owner had been kind to her.  She goes in to look around, and is met by a sulky young man who is every bit as grumpy and bad-tempered as she is.

Salvatore is the grandson of the shop owner, Antonio, who remembers Mia very well, for reasons that are part of the family story. The shop is not making money, and Salvatore is insisting his grandfather sells it.  The relationship between Salvatore and Mia thaws a little, and they decide to spend time sorting the shop out, Mia explains how they can try and make it profitable again.  Of course spending time together deepens their relationship, but they are both there for reasons that mean they won't stay, so they try not to get too emotionally involved.

The inevitable happens, and Mia has to return to England for her father's funeral.  It giver her time to look at her life and decide what she wants from it. She has spent too long caring for her father and placing her dreams on hold.  The story continues to the happy endings that were meant to be.  There are lots of happy moments in the book, and a few sad points, where tissues are required; and one or two places where you might find yourself laughing and crying at the same time, not least when Mia and her Nonna finally start talking to each other, albeit through their translator Allegra.

All in all, a lovely, gentle story very well written and filled with all sorts of emotion.  It has more than one happy ending, and the aah! factor is very strong.   Read it, you will enjoy this unputdownable book.

Prosecco and Promises is a lovely story of love and loss and new beginnings .Set on the  Italian Island of Ischia I really felt immersed in the Italian atmosphere and lifestyle .I very much liked the characters some made me laugh with their antics .This book had a lovely heart warming feel about it ,I  thoroughly enjoyed it even though the ending had me in tears .!!! Fabulous !!!!

The setting of this book, the Italian Island of Ischia, caught my eye as I had been there a few years ago whilst on holiday near Sorrento. It is a beautiful island and somewhere I would happily visit again. Like to know more? a Guide to Ischia. (Link on blog: The setting of this book, the Italian Island of Ischia, caught my eye as I had been there a few years ago whilst on holiday near Sorrento. It is a beautiful island and somewhere I would happily visit again. Like to know more? a Guide to Ischia. Link can be found on blog: https://lovebooksreadbooks.wordpress.com/2018/02/06/prosecco-and-promises-martini-club-book-2-by-a-l-michael/ 

Mia is sent to Ischia by her father as he nears the end of his life when the cancer he once survived returns. She feels she has to honour his last request to her but is not happy to be sent to family she barely knows having only met them once before, shortly after her mother’s death, when she was a child. Only one member of the family - her mothers sister - knows why she is visiting.

There is a lot about loss. The loss of her mother, the imminent loss of her father, the loss of her dream to become an archaeologist. We see how she misses Savvy, her closest friend, who has moved away; how she misses Jacques, who is back in London, whilst on Ischia. We see that Mia seems no longer to be herself she is angry, yes, sad and somewhat thoughtless but then as time on Ischia goes by things change. She meets Antonio, who knows quite a bit about her mother, and his grandson Salvatore, she gets to know her Italian family, she finds her love of antiquities is rekindling her passion for archeology. And then there’s Salvatore. And then she makes some life-changing decisions. A story of loss, yes, but also of finding, of hope and of new beginnings - a gift from a father to his daughter.

A well written book with a wonderfully light hand allowing what could have been a torrid read to become softer, understanding that life goes on around you even through the sad times, that you can have happy times in the midst of the bad and that is OK.

Also, it reminded me of a wonderful holiday filled with happy memories.

Rating: 3.5*

With thanks to Canelo via NetGalley for an eARC in return fo an honest opinion.

While this appears to be an easy read chick lit book, there is a bit more to it and could trigger people's emotions depending on their personal circumstances. Mia has been sent by her dad to Ischia, an Italian island, to stay with her mother's family. Mia's dad is in the final stages of a terminal illness and wants to spare her from his dying days.. Her mother died when Mia was very young and it's always been the two of them. Until her dad married the much younger Marjorie. Mia can be a bit "spoilt childlike" around Marjorie, but they are actually a support network for each other. We enjoy the story as Mia gets to know her family on her mother's side and we see her becoming less spiky as time goes on. We wonder why her grandmother is so off with her, and we watch as she is embraced by the noisy Italians she grows to love. There are adventures to be had on the island, and we watch as Mia opens up and realises why her dad has sent her away. An enjoyable, easy read.

Having lost my own father two years ago, this book was very emotionally charged for me as Mia is sent away to Ischia by her dying father so that she won't be there at the end. This makes the book stand out as something different from the usual chick-lit fare and wasn't at all what I was expecting from the title. It's quite cathartic but I couldn't have read a book like this until recently. I loved the sense of place and the characters but it did feel as if there was a big black cloud hanging over the prose, despite the happy ending. Mia's crazy Italian family bring the story to life and I enjoyed watching Mia's relationship with Salvatore. I also like the way that her step-mother wasn't quite what Mia had thought either. An interesting and poignant read.

This was a sweet story about the importance of family, finding who you want to be and how you want to live, while also sharing a fun love story or two! The characters were enjoyable, the plot moved quickly, and this was a feel good read perfect for a summer day at the beach!

This was a sweet insightful story. It’s about grief, raw feelings, family loyalty and keeping promises.

Mia lost her Mother, and when young was taken to Italy by her Father to visit the Italian family and her mother’s heritage.

Now that she’s older, this time she is returning to Italy, to her mothers Italian family to fulfill her fathers dying wish. It’s painful to leave him behind weakening each day dying from cancer. His secound wife is not much older than Mia. 

She’s had to break all ties, not ring, not write to her father.

Can you imagine that?

When she returns to Ishcia among her mothers family she gets a warm welcome. Apart from her Mothers, Mother. Is it because she doesn’t want her there that her Grandmother doesn’t speak to her, or is it because of language barrier or something else?

Mia revisits a store which she remembers from the first time she was there. Is that man the owner still alive?

We travel with Mia through her grief, through her emotions, finding love in the most unexpected place. Her highs, her lows and the loss of one half of her family with the gain of the other.

I read this in one sitting. An easy flowing read that you will adore.

Thank you Canelo via Net Galley for my copy

OH MY WORD - what an emotional rollercoaster!  This book grabbed me from its opening chapter and by the end of chapter two I was sobbing. A lovely tale of relationships, romance, heartache, families, grief but with a good dollop of fun and laughter too.  All set on a idyllic Italian island.  I have to say that from my experience, having lived in Italy, the level of English spoken in a small village was quite surprising but that maybe because I live in a rural area and this is set in a tourist spot.  However, it did not detract from the story.  Heart wrenching in parts - you will definitely need your tissues - but easy to read - I read it in just one day.  It was lovely to see the relationship developing between Mia and her nonna and though the ending was somewhat predictable, it was what I was rooting for nevertheless.  A great read.

Mia is trying - and failing - to prepare herself for orphanhood. Her mother died when she was young, and now her beloved dad is succumbing to the cancer he survived years before. The dutiful daughter, Mia finally agrees to her father's final wish. When the time comes, she is to leave him with his much younger wife, take a plane to the Italian island of Ischia, where her mother grew up and her family still lives, and have a drink in his memory.

Devastated, angry, and broken, Mia arrives in Ischia, to her warm, loving aunt (the only one who knows her father is dying), her shrunken, bitter Italian grandmother, and her fun-loving cousin. She remembers her only other trip to Ischia and seeks out the antique shop she visited only to find herself drawn into the shop owner and his grandson's lives, as she learns more and more about her mother and herself.

While Prosecco and Promises didn't appear to be my typical fare, combine Italy and prosecco with a little archaeology, and I'm all in. As in many books, the main character is seeking something, not realizing she really needs to find herself. Ischia is steeped in her family's history, and Mia wants to learn more about her mother, the fleeting figure she can hardly remember, but at the same time, she has to come to terms with the impending loss of her father. A.L. Michael writes Mia's ache so well, and I felt for Mia and understood her anger. At the same time, it was evident that Mia's life was on hold and that the anger that bubbled out of her was directed as much at herself as anyone else. The release she feels once her father dies allows her to fast track the life she didn't realize she was missing, and I loved that the author didn't clip the ending but instead allowed Mia room to explore and feel her way a bit.

The cover belies the struggle Mia faces, as this is no chick lit, and Prosecco and Promises was a good mid-winter read, as the sunny Italian island is a perfect foil for the cold weather.

This is the second book I have read by this author, the first being Cocktails and Dreams, which I adored, and this book didn't disappoint either. It is nice to have read the first book but this book can easily be read as a standalone too. 

Mia finds herself in a terrible position - her father is dying and yet he has asked her to leave the UK and go to Italy, to reconnect with her mother's family. She is not to return until he passes away. This leaves her in a quandary, of course, but she respects her father's wishes and goes to Italy. She gets to know her family a little better - her cousin Nikki, her aunt Allegra, her silent Nonna....and of course Salvatore, who is the grandson of Antonio, a man who was kind to her when she was a child. Salvatore, however, is not kind at all; he is rude, dismissive and judgemental. 

I could have guessed at the general plot early on, but it speaks to the author's skill that it is all the relationships in this book which really sing. The whole book is about love: love for family in all its forms, love for friends, love of country and all that entails. Despite all of this, this is not a soppy book at all; it is poignant, emotional, funny in parts and just generally a great read!

Highly recommended read from me. 4.5 stars :)

Thank you to THE Book Club and NetGalley as well as Canelo. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a nice, easy beach read! Predictable story but likeable characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher & author for the ARC copy of this book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

What a lovely book to read. 
Mia is a strong, sassy lady who is sent away by her father to wait for the sad news, and is enveloped into her Italian family with almost loving arms. Old memories propel her to visit the antiques shop on the hill, where she meets Salvatore, grandson of the owner. Friendship, a need for her mother's memories and for something to do to keep her mind from back home, the shop brings them together. But can they survive the turmoil that is going on in Mia's mind and heart?

Mia's father is dying, he doesn't want her around at the end to remember him that way and therefore sends her away to Ischia. She is lost lonely and sad but soon finds her way into the family she hasn't seen since she was a little girl and the community. An easy enjoyable read.

Much more depth to this book than you'd think from the cover. Mia  is sent to her late mother's family in Ischia in accordance with her father's dying wish so that she avoids his final decline.

Whilst you'd expect this book to be somewhat morbid or saccharine, it's anything but with a raucous Italian family thrown into the mix.

Some rather typical Italian stereotypes surround Mia's journey of discovery but they add to the warmth and bittersweet joy of the book. Be prepared to need tissues -- there are some sad moments.

Life affirming, heartfelt and emotional, this book is a giant bear hug with a great cast of supporting friends and family.

5* took me by surprise, a quick read but great for a change of pace

I did not think I would enjoy this book, not my usual genre I thought, well I loved it.  It is set in Ischia, the author describes the Island beautifully. The warmth of the Italian family and the wonderful relationships.  I really  this book.

Prosecco

I was hooked from the first few sentences and did not want to do anything other than read.....
Not a fizzy prosecco but a very good prosecco with the intensity and complexity of a delicious sparkling wine. There is a depth and understanding of death, loss and family relationships and the importance of loving and being loved. This book made me cry and reflect on the loss of my loved ones and reminded me to value those who I love.
So easily written that it’s a pleasure to sit and enjoy the process of reading a story, the descriptions are finely drawn, instant, not long drawn out or laboured.
Well done A. L. Michael and thank you to Canelo for giving me the opportunity to review this.

I had not read the first in the Martini Club books, but thought this book was just incredible as a stand alone - though I’ll definitely be adding the others to my to read list!

I was able to read this book thanks to NetGalley & I just loved it. Mia was a thoroughly developed main character torn between her sadness of a dying father, and a family she doesn’t know. From her blunt & bold personality to her want to get into the history of everything, I really felt for her and her storyline. 

Great read that I would recommend!

A beautiful inspiring love story that tugs at the heart strings. A most enjoyable read.