A Wedding in Tuscany
The
Parsons sisters are all loved up.
Sarah
is living in Sydney with Josh and their cat, Domino, but is anxious about her
fast-approaching fortieth birthday.
And
Cat is still living in London with her flatmate, Jane, but is in a long-distance
relationship with Jean-Luc, her childhood sweetheart and recently re-discovered
love.
One of the sisters
receives a surprise wedding proposal – it’s a yes! – and everyone heads off to
Tuscany for a destination wedding.
Reunite with favourite characters
from the Holiday Romance series in one of the most beautiful locations yet for
love, laughter, wedding vows, and just a smidge of sisterly mayhem
Purchase Links -
Amazon
·
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wedding-Tuscany-perfect-available-pre-order-ebook/dp/B09PFJXRCW/
·
AU https://www.amazon.com.au/Wedding-Tuscany-perfect-available-pre-order-ebook/dp/B09PFJXRCW/
·
US https://www.amazon.com/Wedding-Tuscany-perfect-available-pre-order-ebook/dp/B09PFJXRCW/
·
CA https://www.amazon.ca/Wedding-Tuscany-perfect-available-pre-order-ebook/dp/B09PFJXRCW/
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-wedding-in-tuscany/sandy-barker/9780008536787
Google play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Sandy_Barker_A_Wedding_in_Tuscany_The_Holiday_Roma?id=1hlXEAAAQBAJ
iBooks: https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-wedding-in-tuscany/id1608505780
Excerpt
*****
‘Hellooo!’
At the sight of Lou’s face on the screen, I break into a broad smile.
‘Hey,
so good to see you!’ she says.
‘It
feels like it’s been ages.’
‘Too
long, for sure. So sorry―I’ve just been unbelievably busy with work.’
‘And
with Anders,’ I tease. Her new boyfriend is a veterinarian from Toronto who
moved to Vancouver late last year.
She
giggles, then leans her face close to the screen and whispers, ‘He is so
wonderful, Cat.’
‘Why
are you whispering? Is he there?’ She nods. ‘Well, can I meet him?’ I can’t
believe after several months, I am finally going to meet the famous Anders. Lou
has been keeping their relationship close to her chest―not even posting
photographs on social media―but she’s been gushing to me about him for ages. It
seems very likely that Anders is her person and I want to meet him
properly.
‘Hey,
hon, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.’
Lou
is looking offscreen and I can tell the exact moment he comes into view because
her face lights up like it’s been illuminated by a thousand candles. Anders
steps behind her and lowers his head so he’s in frame.
‘Hey.’
‘Hello,
Anders.’
‘You
must be the famous Cat.’
‘I
was just thinking the same about you―the famous Anders, I mean.’ We grin at
each other.
‘What
are you up to?’ he asks.
‘Actually,
I have news,’ I say excitedly.
‘Oooh,’
says Lou, bouncing in her chair.
I
let the moment build, just for a few seconds, then blurt, ‘Jean-Luc and I are
getting married!’
Lou
leaps from her chair and all I can see is her mid-section while she jumps up
and down and squeals. Anders chuckles good-naturedly in the background and
eventually Lou settles back onto the chair, her face flushed.
‘Oh,
my goodness! Oh my goodness!’
‘I
know. It’s very exciting.’ I will not ruin this moment by revealing that my
excitement is accompanied by a hefty dose of terror.
‘Oh,
Cat …’ she sighs, blinking back tears. ‘Who would have thought it, huh? Jaelee
accosts a guy on a street in Paris, he turns out to be your high-school
sweetheart, and now you’re getting married!’
That’s
the dustcover version, but she’s essentially correct. I was on a bus trip in
Europe―booked hastily in the aftermath of the ‘sleeping with my flatmate’
debacle―and I met Lou, Jaelee, and Dani, forming a firm foursome on the first
day. And one night in Paris, we did (indeed) randomly run into Jean-Luc on the
street―well, Jaelee stopped him to ask for recommendations on somewhere to go,
assuming someone as hot as him would be in the know.
And
call it kismet or fate or whatever, we were reunited―French exchange student
and the bookish Sydney schoolgirl who were best friends for years, then
estranged, reunited on a Paris street on a Monday night. The stuff of romcoms.
And
now we’re getting married.
‘I
know. I can hardly believe it myself.’
‘Lou
says that even a few seconds either way―if you were walking down the street a
little faster or slower―you would have missed him,’ says Anders. I’ve thought
the exact thing a thousand times since that night and it always leaves me
feeling slightly queasy. It must show because he quickly backpedals. ‘Sorry,’
he drawls in that sweet Canadian way. ‘I didn’t mean to put a dampener on your
news. It’s just an amazing story, is all.’
‘No,
it’s all right. And it’s not unlike you two. If you hadn’t been the vet on duty
that night …’
‘Or
if Mr Snuffles hadn’t decided to eat my yarn …’ adds Lou, turning her
head to smile up at Anders.
‘Exactly!’
I declare. Mr Snuffles is Lou’s neighbour’s wayward feline who she was minding
at the time―apparently, he has a propensity to eat things that aren’t edible.
That was his third trip to the vet in a year.
‘Anyway,
I’ll let you two talk but so nice to finally meet you, Cat.’
‘And
you, Anders.’ His broad shoulders and handsome face disappear from frame. ‘He’s
so lovely,’ I say softly to Lou.
‘Yeah.’
She shrugs―slightly self-satisfied but also humble, the way that only Lou can
be.
‘And
you’re going to think I’m an idiot, but I was sort of picturing Chris Hemsworth
as Thor … you know, the Nordic Viking look.’
She
chuckles. ‘It’s the name. You probably won’t meet many black men named Anders
Eriksen. But his dad’s got the Viking look down pat―broad shoulders, like
Anders, but blue eyes … he even has long hair, though it’s silver now. He was
born in Norway―came here for college in his twenties and never left. He met
Anders’ mum, they fell in love, the usual story …’
‘You’re
in love, Lou,’ I say.
She
shrugs, pressing her lips together, then breaks into a broad smile. ‘Maybe.’
Author Bio – Sandy Barker
Sandy is a
writer, traveller and hopeful romantic with a lengthy bucket list, and many of
her travel adventures have found homes in her novels. She’s also an avid
reader, a film buff, a wine lover and a coffee snob.
Sandy lives in
Melbourne Australia with her partner, Ben, who she met while travelling in
Greece. Their real-life love story inspired Sandy’s debut novel One Summer
in Santorini, the first in the Holiday Romance series with One More
Chapter, an imprint of HarperCollins.
The series
continues in That Night in Paris and A Sunset in Sydney and there
are two more to come in 2022. Her standalone novel The Christmas Swap
celebrates her favourite time of the year, and next up is The Dating Game,
a laugh-out-loud romcom set in the world of Reality TV.
Follow Sandy:
https://twitter.com/sandybarker
https://www.facebook.com/sandybarkerauthor
https://www.instagram.com/sandybarkerauthor/
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