Review: Racing the Sun by Karina Halle

Racing the Sun by Karina Halle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If there’s one thing you can be sure of getting from the remarkable and talented writer, Karina Halle, is that you are going to be blown away by her storytelling!! And who cannot get excited when we see the titles of her books…unique, gorgeous….Where Sea Meets Sky, Love in English and now we have Racing the Sun!!!!

AMAZING!!

Besides loving the book title, there was so much more about her latest novel that just totally grabbed me!

The author has a way of interweaving the most incredible and vivid imagery of her settings that take you to the places as seen through the characters eyes. This is a true talent and no one does it better than her. The setting of Capri is one of the main characters in this book and it becomes alive and jumping out from the pages…

A lot of research has gone into the setting and by the end of the book…it was like …I have been on a trip to this place…and I love it!!! And what could be more romantic than the name of the villa in Capri that plays a big role in the story…..

Romantic, mysterious and the evocative smell of lemons…….stunning!!

This is a beautiful and unforgettable story of finding yourself and how love can heal two broken people.

Amber MacLean……I fell in love with her instantly…..

Not afraid to face her insecurities, kindhearted and not afraid of challenges that may face her……She’s honest and has a sense of adventure and spirit inside her…

At a crossroad in her life, not knowing what she wants to do with her life.

After travelling around the world for six months, she is spending her last part of her travels in the Amalfi Coast, where she takes up the job of teaching English to two Italian children on the island of Capri. I loved seeing another side of her emerging.…

Derio Larosa, tortured, dark, brooding and reclusive hires Amber to teach his young siblings English.

After the tragic death of his parents two years ago, he gave up his jet-set life as one of Italy’s motorcycle champions and returned to Capri to take care of his brother and sister. He has also gone through a painful divorce and now lives a life, cut off from people and his emotions. He wonders if he will have feel any emotion ever again.

Derio slowly begins opening up to Amber, who realizes that her feelings for Derio are just more than just a holiday fling….

I loved how their relationship developed from friendship to love….the emotional tension was intense and passionate and sexy!!!

All the characters were endearing and so believable….I could relate to them and their fears and joy, their everyday lives…..their development over the pages made me feel as if they were friends and not some strangers. I wanted to be part of their lives.

Loved the dialogue with the Italian phrases thrown in. Who can resist a gorgeous Italian man whispering “amore” , “ti amo” in your ear!

This is a story about love, loss, triumphs, pain, joy, fears ….and so much more. It’s about having the courage to taking a chance in finding happiness in your life.

This story ended too soon for me. When I was reading the epilogue, I kept thinking….please don’t end yet!!! And yes, we have the last glimpse of Derio and Amber together, which made me happy!!

Thank you Karina Halle for this beautiful, inspiring and unforgettable story!

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