Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch (English) Hardcover Book

Description: Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch "After her mother dies, Lina travels to Italy where she discovers her motherss journal and sets off on an adventure to unearth her mothers secrets"-- FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description Now a movie streaming on Netflix! A New York Times bestseller A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure. Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isnt in the mood for Italys famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. Shes only there because it was her mothers dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isnt around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home. But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Linas uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mothers footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept from Lina for far too long. Its a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father--and even herself. People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more. Author Biography Jenna Evans Welch was the kind of insatiable child reader who had no choice but to grow up to become a writer. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Love & Gelato, Love & Luck, and Love & Olives. When she isnt writing girl abroad stories, Jenna can be found chasing her children or making elaborate messes in the kitchen. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and two young children. Visit her online at JennaEvansWelch.com. Review "Lina narrates in a breezy style, her mothers journal entries interwoven to provide revelations at carefully paced intervals.Seasoned with luscious descriptions of Renaissance architecture and Italianfood, a sure bet for fans of romance fiction and armchair travel."--Kirkus"Linas capacity for and understanding of love transform beautifullyover the course of the novel; the book is not solely about her personal romance but also other characters interwoven love stories. A good addition for teens with wanderlust."--School Library Journal"Readers will be caught up in this story of romance, family, and what it really means to be loved."--Booklist Online"The reader will find it difficult to put this book down."--VOYA starred review Review Quote "The reader will find it difficult to put this book down." Excerpt from Book Love & Gelato Chapter 1 THE HOUSE LOOMED BRIGHTLY IN the distance, like a lighthouse in a sea of headstones. But it couldnt be his house, right? We were probably just following some kind of Italian custom. Always drive newcomers through a cemetery. That way they get a feel for the local culture. Yeah, that must be it. I knit my fingers in my lap, my stomach dropping as the house got closer and closer. It was like watching Jaws emerge from the depths of the ocean. Duuun dun. Only it wasnt a movie. It was real. And there was only one turn left. Dont panic. This cant be it. Mom wouldnt have sent you to live in a cemetery. She would have warned you. She would have-- He flipped on the turn signal, and all the air came rushing out of my lungs. She just didnt tell me. "Are you okay?" Howard--my dad, I guess I should call him--was looking at me with a concerned expression. Probably because Id just made a wheezing noise. "Is that your . . . ?" Words failed me, so I had to point. "Well, yes." He hesitated for a moment and then gestured out the window. "Lina, didnt you know? About all this?" "All this" didnt even come close to describing the massive moonlit cemetery. "My grandma told me Id be staying on American-owned land. She said youre the caretaker of a World War II memorial. I didnt think . . ." Panic was pouring over me like hot syrup. Also, I couldnt seem to finish a single sentence. Breathe, Lina. Youve already survived the worst. You can survive this, too. He pointed to the far end of the property. "The memorial is that building right up there. But the rest of the grounds are for the graves of American soldiers who were killed in Italy during the war." "But this isnt your house house, right? Its just where you work?" He didnt answer. Instead we pulled into the driveway, and I felt the last of my hope fade along with the cars headlights. This wasnt just a house. It was a home. Red geraniums lined the walkway, and there was a porch swing creaking back and forth, like someone had just gotten up. Subtract the crosses lining the surrounding lawns and it was any normal house in any normal neighborhood. But it wasnt a normal neighborhood. And those crosses didnt look like they were going anywhere. Ever. "They like to have a caretaker on-site at all times, so they built this house back in the sixties." Howard took the keys out of the ignition, then drummed his fingers nervously on the steering wheel. "Im really sorry, Lina. I thought you knew. I cant imagine what youre thinking right now." "Its a cemetery." My voice was like weak tea. He turned and looked at me, not quite making eye contact. "I know. And the last thing you need is a reminder of everything youve been through this year. But I think youll find that this place grows on you. Its really peaceful and it has a lot of interesting history. Your mother loved it. And after being here almost seventeen years, I cant imagine living anywhere else." His voice was hopeful, but I slumped back in my seat, a swarm of questions taking flight in my mind. If she loved it so much, then why didnt she ever tell me about it? Why didnt she ever talk about you until she got sick? And for the love of all thats holy, what made her leave out the teeny-tiny detail that youre my father? Howard absorbed my silence for a moment, then opened his car door. "Lets head inside. Ill get your suitcase." All six foot five of him walked around to the back of the car, and I leaned over to watch him in the side mirror. My grandma had been the one to fill in the blanks. Hes your father; thats why she wanted you to live with him. I probably should have seen it coming. Its just that good old buddy Howards true identity seemed like the sort of thing my mother would have at least mentioned. Howard closed the trunk, and I straightened up and started rifling through my backpack, buying myself another few seconds. Lina, think. Youre alone in a foreign country, a certifiable giant has just stepped forward as your father, and your new home could be the setting for a zombie apocalypse movie. Do something. But what? Short of wrestling the car keys from Howard, I couldnt think of a single way to get out of going into that house. Finally I unbuckled my seat belt and followed him to the front door. Inside, the house was aggressively normal--like maybe it thought it could make up for its location if it just tried hard enough. Howard set my suitcase down in the front entryway, and then we walked into a living room with two overstuffed chairs and a leather sofa. There were a bunch of vintage travel posters on the walls, and the whole place smelled like it had been soaking in garlic and onions. But in a good way. Obviously. "Welcome home," Howard said, switching on the main light. Fresh panic smacked me in the face, and he winced when he saw my expression. "I mean, welcome to Italy. Im so glad youre here." "Howard?" "Hi, Sonia." A tall, gazelle-like woman stepped into the room. She was maybe a few years older than Howard, with coffee-colored skin and rows of gold bracelets on each arm. Gorgeous. And also a surprise. "Lina," she said, enunciating my name carefully. "You made it. How were your flights?" I shifted from one foot to the other. Was someone going to introduce us? "They were okay. The last one was really long." "Were so glad youre here." She beamed at me, and there was a thick moment of silence. Finally I stepped forward. "So . . . youre Howards wife?" Howard and Sonia looked at each other and then practically started howling with laughter. Lina Emerson. Comic genius. Finally Howard got himself under control. "Lina, this is Sonia. Shes the assistant superintendent of the cemetery. Shes been working here even longer than I have." "Just by a few months," Sonia said, wiping her eyes. "Howard always makes me sound like a dinosaur. My house is on the property too, a little closer to the memorial." "How many people live here?" "Just us two. Now three," Howard said. "And about four thousand soldiers," Sonia added, grinning. She squinted at Howard, and I glanced back just in time to see him frantically running one finger across his throat. Nonverbal communication. Great. Sonias smile vanished. "Lina, are you hungry? I made a lasagna." Thats what that smell was. "Im pretty hungry," I admitted. Understatement. "Good. I made my specialty. Lasagna with extra-garlicky garlic bread." "Yes!" Howard said, pumping his arm like a housewife on The Price Is Right. "You decided to spoil us." "Its a special night, so I thought Id go all out. Lina, you probably want to wash your hands. Ill dish up and you can meet us in the dining room." Howard pointed across the living room. "Bathrooms over there." I nodded, then set my backpack on the nearest chair before practically fleeing the room. The bathroom was miniature, barely big enough for a toilet and a sink, and I ran the water as hot as I could stand it, scrubbing the airport off my hands with a chip of soap from the edge of the sink. While I scrubbed, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and groaned. I looked like Id been dragged through three different time zones. Which, to be fair, I had. My normally tan skin was pale and yellowish-looking, and I had dark circles under my eyes. And my hair. It had finally figured out a way to defy the laws of physics. I wet both my hands and tried to smash down my curls, but it seemed to only encourage them. Finally I gave up. So what if I looked like a hedgehog whod discovered Red Bull? Fathers are supposed to accept you as you are, right? Music started up outside the bathroom and my nervousness kindled from a flame to a bonfire. Did I really need to eat dinner? Maybe I could go hide out in a room somewhere while I processed this whole cemetery thing. Or didnt process it. But then my stomach roared in protest and ugh. I did have to eat. "There she is," Howard said, getting to his feet as I walked into the dining room. The table was set with a red-checkered cloth, and an old rock song I sort of recognized was playing from an iPod next to the entryway. I slid into the chair opposite them, and Howard sat down too. "I hope youre hungry. Sonias such a great cook, I think she missed her calling in life." Now that it wasnt just the two of us, he sounded way more relaxed. Sonia beamed. "No way. I was destined for life at the memorial." "It does look good." And by "good," I meant amazing. A steaming pan of lasagna sat next to a basket of thickly sliced garlic bread, and there was a salad bowl piled high with tomatoes and crisp-looking lettuce. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to dive right onto the table. Sonia cut into the lasagna, placing a big gooey square right in the center of my plate. "Help yourself to bread and salad. Buon appetito." "Buon appetito," Howard echoed. "Buon appe . . . something," I mumbled. The second everyone was served, I picked up my fork and attacked my lasagna. I knew I probably looked like a wild mastodon, but after a full day of nothing but airline food, I couldnt help myself. Those portions were miniature. When I finally came up for air, Sonia and Howard were both staring at me, Details ISBN1481432540 Author Jenna Evans Welch Short Title LOVE & GELATO Publisher Simon Pulse Language English ISBN-10 1481432540 ISBN-13 9781481432542 Media Book Format Hardcover Pages 400 DEWEY FIC Year 2016 Publication Date 2016-05-03 Imprint Simon Pulse Series Love & Audience Age 12 Audience Teenage / Young adult We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:138929585;

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