Ciao, Bella by Belinda Mary: Book Review

 *Book received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

He’s just her new roommate…nothing more!

Twenty-six-year-old Bella Mancini is moving to Australia! She’s leaving behind her small Italian village on a mission to find a new job, to find new adventures, and maybe even to find love? What she didn’t expect to find was him.
Daniel Richardson was not looking for her. Still grieving the death of his mother, he finds comfort in being alone and is determined to not let anyone too close to him, to not get hurt again. So, when Bella turns up on his doorstep, he has only one thought: he wants her gone, and fast!

Lucky for Bella—not so much for Daniel—she gets to move in! And as the summer progresses, her sunny personality begins to melt his icy exterior and soon they find in each other everything they didn’t know they’d always wanted.
But when their newfound love is challenged, Daniel worries that Bella will leave, that he will be alone again. And Bella is left to wonder if Daniel is healed enough to let her stay forever…

Belinda Mary is a long-time lover of all the books and has dreamed of being a writer her whole life. Since picking up her first Judy Blume novel at the age of ten, she has been happily lost in the world of fiction, and ask anyone around her, when she has a book to read, she turns into a very unproductive member of society.

After studying for ten years and obtaining her PhD in molecular biology, she pursued a career in the healthcare industry, and has recently taken the leap to make her lifelong dream of writing and publishing a novel come true. And when she is not looking after her two kids, her husband of eleven years and her crazy spoodle, she can be found on the couch reading, watching all things Bravo TV, or listening to true crime podcasts.

Belinda writes the kind of stories that she loves to read; filled with laughs, longing and love.

For the latest news, book information and bonus scenes—sign up to Belinda's newsletter at https://belindamary.com

Ciao, Bella is the third book in the Love Always series. While those who have read the previous books in the series will enjoy seeing some familiar characters again, it can definitely be enjoyed just fine as a standalone as well. 

This was such a cute read. I immediately enjoyed Bella's character, but Daniel really won me over even more! Though he seemed like a grump at that first meeting, once we get to his POV, we very quickly realize that he has his reasonings... and I couldn't help but be drawn into his character and want him to get his happily ever after. Together, they were absolutely the sweetest--- I loved how she helped him to break down the walls he'd built and live again... and how he wanted nothing more than to see her happy. Their chemistry was just fantastic! 

I enjoyed this book very much, but it was definitely a little different than I'd expected too. First of all, though it looks like a perfect holiday read based on the cover, only parts of the book took place over the holidays. It actually covered several months, so while I definitely enjoyed those sweet holiday moments, it definitely wasn't entirely holiday centered. It was fun to see a summer Christmas though, as the story does take place primarily in Australia. It was also not quite as lighthearted as I'd have expected. It certainly has its funny moments, of course, but it also deals with heavier moments of grief and loss of a parent, so that's definitely something to be aware of if those are difficult for you. Still, it made the story all that much more beautiful, and I really enjoyed everything about it. 

Ciao, Bella is a closed-door romance with kisses only. There is some minor language throughout the story.