REVIEW: Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley

In Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley, Violet Luciano has already given up on a career in the fashion industry once. (It’s a long story) So, now at twenty-nine years old, as she’s finally graduating design school and spending a month in Rome interning at a famous fashion house, she has to give it her all. There won’t be any more chances. She can’t financially or emotionally afford to go through it all again. Putting her nose to the grindstone is Violet’s best option to win the NYC job that’s up for grabs. There’s just one thing that could distract her in Rome as she settles in: Matteo “Matt” Leoni.

Why did we ever agree to be civil? I should have let him stay mean. Anything would have been better than this.
“I really can’t stand you,” I tell him.
That only makes him smile more. Leaning in, he says, “The feeling is mutual.”

Violet and Matt’s Roman cafe meet cute starts them off on the wrong foot after she ruins his laptop with spilled coffee, causing them to be at odds immediately. So what if he’s handsome as sin? He’s also grumbly and appears to have no emotions to speak of. But as Violet digs into her work at Gia Luca while trying to soak in as much of Rome’s ambiance as possible, she crosses paths with Matt over and over. And each time she gets a closer glimpse at who he really is. Matt turns out to be someone Violet truly admires. But with a time limit stamped on their growing relationship, is it smart to put her heart on the line knowing they’ll soon go their separate ways?

‘How can so many people have faith in me when I barely have it in myself?’

What happens when you take a heroine with something to prove and a hero emotionally shut off from the world, throw them into a meet-cute in a cafe in Rome and then force them to interact with each other for a month? Pure romance gold.

“It’s possible that I’m nervous.”
“Nervous about what?” I ask. “You’re nervous this is going to be a big mistake?”
He shakes his head… “I’m nervous that this is going to be the opposite of a big mistake.”

With each book I’ve read by Kate Bromley, I’ve enjoyed the lively banter she writes and the unique situations she pushes her characters headlong into. A happy bonus is that she also tends to take her readers on field trips to famous locations around the world. CIAO FOR NOW, as the title suggests, was set in Italy–Rome to be exact–and wow didn’t the pages come alive with the wonderful details Bromley included. Seeing the historic area through New Yorker Violet’s eyes made me feel like I was right there with her, through all of the ups and downs she faced during her month-long fashion internship.

Violet’s time in Rome proved to be somewhat chaotic, filled with fun adventures, learning experiences, and a few passion-fueled moments that took her–and Matt–by surprise. I liked that twenty-nine-year-old Violet was several years older than her fellow fashion design students who also won internships: twenty-two-year-old Marco (her best friend), and twenty-one-year-old Holly. But she was actually about three years younger than Matt. It was a cool dynamic watching Violet let loose with Marco and Holly as well as seeing her doubt how her design work stacked up against theirs all while slowly falling for stoic, grumpy Matt.

Matt and Violet’s relationship changed greatly in a month’s time. But it seemed realistic the way Bromley wrote it, showing how their initial animosity–which covered up their attraction to begin with–became more about the romantic sparks between them. It was sensual. It was tender and sweet at times. And it had the power to take Violet and Matt in directions they weren’t necessarily ready for. Their HEA was pretty hard-won, with Violet going all martyr-ish for a while there, but the ending tied everything up in a stylish bow that left a huge smile on this reader’s face.

QOTD: If you were in Violet’s (lucky) shoes and had a month in Rome, would you focus on the internship every moment or would you allow yourself some time to enjoy the grand city?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: June 6th, 2023 | Graydon House |

When an American interning at a fashion house in Rome butts heads with her professor’s surly son, sparks fly!

With her thirties rapidly approaching and a mountain of student debt looming over her, Violet Luciano’s dream of finishing design school and working in fashion has cost her everything. So when she lands an internship at an up-and-coming fashion brand in Rome, she brings her A game to Italy. With nothing left to lose, Violet plans to win the competition among the interns for the ultimate prize—a job at a New York label.

But when a coffee run goes wrong and Violet accidentally destroys a stranger’s laptop, all of the apology Americanos in the world won’t help her. Because it turns out that the man from the café is Matteo, her professor’s eternally grumpy son, who thinks she’s a clumsy American…and maybe a stalker. Their animosity (and undeniable chemistry) grows as together they’re forced to face a summer of chic parties, adventures through Rome and sharing a home…with the person they can’t stand the most.

The more time she spends with him, the more distracted she finds herself. With her chance to win the competition slipping out of her grasp, Violet has to decide whether to say ciao to Matteo—or ciao to her dreams.