Spotlight & Giveaway: THE WEDDING MENU by Letizia Lorini

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Letizia Lorini to HJ!

Hi Letizia and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, THE WEDDING MENU!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

The Wedding Menu follows Amelie, a disgraced French cuisine chef whose life has fallen apart. Through flashbacks, we learn that before getting engaged to her ex, she met a man, Ian, with whom she developed a friendship. Now, she’s single, unemployed and unhappy, but she’s determined to win Ian back, and this time, she wants more than friendship.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Readers really love the line: “I meant it when I said I’m not looking for a relationship, but you… you’re my favorite notification.”

One of mine is, “The problem isn’t that you didn’t choose me. The problem is that you didn’t choose yourself.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

– Ian, the MMC, is inspired by Logan Huntzberger from Gilmore Girls
– A fellow author described Amelie’s tendency for drama as ‘Bella from Twilight when Edward leaves her,’ and I wear that as a badge of honor.
– My girlfriend is obsessed with Masterchef, which inspired the idea for this book.
– There’s a historical “rivalry” between Italy and France, and as an Italian author, I had my fun with it, adding a character who absolutely despises French cuisine (not me! Vive la France!)
 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

When Ian sees Amelie for the first time, he’s immediately love-struck. Though he plans to pursue something casual with her, when he notices she’s struggling, he’s compelled to help her.

Amelie is attracted to his humor, his confidence and his wit. Ian is always on, always positive, always supportive. He has his flaws, of course, but his love for life is infectious.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Laughing: the butter scene, but I’ll let the readers figure that one out themselves. A scene that made me cry (and hate myself a little) was the one where Ian’s heart gets broken. I’ve never written such an inherently good character and hurting him felt wrong. But necessary.

“I told you I don’t know much about love, Amelie, and that’s true. But I’ve learned a lot.” His smell soothes me a little as he breathes against my lips. “Like, how when you’d do anything for someone, when their smile fuels your very soul, that’s probably love.”
His hand cups the back of my neck, our foreheads still pressed together as our quick breaths mix. “I wondered when exactly it started. If all of it, all along, was love. And I realized, since I met you, you never left my mind.” He sniffles. “And the more I tried to ignore my feelings for you, the more they grew.”
“Please,” I beg as makeup stains my face.
“I lost you, Amelie. You’ve never been mine, but I lost you already. And I’m here to get you back, because if I don’t, it’ll break my heart.”
“Stop, Ian—”
“Please, don’t break my heart, Amelie.”

Readers should read this book….

Because there isn’t a greener green flag than Ian Roberts. Because Amelie’s growth is the character arc I’ve had the most fun writing. And because the banter will make them cackle, and the emotional bits will have them sobbing.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m working on the next book in the series, as well as a stand-alone, How to Get Away with Romance, a murder romcom where a serial killer is afoot, but romance may be even scarier!
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Finished copy of THE WEDDING MENU (US only)

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Book Info:

For fans of Tessa Bailey and Mia Sosa, highly acclaimed author Letizia Lorini brings a deliciously sexy, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny rom-com set in the culinary world.

One year ago, Amelie had it all. Nearly engaged to her high school sweetheart, close to her childhood best friend, and cooking at her dad’s restaurant, her life was exactly what she’d ordered. Until Ian, an opinionated wedding-hater, sat beside her at a wedding and proved she might like something off-menu.

Now, Amelie is unemployed, single, and taking a break from her best friend. On top of it all, she’s lost all contact with Ian. When she visits his hometown to teach at a weeklong cooking conference, she hopes for a fateful meet-cute. But their reunion is explosive when Amelie discovers Ian is the son of her father’s business rival.

Even bigger fiasco? He only wants to be her friend. Amelie has one week to change his mind, and if the truth of why her whole life fell apart remains hidden, their love story might even end with a wedding.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Letizia Lorini is an Italian writer who is passionate about heartwarming books with high cackling potential. Currently based in a Scandinavian country, she lives with her partner and their fluffy Japanese Spitz. She also has a degree in sociology and one in criminology, speaks three languages, and drinks the daily recommended dose of coffee before breakfast. Find out more at LetiziaLorini.com.
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