Guest Review: Under an Italian Sky by Lisa Hobman

Global box office sensation, Ruby Locke, is a long way from her Yorkshire roots. Together with her fiancé, movie heartthrob Tyler Harrison, they are Hollywood’s new glitterati.

Overnight, Ruby’s life implodes when her social media accounts are hacked with a multitude of vile posts, turning her into an international pariah. Even Tyler breaks off their engagement.

Confused and heartbroken, Ruby escapes to the beautiful island of Sicily to avoid the media scrutiny. With only a Yorkshire Terrier to comfort her, Ruby is befriended by a handsome, mysterious neighbour and slowly begins to heal. But are his inentions true?

When her Sicilian hideaway is compromised, Ruby is once again forced to relocate, this time to the stunning Isle of Skye, off the West Coast of Scotland. Here Ruby is left to question who wants to destroy her career, and also if the celebrity lifestyle is really for her...

This is the second in a collection of books from Lisa Hobman featuring the Scottish island of Skye. As the title suggests, the story in this case is not set exclusively on Skye, but also on another lovely island, hence the book’s striking cover featuring a Mediterranean view. As with the previous book in this collection, I listened to the audio version, and was amazed by the talents of the narrator, a lady skilled in accents. There are a number of returning characters who I enjoyed meeting again in this story, but it is not necessary to have read the first book in the collection to follow the action in this one. This book is known alternatively as Under a Sicilian Sky.

The story features Ruby Locke, a successful actress whose social media accounts have been hacked and some toxic comments placed on them that have turned the public against her. In an attempt to escape the adverse reactions, she flees to the island of Sicily, where she hides away in a large villa. However, when her location is made public by someone she met there and thought she could trust, she is moved by the villa’s Scottish owner, Mitch, to his home in the village of Glentorrin on the island of Skye. Here she begins to make real friends and, with Mitch’s help, works to clear her name. She also has time to consider her future and whether her career should take a new path. 

I really enjoyed this exciting and romantic story, following Ruby as she tried to escape the attention of the media and her so-called fans, all too ready to believe the worst of her. The unfortunate circumstances Ruby found herself in were actually advantageous for the reader who is treated to a trip to two magnificent, if very different, islands. The writing is so good that I could quite imagine in detail what each location was like. I loved the way in which tension builds as the story progresses and the identity of the hacker gets closer to being revealed. Having read the first book in this series, it was great to be reunited with familiar characters on Skye and to meet new ones, in particular the strong and handsome Mitch. Lisa Hobman is obviously a dog lover since all her books that I have read feature at least one dog; Ruby was lucky enough to have several canine companions in this story. I can recommend this book of friendship and love to all. I can also recommend reading all of the books in this Skye collection .

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK