~ Book Review: Under a Greek Sun (ARC) ~

Author: Mandy Baggot

Her job as a counsellor has been as taxing as it has been rewarding, and she can’t wait for some downtime on the Greek island of Corfu with best-friend, Gabby. But between Eve’s brother, Ben, unexpectedly joining and Gabby’s job at the animal rescue centre keeping her busy, Eve might have to start mucking in…

When Gianni arrives in the village of Episkepsi, it’s like a model has stepped straight off the pages of Vogue Italia… with an uptight personality to match. He may be super-sexy but there are obvious chips on those broad shoulders.

As Eve and Gianni get to know each other and both start to lean into the Greek customs and avrio mentality, an initial attraction starts to turn into something more. But with so much family drama in both their lives, neither of them were looking for a holiday romance…

Under a Greek Sun is my first Mandy Baggot novel and I cannot wait to read more. I have read a few novels of the same genre set on the Greek Island of Corfu, so I love to see each author’s take on this island paradise. The setting alone puts the reader in a nice escape-mode as the backdrop is described nicely and makes you want to take a trip yourself. As for the story, it follows counsellor Eve Collins who takes a trip there with her brother Ben to have fun with her best friend Gabby. While Ben joined unexpectedly, Eve is still determined to enjoy herself. After arriving on the island, they meet Gianni, heir to a coffee empire, who is there to find answers to his past.

In this story, there are two main characters, Eve, and Gianni, with the two main secondary characters, Ben, and Gabby, plus a group of other characters who either are connected to the others or are background ones in each setting. While there is some information about why Eve and Ben need this break away from home, I feel there is still not quite enough given about Eve. She seemed to have a lot more demons that she is dealing with beneath the surface, yet the novel does not quite go there to explore them. As for Gianni, he is going through his own issues, and I love how the story goes through their individual journeys along with the two characters getting to know each other.

On Corfu, they visit the animal sanctuary ran by Gabby. I loved the addition of animals into the story, and it was great to add their personalities. There are great moments involving the animals that provide a nice break from the human-side. For animal lovers, like me, this was a great bonus. With all the subplots in the story, there is a lot going on, but they did not feel like fillers. Each felt like they belonged, however, the story was not long enough to into a lot of detail for each. Overall, this was a great escape read and romance. This was a fun introduction to the author, and I cannot wait to read more.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Boldwood Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**