The Italian Fake Date: an extra-large print sweet romance full of heart and family, set in Italy

Escape to Calabria with this 'terrific tale of mystery and romance, set in Italian sunshine'.

When Alice Baker discovers that she's been adopted, she knows she won't have peace until she's found her Italian birth mother. But all she has is a letter written twenty-five years ago and an old address.
Jaded about love and unable to forgive his ex-fianc嶪 and his brother, Paolo Rondino is struggling to find inspiration for a sculpture that will make or break his career. Hoping that a trip home will help him find his muse again, he decides to return to Italy, even if this means confronting the two people who betrayed him.
Alice and Paolo strike a deal: he will help her find her birth mother and she will pretend to be his girlfriend to please his mother. It looks like the perfect exchange, until real feelings start to grow...

Perfect for fans of Jo Thomas, Mandy Baggot and Carole Matthews.

A terrific tale of mystery and romance, set in Italian sunshine [...] An absolute treat of a story! - Kindle customer, five star review

Hartley weaves an excellent story - easy to read and follow, and building up to a nerve-wracking crescendo with a satisfying denouement. The descriptions of place and Calabrian life are wonderful.- Sandra Salisbury

An intriguing story which keeps you wondering how it will finish, even though you suspect you know. It's a interesting snapshot of family life in Calabria too. - Philippa Carey

Previously published by The People's Friend as Her Mother's Secret.