Lily Zante - Romance Author
Roman Encounter
Book 4
4 Heat (legend)
Roman Encounter
One week in Rome. An escape from home. An encounter that changes everything

Gina Morosini has spent her life pleasing others. Trust-worthy, reliable and sympathetic, she’s the one people turn to with their problems; from her boss to her mother, and everyone else in between.

When the pressure piles up, something’s got to give and a training course in Rome is the perfect escape.

Christian Russo doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Over-confident and self-serving, he only cares about doing what’s best for him.
Working for a training company in Rome isn’t it.
He can do better, and he knows it.

But when he needs help with his resume, asking the quiet and shy woman on his course is the start of something he never expected.

Because an encounter like this, in Rome of all places, is destined to lead to other things.

Buy the ebook

“Don’t, Mama. Don’t say things like that.”

“It’s the truth” her mother snapped. “They only want one thing.” Gina gave her mother a weary look and wished that she would at least show a morsel of happiness for her today. But instead the old woman waggled a finger at her. “Don’t go making the same mistake your sister did.”

“Stop it, Mama.”  She hadn’t expected her mother to wish her well, or to hope that she had a good weekend but she hadn’t been prepared for a level of vitriol.

Her mother had never met Davide. In fact, her mother had never met any of Gina’s boyfriends, as few and far between as they were. This was the way Gina preferred it.

Running into her old school friend at Nico and Ava’s wedding last summer had been the strangest thing, especially when so many of the people she had gone to school with had moved away or gone abroad. But Davide had recognized her—it probably wasn’t difficult, she guessed, even though fifteen years had passed. She hadn’t changed much. Her hair was longer and she had more fine lines on her face, but other than that she looked the same now as she had then.

He had come up to her at the evening reception party. It was a pleasant surprise once she got over the shock of seeing him after so many years. Men tended not to hit on her, or notice her much but Davide had come up to her and they had been inseparable for the rest of the evening.

Their courtship had been slow. For months they had remained friends, catching up on the past and slowly rekindling their old romance.

“A weekend in Venice,” her mother sniffed. “Don’t come back pregnant.”

“Mama!” exclaimed Gina, her face burning. She had been looking forward to her weekend away with Davide and didn’t need her mother’s venomous words to taint it. This would be the first time the two of them had planned to go away. Finding time alone wasn’t easy. She never allowed Davide to come here, to the house she shared with her mother, and he lived in a rented house shared with a few friends. With both of them busy with work, they never found much time to spend together but having him around these past few months had made the time more bearable.

Working at the Casa Adriana hotel fulfilled her completely. Nico, her boss, relied on her more than ever and she had never worked harder. Even after he had hired two new people to join the management team, Gina found that her workload hadn’t decreased; neither had Nico’s. Taking on more people had made her life busier because she had been responsible for helping them to settle in while Nico concentrated on the new hotel and spa center that were due to open soon.

She thrived on the frenetic pace of her working life because it took her away from the misery of her life at home. Having Davide around made it even better.

“I’m leaving now, and I’ll call you when I get there, Mama.” Not so much to tell her mother that she had arrived safe and well in Venice but more to make sure her mother was fine. Her mother mostly was fine, albeit that she was getting nervous, and acting up because of her upcoming surgery. Her mother being a glass-half-empty person considered herself as being ill, and therefore in constant need of attention.

“Don’t forget to take your medicine on time,” Gina told her, glancing over her shoulder as she picked up her overnight bag. “The taxi’s here, Mama. I have to go.”

She could barely wait. They had agreed to meet at the train station in Verona at 10. It meant they would be in Venice in time for lunch.

Her mother waved her hand dismissively. “Then go. It’s not as if you care whether I get sick. You probably wish for it to happen so that you won’t have to look after me. Go and leave like that sister of yours.”

Gina squeezed her eyes shut. Increasingly her mother was becoming harder to live with. It had been her fault for coming back home six years ago after the friend she had shared an apartment with got married. Her mother had fallen ill then, and Gina had been the only one around to help. Moving back home and taking care of her mother had seemed the right thing to do.

Her sister Mimi had been the lucky one who got away. In her parents’ eyes she had made the cardinal mistake of getting pregnant at 17 and had left home after a huge row with them.

“Did you get my medicine?”

“Yes. You have enough for the weekend, Mama.” She inhaled deeply. It’s only one weekend.  “Ciao, Mama.” She stepped outside, not even bothering to wait for her mother’s goodbye.

Buy it now!

Lily Zante books
What readers say...

"Happiness is where you find it!! A beautiful story about loving yourself enough to let someone else love you too. Roman Encounter has great characters, beautiful scenery and a story line that makes you want to be a part of what's going on. The author gives great insight into the people and the places where the story takes place. I want to visit one day and experience the food and the beautiful scenery."

~ Goodreads review

"I loved Gina's story. This book is about getting caught up with making sure everyone else is happy without considering your own happiness."

~ Goodreads review

"I loved it!!! I can't get enough of the characters. The story was so good and intriguing that I almost went to read the ending. I wanted to see how it ended. But I didn't. I and waited patientlyfor the ending. Gina got a back bone when it came to her family. I can't wait to read the next book in series."

~ Goodreads review

Books in Series

It Takes Two
Book 1
All That Glitters
Book 2
Fool's Gold
Book 3
Roman Encounter
Book 4
November Sun
Book 5
New Beginnings
Book 6
Italian Summer Series Books 1-3
Boxset