Jo Piazza

Sara Marsala’s life is falling apart — her marriage is over, her business closed, and now her beloved aunt who raised her has died. But Aunt Rosie left Sara with a deed to some land in Sicily and made her promise to go and research the family mystery surrounding her namesake, her grandmother, Sarafina. Told in alternating POVs from Sara and Sarafina, The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza follows Sara’s journey while revealing Sarafina’s secrets. Ridiculous plot points and unnecessary characters aside, Piazza’s tale will keep readers looking for an easy and fun “beach” style read very happy.… (more)

Sara has lost her restaurant and then she lost her husband. She is truly at a crossroads. So, when her beloved aunt passes away and leaves her a letter telling her to head to Sicily. Sara jumps at it! Sicily and her family heritage end up being a bit more than she bargained for.

Sara is a character that is a bit lost and I loved her! Then there is her grandmother, Serafina. Serafina’s tale begins in the early 1900s. She is a healer…but it is complicated. Sara needs to find out what happened to her to gain her inheritance.

I enjoy a novel with dual timelines and this one is right in my wheelhouse. The only reason for the 4 star rating, it slows down a bit in the middle. I wanted this to unfold quicker. But, the atmospheric setting and the family secrets are not to be ignored!

Need a good family mystery tale…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.… (more)

When Sara's adored great aunt died, she left her a ticket to to Sicily and paved the way for her to explore the family history and mysteries there. The timing was auspicious, since Sara's marriage was falling apart and she had been forced to close her restaurant. this novel moves back and forth between Sara's story in the present and the life of her great grandmother Serafina in Sicily in the early 1900's. Both women are strong and perceived as a threat to the status quo, which puts them in extreme danger. As Sara tries to learn about Serafina's murder so that she can claim her inherited land, she learns more than is safe about the culture of her ancestral village. The setting both past and present becomes quite vivid; because there are parallel characters in both times, i found that they became blended in my mind, leading to some confusion. I really liked the unexpected ending.… (more)

This was definitely a heavy book. It was a Once Upon a Book Club Book. I feel like the twist was at the beginning of the book because I really didn't see it coming. One friend is black and she's a journalist. The other friend is white and she's married to a white cop, who then shoots an innocent black kid who was 14. This really brought up great topics and really got me thinking of things I may say or do, that I don't think are racist, but could be construed as being ignorant or just not realizing how it can sound. Like saying "I don't see color." But then it's really taking away their black skin and their heritage. Almost like when someone says "all lives matter" and taking away "black lives matter." The book is about family relationships, whether you're related or not, and how you can talk about things even when you don't know how. Very touching story. There were times I felt the story was a little slower, which is why I gave it 4 stars. But this book will definitely stay with me for quite some time.… (more)