***3.5 'You're it for me' Stars*** 
 Having read and enjoyed Alice Clayton's books and a slight obsession with all things Italian ~ food, men, wine, men, culture and architecture, men, fashion ~ I really had no choice but to give Roman Crazy a try. Here's a second chance at love romcom set in Rome. Perfect right? And for the most part it was. The opening line had me doing a double take, I loved how Italy became a character all on it's own and I enjoyed all of the characters we met along the way, some more than others, but still found them enjoyable. The 'for the most part' is because there were some aspects that 48 hrs or so after finishing the book I'm still contemplating how I feel about them, which makes for getting a coherent review done a bit difficult, but I'm going to give it a go because if I don't there will be no review and apologize in advance if/when I end up contradicting myself. 
 While this is a second chance at love story for both Avery and Marcello it's more about Avery finding herself again and I loved the journey she went on, even if the catalyst for it wasn't the best, but to watch as she shed the mask and armour was truly an amazing and fun process. Seeing her regain, and let free, her passion for art and zest for life jumped off the page and I loved seeing Rome through her eyes. The attention to detail and finding pleasure in the littlest thing made an impact, in fact I ended up getting jealous because I wasn't there too. Marcello is all kinds of hot, passionate Italian male with an old world charm and view on how a woman should be treated. While there is an intensity to him that hit you like a punch to the gut and yet it's mixed with a laid back sort of vibe that tells you he appreciates everything around him. 
 Their relationship is one of the areas that I find myself conflicted. On the one hand I loved the passionate intensity of their second chance at love story and found myself chuckling and groaning over how Avery regressed into a teenager with her first crush when it came to Marcello. It was sweet, sexy and while much of the draw was sexual, their passion for art, in general, and admiration of each other's skills was also a huge part of it. The conflict comes with the topic of cheating. 
 First let me say that I am not one of those people who has issues with cheating in a story, it's not a make or break for me because I find it to be one of those convoluted areas that is never black or white, but more a gray area. And in this story it is extremely convoluted. Things start off with cheating and as the story progresses we find that there is a lot more to Avery, Marcello and Daniel's, Avery's husband/ex husband, story than just a wife catching her husband in the act and then reconnecting with the one who got away. My conflict with the cheating aspect is due to Avery's view of it. There is a part of me that get's it and understands why she thinks the way she does and the other part of me that had me growling at her because of the way she views it. Yes, this is very vague, but to do more would mean spoilers and that's a no no. In the end though, it is an interesting commentary on how people view and compartmentalize what cheating is and the why they did it. I know some readers will just say "no" to this story because of it, but I do hope that they put aside their hard limit against the topic and give it a try. 
 As I said in the beginning Italy became a character in the story and it really was. The descriptions of the architecture, food, art and people were so vivid that I felt as if I was right there with Avery taking it all in. I swear I gained ten pounds simply based on all the food she was eating. But even as much as I loved the attention to detail, it also slowed the pacing of the story for me. I didn't skim those passages, but I did get a little impatient to get to the next step in Avery's journey. 
 Even though I had a few issues and waffled quite a bit before nailing down a rating, I still enjoyed Roman Crazy. The very first line was the hook and I had to know how everything would work out in the end. The writing was done seamlessly and I loved Daisy and Fiona and can't wait to see what the authors have in store for them! 
 ~ARC received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~