From the New York Times bestselling author of THE LIFE LIST comes a story of romance, witchy old world theories and family intrigue set against the beautiful backdrops of some of Italy’s most gorgeous landscapes. THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY uncovers family curses that today’s generation must remove in order to fulfill their destinies and keep sisterly bonds afloat. One woman’s path controls the lives of many smart, fierce, entertaining women, which is rife with wonderfully engaging steps along the way to its rightful completion.

Independent, strong-willed and mysterious Paulina "Poppy" Fontana is the matriarch of a large Italian family. When she invites her great-nieces, Emilia and Lucy, to visit her birthplace in Italy, she makes a strange and unexpected declaration. She claims that she will meet the love of her life on the aged steps of the marvelous Ravello Cathedral and put an end to a family curse. Called the Fontana Family Second-Daughter Curse, this old myth seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy as no second-born daughter in the family has ever married.

"THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY is like a road trip run by tarot cards. There seem to be spiritual guides hovering above the women, moving them towards their ultimate destination with equal parts mystery and destiny."

Every second-born daughter in the family has complained about it except 29-year-old Emilia, who seems to think it’s okay. Her loved ones believe that she uses it as an excuse not to risk getting hurt in relationships. As her nieces and their cousins gather for support, Poppy must share family secrets and tales of forbidden love that create a sense of fear and dread in her nieces, causing them to rethink everything they’ve ever known about their hopes and dreams of the love that could be waiting out in the world for them.

THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY is like a road trip run by tarot cards. There seem to be spiritual guides hovering above the women, moving them towards their ultimate destination with equal parts mystery and destiny. Poppy is a resilient and engaging character, perhaps the most of all of them, as she’s the living embodiment of mistakes made and lessons learned. She still has a handful of hope to hang onto when it looks like she’s living in a fantasy world to those with less imagination and heart.

Emilia is a very modern character and seems to have no real issues with the situation either way. Although everyone else thinks she is hiding from love, she is really just living her life, expecting to take care of herself and enjoy her surroundings without a man. And so, as you would imagine, she is the one who goes through the most changes in the book.

The intricate truths of the discoveries made as the women venture closer to making Poppy’s love story a reality are intertwined with so much coincidence that you must suspend your disbelief completely to enjoy the storyline. But those interactions bring the novel to its fullest state of engagement and inspiration. THE STAR-CROSSED SISTERS OF TUSCANY, already a Book of the Month Club pick, surely will find a big audience at this time when dreams and inspirations combine with the holiday spirit so that all crazy occurrences seem real and deserved. Love, actually, is the name of the game.