By Emily Payne

Exhausted by complaints from her editor, disapproval from her parents and a general disgust with her dull life, twenty-something journalist Kathleen Collins knows she needs to get away – now. Determined to make this sabbatical count, Kathleen embarks on a solo trip to Italy, but it doesn’t stay solo for long. Despite her best efforts to remain autonomous and reconnect with herself, Kathleen’s new friends draw her out of her self-imposed solitude.

But the unexpected arrival of a handsome acquaintance rocks Kathleen’s carefully ordered little world. In an effort to maintain control of her life, Kathleen clings desperately to the belief that she must remain independent. It takes a surprising and intense weekend trip to Rome for Kathleen to realize what she truly needs.
From the dark romanticism of a basement jazz club to the rolling green hills of the Tuscan countryside, Kathleen is thrown into a journey she never planned to take. And when the journey takes a turn for the worst, only the arrival of two more surprise visitors can help Kathleen realize her own strength – and prepare her for what she truly wanted all along.