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Io Ti Guardo (2013)

by Irene Cao(Favorite Author)

3.22 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

881706579X (ISBN13: 9788817065795)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Rizzoli

series

Trilogia dei sensi

review 1: I Watch You, A Novel, Irene Cao. Review from jeannie zelos book reviews I love trilogies such as this one, but saw it had mixed reviews so wasn't sure what to expect. Sadly I'm with the “did not enjoy” group. The problem I had is that I need to feel “in” the story and the fabulous descriptions of Italy did that, and I enjoyed reading the fresco restoration ( I'm also an artist so this intrigued me, sounds like a really rewarding job). That was one part of the book I found I liked though after a while it did start to become repetitive. Sadly though I also need to like the protagonists, at least the ones that are supposed to be who I'm rooting for in a romance, and in this story I just Did Not Like any of them...none of them, not one. Elena was just a pushover, selfi... moresh, aimless, careless and with a constant whiny attitude. I couldn't find any redeeming qualities about her, morever she was a user, poor Fil, one moment she's finally letting him move forward from their years of friends and the next she's having sex with Leonardo who she's only just met, and isn't sure she even likes him. Fil is another pushover, been friends for years, wanted her for years but just sat back and waited for her to give him some sign to move forward. After years of being vegetarian Elena lets Leo bully her into eating meat and fish. Clearly her stance wasn't a moral one, just a don't want to eat meat one. I'm not really sure why the author even made a feature out of it, except that to me it showed her as even more apathetic and Leo as a bully, with no respect for others feelings. My daughter has been a vegetarian for around 25 years, since she was preteen and decided killing animals for food was wrong. There's no way she'd have just backed down like that, she would expect if someone likes her he'd have respect for her beliefs. Her best friend Gaia seems a really shallow user of people, and though I can see why they'd be friends, as they are very similar characters, I've no idea why others wanted them...Then there's Leo. Physically we're meant to think he's wildly attractive...I can get over the constant “tuft” of hair refs to him and others as one of those words that get changed in translation. I'm sure the Italian version was far more sexy than “tuft” but Leo himself...he's obnoxious, rude, overbrearing, tells Elena he doesn't do relationships, won't tell her where he;s going, for how long, when he'll be back and yet expects her to drop everything when he wants her. And he's very open about having other women while he's having sex with her....none of that can be excused just because he's incredibly good looking. Then – condoms, or perhaps lack of them...that really annoyed me as none of them used them. In this day when we tell people to be so vigilant, and we are lucky enough to have methods to help protect against STDs, its just plain wrong to have so many people swapping partners constantly and not using them :-( I don't look to books to preach, and the occasional slip I can accept, but to this degree? No, just wrong. So sadly this book just irritated me. Clearly there are others for whom it's been a great read but not me. Thats how it goes though, enjoyment of books is very sugbjective. The writing quality was excellent, it's very well written, its mainly that I just couldn't like or empathsise with the characters and for me that's an essential element. Stars: sorry – just two. ARC received via Netgalley and publisher.
review 2: I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. From the first pages, this book grasped my attention and held it till I turned the last page. Elena is in the process of restoring a fresco for Count Jacopo. She loves her work, enjoys her life in Venice along with the company of her two dear friends, Gaia and Fillippo. She has known them both for years and it seems her relationship with Fillippo is about to take a turn for the better. Then two things happen. Leonardo enters her world and Fillippo is called away on business. Elena finds herself drawn to Leonardo’s dark side and when he makes her an offer, she finds she is unable to resist. She will be his, in every way with no strings attach. The moment he senses she is falling for him, he will end it. This book is filled with wonderful characters, incredible scenery and extremely hot sex scenes as Leonardo pushes Elena beyond her comfort zone to heights she never believed possible. She is forced to choose between the man who knows her inside and out, the man who makes her feel loved and safe. The only man she can truly be herself with. Or the stranger that excites her in ways she has never known, pushes her beyond any limits she has known and teaches her the fine art of pleasure. This book is the first in the series and I look forward to the others to come. less

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