Big Feelings, Bottled Sunshine, and the Sparkle of Italy
Wendy reviews books set in Italy. For more articles like this one, subscribe to her Substack channel Italy Writers and get in touch via Sunflower Publishing. Privacy policy.
Some stories don’t fade easily. They stay, the way laughter lingers after lunch or how the final sip of wine tastes softer at sunset. A Taste of Italian Sunshine feels like that kind of story. Talking with Leonie Mack, its author, made it shine even brighter.
Leonie is known for romantic comedies set across Europe’s postcard corners. Her stories feel open, filled with warmth and a good dose of humour. She writes people who love, stumble, and learn, often against backdrops that seem to breathe. With four novels set in Italy, she keeps returning to what draws people there — not only the beauty but the way life feels a little more vivid among its hills, harbours, and kitchens scented with olive oil and sunlight.
From Journalism to Joyful Fiction
Leonie began her writing journey in journalism, studying in Australia before relocating to Europe “for a year”, a plan that quietly became seventeen. Her love of writing eventually led her away from reporting and towards storytelling of a more uplifting nature.
Although she didn’t initially imagine herself as a novelist, the idea never left her. With young children at home and limited time, she seized the opportunity to write, not for fame or deadlines, but out of love for the process. That passion still drives her work today.
A World of Stories — and a Few Happy Accidents
Her first book came together without a roadmap. It was a story that asked to be written. When Boldwood Books picked it up, the pieces began to click. Six novels later, her writing feels like a conversation between heart and place.
Italy has become her creative anchor. She writes about Lake Garda, the Prosecco Hills, and small towns that seem alive in their own rhythm. They are not just pretty settings. They hold emotion, memory, and a sort of permission to feel deeply. Though she lives in Germany now, you can tell part of her spirit belongs further south.
Writing Italy with Feeling
A Taste of Italian Sunshine introduces readers to a London wine taster thrown into the rhythms of rural Italian life. The novel bubbles with flirtation, family tension and the delicious awkwardness of unexpected connection. At its core is a question of belonging — both to a place and to oneself.
What impressed me most was how genuine the setting felt. As someone who lives in Italy and reviews novels set here, I’m always looking for authenticity. Leonie captures it beautifully — not just the scenery, but the gestures, the silences, the dialects, the food.
“I did most of the research from home,” she told me, “but I managed ten days in the hills.” Ten days, but full ones. She walked vineyards, listened to local songs, and noticed how time bends in small villages. Every detail feels gently folded into her story.
Characters that Grow, Naturally
Leonie’s characters don’t feel written. They move the way real people do, with contradictions and grace. She starts small — an image, a line, a glimpse of someone. The rest grows on walks, during music, in quiet corners of thought.
In A Taste of Italian Sunshine, her protagonist faces a unique challenge — she’s a wine expert who can’t actually drink. “I wanted to explore that tension,” Leonie said. “It’s unexpected, but perfectly realistic in the professional wine world.” This touch of irony lends the character both humour and depth.
On the Joy of Romance
Leonie writes romance with a kind of tenderness that feels lived-in. Her stories are not just about falling in love, but about choosing it, day by day. She believes in endings that feel right, not perfect.
“There’s something so fulfilling about watching two people grow towards one another,” she shared. “Especially when they start from a place of resistance.” That slow build — the almosts, the missed moments, the lingering looks — is where her storytelling shines.
And while she occasionally experiments with other ideas (a cosy mystery once tempted her), romance remains her home genre. “It’s where I feel most connected,” she told me. “The emotional payoff makes all the work worthwhile.”
Family, Balance and the Business of Writing
At home in Würzburg, Germany, Leonie writes while raising three children with her husband. Her writing routine bends around daily life. Most evenings, she finds an hour or two to herself, with music playing softly or a book waiting nearby.
Despite a growing audience, she approaches success with quiet confidence. Her husband marks each publication day by buying a fresh paperback copy — a sweet tradition that reflects how much this journey means to both of them.
Her relationship with Boldwood Books continues to thrive, and although only some titles reach bookshops in paperback, her readership grows steadily — especially among ebook and audiobook fans.
What Comes Next
A winter novel is on the horizon — something crisp and cold to balance the summer sparkle. And while the setting may shift, Leonie’s commitment to character-driven, heartfelt stories remains steady.
She hopes more of her books will appear in translation soon. Italy Ever After has already made its way into Italian, and there’s a sense that more readers abroad will discover her work in time.
Where to Find Her Work
A Taste of Italian Sunshine is available now on Amazon, Kindle Unlimited, Audible, Spotify and other major retailers. You can follow Leonie on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, where she shares moments from her writing life, research journeys, and a generous dash of bookish humour.
Final Reflections
Leonie Mack writes like someone bottling light. Her stories hold laughter, tenderness, and the ache of being human. Whether her characters are under the Italian sun or wrapped in winter air, her pages remind readers that joy — small or bright — always has a place to return to.
