But I Smile Anyway…

I’m on the blog tour for Lucy Elena’s fab book, The Starling Dance!

The Blurb

The Starling Dance

In a sweltering Roman summer, Laure is trying to start a new life. But can she manage in a city where walls have ears, trees have eyes and even the birds are acting strangely?

It’s been exactly one year since the shit hit the fan and Laure’s anxiety exploded into a full-blown burn out. In search of a new start she’s moved to Rome – pasta, Aperol and sunshine should make everything better, right?

But with her 30s around the corner, la bella vita isn’t going to plan.

1. Her boyfriend, the dreamy Davide, has disappeared (Either Laure’s been ghosted or he’s accidentally fallen off a cliff – hopefully)
2. She wants to murder her neighbours: their arguments are keeping her up all night.

In her local café, Laure meets a handsome stranger and the sparks fly, that is until she finds herself caught in a big lie.

‘Hmmm, it’s not ideal,’ says her best friend Eva, as she puffs on a spliff in the bathtub.

Just as things are heating up, a talking tree enters the fray (as if this Roman summer wasn’t weird enough, just ask the birds).

That tree is Viviano, a dynamic and adventurous street performer who poses around the Eternal City dressed as a tree, well, sometimes a cat too and sometimes a ripe tomato. He could be thriving in life but something is holding him back. One thing is certain though: he wants to meet Laure.

Will Laure find her path? Will she accidentally put pineapple on a pizza? And is there a real love story to be found in the surreal swirls of the Italian capital?

The Starling Dance is a love story full of quirk, humour and heart-warming characters, each trying to overcome their personal obstacles and demons to give themselves a chance at life and love.

Purchase Links

My Review

The Starling Dance: a riotous, heartwarming summer romance set in Rome by Lucy Elena
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I’ve never been to Rome, but it has always been pictured in my head as a city filled with romance.
Lucy Elena’s book, The Starling Dance, adds a whimsical filter to the city, alongside the romance.
There is a small cast of characters and several points of view, but the primary character is Laure, a French woman living there, who came to Rome to escape something from her past. Her job, though tedious, keeps her going.
We also have Viv, the human tree. Yes, I know that sounds a bit strange, but you need to read it to find out what it means! Viv is an observer, and he finds himself drawn to this beautiful woman he keeps seeing but knows nothing about.
The story follows Laure as she falls into a bit of a muddle, as a lie she told in a simple conversation with a handsome stranger catches up with her. She finds herself unable to extricate herself from a situation she doesn’t want to be in. And then there is Viv, who has his own troubled background, which makes him the tree that he is, but the faint glimmer of hope of romance promises to make him want to step out from the shadows.
This was a light hearted, nuanced romantic story with a little fantastical element to give it an added sparkle!

About The Author

Author Bio: Lucy Elena is a Londoner with a love of languages and exploring new different cultures. For most of her career she has been a journalist reporting across Europe and Latin America. But she has also experimented with career forays into pasta making (yes, like an Italian nonna) and teaching. Lucy has always loved dreaming up and telling stories and The Starling Dance is her debut novel. When not writing or working, Lucy enjoys spending time with friends and family, trying out new foods and pretending she can play the ukulele.

Social Media Links –

Instagram: lucyelenabooks

Facebook: Lucy Elena

Tiktok: @lucyelenabooks