Review: Reclaim the Present (Fear of the Past #2)

Original Title: Reclaim the Present
Series: Fear of the Past #2
Author: Claude Nougat
Publisher: BookBaby
Published Date: October 3rd 2011
Genre: Contemporary Romance

At the close of Book 1 of the Fear of the Past Trilogy, Tony, an American computer whiz kid, has returned to his own time in Syracuse, Sicily. He soon meets Lucia, the woman of his dreams who reminds him of the Duchess of Floridia that he has met and loved in the Circolo di Conversazione (Book 1). But he has an accident and falls back… to 1908, in time to witness the tragedy that put an end to his family's wealth.



Can he change his family’s destiny?

Can he return to modern-day Sicily and win over beautiful Lucia?

This book, the second in the Trilogy that addresses the issue of heredity and how much we owe to our forebears, begins to provide an answer: it is important to "reclaim the present" and make it one's own, even taking risks to do so.

REVIEW

The novel starts right where the first part ended.  Tony Bellamo was out of the Circolo and is still thinking about Luzia, his dead ancestor, with whom he had fallen in love with.  On the road, he meets a similar girl called Lucia.  Lucia and Tony become friends and Lucia, who is an architect, takes Tony to a Bellamo family house, which is being renovated.  There,  after a small accident, Tony falls into a coma.  Meanwhile, his mind wanders to 1908, the time his rich great-great-grandfather lost all of family's fortune.

In 1908, Tony meets some of his ancestors and learns how his family fortune had been completely lost.  Will he come back this time or will do something to save the misfortune, that fell upon his ancestors?

As the first book, this book is also beautifully written.  After reading the book, I wish I had known more about my ancestors.

This second book in the series could have told more about Tony's present.  I definitely loved the novel and want to know more about how it ends.

'Fear of the Past' Series order:

1.  Forget the Past - Read review here

2.  Reclaim the Present

3.  Remember the Future - Read review here