BOOK NEWS
The Olive Branch, by Jo Thomas, asks can love bloom in the groves of Italy. The summary says: "You can buy almost anything online these days. But is a crumbling Italian farmhouse a step too far? Ruthie Collins certainly thinks so when she arrives amid pouring rain to an olive farm she doesn't know the first thing about running. But for Ruthie, newly single, anywhere has got to be better than her mum's settee. Hasn't it? Life can change with the click of a mouse. But the finer things - friendship, romance, and even the olive harvest - take time to grow. Can Ruthie put the past to rest and find her own piece of the Dolce Vita along the way?" The Olive Branch is out in March 2015.