D.J. Paolini

Despite the trauma and drama in her life, Angelina has persevered, relying on the support of her multi-talented and over-protective godmother, Valentina—best friend of her late mother. After the murder of her abusive husband, Angelina has resigned herself to spending her life alone in her hometow...

After an eventful summer and autumn, Angelina, an Italian native, and Benjamin, a transplanted American, have fallen in love and are expecting a child—neither of which they had been expecting. They begin planning their wedding in Rimini, on the Adriatic coast of Italy—with Valentina’s help, of co...

Valentina Marchese, a former police officer, carabiniere, and intelligence operative, now finds herself in her most challenging role: grandmother to Isabella Valentina Rose, her goddaughter Angelina’s new daughter. As Angelina settles into domestic life with husband Benjamin and their daughter, n...

Stories of Love, Life, Passion, Resilience, Resistance, and Recovery in Northern Italy Through these three novellas, experience the lives of three women—two Italian and one Lebanese—who each in their own way influence the life of Valentina Marchese, the chief protagonist of the Rock & the Rose...