She opened her palm and looked at the coin. Heads, Florence. Tails, Barcelona.

Was she really going to do this? Leave her journey up to fate, be like a feather in the wind?

Yes. She was surprised at how thrilling, how exciting the prospect was.

She tossed the coin. It landed heads. Her heart leapt as if it had known that was the right decision all along.

Florence, it is.

Diana stepped out onto the curb at the Metro station, grabbed her bags, and purchased a one-way ticket to Florence. She boarded the train, placed her bags in the overhead compartment, got herself situated in a window seat, and sat with her itinerary, looking at all the spoiled plans. Years ago, such a sight would’ve given her hives.

But now, she just smiled.

No, she hadn’t seen the inside of the Louvre. But in her heart, she felt like she’d done something far better.

Then she flipped to the plans she’d made for Florence. A rigid schedule full of the same old things—things well-documented on any website or corner-store postcard, things that anyone could see.

She didn’t want that anymore.

She crossed a big X through it and started over, on a clean page. Tapping her chin, she thought about the first thing she’d want to do, if she could do anything at all, in the beautiful city of Florence.

Her stomach rumbled, and she jotted, “Eat an authentic Italian meal.”

Then she frowned. That would be nice, but if she was being honest with herself, it wasn’t what was written on her heart. No, it wasn’t even close. If she really wanted to write down things she desired for this trip, things that mattered, then a meal wasn’t it. Not when there were so many other things out there to experience, things that weren’t written on any map or guidebook.

She crossed it out and replaced it with, “Fall in love in Italy.”

Yes. Much better.

And now, she was truly ready to go out and explore Europe, for all that it was worth.

NOW AVAILABLE!

DEATH IN FLORENCE

(A Year in Europe—Book 2)

“When you think that life cannot get better, Blake Pierce comes up with another masterpiece of thriller and mystery! This book is full of twists, and the end brings a surprising revelation. Strongly recommended for the permanent library of any reader who enjoys a very well-written thriller.”

--Books and Movie Reviews (re Almost Gone)

DEATH IN FLORENCE is book #2 in a charming new cozy mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone has received 1,500 five-star reviews. The series (A YEAR IN EUROPE) begins with book #1 (A MURDER IN PARIS).

Diana Hope, 55, is still adjusting to her recent separation when she discovers her ex-husband has just proposed to a woman 30 years younger. Secretly hoping they would reunite, Diana is devastated. She realizes the time has come to reimagine life without him—in fact, to reimagine her life, period.