Book Review: May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn by Kimberly Sullivan

About the book, May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn

fter a successful seasonal opening in April, friends Emma and Annarita are eager to welcome a new set of guests to their Umbrian inn during the full bloom of May.

Upstate New Yorker Lisa needs an escape from betrayal and the prying eyes of her smalltown neighbors. Elderly, reclusive artist Antonio hopes leaving Milan for a country sojourn will spark his long dormant creative muse. Manhattan socialite mother Sharon grudgingly embarks on a country holiday with her young son, Josh, with whom she shares few interests. Roman author Margherita prefers time spent alone, but her career may depend on a stay in bucolic Todi among fellow guests. And Emma and Annarita are anxious to embrace their close friend Tiffany on her brief stay in the heart of Umbria.

The swallows may have returned and colorful petals now dot the countryside, but will the inn’s atmosphere allow hurts to heal and friendships to blossom?

Purchase Links:

Amazon US: Amazon.com: May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn eBook : Sullivan, Kimberly : Kindle Store

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0GLTQ967Q

All links: May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn | Kimberly Sullivan

Until 31^st May you can purchase May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn for a special release price of 99 cent/99 pence.

About the author, Kimberly Sullivan

Kimberly is the award-winning writer of six novels and one short story collection. Kimberly is also the co-editor of two historical fiction anthologies in the Feisty Deeds series. She writes the women’s fiction stories she loves to read, both contemporary and historic tales of women and the rich lives they lead along their journeys of self-discovery. A lifetime admirer and longtime resident of Italy, Kimberly is often guilty of sneaking the bel paese into her stories.

Connect with Kimberly:

Website: Kimberly Sullivan

Instagram: Instagram

Pintarest: Pinterest

Goodreads: Kimberly Sullivan (Author of Dark Blue Waves) | Goodreads

BookBub: Kimberly Sullivan Books – BookBub

YouTube: Kimberly Sullivan – YouTube

My Thoughts

Kimberly Sullivan’s May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn turned out to be exactly the sort of novel I needed. Even though I haven’t read the earlier books in the series, I never felt adrift; the story works beautifully on its own while still hinting at a larger world and history surrounding the inn and its regulars.

While Lisa is the first guest we really come to know, it was Antonio — prickly, aging, artistic Antonio — who held my attention most completely. Sullivan creates characters with rich emotional interiors, and I found it wonderfully easy to settle into each shifting perspective. Every guest arrives carrying something tender or unresolved, yet none of them feel flattened into clichés or simple archetypes. They feel lived in.

What stayed with me most was how recognizable each character’s struggles felt, even when their lives looked nothing alike on the surface. Antonio’s reflections on growing older and carrying the weight of past choices had real emotional depth. Sharon’s attempts to bridge the widening distance between herself and her son felt achingly familiar. Margherita’s instinct to withdraw from the world rather than risk disappointment especially resonated with me as someone who understands the temptation to disappear into solitude. Sullivan approaches all of these characters with compassion, quietly reinforcing the idea that hardship, longing, and self-doubt are universal human experiences.

This novel shines in its quieter moments. Shared meals, tentative conversations, small gestures of kindness, and the slow easing of emotional loneliness become the heartbeat of the story. The setting in Todi only deepens that atmosphere. Sullivan writes about the Umbrian countryside with such warmth and affection that the entire novel feels restorative, filled with sunlight, fresh air, and the promise that people can still surprise one another in beautiful ways.

More than anything, May Flowers at the Three Coins Inn is a deeply comforting story about friendship, vulnerability, and the importance of letting ourselves remain open to connection. It left me feeling calmer, softer, and reminded of how much healing can happen simply by being seen and welcomed exactly as you are.

Goes well with: Umbrian lentil soup, warm rosemary focaccia dipped in olive oil, a slice of pecorino, and a glass of Montefalco red enjoyed slowly while the evening light fades.