Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Review - - The Island Villa

The Island Villa
by Sarah Morgan
Publisher: Canary Street Press
Release Date: May 2, 2023
Reviewed by PJ




A messy family drama and a 
steamy little romance unfold under the Mediterranean sun for the perfect summer escape…

Celebrated romance author Catherine Swift has topped the bestseller lists for decades, though her personal story hasn’t been quite so successful. Three failed marriages have left her relationship with her daughters strained, but that’s about to be rectified. Engaged yet again, Catherine is counting on 
this wedding to be what finally brings them together as a family, and she’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.

Adeline doesn’t know what’s worse—that her mother is getting married a 
fourth time, or that she’s being guilted into witnessing the train wreck at Catherine’s luxury villa in Corfu. It brings back the pain of her parents’ split, of her mother’s infidelity and the baby that was the result. Not that she blames her half sister, Cassie, but then she’s never made an effort to know her, either.

Cassie, on the other hand, is thrilled by her mother’s news and admires Catherine’s resilience. She’s equally excited about meeting the mystery groom, and at the prospect of spending her summer in Corfu, where she can process a secret of her own she’s been keeping from everyone.

As Cassie and Adeline arrive on the island, they each have very different expectations of what this week will bring—they haven’t been entirely honest with their mother about their lives, either—but in the lead-up to the wedding, all will be revealed, for better or worse.

PJ's Thoughts:

One of my most anticipated reads each year is Sarah Morgan's summer women's fiction novel. Morgan is a consummate storyteller who consistently weaves family-centric, immersive tales I mean to take my time with but almost always finish in one day. They're just that good. 

This year's book, The Island Villa, transported me to an idyllic seaside villa on the stunningly beautiful Greek island of Corfu. It's a vividly depicted backdrop for a deeply moving journey that's as emotionally tumultuous as the deep blue waters of the Med are calm. I wanted to immediately book a trip. Unlike estranged daughter, Adeline.

One of Morgan's many skills is the creation of her characters. Each of the main characters is vital to the journey traveled in this book. They are all complex, fully developed, and have individual growth arcs as well as contributing to the interwoven dynamics of the family as a whole. I enjoyed how Morgan took her time with them, especially with estranged sisters Cassie and Adeline. The events of their early years plus their years apart have molded them into vastly different people. It was obvious they would need time to come to terms with certain facts, get to know one another as adults, and, hopefully, form new bonds. I appreciated that the author gave them that time, skillfully navigating them and their relationships - both romantic and familial - through a series of unexpected peaks and valleys, especially in regards to secrets that their mother has been keeping from them, both in the present as well as the past. 

If you're looking for an immersive story (I turned the final page around 2:00 AM), set in a beautiful location, brimming with family drama, reunion romance, stunning secrets, second chances, healing, and love, add The Island Villa to your summer reading list. I highly recommend it. 

Note: if you're in the UK, be advised that this book has a different cover and title (Summer Wedding) but is the same story. 

 

5 comments:

  1. On my kindle, so excited to read!

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  2. I always look forward to her books, too. I still miss her contemporary romance novels, but her women's fiction stories usually have a secondary romance plot.

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  3. Looks like a another great Summer read. I also speed through Sarah Morgan's books on the first reading. :)

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  4. Just got it on my Kindle. I look forward to reading it. Thanks for the terrific review. As always, you make me feel deprived that I have not yet read the book you are reviewing.

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