The Summer Villa | Blog Tour
The Summer Villa by Melissa Hill
MIRA – April 28, 2020
*Book Review copy provided by Harlequin Trade Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
Out here in California, the weather is heating up. Although it’s still “spring”, it’s starting feel a lot like summer. Bright sunshine without a cloud in the sky, palm trees swaying, and temperatures approaching 100 degrees. So while May may feel like too soon for a summer read, I assure you that the time is right whether you’re preparing for heat waves or hoping for warm weather soon.
The kind folks at Harlequin asked me if I’d like to participate in the 2020 Spring Reads Blog Tour and I selected The Summer Villa, along with The Henna Artist.
About the Book
When a little white lie becomes the story of your life, what if the truth comes out?
For three woman, it’s a life-changing trip: one finds the man of her dreams, another discovers inspiration amidst Italian food and culture, while a chance encounter with a handsome local ushers in the ultimate life change for the third. But most importantly, it’s the beginning of a deep and lasting friendship between all three.
Now years later, Kim Weston – entrepreneur and owner of internationally successful Italian food and lifestyle business, The Sweet Life – has bought and restored the tumble-down villa to its former glory — and plans to reopen Villa Dolce Vita as a wellness/cultural retreat – a fitting honor to the root of her business inspiration.
To celebrate the villa’s grand opening, she and her Italian business partners are throwing a huge three-day party; flying a group of family, business and media contacts to the Amalfi Coast to join in the celebrations. And most importantly, the (still) close friends who started the journey with her: Annie and husband Nate, whose love story began at the villa, and single mum Eva, whose son was the result of an ill-advised Italian fling.
But in the run up to the planned weekend in Italy, it becomes clear that not everyone is happy about the party, nor are they on board with such ambitious plans for the location. And, as Villa Dolce Vita’s grand relaunch draws closer, old memories and past secrets come to light, and the three old friends are forced to question if anything that happened on that first fateful trip to the villa is at all what it seemed.
My Thoughts
This is the first novel I’ve read by Melissa Hill and I think it was a great introduction! First, the setting of the Amalfi coast was beautiful and really helped transport me away from my current confinement to my apartment. And isn’t book traveling one of the reasons we all love reading so much? To feel like we’ve been somewhere from the comfort of our own home is something I don’t take for granted!
The novel is told through the different women’s perspective, so know this going in if that’s not a writing style you typically enjoy. Unfortunately for me I did not enjoy all of the characters equally and at times felt drawn to get back to different parts of the story. However, I don’t think it detracted too greatly from the overall story.
This novel has a slower pace to begin with and may not fit everyone’s reading mood, but I think if you have time to sink into the story, enjoy the setting, and appreciate the theme of female friendships you’ll be quite satisfied by the end.
I’d recommend this if you’re looking for an escapist read as spring turns to summer!
About the Author
MELISSA HILL lives in south Dublin with her husband and daughter. A USA TODAY and international #1 bestseller, she is the author of 13 novels, including The Gift of a Charm and A Gift From Tiffany’s. The Gift of a Charm was a USA TODAY bestseller. Hailed “the queen of the big plot twist,” she combines all the warmth and humor of contemporary women’s fiction with plots that keep readers guessing from page to page. Melissa also cowrites forensic thrillers with her husband, Kevin, under the pseudonym Casey Hill, featuring crime scene investigator Reilly Steel. For more information, visit www.caseyhillbooks.com.
SOCIAL:
Author Website: http://www.melissahill.ie/
TWITTER: @melissahillbks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/334579.Melissa_Hill
