The Temptation of Gracie - Santa Montefiore

The ladies of the Badley Compton Book Club are left astounded when their usually unadventurous member, Gracie Burton, impulsively books a holiday to an old castle in Italy, where she'll learn authentic Italian cookery. Gracie is a widow and lives alone in Devon, with only her dogs for company. She does have a daughter, Carina, but she lives in London and is always busy, immersed in her own business, (and herself), and hardly ever visits or even rings her mother. When her granddaughter, Anastasia, finds out what her grandmother has planned, she provokes her mum into going with Gracie and taking her along too. So the three of them fly off to Castello Montefosco in Tuscany, where hopefully they'll get to know each other a little better.

It's not long before Gracie begins to share her long kept secret with Anastasia. It seems Gracie has had more adventure in her life than everyone thought! The present catches up with the past, that is a past that's filled with hidden crime and scandal, a count and a castle, love, deception, and tragedy.

I loved this book. The delicious characters are all bursting with personality, and you can actually taste the scorching Italian atmosphere. It's a wonderful story that swept me away to another time and place. A compelling read, oh, and perhaps just a little reminder that we shouldn't always judge a book by its cover.

Villa of Secrets - Patricia Wilson

Villa of Secrets is far more than just a good read. It's a journey, an adventure and an epic love story.

In Paradissi, a village in Rhodes, Naomi looks after her grandmother who is recovering after a recent stroke. She is given some old diaries to read and so discovers the truth about the horrors endured by the Jews living on the island during the war.

Meanwhile, in London, Naomi's estranged sister, Rebecca, receives several strange packages from Rhodes. Her future in turmoil, she returns to the island ten years after the terrible fight that had caused her to leave. Reunited, the sisters begin to uncover their grandmother's incredible past.

This book encompasses it all. Tales of unbelievable atrocities, courage and the struggle to survive and of friendship and devotion, love, loss, and tragedy. It's a history lesson - a real eye-opener but it's also a truly exceptional love story. Literally breath-taking in parts, it's a book you'll get lost in and certainly one you won't forget.