Guest Review: Summer Wedding by Sarah Morgan

A family wedding

Catherine Swift is a bestselling romance author, but her personal story hasn’t been quite so successful; three failed marriages have left her relationship with her daughters strained. Engaged once again, Catherine is counting on this wedding, at her villa in Corfu, to finally bring the family together.

A summer of secrets

Adeline can’t believe her mother is getting married for a fourth time, or that she’s expected to attend. It brings back the pain of her mother’s infidelity and the baby who was the result. Not that she blames her half-sister Cassie, but then she's never tried to know her, either. Cassie, on the other hand, is thrilled by her mother’s news – she’s always admired Catherine’s resilience, and is excited to meet the mystery groom. Cassie also has a secret of her own, and a summer in Corfu will give her the time she needs to process everything.

A chance to start over again

As the guests arrive on the island, and the big day approaches, Catherine begins to reveal secrets from her past, and suddenly both Cassie and Adeline realise that they don’t know their mother at all . . .

Review: I’ve been looking forward to reading the new book from Sarah Morgan, one of my favourite authors. I know I can expect a family story with some strong female characters and an exciting location at the very least. This book is set on the Greek island of Corfu, making it perfect summer holiday reading.

The story concerns successful author Catherine Swift, who now lives in a luxurious villa on Corfu, her daughter from her first marriage, Adeline, and the daughter from her second marriage, Cassie. Adeline is estranged from her mother and lived from an early age with her father, while Cassie has lived most of her life with Catherine. The girls have not spent much time together since early childhood. When Catherine announces that she is to be married for a fourth time, and that she wishes both of her daughters to be present, the news is met with surprise, especially since the identity of the groom is being kept a secret. Catherine is hoping that bringing everybody together may heal the rift in the family. Once all three women are gathered, secrets begin to be revealed, some of which shock Adeline and Cassie and make them realise that they must rethink what they believed about their mother and past events in their own lives. 

I found this a really compelling story, full of secrets, revelations and surprises for the characters and the reader. It is very cleverly written, in that the bombshells just keep on coming throughout the text right to the end. I enjoyed speculating about what was going to happen and be divulged next. In addition to the central story concerning the family and the wedding, each of the daughters has things going on in their lives which will surprise the others, which, for me, added to the overall enjoyment of the book. I wasn’t sure that I liked all the central female characters to start with, but they grew on me as the story progressed and they began to feel more comfortable with each other. The setting for the book was very well described, and I could envisage the lovely villa by the sea and almost taste all the delicious Greek cuisine. In my opinion, this book is yet another triumph for Sarah Morgan, and one I would recommend unreservedly to other readers. 

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