A Sicilian Affair by Susan Lewis #bookreview #blogtour @susanlewisbooks @fictionpubteam @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new thriller by Susan Lewis, A Sicilian Affair as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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A fresh start where no-one knows her name is exactly what Catie is looking for from her Sicilian escape.

When Catie meets handsome Giancarlo, she has stumbled across a love that could last forever… If only she can admit the truth about her past.

But the scars of betrayal from her broken marriage and fragile family are only part of the story.

Some secrets are too devastating to share…

MY THOUGHTS

A Sicilian Affair is the gripping new novel by Susan Lewis. It is quite different to the novels I usually read, but I really enjoyed it. We follow Catie MacAllister when she appears to be escaping from her home in the UK to Taormina in Italy. But it appears that Catie might be running from something she is keen not to confront. I immediately connected to Catie as we follow her, on her journey from the airport, to the beautiful Italian setting, which Susan Lewis draws on really well. I wanted to know what was behind her decision to travel here on her own, and what it was she was hoping to leave behind.

Things soon take an unexpected turn for Catie when she meets Giancarlo, who agrees to be her guide and takes her around several famous local sites. It helps that it is his hometown and he knows all the best kept secrets and places to visit. But during Catie’s time in Taormina, their growing friendship soon begins to blossom into something more, and Catie begins to open up to this man who has charmed her.

As Catie begins to tell her life story to Giancarlo, I wanted to know all the details. I loved how rich her life was on the page, and I especially liked the talent she has for music and her passion for it really shines through. I was fascinated by this part of her life as she tells it to Giancarlo. As Susan Lewis begins to reveal what happened to Catie in the run up to her trip to Taormina, there are some heartbreaking revelations about her past, and the emotions really do pour out in Susan Lewis’s writing. I really did feel for Catie as I was reading the past scenes. I also wanted to know how things were going to develop between Catie and Giancarlo. The chemistry that there was between them felt so real as I was reading it. I was really rooting for the two of them to get together.

A Sicilian Affair is an addictive, and a completely captivating read that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication date: 11th April 2024

Print length: 381 pages

A Sicilian Affair is available to purchase:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

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I Know It’s You by Susan Lewis @susanlewisbooks @HarperFiction @RandomTTours

On my blog today, I’m sharing my thoughts on the new novel by Susan Lewis, I Know It’s You as part of the blog tour. With thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part.

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THE STORY…

The first chapter of a manuscript arrives on Publisher Marina’s desk. She assumes it’s just another novel by another aspiring writer…

THE SECRET…

As the chapters arrive one by one, Marina is convinced they are about her past. There’s only one person who can know everything about the scandal, the trial, and the trauma that nearly broke her.

THE SILENCE…

This is one story that should never be told, and Marina is so desperate she will do anything to stop it getting out.

MY THOUGHTS

I love a thriller that is set within the world of publishing. Susan Lewis’s new novel, I Know It’s You, follows Marina Forster, a publishing director, who is asked to look at a new manuscript by an unknown writer. Marina is at first, reluctant to do so, but she is persuaded to read the first few chapters by her colleague. It is clear to see that Marina has very little appetite to work with a debut author, but after reading the opening extract of the book, she is intrigued, and asks to see more. But the more she reads, the more she begins to see parallels with her own life. She is suddenly very fearful that this author may know about a dark secret in her past.

The tension really increases in the novel the further that Mariana delves into the manuscript, and I wanted to know what it was about her life that she was desperate to keep secret. You can see that she has a lot to lose. She has a high flying career, and is at the top of her game in the publishing world. She also has a young family. Susan Lewis does a brilliant job of delving into Marina’s character and revealing what sort of a person she is. She doesn’t come across as someone who is particularly likeable, but this was the reason why I really wanted to know what had happened in her past, and what she would do to make sure her secrets would stay buried.

As Susan Lewis revealed the truth of what had happened in Marina’s past, and what she is so desperate to keep secret, I found myself turning the pages faster and faster. I was so intrigued in this chapter in Marina’s history, and the truths that come to light, are shocking, especially as Marina is reunited with someone from her past who knows what she did. It’s what makes what Marina will do next very unpredictable, and it’s what makes the book so entertaining, as we wait to see what her reaction will be, as everything she has built in her life is threatened.

I Know It’s You is a gripping read by Susan Lewis. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to reading more from Susan in the future.

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication date: 3rd August 2023

Print length: 379 pages

I Know It’s You is available to buy:

Amazon UK Kobo Waterstones

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