Portobello Book Blog

I am a big fan of Sarah Morgan’s books and was really delighted to receive an early copy of Summer Wedding from the publishers HQ. The book is due out this Thursday and let me tell you you are in for a treat!

About the Book

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 . . .

My Thoughts

You might think from that bright cheerful cover and the title that you are in for a light and frothy romantic read but don’t be fooled. There is romance in the book, and it is beautifully done, but there’s so much more besides.

At first you might find, like me, that you’re not really very keen on Adeline, one of the main characters. She’s a very controlled person both in her working and personal life. She doesn’t really seem to show much emotion and dislikes both her mother, Catherine, and half-sister Cassie. When you hear how Catherine sent her away as a young girl to live with her father, you begin to understand her feelings. It does seem like Catherine has shut Adeline out and focussed all her attention on Cassie. At this point you may not like Catherine very much either and completely understand why her daughters are very concerned about her getting married for a fourth time to a mystery man. Cassie, however, is someone who is immediately likeable. You really feel for her as she tries to build bridges with her half-sister, only to so often be coldly rebuffed.

What I thought was really clever about this book is that is a story within a story within a story. In other words, there are many layers to it. Obviously Sarah Morgan has written this book but Catherine is also a best-selling romantic fiction author and Cassie is an aspiring author and we hear about their work too. And Cassie’s book mirrors another part of the story, or at least, one version of it. There is so much in the book about writing and creativity and how we can create our own versions of reality. There were plot twists in the book which reflected real life and took the characters by surprise – and may well take the reader by surprise too. Catherine comments wryly at one point, “Real life wasn’t like fiction. You never could predict how people were going to react. If this was a scene in her book, she would have deleted it.”.

Sarah Morgan writes so brilliantly about relationships particularly within families and this is evident throughout this book. Cassie and Adeline had quite fixed ideas about their mother and why she was the way she was. I thought it was so interesting that they begin to bond with each other because of a common concern about their mother’s forthcoming marriage, albeit for different reasons. The darker side of relationships is explored too but I don’t want to say anything about that for fear of giving spoilers. Sarah Morgan writes so insightfully about the ups and downs of family life and I so enjoyed following this family and finding out if Catherine’s wedding was going to finally heal the rifts and bring the family together.

I was lucky enough to be reading this over a few days where the sun was shining and it was warm enough to be sitting outside with my book. This really brought the Corfu settings to life and I could imagine the sparkling waters and beautiful views from Catherine’s villa. This is definitely a book to have on your summer reading list to whisk you away to warmer climes. Sarah Morgan has written another winner here in Summer Wedding, a warm, wise and uplifting book. I predict that, like her character Catherine, she’ll be on the best-seller lists for many years to come. Summer Wedding is Sarah Morgan at her best 💙

About the Author

Sarah Morgan is a USA Today and Sunday Times bestselling author of romance and women’s fiction. She has sold over 21 million copies of her books and her trademark humour and warmth have gained her fans across the globe.

Sarah lives near London, England and when she isn’t writing or reading, she likes to spend time outdoors hiking or riding her mountain bike.

Join Sarah’s mailing list at http://www.sarahmorgan.com for all book news. For more insight into her writing life follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook/AuthorSarahMorgan and on Instagram at @sarahmorganwrites Contact Sarah at sarah@sarahmorgan.com