The Essence of Santa Montefiore

After reading Santa Montefiore's The Italian Matchmaker I was hooked on her books. Santa's descriptive way of writing gets you in from the very first page. Once you start reading her books you will be swept away to the country that is the backdrop of the book. You will get so involved with the book's characters that you can't wait to turn the page to see what happens to them. This is my review of The Italian Matchmaker which would have to be my favourite of Santa Montefiore's novels.

"Gianluca is half-Italian, tall, dark, irresistibly handsome and very wealthy. After going through a painful divorce he decides to leave England for a while and heads off to the idyllic sun-drenched Amalfi coast of Italy to stay at his parents' home, the Palazzo Montelimone, a beautifully restored palatial building. While staying there he hopes to take stock of his life and find peace of mind and what better place to do it than Italy whilst basking in the summer sun. Did I happen to mention that as well as being incredibly handsome he can also see ghosts? Cosima is an intoxicatingly beautiful Italian signorina with such a sad past that it will pull at your heart strings. Will both of them find love or is the past too strong? Do you believe in love after death?"

A combination of romance, spiritual encounters and lively characters amidst a backdrop of lush vineyards and olive groves makes this an intriguing novel that is definitely hard to put down.