Sea of Lost Love by Santa Montefiore

The story is set in 1958.  Celestria Montague spends each summer at the family home, Pendrift Hall, in Cornwall with her aunts, uncles and cousins.  During this summer her mother, Pamela Bancroft Montague, is present at Pendrift and they are awaiting the arrival of her father, Robert 'Monty' Montague, prior to the annual party which is held to celebrate Uncle Archie's birthday.  

Following the party a member of the family can not be found.  A note is then discovered in an unmanned boat drifting out to sea.  Celestria begins to investigate the disappearance and uncovers information which leads her to Puglia in Italy.  In Italy she finds some people are very friendly and helpful, whilst others are rude and obstructive to her enquiries.  As more information comes to light, deceptions over many years are revealed. 

Santa Montefiore writes many stories which are based in both England and abroad.  

The Kafenion by Victoria Hislop

This is just a short e-story which I downloaded. 

The Kafenion is a family owned and run cafe which was opened in 1935.  Maria and Stephanos, the second generation of owners, have twin boys Petros and Manos.  The boys are always treated exactly the same and have to share everything equally.  They grow up helping out in the cafe.  When they are older, due to a lack of work on the island, they both move away to the mainland.  When their father, Stephanos, becomes ill they return to help run the cafe.  Their mother Maria continually hears them arguing about how to run the business.  One of them will make a suggestion for change and the other one will always disagree.  Exasperated by their arguments Maria comes up with a solution of her own.  Will they ever learn to get along and stop competing with each other?  

I have previous read and very much enjoyed 'The Island' and 'The Return'.  Victoria Hislop sets a lot of her books in Greece.

Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

Exactly 100 days after marrying Andy, Ellen bumps into Leo.  They have not seen each other since the day they split up a few years before.  They have a coffee together and then go their separate ways.  

We learn how Ellen first met her best friend Margot, who is Andy's younger sister, and how and when she met Leo.  

Ellen receives a phone message from Leo.  She tries to ignore it but finally gives in to temptation and makes contact.  Leo, who is a journalist, wants Ellen, who is a photographer, to take the pictures to go alongside an interview he has planned for Platform magazine.  Ellen accepts the job but does not tell Andy or Margot about seeing Leo or his connection to the work.  

Spending time with Leo brings back all the old feelings she had for him.  What, or who, does she really want? 

This is the only book by Emily Giffin I have read. 

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell

The story begins when Maya Wolfe, the third wife of Adrian Wolfe, is drunk and alone in the early hours of the morning.  She takes a step forwards from the pavement edge and is hit and killed by a night bus.  

We are then taken backwards and forwards from the time when Maya and Adrian meet, their lives together, which includes Adrian's two previous wives and families, and how Adrian is coping with being alone and with his grief following Maya's death.  

Adrian had left his first wife Susie and their two children to be with Caroline. They had three children together and then Adrian left Caroline to be with Maya.  Up until Maya's death Adrian had never been alone.  

Luke, Adrian's eldest son, comes to stay with him for a while.  Whilst using his dad's laptop Luke finds a hidden file containing the text of anonymous emails which had been sent to Maya, they all start 'Dear Bitch' and suggest that that she should 'just disappear' as no-one wants her in their lives and the families would all be better off without her.  

Questions then start to be asked, who sent the emails and why?  Was Maya's death really an accident or could it have been suicide?  Who is the mysterious Jane who visited Adrian at home?  Does she know something about Maya's death or the emails?  

This is an intriguing story.  We slowly learn more about the different members of the family, their relationships with each other and with Maya.  We do find out who wrote the emails towards the end of the book.  

I have previously read '31 Dream Street' and 'Ralph's Party'.  I have 'The House We Grew Up In', 'After the Party' and 'Before I Met You' on my bookshelf.