The Affair and the Sea of Lost Love
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley January 1, 2015
Author Santa Montefiore
Distributor:
ISBN: 9781471140259
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date:
Website: http://www.simonandschuster.com.au
For lovers of Santa Montefiore this double edition of two tales of love and lost love will enthral and entertain over the summer holiday season.
This is the perfect time for siting back and soaking up a good read and when it is a good romance, backed with a very credible story line that is all the better.
Both stories revolve about the fickleness of true love, scoundrels and charismatic men, who leave their loves, lovers and their families bereft and wondering.
In ’The Affair”, Angelica meets a man who makes her feel she is wonderful, beautiful and desirable, something she has not felt for a long time. When the sparks begin to fly she makes the life changing decision to follow this little piece of paradise and see where the road leads.
South Africa calls and she sets off on, not just a book tour, but to meet her lover Jack. After an idyllic time things begin to go wrong in a big way when Jack’s wife reveals she is aware of Jack’s many affairs, but she says the affair he has been having with Angelica is like no other. Somewhat confused by this attitude of Jacks wife, Anna, Angelica and Jack spend their last few days together before she has to return to her life as successful children’s book author, wife and mother.
Hiding in the wings of this passionate affair is a tragedy in the making for Angelica as she is held up and robbed on her last night in South Africa, and Jack lets her know he has incurable cancer.
Meanwhile, back in London her friends ever complex lives become more so just to add that side dish of intrigue.
Not exactly “Sex in the City” but the story is seductive in its telling, easy to enjoy and great summertime reading.
‘Sea of Lost Love’ is also about charismatic men and the fine dance they lead when they practice to deceive.
The Montague family are the resident aristocratic family of a small village in Cornwall, where family, tradition and meeting the right people are terribly important.
For Celestria, daughter of the second Montague son Robert (Monty), life was one long, lavish party, until her father mysteriously disappears, leaving behind a simple note in his beloved red boat with the words’ forgive me’. His pocket watch and shoes are also in the boat leaving the bereft family, finally having to come to the belief he has taken his own life.
Something does not seem right and Celestria sets out to discover just what really did a happen to her father and uncovers far more about his life than she had ever imagined.. or even ever wanted to know, painting a picture of man who was most definitely not what he portrayed.
Moving away from her life of indulgence she travels to Italy following a series of clues she discovers about his life. Along the way begins to discover there is more to life than she ever expected and that true love really does exist in the arms of a man fighting his own demons.
Intriguing and epic in proportion this is also a great summer read, or indeed an anytime read, when you have the time to really immerse yourself lf into a time gone bye and the standards of a very different society, where morals and keeping up appearances could mean many, many things.