The Island Getaway

Lucy Diamond

IMAGINE waking up in a king-sized bed in a light-filled, spacious suite, stepping on to the balcony and taking in the view of a magnificent sweep of golden sand and a sea that’s a breathtaking shade of teal...

If the January blues (more an iron-grey shade than teal) are getting you down, escape to the sun-drenched Greek island of Kefalonia where the new arrivals at the luxurious Ionian Escape hotel are hoping for a break from everyday life... and bringing with them a load of baggage that they didn’t have to check in at the airport!

The Island Getaway is the beautiful, big-hearted and amazing twentieth novel from the queen of romance, Lucy Diamond (pictured below), an author who has the knack of putting the world’s glorious hotspots not just on the page but into the hearts and minds of her army of adoring fans. And the new dream holiday destination of Kefalonia proves to be the perfect magical backdrop to set in place a superbly drawn and eclectic guest list and then conjure up the unfolding of a sizzling, summertime celebration of second chances, true love and the life-affirming joy of unlikely friendships.

Disgraced soap star Miranda Vallance feels like the worst person in the world after a very public scandal that has seen her asked to leave the set of a hit TV show for the next few episodes, and warned by her angry agent to ‘get her act together.’

What’s more, her sister Imogen won’t speak to her, she’s been ‘slagged off’ online, and she’s even had people shouting at her in the street. So Miranda has fled to Kefalonia to avoid the stress, keep her head down and see out a fortnight’s exile in ‘dignified silence.’ But despite appearances, Miranda is desperate to put things right and doesn’t know how.

Meanwhile, eighty-two-year-old cellist Evelyn Chambers has come to the island to fulfil a promise to the love of her life. She’s well aware that life is short and that we ‘all need to get over ourselves and make the most of what we’ve got.’ But can Evelyn steel herself to go through with a painful ‘last task’?

And then who should arrive but Frank Neale, the sixty-something celebrity chef and restaurateur, who checks in at the hotel with rumours swirling round his head. Frank is accompanied by his

long-suffering wife Leonora (Nelly) who might just have more of a reason to escape to Greece than her handsome and dapper husband... Everyone’s dream holiday just got complicated!

Diamond, the go-to author for dramas that inspire, uplift and entertain, hits the spot perfectly in this charming and compelling slice of sunshine escapism which explores complex family bonds, a truly heartwarming cross-generational friendship, and the surprising way that events and people from the past can resurface.

With gorgeous novels like The Beach Café, Anything Could Happen and I Remember Paris to her name, Diamond excels at painting life and love in all its endearing and complex reality, so prepare to laugh, smile and cry as the triumphs and disasters of a group of very different women play out against stunning island vistas and a dream destination hotel.

Employing her natural humanity, deft touch, and insight into the female psyche, Diamond shows us that whatever their wealth, work or celebrity status, the women – and that includes both guests and hotel staff – possess fears, flaws and insecurities that are universal, and often shared by readers from all walks of life. Brimming with emotion, drama and home truths, The Island Getaway sees Diamond at her storytelling best… warm, wise, witty and eternally optimistic.
(Quercus, hardback, £16.99)