Villa Serena

Emily Robertson"'s life seems almost calculated to inspire envy: the lovingly restored dream house in the Tuscan hills, the three beautiful children, the successful, attentive husband - and a job writing about how wonderful it all is in a weekly newspaper column. When her husband dumps her by text message, she suddenly has to face up to some stark home truths. How will Emily cope, stranded in the countryside with no man, no money, dodgy phrasebook Italian and a psychotic cleaner? Her eldest girl, Siena, is out of her depth with the local teenage seducer, middle daughter Paris is dangerously underweight, and her darling of a baby, Charlie, is fast developing into a brat. One thing"'s for sure, all the olive groves and pasta e fagioli in the world won"'t get them out of this mess. Even as she begins to despair, Emily finds herself being drawn into the village of Monte Albano, and discovering the real Italy, a place darker and more magical than she had ever imagined. A handsome, reckless stranger seems to offer her the promise of adventure, but can she resist her obsession with her youthful love - the man who first inspired her passion for Italy? Villa Serena will delight anyone who knows that the dolce vita is harder than it looks...