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Extract: The Winter Guest by Karen Swan

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Extract: Three Summers by Karen Swan

The Winter Guest

The brand-new, escapist novel to curl up with this winter about love, scandal and family secrets, from the Sunday Times bestselling author - perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley and Santa Montefiore! 
 
'Swan is sublime!' Veronica Henry, Sunday Times bestseller of The Invitation 
 
'One of our most talented writers' Santa Montefiore, number one bestselling author of Secrets of the Starlit Sea 
 
In a grand villa on the shores of Lake Geneva, Dulcie’s grandmother nears the end of her glamourous and eventful life. The days pass quietly to the reassuring tick of the Swiss clock – until a visitor comes to their door… 
 
1961 
In the streets of Paris, Lise Erlach is in love. Twenty-two years old, the beautiful young Ambassador’s wife enjoys the very best the city has to offer: glittering receptions, a magnificent residence and an address book filled with the numbers of the Parisian elite. She is wanted at every party…and by one man above all. Their affair dazzles them both but in a distant sea, a crisis is brewing that will change their paths forever. 
 
Present day 
As snow falls upon the Alps, Dulcie sits by her grandmother’s bed, undisturbed until the visitor arrives. He says he must tell her grandmother something urgently - something that will make Dulcie realise the beloved old woman before her is a complete stranger... With deep family secrets unlocked, can she get the answers she needs before time runs out? 
 
Readers LOVE The Winter Guest 
 
'Karen Swan never disappoints ... This was another winner, I loved every minute of it except having to finish it' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
 
'Exactly the kind of historical fiction I love - atmospheric, richly researched, emotionally compelling and filled with mysteries that make you desperate to keep turning the pages' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
 
'I promise you this is your next 5 star read! Karen Swan is exceptional' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
 
'Such a mesmerising page-turner' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
 
'If you love dual-timeline chaos, glamorous women making terrible decisions in exquisite vintage coats, and mystery plot twists that hit harder than a fresh snowfall—put this at the top of your TBR' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
 
'[This] is everything that a Swan fan could want: two beautifully written love stories and a mysterious thread that connects them' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
 
'Captivating from beginning to end' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088;'With exciting backstories and interesting characters, this, for me, is Karen Swan at her best' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088;

Santa Montefiore, number one bestselling author of Shadows in the Moonlight

A wonderful, immersive page-turner threaded with secrets and sacrifice.

Amanda Geard, bestselling author of The Midnight House

A tale brimming with passion, betrayal and the complex desires of the heart

Evie Woods, the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop

Complex, emotional and of course heart-wrenchingly romantic, it is the perfect escape. Swan is sublime!

Veronica Henry, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beach Hut

Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

A novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through

Jill Mansell, bestselling author of An Almost Perfect Summer

Rachel Hore, the million-copy bestselling author of One Moonlit Night

Vividly drawn and beautifully atmospheric

The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I've ever read

Cathy Bramley, bestselling author of Somewhere Only We Know

A story to lose yourself in, glittering with passion, beauty and heartbreak

Marissa Stapley, NYT-bestselling author of Lucky

Romantic, dramatic and impossible to put down

Karen is the Sunday Times and international best-selling author of twenty-nine books which have sold over 5 million copies around the world. A prolific author, she writes two novels a year and her books are known for their evocative locations. Karen sees travel as vital research, and likes to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots. 
 
 
A former fashion editor, she lives in Sussex, England with her family and three dogs.

In a grand villa on the shores of Lake Geneva, Dulcie’s grandmother nears the end of her glamourous and eventful life. The days pass quietly to the reassuring tick of the Swiss clock – until a visitor comes to their door… 
 
1961 
In the streets of Paris, Lise Erlach is in love. Twenty-two years old, the beautiful young Ambassador’s wife enjoys the very best the city has to offer: glittering receptions, a magnificent residence and an address book filled with the numbers of the Parisian elite. She is wanted at every party…and by one man above all. Their affair dazzles them both but in a distant sea, a crisis is brewing that will change their paths forever. 
 
Present day 
As snow falls upon the Alps, Dulcie sits by her grandmother’s bed, undisturbed until the visitor arrives. He says he must tell her grandmother something urgently - something that will make Dulcie realise the beloved old woman before her is a complete stranger... With deep family secrets unlocked, can she get the answers she needs before time runs out?

Three Summers

Every summer tells a story... 
 
If you love Lucinda Riley and Santa Montefiore, don't miss this unputdownable and beautifully escapist new summer romance 
 
1950's Italy 
 
1957: The summer of innocence 
Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Giannelli, but there is one person she longs to see: Cosimo – son of the wealthy Franchetti family. 
 
1958: The summer everything changes 
After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures . . . 
 
1961: The summer they meet again 
When Rafa and Cosi’s worlds collide, Rafa faces an agonizing choice. Is she willing to risk the life she has for the future she once dreamed of? 
 
Praise for Three Summers: 
 
'Perfect... Transported me to Italy' - Fern Britton, Sunday Times bestselling author of New Beginnings 
 
'A wonderful, immersive page-turner threaded with secrets and sacrifice' - Amanda Geard, bestselling author of The Midnight House 
 
'A tale brimming with passion, betrayal and the complex desires of the heart - Three Summers is a novel to indulge all of the senses!' - Evie Woods, the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop 
 
'Complex, emotional and of course heart-wrenchingly romantic, it is the perfect escape. Swan is sublime!' - Veronica Henry, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beach Hut 
 
'The beloved master storyteller Karen Swan takes readers to sun soaked Puglia in Three Summers. Evocative, romantic and atmospheric' - Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como 
 
Readers LOVE Karen Swan 
 
'Three Summers is a story of love, loss and longing... [it] mesmerised me' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'Kept me second guessing right until the end' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'I couldn’t put it down for a single moment [...] a thrilling tale filled with drama and intrigue' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'This for me is Karen Swan's best book' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'If you love a slow-burn romance, gorgeous historical settings, and the kind of "what if" tension that keeps you up until 2 AM, this is your next 5-star read. It’s bittersweet, glamorous, and deeply moving' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'I utterly consumed this book as quickly as it consumed me!' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'A fabulous book, almost impossible to put down' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; 
'Reading this novel was a joy!' &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088; &#11088;

A wonderful, immersive page-turner threaded with secrets and sacrifice

A tale brimming with passion, betrayal and the complex desires of the heart - Three Summers is a novel to indulge all of the senses!

Rich in drama, detail and description, Three Summers is a gloriously evocative tale of love and loyalty that will transport you to sun-drenched Puglia. Complex, emotional and of course heart-wrenchingly romantic, it is the perfect escape. Swan is sublime!

Sweeping, sun-soaked, and dazzlingly romantic, Three Summers captures the ache and hope of first love in a way that only Karen Swan can. It’s a story to lose yourself in, glittering with passion, beauty, and heartbreak — all so evocative, I could almost smell the lemon-scented air of 1950s Italy as I eagerly turned the pages.

The beloved master storyteller Karen Swan takes readers to sun soaked Puglia in Three Summers. Evocative, romantic and atmospheric, Rafaella Parisi is torn between two loves in post-war Italy, and must choose between tradition and her own heart's desire. True love and redemption await her when the truth is revealed. Bellissima!

Beautifully written. So many twists and turns between two entwined families! I was gripped.

Romantic, dramatic and impossible to put down

Lush, romantic, and quietly devastating… this is historical fiction at its best

Full of charm, drama and sun-soaked romance

Sun filled, passionate, romantic and complex

A page-turning tale of agonising choices and forbidden love

1950's Italy 
 
1957: The summer of innocence 
Amongst the lemon trees, Rafaella Parisi impatiently waits for the summer visitors to arrive in her small fishing village on the coast of Puglia. She may be dating Fon Giannelli, but there is one person she longs to see: Cosimo – son of the wealthy Franchetti family. 
 
1958: The summer everything changes 
After a devastating accident at the lavish Franchetti villa, Rafa makes a vow that changes the course of all their futures . . . 
 
1961: The summer they meet again 
When Rafa and Cosi’s worlds collide, Rafa faces an agonizing choice. Is she willing to risk the life she has for the future she once dreamed of?

Karen Swan

Greece 1976: On a tiny island fringed by turquoise seas, Carly waits in a sun-drenched yellow villa, counting down the days until her most precious possession is returned to her. It is all she has left from her old life before tragedy shattered her world a year before - a tragedy that has sent her into hiding. 
 
In Amsterdam, Tess is searching for her missing sister, her only clue a faded postcard. Running out of time and money, she accepts an unexpected offer: deliver a small antique pot to a remote Greek island in exchange for staying in Amsterdam all summer. But as Tess journeys south through Europe, she finds herself drawn to an irresistible stranger – and to a future she never imagined. 
 
As she arrives at the yellow house, Tess realises that the end of her journey is really only the beginning…

Karen Swan

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Karen Swan

Top Genres:

Articles featuring Karen Swan

Extract: The Winter Guest by Karen Swan

Extract: Three Summers by Karen Swan

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Listen to Karen Swan discuss her upcoming book Three Summers, out February 2026.

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