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Extracts

Extract: Three Summers by Karen Swan

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.

Marissa Stapley, NYT-bestselling author of Lucky

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!

Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

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

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.

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?

The Yellow House

The evocative and escapist new novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author 
 
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. Hidden within it lies the truth about the tragedy that shattered her life a year before – a truth she has spent months trying to hide from. 
 
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…

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. Hidden within it lies the truth about the tragedy that shattered her life a year before – a truth she has spent months trying to hide from. 
 
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

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?

Karen Swan

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

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

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