From Publishers Weekly
Wickham (
The Gatecrasher; also, the Shopaholic series as Sophie Kinsella) spins a delightful story of British families forced to spend their vacation together after a mutual friend promises them the same week in his Spanish villa. Chloe Harding hopes that a holiday will soothe the strain between her and longtime partner Philip Murray, who is worried that a recent takeover of his company may cost him his job. Their hopes are dashed when they arrive and find another family already settled at the villa. To Chloe's disappointment, she'll be sharing the space with Hugh Stratton, the beau who broke her heart 15 years ago. Now married to high-maintenance Amanda and with two children, Hugh apologizes, and though Chloe initially expresses nothing but hurt and disdain (all the while keeping their past a secret from Philip), she eventually considers beginning life anew with Hugh. Wickham does a bangup job of creating believable characters—even Amanda is less vapid than she at first seems. Surprises abound as the plot unfolds, and the families begin to wonder whether their mutual friend made an innocent mistake in getting them together.
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Wickham, who writes the popular Shopaholic series as Sophie Kinsella, explores what happens when two couples struggling with their relationships end up at the same Spanish vacation villa, owned by their mutual friend Gerard, an arrogant wine critic. Free-spirited Chloe and her longtime partner, the tightly wound Philip, are looking to escape their worries over the fate of his job. Workaholic Hugh can’t seem to connect to his uptight wife, Amanda, or their two daughters. Neither family is pleased to find Gerard has double-booked the villa, but unbeknownst to Philip and Amanda, Chloe and Hugh knew each other years ago, when they had a passionate love affair that ended abruptly when Hugh learned Chloe had a young son. Now together again 15 years later, they find their passion for each other is reignited. With its slightly older characters and more adult problems, Wickham’s novel has a different tone than do her Shopaholic tales, but it’s an equally engaging yarn, sure to please her many fans and gain her new ones. --Kristine Huntley
