Glossy reads: The Summer House

When our Glossy writers aren't reviewing mascaras, BB creams and the latest treatment that promises to make you glow a la Gwyneth, some of them fill their time (assuming there's some spare) working on their own projects. One such wordsmith is Santa Montefiore , GTG's Queen of Creams  and successful author of many novels, the twelfth of which has just been released in paperback.

Now that the sunshine has made an appearance and the summer months are finally on the horizon, it's safe to say The Summer House  (£5.99, Simon & Schuster UK) is a timely read, particularly if you're swapping umbrellas for parasols and need some beach entertainment.

A sweeping tale of love, loss and forgiveness, Santa Montefiore’s 12th novel is set in the beautiful house and grounds of Fairfield Park in Hampshire and in the magnificent Swiss Mountains. Lord Frampton has just been killed in a skiing accident, leaving his widow and three sons. At the funeral they see a mysterious young woman they have never met before; in that instant, the day they thought would close a door on the past becomes the day that everything they have ever known is turned upside down.

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Taking inspiration from the great British countryside, Santa says the story is centred around the setting. "I was inspired to write the book because I went to stay at the most beautiful Jacobean house near Alresford in Hampshire and fell in love with it. I’ve always adored follies – those ornamental houses beside lakes or on hills – I put mine on a hill, surveying the estate and as well as being at the centre of the love story, it holds a secret. I wove my tale around the folly and the house."

Santa's latest love story has been praised by many, including Julian Fellowes, creator of period drama Downton Abbey: "Santa Montefiore really knows these people inside and out. I couldn’t put this book down."

Speaking on the genre of the novel, Santa reveals her biggest inspiration of all. "I write love on the grand scale, not just romantic love, but love between friends, parents and their children and love of nature and life... after all, I believe love is the reason we’re all here." Our Glossy writer truly does have a way with words.