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The House by the Sea
The irresistible novel set between 1960s Tuscany and present-day Devon...
Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa just outside her small village, and dreams of living there someday. When Dante, the son of the villa's owner, invites her inside, she knows that her destiny is there, with him. But as they grow up they cross an unseen line, jeopardizing the very thing they hold most dear…
Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country house hotel on England's Devon coast has fallen on hard times. Its owner, Marina, hires an artist-in-residence to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. The man she finds is charismatic and wise and begins to pacify the discord in her family and transform the fortunes of the hotel. However, it soon becomes clear that he is not who he seems…
From the Italian countryside to the English coast, The House by the Sea is a moving and mysterious tale of love, forgiveness and the past revealed.
'The House by the Sea has it secrets, mystery, passionate love affairs fuelled by drama and determined by fate, and the grace notes of fairytales - evil stepmothers, cranky stepdaughters, and redemption in the wake of understanding in the hands of the great painter Rafa Santoro. Santa Montefiore is a wonder. Unforgettable!' --Adriana Trigiani
'Like her countrywomen Barbara Taylor Bradford and Penny Vincenzi, Montefiore excels at juxtaposing the opulent with the ordinary in delicately woven tales that seamlessly traverse borders and span decades' --Booklist
'Santa Montefiore does sweeping canvases of luxury life to a T' --Daily Mail
'Santa Montefiore is a marvel' --Sunday Express
`A sweeping saga taking us from the grandeur of 70's Italian aristocracy to a struggling hotel in contemporary Devon.’ Glamour Magazine
Ten-year-old Floriana is captivated by the beauty of the magnificent Tuscan villa just outside her small village, and dreams of living there someday. When Dante, the son of the villa's owner, invites her inside, she knows that her destiny is there, with him. But as they grow up they cross an unseen line, jeopardizing the very thing they hold most dear…
Decades later and hundreds of miles away, a beautiful old country house hotel on England's Devon coast has fallen on hard times. Its owner, Marina, hires an artist-in-residence to stay the summer and teach the guests how to paint. The man she finds is charismatic and wise and begins to pacify the discord in her family and transform the fortunes of the hotel. However, it soon becomes clear that he is not who he seems…
From the Italian countryside to the English coast, The House by the Sea is a moving and mysterious tale of love, forgiveness and the past revealed.
'The House by the Sea has it secrets, mystery, passionate love affairs fuelled by drama and determined by fate, and the grace notes of fairytales - evil stepmothers, cranky stepdaughters, and redemption in the wake of understanding in the hands of the great painter Rafa Santoro. Santa Montefiore is a wonder. Unforgettable!' --Adriana Trigiani
'Like her countrywomen Barbara Taylor Bradford and Penny Vincenzi, Montefiore excels at juxtaposing the opulent with the ordinary in delicately woven tales that seamlessly traverse borders and span decades' --Booklist
'Santa Montefiore does sweeping canvases of luxury life to a T' --Daily Mail
'Santa Montefiore is a marvel' --Sunday Express
`A sweeping saga taking us from the grandeur of 70's Italian aristocracy to a struggling hotel in contemporary Devon.’ Glamour Magazine
Audible Audio
Published December 8, 2011
About the author
Santa Montefiore
92 books2,833 followersSanta Montefiore is the number one bestselling author of over thirty novels and has sold over eight million copies worldwide. Her books have been translated into twenty-five languages and she won an RNA Award for The Temptation of Gracie in 2019, which is currently in development for film. Born in England in 1970, she grew up in Hampshire and now lives in London with her husband, writer Simon Sebag-Montefiore, their daughter, son, and dog Simba.
Shadows in the Moonlight is the first novel of a trilogy following the character Pixie Tate, with Secrets of the Starlit Sea following in summer 2025. Santa loves to hear from readers and you can find her at www.santamontefiore.co.uk.
Shadows in the Moonlight is the first novel of a trilogy following the character Pixie Tate, with Secrets of the Starlit Sea following in summer 2025. Santa loves to hear from readers and you can find her at www.santamontefiore.co.uk.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 12, 2025
Sweet story. I'd say the first 3/4 of the book is drama and a bit of mystery, and the last 1/4 is romance. This is a great book for a book club group or a novel study, because there are thoughtful reflection questions at the end.
June 15, 2026
I enjoyed this store and the characters a lot
July 16, 2026
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I hope to read more. Loved the characters.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews