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Island in the Sea: A Majorca Love Story
Juliet Lyman is a senior executive at Yesterday Records. Music is her passion and she's very good at her job. That's why her famously philanthropic boss Gideon sends her to Majorca, Spain to work with a very tortured, but talented client. Lionel Harding is one of the best song writers of the 20th century, the multi-Grammy award-winning lyricist of the third most recorded song in history. But now he's 42 and six months overdue on the his latest paid assignment. Juliet is not leaving Majorca without either new lyrics or a very large check.
To Juliet, business comes first. Emotions are secondary, and love isn't even on the menu. But to Lionel, love is everything, and he blames Gideon for his broken heart. He's determined to show Juliet that nothing is more important than love, but Juliet is just as determined to get Lionel to create the music that made him famous. If she can sign up local talent, even better. Her new friend Gabriella has a voice like an angel, but she's not interested in fame. Her grandmother, Lydia, wants the world for Gabriella, and she wants Juliet's help to give it to her.
As her professional and personal lives start to mix for the first time, Juliet is forced to reevaluate her priorities. Gideon hasn't been totally honest, and love may be the only thing that gives them all what they need.
Island in the Sea is Anita Hughes' captivating sixth novel, filled with exotic descriptions of food, fashion, and romance.
306 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 12, 2016
26 people are currently reading
876 people want to read
About the author
Anita Hughes
26 books1,028 followersAnita Hughes was born in Sydney, Australia. She attended UC Berkeley's Masters in Creative Writing program. She is the author of MONARCH BEACH, MARKET STREET, LAKE COMO, FRENCH COAST, ROME IN LOVE, ISLAND IN THE SEA, SANTORINI SUNSETS, CHRISTMAS IN PARIS, WHITE SAND, BLUE SEA, EMERALD COAST, CHRISTMAS IN LONDON and CALIFORNIA SUMMER, and CHRISTMAS IN VERMONT published by St. Martin's Press. ROME IN LOVE is coming to the HALLMARK channel in July, 2019!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
February 7, 2016
DNF @ 20%
Sometimes you know when you and a book aren't going to gel. And for me, this actually began in the first 10%. I'm not a particularly materialistic person and I'm not a fan of name dropping of the rich and famous and Island in the Sea opened with this is spades. I'm all for detail but when items of attire are constantly described as *insert brand here* silk shirts or *insert brand here* shoes, then it becomes more like advertisement than a description.
The characters didn't really engage me enough to want to continue and whilst I know I didn't give it much of a chance, it was enough to know that this wasn't for me.
Copy received courtesy of St. Martin's Press for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Sometimes you know when you and a book aren't going to gel. And for me, this actually began in the first 10%. I'm not a particularly materialistic person and I'm not a fan of name dropping of the rich and famous and Island in the Sea opened with this is spades. I'm all for detail but when items of attire are constantly described as *insert brand here* silk shirts or *insert brand here* shoes, then it becomes more like advertisement than a description.
The characters didn't really engage me enough to want to continue and whilst I know I didn't give it much of a chance, it was enough to know that this wasn't for me.
Copy received courtesy of St. Martin's Press for an honest and unbiased opinion.
April 6, 2016
Summer will be here soon, so that means it’s time to pack our suitcases and vanity kits, because it’s vacay time! And it’s also time for a new Anita Hughes novel. This time in her what can only be called a beautiful book, ISLAND IN THE SEA (St. Martins/Griffin) she’s taking us to the very majestic island part of Spain known as Majorca. Once again, you can expect all the gorgeous tanned people, wearing all the latest designer fashions from Paris and New York and breath-taking scenery along with tantalizing, delicious mouth-watering, surprises to tempt any palate. Yum, yum! But at it’s heart, ISLAND IN THE SEA, like any Anita Hughes novel is a love story.
“Being in love makes your stomach turn but not being in love.”
Twenty-eight year old, Juliet Lyman is a senior executive at Yesterday Records. She’s sent from headquarters in Los Angeles to Majorca with one purpose, to get the company’s once songwriting ATM to write a dozen songs that are past due or to payback the $166,000.00 advance he was handed over by Yesterday Records.
Lionel has no intention of writing any songs or giving anyone any money back. It dates back to something that happened years ago between Lionel and Gideon, head-honcho of Yesterday Records. Lionel talks Juliet into giving Gideon the run-around back in LA, while he explains what happens.
ISLAND IN THE SEA is like a delicious meal. You start with a beautiful location, add a beautiful character named Juliet, two gentlemen, Lionel and Gideon then a really cute blond professional tennis player named Henry, Gabriella who sings like an angel and finally the all-knowing, Lydia and you have all the ingredients for a page-turner – a love story. Ah, it all works out, but Anita always writes a lovely story.
You better get your passport up to date, because Anita has two other books coming out this year in addition to ISLAND IN THE SEA this year. In August we’re going to Greece and in October, Paris! Talk about a busy, busy lady!
“Being in love makes your stomach turn but not being in love.”
Twenty-eight year old, Juliet Lyman is a senior executive at Yesterday Records. She’s sent from headquarters in Los Angeles to Majorca with one purpose, to get the company’s once songwriting ATM to write a dozen songs that are past due or to payback the $166,000.00 advance he was handed over by Yesterday Records.
Lionel has no intention of writing any songs or giving anyone any money back. It dates back to something that happened years ago between Lionel and Gideon, head-honcho of Yesterday Records. Lionel talks Juliet into giving Gideon the run-around back in LA, while he explains what happens.
ISLAND IN THE SEA is like a delicious meal. You start with a beautiful location, add a beautiful character named Juliet, two gentlemen, Lionel and Gideon then a really cute blond professional tennis player named Henry, Gabriella who sings like an angel and finally the all-knowing, Lydia and you have all the ingredients for a page-turner – a love story. Ah, it all works out, but Anita always writes a lovely story.
You better get your passport up to date, because Anita has two other books coming out this year in addition to ISLAND IN THE SEA this year. In August we’re going to Greece and in October, Paris! Talk about a busy, busy lady!
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August 7, 2016Anita Hughes is the queen of the beach read with her references to gorgeous people, mouthwatering gourmet food, designer clothes, and exotic locales. I tour through ISLAND IN THE SEA in one sitting, and then longed to hop on a plane to Majorca. Can't wait for the next one!
January 2, 2016
Fans of Anita Hughes will love this novel. It has everything her readers love about her work - exotic setting, hot sex, fashion, and food. Very fast read.
* Review based on advanced reader copy
* Review based on advanced reader copy
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May 25, 2016Romance novel set in MALLORCA
This review first appeared on our blog: http://www.tripfiction.com/romance-no...
Anita Hughes chooses location time and again as a colourful backdrop for many of her books… Rome… The South of France… Lake Como… California… and now Mallorca. In each of her books the locale is a character in its own right, and it is clear she has done her research on the ground.
In Island in the Sea, Juliet, a senior executive at Yesterday Records is tasked by her boss Gideon, a hotshot in the music industry, to fly over from California to Mallorca, in order to put pressure on songwriter Lionel to get some more lyrics under his belt. Lionel has been sitting on a hefty advance for far too long, and after the amazing success of ‘Going to Catalina’ (up there in the rankings with The Girl from Ipanema), Gideon needs a good return on his investment.
Staying at the Hotel Salvia (which actually exists in Sóller and has top ratings on TripAdvisor), Juliet sets about her task with determination, because her job is potentially on the line if she fails. Gideon and Lionel have had a fractured relationship, thus in order to understand Gideon’s creative block, she coaxes him into sharing his backstory – to wit the broken love affair with Samantha and his understanding of Gideon’s part in that break up. The chapters of Gideon’s life are spread throughout the book, and in the intervening down time, Juliet can be found exploring the island and meeting new people. There is Gabriella who is saving up to establish a top restaurant with her soon-to-be fiancé, but has the voice of an angel (if Juliet fails in her mission to encourage Lionel to produce a new hit or two, then her salvation may lie with Gabriella…). And Henry who makes welcome advances to her, but his interest only serves to highlight that she is a woman wedded to the music industry; CAN she allow herself to fall in love? And lovely Lydia, Gabriella’s grandmother, a fashion icon and great cook.
In Tripfiction terms, Mallorca is tangibly rendered through Anita’s eyes, the food, the vistas and the different parts of the island are mapped out like a guide book, from Sóller to Lluc, Banyalbufar and Sa Colabra, and Palma… indeed a snippet about La Seu Cathedral: “It has the most fascinating history. The first stone was laid in 1230 by Jaume 1 to thank God for sparing his ship in a storm and delivering him back to Majorca. But it took almost four hundred years to build and wasn’t completed until 1601“.
The author has previously used the format of developing a story through interview. In French Coast for example she used it in a delightful and fresh way. The Cote d’Azur sparkled, the fashion descriptions heightened the experience of being on the swanky and wealthy Riviera. Island in the Sea, however, feels just a little tired and formulaic. The thread of the story – Lionel’s past life in London – meanders along, pepped up largely by food and fashion. The author takes great delight in describing what her characters wear – Zegna, John Lobb, Canali, Dolce & Gabbana, etc, but repetition got the better of me this time – as did the multiple mentions of fluffy white towels for the post-piscine rub down, and an array of ubiquitous silver sandals (which in the last third of the book morphed into beige slingbacks). There are also a huge number of references to great authors, which served to underline the main characters’ love of a good read – Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe…and more (quite how many authors can be referenced in one single novel?), but peppering the plot with illustrious names did little more than pad out the story, whilst informing the reader that the characters are well-read, intelligent people.
The editing has also slipped in this book – Sting may have a box at Wimbledon, but in fact Wimbledon doesn’t have boxes (unless you happen to be in a player’s entourage; or you are invited into the Royal Box… I live in hope); the Brits don’t have a Channel 2 (it’s BBC2). Early on, the narrative couldn’t make up its mind whether to refer to the Balearic island as Mallorca or Majorca, eventually settling on the latter. The Brits invented the J in Mallorca, way back, (as Anna Nicholas describes in her piece for the Telegraph “You say Majorca, I say Mallorca”) because they couldn’t get their tongues around the double l, pronounced y. As Anna goes on to say: “… the real problem with Majorca, is that for today’s refined British traveller, it sounds common”. Thus, I do wonder about the wisdom of the promoting the book as “A Majorca Love Story“. But I am writing this as a Brit and it may well be a very different perception for an American reader.
The cover? Wonderful colours and lush setting, but I just got the sense the woman on the cover, in her diaphanous white dress, is actually adjusting her knickers.
I do however, look forward to reading Anita’s next novel set on the Greek island of Santorini, a fabulous choice for setting.
This review first appeared on our blog: http://www.tripfiction.com/romance-no...
Anita Hughes chooses location time and again as a colourful backdrop for many of her books… Rome… The South of France… Lake Como… California… and now Mallorca. In each of her books the locale is a character in its own right, and it is clear she has done her research on the ground.
In Island in the Sea, Juliet, a senior executive at Yesterday Records is tasked by her boss Gideon, a hotshot in the music industry, to fly over from California to Mallorca, in order to put pressure on songwriter Lionel to get some more lyrics under his belt. Lionel has been sitting on a hefty advance for far too long, and after the amazing success of ‘Going to Catalina’ (up there in the rankings with The Girl from Ipanema), Gideon needs a good return on his investment.
Staying at the Hotel Salvia (which actually exists in Sóller and has top ratings on TripAdvisor), Juliet sets about her task with determination, because her job is potentially on the line if she fails. Gideon and Lionel have had a fractured relationship, thus in order to understand Gideon’s creative block, she coaxes him into sharing his backstory – to wit the broken love affair with Samantha and his understanding of Gideon’s part in that break up. The chapters of Gideon’s life are spread throughout the book, and in the intervening down time, Juliet can be found exploring the island and meeting new people. There is Gabriella who is saving up to establish a top restaurant with her soon-to-be fiancé, but has the voice of an angel (if Juliet fails in her mission to encourage Lionel to produce a new hit or two, then her salvation may lie with Gabriella…). And Henry who makes welcome advances to her, but his interest only serves to highlight that she is a woman wedded to the music industry; CAN she allow herself to fall in love? And lovely Lydia, Gabriella’s grandmother, a fashion icon and great cook.
In Tripfiction terms, Mallorca is tangibly rendered through Anita’s eyes, the food, the vistas and the different parts of the island are mapped out like a guide book, from Sóller to Lluc, Banyalbufar and Sa Colabra, and Palma… indeed a snippet about La Seu Cathedral: “It has the most fascinating history. The first stone was laid in 1230 by Jaume 1 to thank God for sparing his ship in a storm and delivering him back to Majorca. But it took almost four hundred years to build and wasn’t completed until 1601“.
The author has previously used the format of developing a story through interview. In French Coast for example she used it in a delightful and fresh way. The Cote d’Azur sparkled, the fashion descriptions heightened the experience of being on the swanky and wealthy Riviera. Island in the Sea, however, feels just a little tired and formulaic. The thread of the story – Lionel’s past life in London – meanders along, pepped up largely by food and fashion. The author takes great delight in describing what her characters wear – Zegna, John Lobb, Canali, Dolce & Gabbana, etc, but repetition got the better of me this time – as did the multiple mentions of fluffy white towels for the post-piscine rub down, and an array of ubiquitous silver sandals (which in the last third of the book morphed into beige slingbacks). There are also a huge number of references to great authors, which served to underline the main characters’ love of a good read – Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe…and more (quite how many authors can be referenced in one single novel?), but peppering the plot with illustrious names did little more than pad out the story, whilst informing the reader that the characters are well-read, intelligent people.
The editing has also slipped in this book – Sting may have a box at Wimbledon, but in fact Wimbledon doesn’t have boxes (unless you happen to be in a player’s entourage; or you are invited into the Royal Box… I live in hope); the Brits don’t have a Channel 2 (it’s BBC2). Early on, the narrative couldn’t make up its mind whether to refer to the Balearic island as Mallorca or Majorca, eventually settling on the latter. The Brits invented the J in Mallorca, way back, (as Anna Nicholas describes in her piece for the Telegraph “You say Majorca, I say Mallorca”) because they couldn’t get their tongues around the double l, pronounced y. As Anna goes on to say: “… the real problem with Majorca, is that for today’s refined British traveller, it sounds common”. Thus, I do wonder about the wisdom of the promoting the book as “A Majorca Love Story“. But I am writing this as a Brit and it may well be a very different perception for an American reader.
The cover? Wonderful colours and lush setting, but I just got the sense the woman on the cover, in her diaphanous white dress, is actually adjusting her knickers.
I do however, look forward to reading Anita’s next novel set on the Greek island of Santorini, a fabulous choice for setting.
April 10, 2016
Favorite Quotes:
“You’ve had eighteen months to complete twenty-four songs and you sent Gideon a haiku and a limerick.”
“That’s what’s wonderful about children; they can be mischievous and innocent at the same time. Yesterday I discovered Abigail wearing her mother’s Prada suit; she said she was tired of being eight and wanted to get an important job.”
“Being in love is like drinking absinthe, your mind clears and you think you can achieve anything. I remember my first proper date with Samantha, I felt like Clark Kent becoming Superman.”
“Do you know why people can tell you the name of the song they listened to when they fell in love? Because music is more seductive than girlie magazines and X-rated movies. Girls hear a song on a jukebox and think they’re in love with the boy with the bad haircut sitting opposite them. They get married and play ‘their song’ at the reception. It’s not until their first anniversary when the guy can’t get up to turn off the telly and the garbage never gets taken out she realized she was never in love, she just got swept away by George Michael crooning ‘Careless Whisper.’”
“How I miss the first bud of a romance, when you’re sure you are going to spend the rest of your life rappelling on the Amalfi coast or motoring through Provence. Then you realize hanging off a cliff is bad for your knees and the butter they use in French restaurants will give you heart disease.”
My Review:
Island in the Sea is my initial read from this talented author, but I have since added her entire Goodreads listing to my TBR. I greedily want to consume ever word ever penned by this clever woman. It is an understatement to say that I am in total awe of her word craft. The story weaves back and forth over an eighteen-year period as a despondent and washed-up songwriter relates his history to the record company employee who was dispatched to prod him along. His story is rife with melancholia, yet swings back and forth through the emotional scale as he imparts his memories.
The writing is lushly detailed with beautifully chosen words that depict richly appointed scenes. I was right there. I could feel the Mediterranean sun on my face, hear the cathedral bells, smell the flowers, and taste the food. Her depictions of the characters, their dialogue, the scenery, and their elegant wardrobes; played like colorful and crisp movie scenes in my head. I felt as if I had experienced an expensive luxury vacation and had shopped in the boutiques, eaten at the iron tables under striped awnings in the little outdoor cafes, and walked the narrow cobblestone streets of the village. Ms. Hughes expertly pens an absorbing tale with fascinating characters, clever banter, and a sly and smart sense of humor. I could happily read her words all day, every day. Sigh.
“You’ve had eighteen months to complete twenty-four songs and you sent Gideon a haiku and a limerick.”
“That’s what’s wonderful about children; they can be mischievous and innocent at the same time. Yesterday I discovered Abigail wearing her mother’s Prada suit; she said she was tired of being eight and wanted to get an important job.”
“Being in love is like drinking absinthe, your mind clears and you think you can achieve anything. I remember my first proper date with Samantha, I felt like Clark Kent becoming Superman.”
“Do you know why people can tell you the name of the song they listened to when they fell in love? Because music is more seductive than girlie magazines and X-rated movies. Girls hear a song on a jukebox and think they’re in love with the boy with the bad haircut sitting opposite them. They get married and play ‘their song’ at the reception. It’s not until their first anniversary when the guy can’t get up to turn off the telly and the garbage never gets taken out she realized she was never in love, she just got swept away by George Michael crooning ‘Careless Whisper.’”
“How I miss the first bud of a romance, when you’re sure you are going to spend the rest of your life rappelling on the Amalfi coast or motoring through Provence. Then you realize hanging off a cliff is bad for your knees and the butter they use in French restaurants will give you heart disease.”
My Review:
Island in the Sea is my initial read from this talented author, but I have since added her entire Goodreads listing to my TBR. I greedily want to consume ever word ever penned by this clever woman. It is an understatement to say that I am in total awe of her word craft. The story weaves back and forth over an eighteen-year period as a despondent and washed-up songwriter relates his history to the record company employee who was dispatched to prod him along. His story is rife with melancholia, yet swings back and forth through the emotional scale as he imparts his memories.
The writing is lushly detailed with beautifully chosen words that depict richly appointed scenes. I was right there. I could feel the Mediterranean sun on my face, hear the cathedral bells, smell the flowers, and taste the food. Her depictions of the characters, their dialogue, the scenery, and their elegant wardrobes; played like colorful and crisp movie scenes in my head. I felt as if I had experienced an expensive luxury vacation and had shopped in the boutiques, eaten at the iron tables under striped awnings in the little outdoor cafes, and walked the narrow cobblestone streets of the village. Ms. Hughes expertly pens an absorbing tale with fascinating characters, clever banter, and a sly and smart sense of humor. I could happily read her words all day, every day. Sigh.
March 25, 2016
I had been really looking forward to returning to Majorca a country where I lived for 2 summers, in the pages of this book, but unfortunately Island in the Sea didn't really live up to my expectations. Please don't get me wrong I liked the book, thought it was a good story, but just lacked the spark in all directions to make me really want to rave about it.
I love the island of Majorca but with the exception of the specific town names and the mention of the Tramuntana Mountains, I didn't get a proper feel that the book was set there, and could have arguably been on any Spanish island. Well until one place Juliet visited right near the end which did resonate with me, but by then my overall impression had already been formed.
There was definitely a sense of Spain in the story, and loved all the descriptions of meals that the characters ate, in the small tavernas and restaurants. Part of the book was also set in Los Angeles but again I didn't really get a proper sense of the place, which is disappointing.
When a country is named in the subtitle of a book, I would have hoped to have felt transported there, and Anita Hughes just didn't achieve that for me with this story.
There are three main love stories being told in Island in the Sea. There is the one Juliet is having with someone she meets on the island. There is songwriter Lionel's first love being recounted in segments to Juliet, and also Gabriella's with her love of her life.
All the love stories were lovely, but at no point during the book did I feel a proper connection to any character. I liked reading about them all, and could imagine all the scenes in my mind, but found I didn't really care about them as well rounded people, or if any of them would get a happy ending or not.
Island in the Sea was easy enough to read, a pleasant way to spend some time, and as a story I did like it, but felt that it could have been so much more improved that it was. I have a couple of other books to read by Anita Hughes, and I'm still wanting to read them, to get a more rounded view of what to expect from the author.
Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.
I love the island of Majorca but with the exception of the specific town names and the mention of the Tramuntana Mountains, I didn't get a proper feel that the book was set there, and could have arguably been on any Spanish island. Well until one place Juliet visited right near the end which did resonate with me, but by then my overall impression had already been formed.
There was definitely a sense of Spain in the story, and loved all the descriptions of meals that the characters ate, in the small tavernas and restaurants. Part of the book was also set in Los Angeles but again I didn't really get a proper sense of the place, which is disappointing.
When a country is named in the subtitle of a book, I would have hoped to have felt transported there, and Anita Hughes just didn't achieve that for me with this story.
There are three main love stories being told in Island in the Sea. There is the one Juliet is having with someone she meets on the island. There is songwriter Lionel's first love being recounted in segments to Juliet, and also Gabriella's with her love of her life.
All the love stories were lovely, but at no point during the book did I feel a proper connection to any character. I liked reading about them all, and could imagine all the scenes in my mind, but found I didn't really care about them as well rounded people, or if any of them would get a happy ending or not.
Island in the Sea was easy enough to read, a pleasant way to spend some time, and as a story I did like it, but felt that it could have been so much more improved that it was. I have a couple of other books to read by Anita Hughes, and I'm still wanting to read them, to get a more rounded view of what to expect from the author.
Thank you to St Martin's Griffin and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.
June 26, 2016
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. It has an interesting premise: a young music executive is sent to Majorca to convince a famous songwriter to complete his contract for new songs. Exotic location - check. A beautiful woman and an attractive man in a fabulous mansion - check. Romance - not so much.
Although the book is described as a romance, the relationship between Lionel and Juliet is prickly. He has major beef with her boss, who did him wrong and caused much heartache. He doesn't want to write any more love songs to enrich the man who stole his one chance at happiness. Juliet is career driven and won't give up on her task. She has a brief flirtation with a tennis star but doesn't feel strongly enough to commit to him.
What this book is mainly about is labels. Lionel is incessantly described in detail by what ridiculously expensive clothing he's wearing. I learned more about designers of men's blazers and shoes than anyone needs to know. The women are described by their dresses (colored or floral) and their sandals.
Every character has either brilliant blue or stunning green eyes. The women have long legs, full breasts and tiny pink mouths. I lost track of how many times "Juliet stood on the balcony." And the details of every meal consumed, which are many, were better suited to a recipe book than a romance novel.
In short, the promised romance was drowned in unnecessary details about everything and everyone. I couldn't relate to any of the characters. The repetition of certain phrases and descriptions became mind-numbing after a few chapters.
The one saving grace for this story was the location. The beauty of Majorca and the friendliness of the people there made me want to visit. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save this book.
Although the book is described as a romance, the relationship between Lionel and Juliet is prickly. He has major beef with her boss, who did him wrong and caused much heartache. He doesn't want to write any more love songs to enrich the man who stole his one chance at happiness. Juliet is career driven and won't give up on her task. She has a brief flirtation with a tennis star but doesn't feel strongly enough to commit to him.
What this book is mainly about is labels. Lionel is incessantly described in detail by what ridiculously expensive clothing he's wearing. I learned more about designers of men's blazers and shoes than anyone needs to know. The women are described by their dresses (colored or floral) and their sandals.
Every character has either brilliant blue or stunning green eyes. The women have long legs, full breasts and tiny pink mouths. I lost track of how many times "Juliet stood on the balcony." And the details of every meal consumed, which are many, were better suited to a recipe book than a romance novel.
In short, the promised romance was drowned in unnecessary details about everything and everyone. I couldn't relate to any of the characters. The repetition of certain phrases and descriptions became mind-numbing after a few chapters.
The one saving grace for this story was the location. The beauty of Majorca and the friendliness of the people there made me want to visit. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to save this book.
August 24, 2021
If you like the writing of books like Twilight and 50 Shades, this is for you. Not the content- just the writing. It’s incredibly repetitive and mundane to the point of frustration. You’ll hear about Lionel “stretching his long legs in front of him” and Juliet’s “pink mouth” to the point where you’re surprised when it’s not actually mentioned. There is also very little depth given to any of the characters making it hard to form attachment or opinion on their situation. Listen, I was looking for a fluffy beach/summer read and so my bar was pretty low but while this definitely fit that bill but left me pretty bored in the end.
April 28, 2016
A very good story that i enjoyed reading. Juliet Lyman is the main character of this romance story when her boss Gideon sends her to Majorca in Spain to get Lionel Harding new music or a big check. Juliet is something else in this book she loves music and she is very good at her job which is why she sent there by her boss. Avery well written story. A must read
September 2, 2021
2.5 Stars!
For the past few years in the December timeframe I’ve picked up an Anita Hughes Christmas book to get me in the holiday spirit. The books are generally lighthearted, fast reads that take place in dreamy winter destinations. Not only have I enjoyed the stories, but I’ve enjoyed Anita’s unique ability to create such a rich atmosphere that I feel like I’m actually in whatever far off place the story is set in.
Per the usual, Anita did not disappoint with location, as the book is set in Majorca, Spain. Juliet Lyman, a 28-year-old senior executive at Yesterday Records is sent to the island to get either a dozen new songs from Grammy-Award-winning lyricist Lionel Harding or a very large check to payback the advance he was given.
Island in the Sea was my first non-Christmas book by this author and all the Anita Hughes trademarks I usually love were either lacking or missing entirely. I felt little to no investment in the characters, and to be honest I really didn’t care for most of them. Certain parts of the prose felt very repetitive to me, especially in the way things like food, people, and locations were described, and many of the types of details I normally enjoy in Hughes’ books felt like they took away from the story, rather than added to it. Additionally, the romance that developed near the end of the book felt rushed, forced, and pretty out of the blue – not a good look in a book branded as a Majorca love story.
I’m weird and compulsive so I rarely, if ever, DNF a book, but this one certainly tempted me. I’ll stick with Anita’s holiday books moving forward.
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For the past few years in the December timeframe I’ve picked up an Anita Hughes Christmas book to get me in the holiday spirit. The books are generally lighthearted, fast reads that take place in dreamy winter destinations. Not only have I enjoyed the stories, but I’ve enjoyed Anita’s unique ability to create such a rich atmosphere that I feel like I’m actually in whatever far off place the story is set in.
Per the usual, Anita did not disappoint with location, as the book is set in Majorca, Spain. Juliet Lyman, a 28-year-old senior executive at Yesterday Records is sent to the island to get either a dozen new songs from Grammy-Award-winning lyricist Lionel Harding or a very large check to payback the advance he was given.
Island in the Sea was my first non-Christmas book by this author and all the Anita Hughes trademarks I usually love were either lacking or missing entirely. I felt little to no investment in the characters, and to be honest I really didn’t care for most of them. Certain parts of the prose felt very repetitive to me, especially in the way things like food, people, and locations were described, and many of the types of details I normally enjoy in Hughes’ books felt like they took away from the story, rather than added to it. Additionally, the romance that developed near the end of the book felt rushed, forced, and pretty out of the blue – not a good look in a book branded as a Majorca love story.
I’m weird and compulsive so I rarely, if ever, DNF a book, but this one certainly tempted me. I’ll stick with Anita’s holiday books moving forward.
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February 7, 2017
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book suffers from the same issue that I have with all of Anita Hughes' books. There are way too many mentions of fashion labels, what color outfit the character is wearing, and all sorts of superficial things that to me take away from the story. It's distracting and has no bearing on the story at all.
Set in the beauty of Majorca, Juliet has been sent by her boss to work with one of his clients, who owes him songs according to their contract. He is six months overdue and Juliet's job depends on getting those songs to her boss.
Juliet is very focused on her job and has little time for things she considers unimportant, including love whereas Lionel is all about love and has made a career out of writing the best known love songs. Will Lionel influence Juliet to change her priorities and live life to the fullest, feeling every emotion? Anita Hughes does excel at setting her books in beautiful settings that are the back drop to her story and has created in this story some very interesting characters. However they aren't fully fleshed out enough for me and as I mentioned earlier the story suffers from the distraction of all the name and label dropping.
This book suffers from the same issue that I have with all of Anita Hughes' books. There are way too many mentions of fashion labels, what color outfit the character is wearing, and all sorts of superficial things that to me take away from the story. It's distracting and has no bearing on the story at all.
Set in the beauty of Majorca, Juliet has been sent by her boss to work with one of his clients, who owes him songs according to their contract. He is six months overdue and Juliet's job depends on getting those songs to her boss.
Juliet is very focused on her job and has little time for things she considers unimportant, including love whereas Lionel is all about love and has made a career out of writing the best known love songs. Will Lionel influence Juliet to change her priorities and live life to the fullest, feeling every emotion? Anita Hughes does excel at setting her books in beautiful settings that are the back drop to her story and has created in this story some very interesting characters. However they aren't fully fleshed out enough for me and as I mentioned earlier the story suffers from the distraction of all the name and label dropping.
February 10, 2021
Lionel is a world famous song writer. He is having a writers slump and is spending the summer in Mallorca so he can finish up his contract for a new album. Not much inspiration is happening though until his boss Gideon sends someone to encourage him to finish up. The beautiful Juliette. This is the story of their meeting and their activities while on Mallorca. This was an okay book. The mention of food all the time kept making me hungry and the name dropping got rather annoying. A simple but enjoyable novel.
December 16, 2024
The author spends so much time on character development and rich descriptions early on until about 2/3's through the book. I liked it initially, but then it seemed as though she got bored with writing this story and then proceeded to wrap it up very quickly. The last third of the book was plagued with recycled descriptions and the ending left me wishing I hadn't wasted any time reading this book. With a little more effort it really could have been a great story.
November 14, 2025
1.5- rounded up. What a flop. Was excited for a book set in our recent vacation setting. I don’t know why I finished it honestly. Characters were totally flat and all sounded the same. Conversations didn’t flow and felt choppy- I kept flipping back a page to make sure I didn’t miss something. So many unnecessary descriptions of things- all I really learned were what the characters wore and ate… nothing about who they were as people… so boring and the romance was lacking.
January 23, 2019
Island in the Sea by Anita Hughes was a okay Read at best. There was a lot of unnecessary details about everything and everyone. The repetition of certain phrases and descriptions became annoying after a few chapters. I think the one thing that did save this story was the location and the authors vivid detail of its beauty.
February 10, 2020
This book is about a record label employee who travels from LA to Majorca to get a star songwriter to turn in an overdue album. While she’s there she finds love, friendship, and more delicious food than you can imagine. ✨ I just really didn’t find the romance believable - I feel like there was no buildup and it didn’t at all make sense. 🤷🏻♀️
January 2, 2021
This book was a easy read! Since it’s winter time here it was really nice to escape into a beach side love story! This book was not fantastic but it was still a good read, it’s not a book I would pick up to read again though.
August 6, 2025
Premise seemed exciting to visit a coastal city, but due to lazy writing or poor editing I saw far too many repetitious phrases that were so superficial and trite. Some music and food references were fun, however, the focus on attire was exhausting by middle of book.
June 16, 2017
Good beach read, unfortunately I wasn't at the beach...ok, kept my interest because of the location in Spain
July 18, 2017
A good summer read. The story of Juliet who works in the music industry and travels to Majorca to pick up songs written by Lionel for her boss. Interesting twists but I didn't love the ending.
September 16, 2018
Not a terrible book! It was very detailed which can be good at times but tedious as well. Definitely did not expect the book ending like it did but it played out well.
March 11, 2019
How could Juliet forgive him if he never said he was sorry?
December 13, 2019
I'm not sure why people didn't give this a better review...I found it a wonderful love story full of beautifully descriptive prose. I can't wait to read more from her!
June 12, 2020
awesome story, not a lot of useless stuff, was quick and easy read
November 14, 2020
Read 50 pages, couldn't get into it.
March 12, 2021
There was more descriptions of food, clothing and scenery than plot.
May 2, 2024
Gorgeous setting and beautiful descriptions but didn’t love the story. Took me a while to finish the book. Didn’t love the characters nor all the focus on the brands the characters wore.
May 1, 2025
This might have been the dumbest book I ever read. Why all the soft porn???
June 11, 2025
good story. Lots of culture and geography. A little slow, but nice plot
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