3 perfect couples and their families, all friends. Imagine an onion and peel away layer by layer to discover the truth about the friendship and the relationships with the group. A very well told story that I didn’t want to put down and just wanted to uncover more. A great read!

The story of a lifetime of friendships between three men and the changes and development of that friendship throughout their lives
Alastair's wife has died and when he invites his friends and their families for their usual summer sojourn in his country house he has something to tell them.
The something turns out to be the new person in his life. The story tells, on one level of their getting to know her and the difficulties she has joining their group with its shared history.... and indeed if she actually wants too. There is good description of manipulation and vulnerability and then when tragedy almost strikes again, the need for honesty is apparent.
The last few chapters reveal a lot of the back history and background to what has been underlying for around 30 years.
An enjoyable book, a little predictable in places but a pleasant read

Six friends meet in the Norfolk Broads

Alastair Lucas invites his two best friends and their wives to meet his new partner at Linston End, his holiday home on the Norfolk Broads. He will drop a bombshell that will change all their lives. Linston End had been left to Alastair by his aunt and had been open house to his life-long friends Danny and Simon and their families. Both men fear they'll lose Alastair's friendship over his domineering and manipulative new girlfriend, Valentina. They believe this romance is on the rebound after the tragic death of his troubled wife Orla.

A strong cast of characters, some more likeable than others, and perhaps a few too many as it took a while to remember the various family and romantic links, Once you've got that sorted it's a good read. I've read several of Erica James's books and this was enjoyable as always. Great if you're on holiday, or wish you were!

I loved reading this book - a wide number of characters with lives interwoven over almost 50 years coming to terms with how life changes after the sudden death of one of the group.

I'm glad I didn't read the other reviews until after I had read the book - I must admit that I do wonder if I've read the same book as some of the other reviewers.

I have read a number of other books by Erica James and have always enjoyed how well written they are. This book features families, friendship, romance, tragedy, jealousy, secrets, sailing and food set in the Norfolk Broads.

There are a lot of characters, but all are brought to life convincingly and it is similar to watching a TV show such as Cold Feet, where two generations are being followed at the same time. The book had lots of twists and turns in the story as secrets were uncovered, and I hadn't expected the ending to turn out the way it did. My poor dog had to wait his walk so I could finish the book yesterday.

Well worth reading and definitely worth 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for this digital copy in return for a honest review.

I’ve read all of Erica James’ books over the years and Swallowtail Summer did not disappoint. She takes time for you to get to know all the characters so well and to understand the story from each point of view. Three friends who’d met at school, continued to be friends as they grew up, married and had families. But of course, nothing is as it seems with each relationship and the skeletons eventually appear.
Great holiday reading, would recommend.

Erica James has cornered the market in creating an array of different characters in contemporary settings.
Appealing to a fairly wide readership, owing to different types and ages of the friends and family members, there are a few protaganists that were too self obsessed to have any generate sympathy
A highly unlikely coincidence, of Blake being Jenna's neighbour and work colleague made that aspect, unbelievable. I thought their meeting could be engineered in a more convincing way.
However, it was an entertaining read with a surprise ending.
Fans of Erica James will not be disappointed.

I loved the Norfolk setting, and the descriptions of people and places are excellent. It would make a decent holiday read if you were going to the area. There is a large cast, some of whom I connected with, others are not very likeable. I found some aspects of the storyline quite annoying, and overall was disappointed with the book. It is not Erica James' finest.

A long novel told through each of the main characters and their points of view. The cast seemed too large for all these inner voices, and as a reader I never felt I therefore connected with any of them.

The plot felt very dependent on major outside happenings such as random accidents.

A novel that kept my attention but not one I'd overly recommend.

Erica James always writes about interesting people, people with secrets and stories that have layers of light and dark. This is no exception and despite the sunny cover, there’s some serious threads and issues in this book to think about.

Once it gets going, I enjoyed getting to meet the characters. Alaister who is back in Norfolk after travelling, following the loss of his wife. He returns, and decides to change his life and his house. His childhood friends realise this is going to affect them too. The past is coming back to haunt them and make each of them consider their lives in turn. I did feel a bit for Alaistair as his friends don’t exactly react as you think to his news. Change is hard for many people though and so I imagine this giving book groups a lot to mull over.

Norfolk does sound lovely! The canals, the boats, picnics…I’ve never been to the Norfolk Broads but I wish Linston was real! You can almost hear the water lapping, the birds singing and that butterfly of the title flutter around you as you read.

It’s sad and melacholy in places but that sun and Erica’s wonderful way with words makes it a character study with heart.

A wonderful tale about friendship, love and betrayal. I have read books by Erica James before, really enjoy them and this one didn’t disappoint. Picturesque setting in Norfolk makes you want to be there, likeable characters and a gripping storyline. Engaging, well written and highly recommended.

I usually enjoy Erica James books but I just didn't gel with this one. I found the beginning a struggle as I tried to absorb all the characters.

The main character Alaister inherits Liston End in Norfolk and he has enjoyed sharing his home with his childhood friends Danny and Simon together with their families. The three families have holidayed together in Liston End every year. Alaister goes travelling after his wife dies in a tragic accident and when he returns a year later he invites his friends over as he has news to share. The families try to guess what the news could be. How will the news affect each character?

Erica has the ability to paint pictures with words and it is the descriptions of the house and Norfolk that held my interest more than the storyline. Some of the characters I didn't like at all. I have to admit that I struggled to finish the book

I'm a massive fan of Erica James but I was a little disappointed by this one. It didn't have the usual magic and felt a bit bland. I normally race through her books but kept putting this one down and not picking it up for a while. I did love the Norfolk setting though. As always, Erica paints a lovely picture in her books.

Erica James books are amongst my favourite. However I did struggle with this one. It felt very bland in comparison to some others. I couldn't connect to the characters unfortunately and the plot was a bit predictable.
I did like the characters and the friendship that they had but the plot for me let it down.

I normally enjoy books by Erica James (my favourite is A Sense of Belonging) but this one was disappointing as I found it difficult to care what happened to most of the characters; they were a rather self-obsessed bunch with few redeeming features. The best thing about Swallowtail Summer is the sense of place. Erica James brings the Norfolk Broads to life – you can almost hear the birdsong and the lapping of the water – and you can see why it holds such great appeal for so many visitors. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading.
I enjoy reading an Erica James book, particularly the family saga storylines. This is a book about three men who form a friendship when they are children and stay friends throughout their lives. They and their families visit Alastair and Orla’s home every summer and they go one last time after Orla’s death before Alastair places it up for sale.
Things do not go to plan and all things change.
Highly recommended.

A tale of life, love and friendships, memories and life choices from Erica James. In a glorious setting, we see the impact of change on a group of close friends. An interesting and mostly enjoyable read although I found the characters, on the whole, rather difficult to like and the story threads rather sad and disheartening - not quite as light hearted and joyous as the glorious cover would have you believe! Perhaps, however, these things contribute to the realism of the storyline.

4☆ A Compelling and Poignant Read

Swallowtail Summer is a compelling story about friendships, Family, loss, love and changes.

I found the amount of characters to be a quiet confusing to start with and found I had to go back and forth a fair bit to work out who was who, which I normally find off putting but once I got used to who was who I soon settled into getting to know each one.

Alistair and his best friends Danny and Simon have always spent every holiday together with their families at Alistairs gorgeous holiday home Liston End.
They have treasured many a happy memory together, something which they thought would go on for generations.
But when Alistairs wife Orla passes away in a tragic accident, he feels like he can no longer spend his time at Liston End, so he goes travelling.

But when Alistair returns home it's not just adventures and memories he brings home.
Alistair has met someone (Valentina) and fallen in love.
But is this just a Holiday Romance?
What will happen to the friendships when a new person sets to rock the dynamics of the group.

I have mixed feelings about this book, I found the friendship between the men admirable but I did find there reaction to Alistar's news about the house frustrating, instead of being happy at his chance of happiness they was only thinking of themselves. It just shows how people and dynamics change.

Swallowtail Summer is very much a character driven story, the characters are a complex bunch and all very different.
The pace is a little slower and builds gradually which fits the plot really well.
It's a story that explores the value of friendships, the dynamics between friends,
loyalty, dealing with changes, new partners with a good serving of romance, drama, dash of mystery, secrets and lies.

If you are looking for a summer read, thats compelling and poignant set along the charming Norfolk Broads that features beautiful Swallowtail Butterflies
then you will really enjoy Swallowtail Summer.

Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours and Orion Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Okay, so I may have been a little impatient at first, wanting to be gripped from the get go. Erica James’ novels don’t work like that, and I don’t mean that negatively. ‘Swallowtail Summer’ is the type of read which takes patience for it to flourish, with the beauty of the authors words coming alive as the storyline progresses.

This is such a cosy, comforting and heartwarming read which made me sigh with contentment and apologise to the story for my lack of patience at the beginning. I’m being vague on purpose as I urge readers to discover the storylines beauty themselves, instead of me divulging too much.

Erica James is such a descriptive and magnetic writer, it was a delight being able to follow Alistair’s journey.

A good few years ago I'd read an enjoyed thoroughly a book by Erica James and always meant to read more, so when the opportunity to read her latest release, Swallowtail Summer, came up I was in!

Alaister spent his childhood summers at Linston End, then when he inherits it, it became the happy holiday home for his own and his friends families. Linston End became an important place to them all. But when his wife dies and he quickly meets someone else and decides to sell, his friends are not happy.

I think I expected a lighter read than this actually was. Swallowtail Summer examines complex relationships, secrets, resentments and lies. Erica James doesn't shy away from the darker side of human nature and her characters are flawed and not always likable. I really like this, it's extremely honest and raw.

The book is quite slow to begin with, where a lot of characters are introduced. However the pace picks up and I quickly found myself engrossed. I loved the setting, Linston End being a character itself and loved reading about the idyllic summers past. Erica James' writing is rich, with complex characters and shades of the light and dark emotions all humans experience. I think Swallowtail Summer would be a perfect holiday book and can recommend it!

I must say this novel ended up being nothing like I expected but a pleasant surprise.

Focusing on a group of friends, Swallowtail Summer is told from a multitude of perspectives and documents what happens within a group of friends when everything they take for granted is at risk of being taken away. Alastair, Simon and Danny have been best friends since childhood. They had the type friendship that continues into later life and is handed and shared with their children. But, like all friendships, cracks begin to appear when one of them makes an announcement that threatens to take away the foundations of their friendship.

This is very much a character driven story and Erica James builds up a group of characters and exposes their traits and flaws so brilliantly. Some characters are more likable than others and as each one tells the story from their perspective by slowly peeling the layers back, we come to find that not everyone is as they seem to others in the group. I love that each character is realistically written and despite finding them at times selfish and arrogant, their imperfections make them human and this is what really brings the characters to life.

Each chapter is short and reveals just enough to keep the pages turning but keeps a little back in order to create suspense. In addition to the main theme of friendship, there is also an underlying mystery surrounding the death of one of the group members previously which adds additional tension and an air of malevolence to the story.

If you like a luxurious slow burner, heavily focused on the characters and with a hint of suspense then I highly recommend this one for you.