I am a big fan of the author Louise Douglas and I have read all her other books. So I was very excited to see a new one is due out.

I read through The House By The Sea very quickly indeed. I love the spooky elements and how vivid a picture Douglas paints. This story is very well written and the characters are all very different and interesting. A great storyline which I didn’t see coming. Throughly great read.

A very enjoyable read with some gothic elements that were utterly chilling and captivating.

Edie travels to Italy after her mother-in-law Anna DeLuca dies and leaves Edie and her ex-husband Joe the long-abandoned family villa in Sicily. Edie has no intention to stay any longer than a few days because she still hates Anna and blames her for the loss of her son, Daniel when he was a six-year-old. However, as the ghosts and secrets of Anna’s past become unraveled, Edie’s heart starts to soften and healing begins for both her and Joe. The story is told with great detail, the author’s writing is descriptive and lyrical which helped transport me to Sicily to the villa along the sea. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly.

Well written and absorbing story. I raced through this story. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended xx

Edie hates her ex-mother-in-law Anna; she blames her for an accident which tore their lives apart. So, when Anna dies and leaves Edie half of her villa in Sicily, she is fuming. The other half of the villa has been left to Edie’s ex-husband Joe, who she hasn’t had any contact with in years.

At first, Edie and Joe are frosty towards each other. However, as they spend time together deciding what to do with the villa, they find themselves slowly coming to terms with the past. But can they put their hurt and unhappiness behind them?

A well written story with twists and turns along the way which will keep you engrossed until the end.

4 stars

When Edie and Joe's six-year old son Daniel is killed in a tragic accident, Edie blames her mother-in-law Anna for his death. She was supposed to be watching him. Now Anna has died and left her villa in Sicily to Edie and her now estranged husband Joe.

Very reluctantly, Edie heads to Sicily, a country she has never visited before now. Against her will, she finds it both beautiful and enchanting. She finds peace in the old villa and surprising herself and Joe, she decides she wants to keep it.

It is here that the story turns into a mystery. Who is sabotaging their efforts to restore the house? Leaving dead animals and flattening tires? Even setting the house afire! Edie and Joe meet kind and generous neighbors, as well as n'er-do wells.

Slowly, Edie and Joe begin to heal – and draw closer to one another.

This is a very well written and plotted novel. The descriptions of the countryside and its people are engaging and colorful. I felt like I was in Sicily along with Edie and Joe. I truly enjoyed this novel, staying up far too late in the evenings to read. I want to read more by Louise Douglas. She is a very fine writer.

I want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Thanks Netgalley, the Publisher and the Author. I have enjoyed all this authors previous books and this was the best I have read so far, great characters and lots of twists along the way.

A book that drew mein the cover caught my eye the first pages chilling.Atmospheric tense so involving a terrific read that keeps you guessing to the last page.This will be on bestseller lists.#netgalley #boldwoodbooks

Drawn in by the lovely cover on the book. I was not disappointed one bit by the book. It had a lovely location. Good storyline. It was well written and flowed well. Good plot easy to keep your interest

Edie has been separated from Joe for ten years following the death of their six year old son Daniel, for which she blames her mother in law Anna DeLuca who has just died. Anna leaves her family villa in Sicily to both Joe and Edie and very reluctantly and with a heavy heart, she travels to Sicily to meet Joe to sort out the legalities. The story that unfolds is told by Edie and has a multitude of elements to it with plenty of atmosphere, some chills, violence and intriguing twists.

There is a lot I like about this book. First of all the villa in the Sicily setting is fabulous. The villa is very old, it’s beautiful, neglected and a bit eerie in its current state but could be stunning if restored to its former glory. I like the initial tension between Joe and Edie which softens as their joint desire grows to rebuild the house and use it in some money making way. There are ghostly, creepy elements to the story and some of the events that occur are macabre and sinister. There is a very intriguing puzzle about Anna as Edie realises that she is not what she thought and it is interesting seeing how Edie’s initial hatred of Anna softens and leads to understanding and acceptance. This means too that Edie can heal, she’s been burdened with grief, loss and hatred which she is able to cast off once the secrets, lies, cruelties and jealousies are revealed towards the end of the book and the truth about Anna and events at the villa emerges. I questioned whether Edie is a reliable narrator as she has so much venom towards Anna but I realise that at her heart is a woman who is true and honest. Joe is a very likeable character and it is heart warming to see how he awakens too in the vibrant Sicilian setting. The characters are well portrayed although some are far from likeable.

However, I have some reservations about the finale which seems overloaded with drama as we lurch from one incident to the next with barely a pause for breath. It’s certainly action packed and you couldn’t describe it as bland!

Overall, it’s a good, enjoyable, easy read that keeps you interested throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC.

Edie has long blamed her mother-in-law, Anna for the destruction of her family, so she’s not sorry when Anna dies. Anna’s will brings Edie to Sicily and a deserted and crumbling villa, where Edie believes that Anna is trying to reunite Edie with her ex, Joe. Edie plans to leave right away, but the old villa casts a spell on her, and she becomes obsessed with finding out who the girls in the old photo with Anna are. Why is one of them scratched out? The old villa in this story takes center stage in this story of mystery and second chances