The Invitation

‘The perfect summer read… Gorgeously compelling’ Good Housekeeping

‘Full of mystery and long-reaching shadows of the past . . . richly drawn and compelling’ Rosanna Ley
It’s 1951. In Europe’s post-war wreckage, the glittering Italian Riviera draws an eclectic cast of characters; lured by the glamour but seeking an escape.

Amongst them, two outcasts: Hal, an English journalist who’s living on his charm; and Stella, an enigmatic society beauty, bound to a profiteering husband. When Hal receives a mysterious invitation from a wealthy Contessa, he finds himself aboard a yacht headed for Cannes film festival.

Scratch the beautiful surface, and the post-war scars of his new companions are quick to show. Then there’s Stella, whose secrets run deeper than anyone’s — stretching back into the violence of Franco’s Spain. And as Hal gets drawn closer, a love affair begins that will endanger everyone…

“'Glamour, secrets and danger makes this a gorgeous summer read' Woman & Home 'Sultry escapist fiction at its best - 5' HEAT 'The perfect summer read... Gorgeously compelling' Good Housekeeping 'A seductive love tale' Sunday Times Style 'Oozes glamour... Lush, romantic and cleverly crafted - a brainy beach read to relish' Sunday Mirror 'I loved THE INVITATION . . . I could dive into this book. A beautifully complex and vivid story, full of repressed longing and secrets. An absolutely enchanting tale' Lucinda Riley 'A seductive love tale' Sunday Times Style 'So powerfully evoked . . . with dark, sensuous undercurrents that lingered on in my mind, long after I'd reluctantly left Stella and Hal behind' Kate Riordan 'Film crew, Italian Riviera, 1950s. What part of that does not appeal?' Red 'Full of mystery and long-reaching shadows of the past . . . richly drawn and compelling' Rosanna Ley 'This epic love story is an unputdownable summer read' Essentials 'If you like Victoria Hislop you'll love the seductive and heady The Invitation' Lovereading 'An utterly seductive story depicting forbidden love and loss in 1950s Italy. The perfect beach read this summer' Louise O'Neill 'I loved every page - it's vividly written and utterly absorbing' Iona Gray 'Foley weaves a very satisfying love story . . . readers will be taken by the luxurious Mediterranean setting' Publishers Weekly 'Glamorous and romantic and bittersweet all at once . . . a fabulous story' Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers 'It's a beautiful, compulsive and glamorous read - perfect for long summer days' Lucy Clarke, author of the Richard & Judy bestseller, The Sea Sisters 'The combination of the glittering, glamorous setting and the magnetic characters mesmerized me. This book is luminous' Elin Hilderbrand 'A compelling love story that takes us far beyond the alluring Italian coast to a darker place' Brunonia Barry”

‘A seductive love tale’ Sunday Times Style

‘Such a tense, intriguing, beautiful, heart-rending story . . . The characters are so real, the research flawless, the setting sublime. Read it!’ Clare Mackintosh

‘Glamour, secrets and danger makes this a gorgeous summer read’ Woman & Home

‘Sultry escapist fiction at its best – 5’ HEAT

‘The perfect summer read… Gorgeously compelling’ Good Housekeeping

‘Oozes glamour… Lush, romantic and cleverly crafted – a brainy beach read to relish’ Sunday Mirror

‘I loved THE INVITATION . . . I could dive into this book. A beautifully complex and vivid story, full of repressed longing and secrets. An absolutely enchanting tale’ Lucinda Riley

‘A seductive love tale’ Sunday Times Style

‘So powerfully evoked . . . with dark, sensuous undercurrents that lingered on in my mind, long after I'd reluctantly left Stella and Hal behind’ Kate Riordan

‘Film crew, Italian Riviera, 1950s. What part of that does not appeal?’ Red

‘Full of mystery and long-reaching shadows of the past . . . richly drawn and compelling’ Rosanna Ley

‘This epic love story is an unputdownable summer read’ Essentials

‘If you like Victoria Hislop you’ll love the seductive and heady The Invitation’ Lovereading

‘An utterly seductive story depicting forbidden love and loss in 1950s Italy. The perfect beach read this summer' Louise O’Neill

‘I loved every page – it's vividly written and utterly absorbing’ Iona Grey

‘Foley weaves a very satisfying love story . . . readers will be taken by the luxurious Mediterranean setting’ Publishers Weekly

‘Glamorous and romantic and bittersweet all at once . . . a fabulous story’ Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers

‘It's a beautiful, compulsive and glamorous read – perfect for long summer days’ Lucy Clarke, author of the Richard & Judy bestseller, The Sea Sisters

Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry, before leaving to write full-time. Lucy's debut thriller, The Hunting Party, was an instant Sunday Times and Irish Times bestseller, and was inspired by a particularly remote spot in Scotland that fired her imagination. Lucy is also the author of three historical novels, which have been translated into sixteen languages. Her journalism has appeared in ES Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Grazia and more.

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