WIN! A copy of The Forgotten Summer by Carol Drinkwater

Enter our competition to win a copy of The Forgotten Summer by Carol Drinkwater

“Eyes closed, she inhaled the delectable smells of breakfast. Matty was cooking up a feast, a healthy Provençal alternative to a fry-up. Eggs, tomatoes, thinly sliced, garden-grown, purple-black aubergines, their own single-estate olive oil, thick slices of boiled ham from the pastor’s pigs fattened on wild chestnuts, home-baked bread, fresh fruit… Mmm. A scrumptious repast.”

Anyone familiar with – or indeed a newcomer to – Carol Drinkwater’s novels will devour her latest offering with zeal: a satisfying tangle of secrets, forbidden passion and heartbreak set in the south of France. Set over a long, sweltering summer, it follows the Cambon family and their magnificent vineyard, whose crop is destroyed after an accident and leaves the estate facing ruin. But who is to blame?

This is the latest incident in a decades-long feud between Clarisse Cambon and daughter-in-law Jane. Piggy-in-the-middle husband and son Luc struggles to keep them on speaking terms, but it appears he may have been keeping a few secrets himself. Forced to take charge of the ailing vineyard, Jane uncovers disturbing proof that Luc may not be the man she married 20 years ago – and worse, his mother Clarisse may be the only one who knows the truth.

Carol’s fluid writing style, evocative vocabulary and detailed observations combine to create a page-turning read, and she strikes the perfect balance between serious psychological detail and easy humour. Carol is an actress as well as author, best known for her award-winning portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC series All Creatures Great and Small. She is also a regular speaker at The France Show in London.

We have five copies of The Forgotten Summer to give away.

To enter the competition, click here.