Monday Give Away: THE INVITATION

For this Monday’s give away, I give you… The Invitation, by Lucy Foley.

Here’s the official blurb:

the invitationAn evocative love story set along the Italian Riviera about a group of charismatic stars who all have secrets and pasts they try desperately–and dangerously–to hide.

Rome, 1953: Hal, an itinerant journalist flailing in the post-war darkness, has come to the Eternal City to lose himself and to seek absolution for the thing that haunts him. One evening he finds himself on the steps of a palazzo, walking into a world of privilege and light. Here, on a rooftop above the city, he meets the mysterious Stella. Hal and Stella are from different worlds, but their connection is magnetic. Together, they escape the crowded party and imagine a different life, even if it’s just for a night. Yet Stella vanishes all too quickly, and Hal is certain their paths won’t cross again.

But a year later they are unexpectedly thrown together, after Hal receives an invitation he cannot resist. An Italian Contessa asks him to assist on a trip of a lifetime–acting as a reporter on a tremendous yacht, skimming its way along the Italian coast toward Cannes film festival, the most famous artists and movie stars of the day gathered to promote a new film.

Of all the luminaries aboard–an Italian ingenue, an American star, a reclusive director–only one holds Hal in thrall: Stella. And while each has a past that belies the gilded surface, Stella has the most to hide. As Hal’s obsession with Stella grows, he becomes determined to bring back the girl she once was, the girl who’s been confined to history.

An irresistibly entertaining and atmospheric novel set in some of the world’s most glamorous locales, THE INVITATION is a sultry love story about the ways in which the secrets of the past stay with us–no matter how much we try to escape them.

This book deftly evoked the Italy of another era. Even now, a year or so after I read it, I can still close my eyes and remember the physical details of certain scenes, as if I were there, during a Roman summer.

So, for a chance to win my advance copy of The Invitation, here’s your question: where would you most like to travel via book?

The winner will be announced on Wednesday.

52 Comments

  1. Jodi K on May 22, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    Tuscany!

  2. Christine on May 22, 2017 at 3:32 pm

    London

  3. Cecile on May 22, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    Iteland

  4. Katie Malik on May 22, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    London

  5. Heather on May 22, 2017 at 3:47 pm

    Victorian England

  6. Deborah on May 22, 2017 at 3:54 pm

    Pompeii, Italy

  7. Becky on May 22, 2017 at 4:01 pm

    Greece!

  8. Ann Hutter on May 22, 2017 at 4:02 pm

    New Zealand

  9. Lindsey on May 22, 2017 at 4:07 pm

    England, always England 🙂

  10. Pat Dupuy on May 22, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    France, since I can’ t speak the language!

  11. Randy Riddle on May 22, 2017 at 4:15 pm

    I always love Victorian England.

  12. Anna D. on May 22, 2017 at 4:16 pm

    The Italian Riviera sounds nice.

  13. Diana Hall on May 22, 2017 at 4:23 pm

    Scotland and Wales!!! Thanks for this opportunity!

  14. Laurice on May 22, 2017 at 4:28 pm

    I wound love to travel to the old west

  15. Faith on May 22, 2017 at 4:39 pm

    Greece

  16. Amber on May 22, 2017 at 4:47 pm

    Egypt

  17. Jeanne Luke on May 22, 2017 at 4:51 pm

    Prague since I’m going there this summer.

  18. Connie Lee on May 22, 2017 at 4:53 pm

    Scotland

  19. Beth on May 22, 2017 at 5:08 pm

    Anywhere that’s hosting the Olympics!

  20. Jessica Baughman on May 22, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    As someone whose never been out of the country, I just enjoy reading books from anywhere.

  21. Rachel Smith on May 22, 2017 at 5:26 pm

    Italy would be fun! I’ve not read many books set there.

  22. Linda May on May 22, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    Paris, France, I would love to visit the Eiffel Tower, Thanks for this generous giveaway.

  23. Whitney J on May 22, 2017 at 5:42 pm

    So many places…but today my thoughts are in the Middle East. Probably has something to do with my MA studies.

  24. Molly Laird on May 22, 2017 at 5:47 pm

    London

  25. Dianne Casey on May 22, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    Charleston SC and the Antebellum South.

  26. Bekah on May 22, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    Italy or Greece

  27. Laurie blum on May 22, 2017 at 5:56 pm

    Israel ??

  28. Kelly W on May 22, 2017 at 6:03 pm

    Austria!

  29. Lisa on May 22, 2017 at 6:06 pm

    Sweden!!

  30. Michelle Springer on May 22, 2017 at 6:22 pm

    Austria and Switzerland at the turn of the century. That’s where some of my roots lie and I don’t know too much about it. 🙂

  31. Adeia on May 22, 2017 at 6:28 pm

    I’ve had a love of all things Scottish since my mom took me with her one of her research trips. But Australia is a close second.

  32. Denise on May 22, 2017 at 6:43 pm

    Sitting in my favorite chair by the window (for now) and having a free vacation via reading & living many lives ….

  33. Kelley B on May 22, 2017 at 6:59 pm

    I’d love to visit Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials!! Creepy fun.

  34. Maria on May 22, 2017 at 7:06 pm

    Prince Edward Island and Green Gables!

  35. Susan Thomas on May 22, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    Scotland and see castles

  36. Aura on May 22, 2017 at 7:17 pm

    Madrid, Spain

  37. Maria on May 22, 2017 at 7:18 pm

    Scotland

  38. Debbie Mitchell on May 22, 2017 at 7:46 pm

    Wales! I will be visiting there this August.

  39. Amy m on May 22, 2017 at 8:01 pm

    Russia

  40. rachel on May 22, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    I always enjoy India in the 1800s. Actually, Penelope’s book is just about my ideal time period!

  41. Jenny Collins Belk on May 22, 2017 at 8:55 pm

    I would love to visit Austria and view the castles.

  42. Lisa Bloom on May 22, 2017 at 9:02 pm

    The Italian Riveira!

  43. Kelly Chasse on May 22, 2017 at 9:09 pm

    Greece

  44. Dana on May 22, 2017 at 10:02 pm

    1950’s Morocco

  45. Laura Dugan on May 22, 2017 at 10:05 pm

    The book world of Thursday Next.

  46. Eve on May 23, 2017 at 1:00 am

    Egypt

    (and I like Laura’s comment about Thursday Next!)

  47. Tara on May 23, 2017 at 6:04 am

    Jamie Fraser’s Scotland

  48. Andra on May 23, 2017 at 8:55 am

    France.

  49. Tarah Petersen on May 23, 2017 at 9:23 am

    Scotland – the accent gets me every time!

  50. Nicole on May 23, 2017 at 9:43 am

    Croatia – off the beaten-book path.+-

  51. Kristin on May 23, 2017 at 1:14 pm

    The English countryside. Changes all the time, though!

  52. Savannah on May 24, 2017 at 10:16 am

    India!

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