A short break can become the holiday of a lifetime . . . A perfect summer read from the brilliant Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House.

In a gorgeous quayside hotel in Cornwall, the long weekend is just beginning . . .

Claire Marlowe owns ''The Townhouse by the Sea'' with Luca, the hotel''s charismatic chef. She ensures that everything runs smoothly - until an unexpected arrival checks in and turns her whole world upside-down.

The rest of the guests arrive with their own baggage. There''s a couple looking for distraction from a family tragedy; a man trying to make amends for an affair he bitterly regrets . . .and the young woman who thinks the Cornish village might hold the key to her past.

Here are affairs of the heart, secrets, lies and scandal - all wrapped up in one long, hot weekend.