Book ~ "Strangers in the Villa" (2026) Robyn Harding

From Goodreads ~ Sydney Lowe’s life in New York is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to a meaningless affair with a client. Begging for forgiveness and vowing to prove his devotion, Curtis suggests the couple retreat to a remote hilltop house in Spain to repair their marriage. 

High above the Mediterranean, Sydney and Curtis are working on the isolated property and their relationship when a pair of Australian travelers turns up at their door in dire need of help. Lonely for companionship and desperate for free labor, Sydney and Curtis invite the attractive young couple to stay. But as the days pass, dark secrets come to light, the Lowes’ bond is tested and not everyone will leave the villa alive.

Curtis had confessed to an affair and now he and his wife, Sydney, are trying to rebuild their relationship with a fresh start in Spain. Sydney is still feeling hurt and betrayed and is trying to trust Curtis again and Curtis is committed to earning that trust back. They’ve bought a run-down villa with dreams of transforming it into a winery, though the property requires a lot of repairs. A few months into their new life, Damien and Bianca, a young Australian couple, unexpectedly arrive after their van breaks down nearby. With the replacement part delayed, Sydney offers them a place to stay in exchange for helping with the renovations.

I thought the story was interesting but was disappointed with the ending. After all the stress and tension that had been built up, it was a letdown. The story is written in third person perspective with a focus on Sydney, Curtis, Damien and Bianca, which lets us get to know them and what their motives are. The pacing could have been better as it took a long time to find out what had really happened in the past, which explained why things were happening today. As a head's up, there is swearing.