Maia D'Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, 'Atlantis' — a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva — having been told that their beloved father, the elusive billionaire they call Pa Salt, has died. Maia and her sisters were all adopted by him as babies and, discovering he has already been buried at sea, each of them is handed a tantalising clue to their true heritage — a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of where her story began... Eighty years earlier, in the Belle Epoque of Rio, 1927, Izabela Bonifacio's father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is working on a statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to complete his vision. Izabela — passionate and longing to see the world — convinces her father to allow her to accompany him and his family to Europe before she is married. There, at Paul Landowski's studio and in the heady, vibrant cafes of Montparnasse, she meets ambitious young sculptor Laurent Brouilly, and knows at once that her life will never be the same again. In this sweeping epic tale of love and loss — the first in a unique, spellbinding series of seven books, based on the legends of the Seven Sisters star constellation — Lucinda Riley showcases her storytelling talent like never before.

Rosanna Menici is just a girl when she meets Roberto Rossini, the man who will change her life forever. In the years to come, their destinies are bound together by their extraordinary talents as opera singers and by their enduring but obsessive love for each other — a love that will ultimately affect the lives of all those closest to them. For, as Rosanna slowly discovers, their union is haunted by powerful secrets from the past... Rosanna's journey takes her from humble beginnings in the back streets of Naples to the glittering stages of the world's most prestigious opera houses. Set against a dazzling backdrop of evocative locations, The Italian Girl unfolds into a poignant and unforgettable tale of love, betrayal and self-discovery. From the international bestselling author of Hothouse Flower and The Midnight Rose comes The Italian Girl.

1998 Emilie de la Martinieres has always fought against her aristocratic background, but after the death of her glamorous, distant mother, she finds herself alone in the world and sole inheritor of her grand childhood home in the south of France. As she rediscovers her family's story, Emilie realizes that the Chateau may hold more secrets than just fond childhood memories. What is the tiny room concealed in the wine cellars below and why has it been sealed for the past fifty years? And why did her beloved father never speak of his decorated role in the Second World War? 1944 A promising young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is drafted as a spy into Paris during the climax of the conflict. Separated from her contact in her very first hours in France, she stumbles into the heart of a wealthy family who are caught up in the Resistance. Forced to surrender all ties to her homeland, she finds herself drawn into a complex new world where the War threatened to tear apart even the most unshakable of family ties.

The Present: Rebecca Bradley, a young American actress, escapes the bright lights and her well-known actor boyfriend after his unexpected proposal to deepest Dartmoor in Devon, after landing a leading role in a prestigious 1920s-set British film. Hiding from the media glare, she is welcomed by the mysterious Lord Anthony Astbury, who has opened his stately home, Astbury Hall, to the film crew. When Rebecca is transformed into her screen role as a 1920s debutante, Lord Anthony is shocked by the resemblance to his late grandmother and reveals to her his quest to discover his family's past. As Rebecca is cut off from the modern world and drawn deeper into the atmosphere of a bygone age by the role, her grasp on present-day reality begins to slip... The Past: India, 1911. At the Coronation Durbar of George V, eleven-year-old Anahita, a spiritually gifted Indian girl, meets Indira, a wealthy and privileged Indian Princess. They form a deep, lasting friendship, and Anahita is persuaded by Indira to become her companion. Indira's mother sends them both to England to be educated, but, once there, World War I strikes. Instead of returning to India, they travel to Astbury Hall for the holidays, where Anahita meets the sixteen-year-old Lord Donald Astbury, the reluctant heir to the estate. Their relationship grows stronger after the war, but with it so too does the pressure from the callous and conniving Lady Maud Astbury, Donald's mother, for him to marry Violet, a rich American heiress, to save Astbury Hall.