Strangers in the Villa by Robyn Harding

A special thank you to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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 travellers 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. 

Harding's latest is a tightly constructed psychological thriller that utilizes shifting third-person perspectives and a two-part narrative. She masterfully blends escapism with entrapment to create a setting that's both atmospheric and suffocating. The short, punchy chapters—with cliffhangers aplenty—ratchet up the tension, making this book impossible to put down. 

Brimming with sharp twists, devastating secrets, and shocking revelations, Strangers in the Villa is a knockout from start to finish! 

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ROBYN HARDING is the author of fourteen novels including The Swap, The Party, Her Pretty Face, The Arrangement, The Drowning Woman, and The Haters. She has also written and executive produced an independent film.

Harding lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas. 

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Q & A with Robyn Harding*

GWR: Being a seasoned author, what is your favourite part of the publishing process? Is there anything that you still find difficult?

RH: My favourite part is all the support and cheerleading I get from readers, influencers, booksellers, and other authors. It’s such a supportive community! But I still feel the pressure of whether a book will be well received and sell well or not. 

GWR: What was the inspiration for the novel?

RH: We took an amazing trip to Spain a few years ago and met an Aussie couple who had moved to a remote house in the hills above the Costa Brava. They were living their dream life, but my brain went: How could that go horribly wrong? 

GWR: Can you talk a little about your character development—do you let your characters tell you who they are, or do you decide their characteristics? 

RH: I start by writing character profiles so that I really know who they are. How did they grow up? What’s their relationship history? What are their strengths and insecurities? This background informs how they behave as they move through the plot.


GWR: Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you hear your words as dialogue, or do you visualize the scenes? 

RH: I love this question! When I write, I’m almost like an actor in a film. I’m inside my characters, feeling what they feel, and seeing through their eyes.

GWR: Intuition verses craft—when do you know to make the hard turns?

RH: I use screenplay structure to make sure I’m hitting the write beats and keeping up the pacing, but I don’t outline in detail. I do a lot of re-reading as I go to intuitively know what needs to be revealed and when.

GWR: How do you write an effective red herring when you are so close to the material?

RH: Sometimes I don’t even know who the guilty party is until I’m well into the novel. Other times I know from the outset. I think knowing your characters well allows you to create red herrings.   

GWR: Strangers in the Villa is a tightly constructed psychological thriller that uses shifting third-person perspectives and a two-part narrative. How did this structure come about? 

RH: As a writer, I like to stay interested and challenged, and telling a story in unique ways is so much fun for me. I love getting excited different characters’ heads and telling the story through their voices. I’m really inspired by filmmakers who make movies in unusual or unexpected ways. 

GWR: The villa was the perfect setting with its idyllic location and winery potential that was juxtaposed with the physical remoteness and claustrophobic isolation. Why did you choose Spain?

RH: physical remoteness and claustrophobic isolation. Why did you choose Spain?

I’d spent about ten days in this exact location. It was so gorgeous and idyllic, but also very isolated and removed from my real life. Not knowing the language and customs seemed like a good way to add a layer of tension. 

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

RH: Spanish Vermut!


GWR: What are you working on now?

RH: I’m writing another thriller set on a private island in the Pacific Northwest. I’m having a lot of fun with it! 

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.

The Book Tour by Emily Ohanjanians

A special thank you to the publisher, Dell, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Despite her popular podcast and sold-out speaking events, Ana Movilian still feels like she has to prove herself. To her family, who can't believe she quit med school to build an influencer career, and to literary snobs, who decry her buzzy self-help book. Happily, her upcoming book tour is the perfect chance to show the world just how bright her star can shine.

That is, until her beloved publicist resigns the night before their plane is set to take off, announcing that her replacement is none other than Ryan bleeping Grant.

Ryan specializes in highbrow, "important" books, and his perma-scowl in every interaction with Ana makes one thing clear: he does not get her book. Or her. He’s the last person who should be promoting her work, the last person she should be stuck with for two weeks . . . and the last person who should look that damn good in business casual.

As they travel from city to city, however, Ana's assumptions about Ryan take new shape. A decidedly more appealing shape. Soon, their growing attraction starts to feel like a ticking time bomb. But crossing that line could derail each of their careers faster than you can say "conflict of interest," and they both have bigger dreams at stake than the bestseller list.

Editor Ohanjanians offers a glimpse into publishing industry in her stellar debut. 

Written from Ana's point of view, this novel checks all the boxes—grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, forbidden romance, opposites attract, and a healthy dose of steam! (This is an open door romance.) Also refreshing is Ohanjanians' leading lady. Ana, a second-generation Armenian, is intelligent, self-sufficient, and feisty. She experiences tremendous personal growth while navigating grief and managing cultural/familiar expectations. Also refreshing, Ana and Maral's relationship is just as important as the romance.    

The Book Tour will have readers swooning with its sizzling chemistry, smart banter, and steamy scenes.

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EMILY OHANJANIANS lives with her family in Toronto, Canada, where she works as a professional book editor. After many years on the other side of the desk, she decided to parlay a lifelong love of joyous, escapist, romantic stories into her own writing. The Book Tour is her first novel. 

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Q & A with Emily Ohanjanians*

GWR: Are you a pantser/gardner or a plotter/architect?

EO: I’m about as plotter as it gets. I applaud anybody who can pants their way through a story, it feels like absolute witchcraft to me! My brain just doesn’t work that way—I need a map to follow.

GWR: As a publishing professional, what is your favourite part of the process? Was there anything you found surprising being on the author side? 

EO: My first love is editing. Working with an author to help their story reach its full potential is just so fulfilling. Now on the author side, I still find that editing is my favourite part! I wouldn’t say I was surprised at how challenging drafting is, but I definitely find that blank page intimidating. Revising and editing that draft afterwards is where I really come alive—and so does the story. I’m also lucky to be able to work with incredible editors whose insights help make my work so much better.

GWR: What advice would you give to Ana if you were her editor? 

EO: Chill. LOL. Maybe more like, harness the chaos. Ana is full of energy and ideas, and my job as her editor would be to help streamline her storytelling into a cohesive narrative. 

GWR: Give us your best Hollywood pitch for the book.

EO: A lively debut author is forced to go on a two-week national book tour with her grumpy publicist, aka the last person on earth she’d ever choose to promote her work—only for very inconvenient sparks to fly between them.  

GWR: Do you let your characters tell you who they are, or do you decide their attributes? 

EO: I decide who I want them to be upfront, but as the story develops they definitely evolve and I have to rethink some of those initial attributes! The core of who they are remains the same but details may shift and recalibrate as I draft and revise.

GWR: This novel is as much about a romantic relationship as it is about female connection. What were the most important characteristics and dynamics that you wanted Ana and Ryan’s relationship to have, as well as Ana’s with Maral?

EO: Story is about character evolution, and I knew that the dynamic between the characters would have to serve each of those characters’ specific transformations within the story. Maral and Ryan are both grounding forces for Ana, who operates at a very different energy level than them—they make her feel safe and accepted and allow her to see that she doesn’t have to perform a persona at all times. She can just be herself. In turn, Ana is the ultimate hype woman, and knowing her gives Maral and Ryan each the push they need to pursue life on their own terms.  

GWR: The Book Tour features some of the best romance tropes—grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, forbidden romance—what is your favourite trope to write and what is your favourite to read?

EO: I love tension and chemistry, so forced proximity offers a lot of opportunity to explore those elements in a really fun way. I’m always drawn to fake-relationship stories, though I haven’t written one myself yet. My ultimate favourite to read and write may be he falls first—I’m just a sucker for it, and will likely find some way to work that into any book I write!

GWR: You used depth through the inclusion of grief, as well as Ana navigating cultural expectations, as a counterbalance to the romance—why was it important to include these elements in the story?

EO: I wanted Ana’s internal conflict to be at once personally and universally relatable. Whether people grow up in an immigrant household or not, everyone has experienced some level of expectation that puts pressure on their choices. We all play different roles in different spheres of our lives, so I thought that “foot in two worlds” experience may resonate broadly with readers. Ana’s grief is an unresolved trauma that continues to colour her perception of love. If the people who claim to love you don’t “allow” your big emotions, then you can’t bring your whole self into that relationship. One of Ana’s big lessons in the story is that someone who loves you the way you deserve to be loved will accept all of you.

GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be? 

EO: Dark roast coffee, of course. IYKYK.

GWR: What are you working on now?

EO: My second novel is a sports romance set in the professional tennis world, about two pro tennis players who have to pair up to play mixed doubles at Wimbledon. It’s swoony and romantic and has a lot of delicious forced-proximity tension!

*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.