Guest Review: Love in Provence by Jo Thomas

Escape to the beautiful lavender fields of Provence this summer

Del moved to the south of France three years ago and hasn’t looked back. She’s found new friends, new purpose, and new love with gorgeous Fabien.

But just as harvest on her little lavender farm is due to begin, Del gets some shocking news. With no time to dwell as she welcomes a new crew of lavender pickers, she unexpectedly waves goodbye to Fabien for the summer.

Usually cooking – the thing she loves best – would help soothe her troubles, but Del doesn’t remember how . . . And then chef Zacharie comes to town, dropping another bombshell!

Over one summer in Provence that’s full of surprises, friends old and new rally round. Can they complete the harvest and pull the community back together? And if Fabien returns, will Del finally get her happy-ever-after?

Review: This is a sequel to an earlier book by Jo Thomas, entitled Escape to the French Farmhouse. I always look forward to Jo Thomas’s books, sure of a compelling story, and this title definitely did not disappoint. As usual, she transports her readers to a beautiful location, this time a charming village in Provence. The stunning, bright cover of the book beautifully illustrates what to expect from the story within; you can almost smell the lavender. I enjoyed meeting up with many familiar faces and finding out what had transpired in the period between the two stories, but you would not have needed to read the previous book to enjoy this one. 

The story once again centres on Del, who moved three years ago from England to Provence, where she now lives with partner Fabien (previously spelt Fabian) in a large farmhouse surrounded by lavender fields. She has made many friends in the village where she lives and, with support from a local chef, has developed a love of cooking, incorporating the local herbs and lavender into her dishes. As the lavender harvest is almost upon her, the Mistral sweeps through the village, bringing with it great changes in Del’s life, mostly unwelcome ones. It seems there is one blow after another, and she must face most of them without Fabien by her side. Luckily, she finds support from some unexpected sources as well as her old friends. There are so many worries over and above whether the harvest can be completed, and, most of all, will Fabien come home?

I highly recommend this latest book from Jo Thomas. Whether or not you have read her previous story about Del and her new life in Provence, this charming and romantic tale is bound to prove an enjoyable read. I loved so many of the characters in this book. Del herself certainly had a hard time of it and I felt for her facing so many problems as they stacked up. However, the sense of community in the village came across once more. The surprise for Del and the reader was the way in which the itinerant lavender pickers came to the fore and pitched in. They were a really interesting group, and often a source of humour. As I usually find with Jo’s marvellous writing, I really felt that I was there in the village with Del every time I sat down to read. Of course, there was also all that lovely food that was being produced and described all through the book, making even me want to go into the kitchen and cook.

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