One night to fall in love.
One summer to change everything...
Over the last few months, Connie's whole world has fallen apart. Her husband's run off with an older woman, the magazine she works for has gone bust and she's having to sell the family home. So when her beloved godmother, Lismay, begs her to help run the beautiful Château Villette, it couldn't come at a better time...
No one knows the château quite like Connie. She spent a blissful summer there in her twenties, learning to cook delicious French food for the guests, ironing the lavender-scented sheets - and trying to resist the very handsome neighbour, Remy.
As soon as she arrives, it's clear that the château is close to crumbling and Connie knows she's going to have her work cut out. Could it be the fresh start she didn't even know she needed - and will she find a way to save the château, before it's too late?
I was keen to read this latest book from Veronica Henry as soon as I read its synopsis. I thought the idea of a French château with a history and an added helping of romance sounded just up my street. I have enjoyed many of this author’s books, so I was expecting to find another triumph in this title. I was not disappointed.
The story centres on two women, each of whom end up at different times living in the beautiful Château Villette in Provence. The first one to live in the château is Lismay. She and her husband bought the house on a whim while on holiday in the area in 1985 with the idea of doing it up and running it as a guest house, which they achieved with great success. The other main character is Lismay’s god-daughter Connie. When her godmother asks Connie many years later if she would look after the château for a while, the timing is perfect for her. Connie’s life is at a turning point, her husband having left her, her job having come to an end and her future looking uncertain. Connie is also familiar with how things are run at Château Villette, having spent a summer working there as a girl. Unfortunately, Connie finds that Lismay has let things slide, recent visitors to the château having left less than complimentary reviews. As she sets to, determined to restore the building and the business to its former glory, she meets up again with neighbour Remy. He is keen to rekindle their relationship from that summer long ago, but does she have time for romance when she feels she must save the château?
This was a marvellous book, filled with interesting characters and with a glorious setting. I thought the story was cleverly told, describing the way in which Lismay approached the renovation of the château and the stumbling blocks she had to overcome, and then many years later Connie working to recreate what her godmother had achieved, but also considering how expectations of guests have changed in the intervening period. They are both strong women with the determination required for the task. There are, of course, many other characters in the story. I loved the local women who helped Connie and had their own tales to tell. Then there is the dashingly handsome Remy running the vineyard next door and desperate to woo Connie; I can imagine it was difficult to turn him down. This is definitely a book I can recommend to any reader who would like to escape into the French countryside for a while in the opulent surroundings of a château and watch as two amazing women turn it around.
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