Series: A Year in France #1
Publication Date: 21st Sep 2024
Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/fallingprovencesocial
Goodreads Book Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213705768-falling-for-provence
Genre: Romance
3.5 Stars
One Liner: Nice… has some loose ends (first in the
series)
Book Blurb:
She came to
Provence in the hope of a fresh start, she never expected she would fall in
love in and find herself along the way.
Inheriting an
old stone house in Provence, along with her sisters is the catalyst Ellie
Gilchrist needs to put some distance between her and her grief. But when she
arrives at the run down ‘La Masionette’ hidden amongst overgrown Lavender and
Ivy, she wonders if she’s made a mistake?
That is until
she meets her guarded neighbour Julien and his adorable little boy, and she’s
surprised by the flutters of excitement she never thought she’d feel again. Add
in rescuing a stray dog and she has the much needed distraction she needs.
Ellie decides to stay temporarily and work on bringing the little house back to
life again. If only she can ignore the fireworks that explode every time she’s
around Julien. They both have hearts they want to protect, but a little temporary
affaire can’t be too dangerous,
especially when Ellie has stated she will be leaving after the last summer
market of the season. But something in the alchemy of what she discovers in
this part of France seems to be casting an irresistible spell making it
difficult to walk away.
***
My Thoughts:
The story comes in Ellie and Julien’s third-person POVs.
The plot development stays true to the genre but manages to throw in a couple of twists. Of course, I didn’t take this hoping for an intricate plot.
For me, the setting is the focus. The book scores
well in this aspect. The beauty of Provence comes alive on the pages without
distracting from the plot. Ellie’s artistic talent (painting), her gradual
growth, and the beauty of the setting blend seamlessly.
The dual POV, though we get fewer scenes from the
MMC, makes it easy to see his thought process and feelings. I liked how much he
loved his little son (even if the kiddo doesn’t get a lot of space due to valid
reasons).
Animal lovers will be delighted to find two donkeys
and a cute doggy in this one. They have names too!
If I had known earlier about the series part (it wasn't updated when I read the book), I’d
have gone in prepared for the family track to stay in the background without
resolution. Since I didn’t, I was annoyed to see the book end with many
unanswered questions. At least now I know these are likely to be answered in
the next two books (Ellie has two sisters – Laura and Fiona).
Quite a few elements are convenient and happen
easily but that’s expected of the genre, so I didn’t mind. However, the aspects
about grief, loss, moving on, second chances, etc., are done well (check TW at
the end). At the same time, the writing is not so heavy that it feels
overwhelming again and again but does enough to make you feel something.
To summarize, Falling for Provence is a steady-paced
and touching story about loss, hope, and finding love (and inspiration) in a
beautiful location.
Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and
Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest
opinion about the book.
#NetGalley
TW: death of a
child (off-page), injury to a child (quickly healed), infidelity, past trauma,
mention of alcoholic and violent father
***
About the Author – Alison Roberts
Alison Roberts
is the author of over one hundred romance novels, joining Boldwood to write
‘wish you were here’ fiction set in the South of France.Follow the Author:
Twitter: https://x.com/RobertsAli54060
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/AlisonRobertsNews
***
This has been a stop on the #FallingForProvence blog tour by Rachel's Random Resources. (@rararesources) Thanks for stopping by!
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