Book review of Fly Me to Paris by Helga Jensen

Fly Me to Paris by Helga Jensen

Fly Me to Paris by Helga Jensen

Penny is not living her best life.

 

Her job is far from thrilling and her long-term boyfriend shows no sign of wanting to commit.

 

She has just turned fifty and is going nowhere.

 

Wanting a new start, Penny applies for a job as cabin crew, to find out if she can push herself out of her comfort zone.

 

Her new job brings the adventure she craves, even if she does keep bumping into impossibly handsome but deeply annoying pilot, Matt Garcia. 

 

Stuck in Paris on an unscheduled stopover, the chemistry between them grows. But the path of love never did fly smooth, as Matt’s past threatens to come between them.

 

Beside which, Penny is not looking for love. But what if love finds her?

 

A romantic, uplifting and inspirational read all about taking chances later in life – fans of Milly Johnson and Sandy Barker will love this!

Fly Me to Paris by Helga Jensen

 

My Review

Fly Me to Paris is a great fun read with lots of hilarious moments following Penny’s rebirth as she turns fifty and life throws her a curved ball. Having wasted way too many years playing second fiddle to boyfriend Geraint, (who I really wanted to thump) his thoughtless actions proved to be just the catalyst Penny needed to stand on her own two feet and find herself a life. 

 

It was no easy decision to leave the security of her uneventful, safe routine and throw herself into training for a new career as cabin crew, but after a few wobbles, she embraced every challenge head on, including meeting Matt. Matt is everything a distinguished pilot should be but comes with a carry-on of emotional baggage that could prove too much for Penny. I was intrigued how the new Penny would react to his actions, but it’s amazing how a little confidence always brings with it strength. To begin with, I worried that her almost childlike behaviour and lack of self-confidence would let her down, but following her journey never failed to make me smile and I was Team Penny all the way. 

 

As the perfect backdrop to Penny’s journey, this book had the romance, food and atmosphere of Paris, an insight into the fascinating lives of cabin crew, on and off the aeroplane, as well as family dramas. It is definitely one to add to your summer reading list, either paired with a poolside location and chilled drink, or as a virtual escape from life.

 

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Helga Jensen

 

Author Bio 

 

Helga Jensen is an award-winning British/Danish best-selling author and journalist. Her debut novel was a winning entry in the 2017 Montegrappa First Fiction competition at Dubai’s Emirates Literary Festival. Her debut was also a contender for the coveted 2021 Joan Hessayon Award for new writers. Helga’s second romantic comedy, A Scandinavian Summer, went straight to number one on the Amazon Kindle charts for Danish travel on its publication day. Helga holds a BA Hons in English Literature and Creative Writing, along with a Creative Writing MA from Bath Spa University. She is currently working on a PhD.

 

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Fly Me to Paris by Helga Jensen

Book review of Freya's French Farmhouse by Daisy James

Freya's French Farmhouse by Daisy James

Freya’s French Farmhouse by Daisy James

Welcome to Freya's French Farmhouse, the second book in a brand new series from the author of the Hummingbird Hotel series and the Cornish Confetti Agency series.

Escape to the French Riviera!

After losing her aromatherapy studio in the Blossomwood Bay fire, Freya Farnham finds herself at a loose end, especially when her trusty Renault decides that it’s time to head to the scrapyard in the sky. Now she has no excuse not to agree to her parents’ request to head to the pretty village of Saint-Julien to find out why her late Uncle Toby’s gorgeous French farmhouse isn’t selling, even when the real estate agent, Xavier Deschamps, advertises himself as "the best in the whole of Provence".

As soon as she arrives, Freya realises what the problem is, and so, with the help of handsome local car mechanic Jacques Jordan, she invests her last euro in a kaleidoscope of cleaning products and sets about transforming the drab and dusty dwelling into a chic and shiny château. Little did she know that in the process she would discover more about her family’s history than she bargained for.

Can she come to terms with her past? Or will the demons that have been snapping at her heels since childhood prevent her from seizing the chance to achieve a much-longed-for sense of belonging in the friendly community where she’s treated as one of their own?

Why not join Freya as she explores the lavender-infused Provençal countryside, and enjoy a trip filled with fun, fragrance, and delicious foodie treats with a dash of heart-warming romance thrown in for good measure!

Freya's French Farmhouse by Daisy James

 

My Review

My heart went out to poor Freya right at the beginning of this book. Following an unusual childhood with no real fixed abode, she thought she’d settled in Blossomwood Bay, after the disastrous end of her life in London, so to lose her fledgling business in a fire, is the last thing she needs. However, Freya is independent, strong and willing to do what it takes to get things done and move forward, and I admired her for that. With nothing to keep her in Blossomwood Bay, she sets off to Provence to rediscover the farmhouse owned by her Uncle Toby and do her best to get his estate finalised and the house sold.

 

Things aren’t quite as she is expecting them to be in France. The house needs some attention, but the gardens have been lovingly cared for and she can’t work out why it hasn’t attracted much interest, let alone sold. It isn’t long before the magic of Provence, flowering lavender, welcoming villagers and the discovery of Toby’s perfume organ begin to work on healing her past traumas. Things she accepted as a child, enjoying summer holidays with Toby, now become questions she needs answers to and an intriguing family mystery to unravel. I do love a good family drama and add in the quirky characters of a French village, new friendships and a whole lot of fun in a location that was easy to visualise, and this book ticked all my boxes. I also loved the extra sensory pleasure of Freya’s essential oil blending that I could almost smell from the screen of my kindle. There is something very relaxing about aromatherapy, even from the pages of a book and it was a real treat to fall into this book every evening.

 

If you are looking for an escape to the sunny south of France, to lift your mood and warm your heart, then Freya’s French Farmhouse should be on your holiday reading list this summer.

 

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Freya's French Farmhouse by Daisy James

 

Author Bio 

 

Daisy James loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. She especially likes to create sunshine-filled settings in exotic locations - the Caribbean, Tuscany, Cornwall, Provence - so she can spend her time envisioning her characters enjoying the fabulous scenery and sampling the local food and drink.

 

When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea - china plates and teacups are a must.

Freya's French Farmhouse by Daisy James

 

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Book review of A Light to Guide Us Home by Dianne Haley

A Light to Guide Us Home by Dianne Haley

A Light to Guide Us Home: An utterly heartbreaking and powerful WW2 historical novel (The Resistance Girl Book 3) by Dianne Haley

 

‘Please, you must get Clara out of France!’ cried the woman, her voice breaking in desperation. ‘She’s only thirteen and her parents have been taken to a death camp. Can you save her before it is too late?’

1943, Nazi-occupied France: Valérie Hallez clings to the hope that she will soon reunite with her beloved fiancé, Philippe, fighting the Nazis in Italy. Until that day comes, she risks her life helping Jewish children flee across the border with the resistance, but each tear-stained face breaks her heart a little more.

So, when she learns of little lost Clara, an orphan whose family has been torn apart by the German occupation, and is asked to rescue her, she jumps at the chance to save another innocent life. But she isn’t the only one searching for the young girl…

Because brave Clara is carrying a crucial Nazi document. And the secrets it holds could change the course of the war forever.

Frantically trying to stay one step ahead of the Gestapo, Valérie traces Clara to an isolated children’s home – but she is too late. German soldiers have already raided the building.

Her relief when she hears that Clara escaped is short lived, as there’s not a whisper of her whereabouts. And just when she’s about to start on her search, devastating news reaches her about Philippe.

Shattered by the thought that Philippe may never come home, Valérie tries to pull the pieces of her broken heart back together. She knows there’s a little girl lost out there who needs her. So, she must make the hardest choice of all. Even if she can’t save her dearest love, can she save poor Clara – and help her end this terrible war?

A totally unputdownable and heart-wrenching wartime story about love, bravery and sacrifice. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and The Alice Network.

A Light to Guide Us Home can be read as a standalone.

A Light to Guide Us Home by Dianne Haley

 

 

My Review

I’d not read the first two books in this series, The Watchmaker’s Daughter and Under a Brighter Sky, however, this book can be read as a standalone novel, and it didn’t spoil my enjoyment. 

 

I found I easily slipped into the lives of Valérie and Philippe, as they bravely put themselves into ever increasingly dangerous situations to help others affected by the war and the occupation of France, from German infiltrated Geneva and over the border into Italy. At a time in their lives when they should have been able to celebrate being with each other, doing what they knew was right, meant separation, fear and anxiety. 

 

Then there was the Lieberman family, who thought Paris would offer them a safe haven, only for the Occupation to tear them apart. Clara’s escape journey, alone and at high risk, was emotional and I can’t imagine what the thousands of children like her had to live through during that time. With each chapter focussing on a different character’s story, it was Hannelore, Clara’s aunt, who I found myself bonding with the most. The decisions she made, and the risks she took staying in Paris, were brave and centred only on helping those around her despite her heartbreak and the mission she knew had to accomplish. 

 

This is definitely a book for those of you who devour the suspense of historical fiction set amidst the selfless underground Resistance movement. Set at a time when knowing who to place your trust in could be a matter of life and death, and the threat of tragedy for those you love only ever a heartbeat away. It was easy to keep turning the pages in this emotional read.

  

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Dianne Haley

 

Author Bio 

 

Originally from the north of Scotland, Dianne now lives with her husband in Edinburgh and has two grown-up children. After a thirty-year business career in London and Edinburgh when Dianne wrote between projects, she is now writing full-time.

 

Dianne and her family have been visiting the area round Lake Geneva since 1992 and love the Alps in all seasons. The inspiration for her series set in WW2 Switzerland came from a drive through Geneva’s old town on a rainy October evening, the cobbled lanes a perfect setting for secrets and hiding places.

 

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Book review of The Paris Maid by Ella Carey

The Paris Maid by Ella Carey

The Paris Maid by Ella Carey

 

Paris, 1944. “Traitor!” yells the crowd as they push me down onto a stool. “Nazi collaborator.” Tears blur my vision as the razor grazes my scalp, waves of blonde hair falling to the ground. As men paint a swastika across my face, I hold onto one small glimmer of hope. They have no idea who I am.

Louise Basset works as a housemaid at The Ritz Hotel, home to the most powerful Nazis in France. As she changes silk sheets and scrubs sumptuous marble bathtubs, she listens and watches, reporting all she can to the Resistance. The only secret she never tells is her own.

Everything changes for Louise on the day a young Allied pilot, hunted by the Nazis, is smuggled into the hotel. As he and Louise share a small carafe of red wine hidden amongst her cleaning bottles, she feels her heart begin to open. But if Louise trusts someone with the truth, what will happen?

Years later, her granddaughter Nicole looks up at the ornate façade of the infamous Paris hotel. She is reeling from her recent discovery: a black-and-white photograph of her grandmother as a young woman, head shaved, branded a traitor. Devastated by her new legacy and about to start a family of her own, Nicole searches for answers.

When a French historian calls Louise by a different name, Nicole realizes there must be more to her grandmother’s story. Was the woman who taught Nicole so much about family and loyalty a resistance fighter, or will her granddaughter have to live with the knowledge that she is descended from a traitor? And will Nicole be able to finally move forward with her life if she can uncover the truth?

An utterly heart-shattering and gripping novel about love, betrayal and how one courageous young woman paid a terrible price to save those she loved. From top-ten bestseller Ella Carey, fans of Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and Rhys Bowen will never forget The Paris Maid.

 

My Review

I’ve been a fan of Ella Carey’s writing since reading Paris Time Capsule, and never fail to get excited when she releases a new book. I wasn’t disappointed with The Paris Maid, which is another immersive read with characters who drew me in to their stories.

 

Paris is coming to the end of its Occupation, and I loved the sense of nervousness Ella created amid the excitement. The Resistance is active, many Germans have left Paris, but the Nazi’s have not given up. There are still arrests, French citizens are still hiding the allies, danger is all around. In the midst of this, the mysterious Louise keeps cleaning the rooms at the Ritz, rooms occupied by Nazi’s, by French long-term residents and others, hidden in plain sight. 

 

Many years later, for a family fractured by hidden truths, the question that needs to be answered is who was Louise? The maid who worked at the Ritz. The mother who hid her history from her daughters. The loving granny who Nicole misses now she is expecting her first child. As Nicole puts all her energies into reconnecting her family ties and untangling the lies, it was the dramatic twists in the plot that I really enjoyed. The surprise directions Louise’s story took kept me guessing, and discovering the truth as the emotional story revealed itself was a treat to look forward to at the end of the day.

 

If you enjoy the suspense of historical fiction set during The Occupation, I’m sure you will feel at home in the pages of The Paris Maid.

 

You can read my reviews of some of Ella’s previous novels here:

Paris Time Capsule

The House by the Lake

From a Paris Balcony

The Girl from Paris

The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue 

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Listen to a sample here

Ella Carey

 

Author Bio 

 

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets. 

 

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Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her Facebook page and on her website. 

 

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The Paris Maid by Ella Carey

 

Book review of Thanks for Sharing by Eleanor Tucker

Thanks for Sharing by Eleanor Tucker

Thanks for Sharing

In this fascinating book, Eleanor Tucker sets out a bold vision of how sustainable sharing can save us money, and lead to a happier future.

What is the Sharing Economy? How can it help us live more affordable, more sustainable, and ultimately more fulfilling lives?  What would happen if for one year a family pledged to share as much as they possibly can? Instead ofowning more and more stuff, what it’s like to stop owning things and borrow, lend, rent and swap instead?

These are big questions, but features writer Eleanor Tucker sets out to answer them in this thoroughly absorbing and entertaining guide to sustainable sharing, or as it is also known, 'collaborative consumption'.

In this engrossing study, Eleanor straps us into on her year-long experiment along with her somewhat reluctant family. Over the course of the year, with the aid of various sharing apps, they will pledge to buy as few new things as possible, instead relying on the power of sharing, lending, renting and borrowing to supply their needs.

Each chapter introduces a different type of sharing into her day to day life, from the little ‘things' (food, clothes) to the bigger ’things' (cars, furniture, the space around us), and shows how the growth of tech has revolutionized an age-old practice. 

The book contains best-for recommendations based around different types of sharing, to create an easily accessible shortcut into sharing.

Written with warm and relatable humour as well as a deeply-researched knowledge of the history of sharing, this unmissable guide could truly change the way you consume.

Thanks for Sharing by Eleanor Tucker

 

My Review

As someone who is going through a life phase where less is more in terms of stuff we own, I couldn’t wait to open this book and be informed and educated on the world of sustainable sharing. If, like me, peer-to-peer sharing is something you’ve vaguely heard of, but don’t quite understand, this book will tell you all you need to know.

 

What an eye-opener it was, full of great ideas and recounted with humour, as Eleanor does the hard work of trying and testing the various sharing apps available, encouraging us as she does so to widen our horizons, try before we buy, save money and make money. We have dabbled in some sharing schemes but learning the difference between real peer-to-peer, and companies who own a fleet of something (more often what we have used) that we rent out when needed, was just one thing this book taught me.

 

As well as the day-to-day life of a newly committed sharer, checking in on her apps to ensure she doesn’t miss a local bargain and working sharing in around family life, Eleanor also adds helpful Do and Don’t summery tables, and suggests apps available in UK, US/Canada and Australia. I was amazed at what could be shared, aside from rooms (Airbnb) and transport (cars, bicycles, scooters, car journeys (we have BlaBlaCar here in France for that)). Eleanor starts off with food sharing, where you find someone else to use up anything that might otherwise end up in the bin. Then she tries out clothing, including accessories like handbags and shoes, before moving on to dogs, furniture and home décor, but it doesn’t stop there. What I particularly enjoyed was the added viewpoints of the historians and experts, who basically reminded us that the app for your mobile phone might be new, but the concept of sharing goes way back.

 

Living in rural France, I am probably at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of what is available locally, (there is no way the planet would thank me for jumping in my car and driving a 45km round trip just to pick up a box of food that is destined for landfill) but I still learned a lot about this fascinating new/old way of living more sustainably. Apps are proving to be a way of connecting the community to the benefit of everyone, but again, this is not a new idea. One of the things we have lost in recent years is our sense of community and the norms of neighbours pulling together to borrow a cup of sugar, to take a meal to someone struggling (and avoid leftovers being thrown away) or to borrow items for special events. 

 

Owning and storing stuff that we rarely use weighs down our mental health, costs us money and is no good for the planet, so anything that helps towards a more sustainably way of living gets my vote.

 

You might like to read about my declutter challenge posts here and here. There is also an amusing story about Pearl’s experience with BlaBlaCar here.

 

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Eleanor Tucker

 

Author Bio 

 

Eleanor Tucker is a former advertising creative and features writer for The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, Marie Claire, and Psychologies, commentating on gender, society, sustainability, tech and lifestyle. She now writes, speaks, and advises startups all over the world on the sharing economy space.

 

She is on the board of the CBI council Sharing Economy UK, and also co-founded and chairs the committee of the Sharing Economy Global Summit. Passionate about the potential of online platforms to democratize, empower communities and help us live more sustainably. Elle advises on gig and sharing economy models – working internationally to help start-ups and scale-ups to launch, grow and thrive. Originally from Oxford in England, Eleanor was educated at Edinburgh University in Scotland, where she now lives with her husband and two young children. THANKS FOR SHARING is her first book.

 

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