Book review One Moment at Sunrise by Karen Aldous

One Moment at Sunrise by Karen Aldous

One Moment at Sunrise by Karen Aldous

Synopsis: Escape to the south of France with the irresistibly compelling new story from Karen Aldous – the only book you’ll need this summer!

Nothing will ever be the same again…

One Moment at Sunrise

Evie Grant has spent two years hidden away in a quiet French village, longing to escape her beautiful villa with its blue-shuttered windows. Maybe this summer, the father of her child will keep his broken promises and return to whisk her away to another life. One way or another, Evie’s determined to stop feeling like his dirty little secret…

Yet when a mysterious stranger almost knocks Evie off her bicycle early one morning, her world begins to change in ways she never expected. Embarking on a painful journey of self-discovery, Evie begins to face her darkest fears and shatter her fragile dreams. But can she ever truly break free from her gilded cage and learn to love again?

My Review

This book is a good mix of smouldering passion and romance, with interesting history snippets and the serious issues of life in a controlling relationship. It begins with sunrise on the Canal du Midi in France and Evie is furious. Her emotions are out of control as she peddles away her frustrations, when suddenly it is her bike that is out of control and that leads to a chance meeting with Ben, the catalyst to dramatic changes in her life. Ben is a filmmaker, in the area to shoot his film about the remarkable construction of the Canal du Midi, and also the cause of her accident. Her close encounter with Ben awakens the spark of life that had been missing since her famous partner Seb had her hidden away from the world. Evie and their daughter Charlotte are his dirty secret, kept shut away in rural France with no control over her life. There is a real dark side to this novel and nothing likable about her partner Seb, right from the beginning of the book and things just get worse as the story moves on.

Evie is an independent woman, like many of the main characters found in Karen’s novels, but she has to learn to become strong, find herself and create a safe future for Charlotte. It takes the shock of her accident and meeting Ben for her to discover this. With Ben and Evie there are sparks of passion, this is a chick-lit after all, but the risks are too great for either of them and their feelings just have to simmer. When another crisis hits Evie and she finds herself alone and trapped she learns to think for herself and she awakens after almost three years of dormancy – a modern day sleeping beauty, awaiting the kiss from her prince. Is she strong enough to break free from Seb, what will he do and how far will he go to keep in control?

There is a secondary plot to this novel that adds another level of interest, the history of the Canal du Midi and the peasant women from the Pyrenees mountains whose knowledge of diverting and channelling water to their mountain villages was used to help in its construction, although their story remains largely unknown. Having holidayed near Beziers, some of the place names were familiar, but Karen’s writing meant I found it easy to visualise the Canal, life along it and the canal side cafés. I also enjoyed learning about these strong women from history.

This novel is a great holiday romance that includes family drama, hurt and deceit, but where love shows its true strength in the end.

About Karen Aldous: 

Karen Aldous

Karen Aldous enjoys village life on the edge of the north-downs in Kent with easy access to the buzz of London. Not only does she love the passive pleasures of reading and writing, she also craves the more active pursuits with her family and friends such as walking, cycling and skiing especially when they involve food and wine!

Karen gets much of her inspiration from her travels and if she had to choose, France, Greece, Switzerland, Italy and the USA would be her favourites. However, wherever she goes, she discovers a new character emerges in 'Karen's World'. She likes to write about strong independent women who can direct their own lives - but struggle to control them! And, of course there's always a gorgeous hunk or two! 

You can follow Karen on social media via the links below:

Goodreads

Website

Twitter

Giveaway

Just click on the Rafflecopter link below to be in with a chance of winning a £15 Amazon Voucher and a copy of the book as first prize and a copy of the book as second prize. Good luck!

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Blog Tour One Moment at Sunrise by Karen Aldous

One Moment At Sunrise will be released on 18th April 2016 and along with the other novels by Karen is available in ebook format from Amazon UK and Amazon US 

Don't forget to pop back here on Friday where I will be interviewing Karen for my France et Moi feature.