Book review of A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

Late at night when I wander the streets of Paris, my thoughts turn to her… How do I tell her how I feel? Perhaps, I need to show her…

The pretty little streets of Montmartre are abuzz with a rumour. Apparently a mystery matchmaker, known only as ‘Paris Cupid’, has somehow helped the city’s most famous bachelor find love.

But old-fashioned romantic Lilou is staying very quiet. She’d just wanted to set up her best friend, and to get on with her life selling whimsical old love letters, in Paris’s famous St. Ouen market.

She hadn’t imagined her little Paris Cupid project could ever have attracted so many people looking for true, heartfelt romance. Though the truth is that Lilou adores helping people find the right person. Even if her own love life is nothing short of disastrous.

But then a message arrives. And it’s just for her. Someone is in love with her. Someone who knows her secret. But they’re keeping their own identity secret too… Could it be from cheerful, talkative, flame-haired Felix? Or quiet, beautifully handsome Benoit? Or even Pascale – who drives Lilou mad every day?

After so long of helping others find their soulmate, is it time for Lilou to find love of her own in Paris herself?

A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

My Review

Lilou was an easy character to fall in love with. Her day job involved delving into the past, sourcing and selling antique letters and diaries that shared intimate information and spoke of long-ago romances. She is old-fashioned enough to mourn the loss of the handwritten letter, yet up to date enough to set up an online dating service with a difference. Her idea is to take couples back to the slow and steady courtships found within the letters she sells, and she pours her heart into finding them the right match. Add in characters with charm and humour, as well as interesting secrets, all set not just in Paris, but in the antique paradise that is the St Ouen market, and I could happily have moved into the pages of this book and lived alongside them. As the story progresses, hearts are revealed and tantalising slowly, so is the mystery of the secret admirer.

A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

Every time I picked it up, I was wrapped in a warm fuzzy glow, whisked away from real life and could feel the smile playing on my lips. This has to be the most romantic book I’ve read in a long while, and yet there is barely a kiss.

If you need a romantic break to Paris this summer, start with this book, it’s another cracking read from Rebecca Raisin.

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Rebecca Raisin

About the author

Rebecca Raisin writes heartwarming romance from her home in sunny Perth, Australia. Her heroines tend to be on the quirky side and her books are usually set in exotic locations so her readers can armchair travel any day of the week. The only downfall about writing about gorgeous heroes who have brains as well as brawn, is falling in love with them – just as well they’re fictional. Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships and believe in true, once in a lifetime love. Her bestselling novel Rosie’s Travelling Tea Shop has been optioned for film with MRC studios and Frolic Media.

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A Love Letter to Paris by Rebecca Raisin

Waving farewell to a wild January

Coffee and croissants in Chef-Boutonne

Au revoir January

We have reached the last Sunday in January and I’m ready to bid it au revoir. Looking back in my diary I can’t quite believe what we have managed to fit in, although I guess being busy has helped the time pass quickly.

 

The January weather has treated us a bit of everything. We guessed the ferry crossing to Dieppe was going to be rough when we found a plentiful pile of sick bags in our cabin. It was a cacophony of booms, groans and creaks, rattles, crashes and lurches, but surprisingly calm cocooned in the dark of the cabin. The closer we got to France, the calmer the water and my mind. Back home, we’ve had torrential rain that left fields and ditches flooded and overflowing, hurricane Gérard who blew in with gale force winds of 100km/hour, and a week later, snow heavy enough to settle, although it didn’t hang around for too long. The only thing we have been missing are the cold and crisp days with blue skies and sunshine – our favourite winter days.

Brompton touring in Bristol

 

This year we are planning some sparkling adventures to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary, but can we succeed in getting away at least once a month for a cycling mini break? The maps are out, our Bromptons are fully loaded, and we plan to use them - with at least one cycle tour every month, whatever the weather, that must include at least one night away and at least one hundred kilometres of pedalling. Having spent three weeks in the UK over Christmas and New Year, we wasted no time in ticking off January’s challenge with a three night, one hundred-and nine-kilometre getaway in Bath and Bristol at the beginning of the month. We were blinded by bright sunlight on our way into Bath, soaked to the skin the following morning, tossed around by a stiff coastal wind in Portishead and cycled up lanes flowing like a river, but I can’t think of a better way to have started the year. It certainly beat what was waiting for us on our return to France.

 

The French health service is big on screening and now I’m in my (early) fifties, I’m on their lists. Last January it was the mammogram and ultra-sound, followed by a recall, as nothing is ever normal with me. Thankfully in March, after a bit more squishing and poking, I was given the all-clear. Before Dad was diagnosed with liver cancer, he’d had some polyps removed from his colon. Our doctor was adamant that this meant there would be no bowel cancer self-test to post off for me, so I was sent directly to a gastroenterologist and a colonoscopy was booked. Life got a bit hectic towards the latter part of last year, so I rearranged my October appointment, for January. What kind of idiot puts their bowel under scrutiny following three weeks of festive indulging with family? That would be me.

 

Within a week of returning home, I was following the dullest diet imaginable, avoiding all the foods I was craving, fruits, nuts, chickpeas, lentils, vegetables. It was almost more of a struggle to stomach than the cocktail of laxatives that was dinner the night before the proceedure, almost. I’m delighted to report my colon is in tip-top condition, scoring 9/9 on the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale, and there were no pesky polyps to deal with. I’m now the proud owner of a fab set of colour colon photos too, but I won’t share them here.

 

Ed performing at Chansons d'un Soir, Poitiers

 

It was a relief to get it over and done with, especially as we’d not met up with Ed and Pearl, or any of our local friends, to reduce the risk of catching covid. Ed came home to cook for us the day of the colonoscopy (isn’t he lovely), and this week we spent an evening with them in Poitiers, watching him perform at a music school event ‘Chansons d’un Soir’. You have no idea how proud I was, watching him playing the guitar and singing, switching effortlessly from French to English and back again.

Sunday dinner at Le Canton, Longré

 

Last weekend we belatedly celebrated Christmas with our friends, dining out at a local restaurant and following that with an afternoon of fun and games. Research suggests that in order to keep our brains active and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, socialising with friends, playing games, reading and writing are just as important as lifestyle choices of regular exercise, a healthy diet, not smoking and drinking alcohol in moderation. Seeing as we cycled to the lunch, which was delicious and sensibly portioned, I think we ticked all the boxes there.

 

We have also slipped back into the comforting routine of cycling to Chef-Boutonne for the Saturday morning market. It’s not the vibrant, bustling event of the summer, but the fresh air, rosy cheeks and meeting friends for coffee and croissants makes it the perfect way to start the weekend. 

The sun is shining today, so my fingers are crossed that February will be welcomed in with crisp, clear sunny days to put a smile on my face.

The magic of French markets

At the Saturday morning market in Chef-Boutonne

It’s early November and the Saturday morning market in Chef-Boutonne may be quieter than it’s been all summer, with the weekly live music sessions all but a faded memory, but it still has an important role to play for the locals. 

 

It has become a regular thing for our friends to cycle down to market and enjoy a catch-up chat, a coffee, and a croissant, but it was something that for us had to fit in around Saturdays working at the château. Now that the château’s doors are firmly closed until next March, and all I can do is keep my fingers crossed all winter, in the hope there will still be a need for an extra pair of hands and a bilingual tongue, it does mean I’ve now got more time to enjoy the market.

 

Typically, our friends had other plans for today; a social lunch at the village pizza restaurant, which we’d declined as we’d pigged out on burgers, chips and a café gourmand dessert selection in Poitiers with Ed and Pearl yesterday. This, coupled with hardly any kilometres cycled this week meant a pizza lunch wasn’t calorie-compatible with our regime. Plus, the weather, which had been wet and wild yesterday morning, was calm and sunny today, meaning we didn’t want to miss out on a bike ride into market.

Poitiers catch-up with Ed and Pearl

 

Within ten minutes of arriving, and before we’d even made it to the boulangerie for croissants to accompany our coffees, we had chatted to ten different people. They were a mix of French and English, some were friends from our village, some were people I’ve got to know from working at the library or the château, and others were just acquaintances. Mostly it was a quick bonjour, followed by a few words to catch up on life before another friendly face pulled them, or us, into a new conversation. One friend who we hadn’t seen for ages, joined us on the terrace of the bar and over a coffee in the sun we found the time for a catch up that has eluded us all summer. It couldn’t have been better planned, even if we’d tried.

 

It was our final encounter that was the most unexpected. As we sipped coffees and tried to capture every crumb of flaky croissant, a man approached our table, asking if I was Jacqui Brown. With a little trepidation, I confirmed that I was, and he then thanked me for the last blog post I’d written, saying how much he’d enjoyed it. Woah! Thank you, sir. Every friendly face we met this morning made my day, your kind words were the icing on the cake and just emphasised the magic of a morning spent at a French market. 

That feeling of belonging, of community and the deep-rooted tradition that French people have been making the time for each other like this for generations. It is humbling to think this is now part of my life too.

Weekend fun on the Brompton

 

Even with a strong headwind for the seven-kilometre return, I couldn’t help grinning as my legs turned the pedals and my lungs filled with fresh air.

It was nothing short of a perfect start to the weekend, although we did miss the usual banter from our cycling buddies. 

Lazy Sunday in France by author Marie Laval

A Paris Fairy Tale Marie Laval

Welcome to another Lazy Sunday in France where author Marie Laval is taking us to the Auvergne for the day. Originally from Lyon in France, Marie now lives in Lancashire with her family. She works full-time as a modern languages teacher and in her spare time she loves writing romance and dreaming about romantic heroes. 

She writes both historical and contemporary romance. Her historical romance The Lion’s Embrace won the Gold Medal at the Global Ebook Awards 2015 (category Historical Romance), and best-selling Little Pink Taxi was her debut romantic comedy novel with Choc Lit. 

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. Her native France, as well as her passion for history and research, very much influences her writing, and all her novels have what she likes to call ‘a French twist’!

Her latest romantic novel  A PARIS FAIRY TALE will be released on July 23^rd and available as a ebook and audiobook on Amazon and various other platforms. 

You can read my review of her novel A Spell in Provence here and her France et Moi interview here.

You can find out more about Marie on Facebook or Twitter.You can also find on Pinterest the many beautiful photos of Paris and illuminated manuscripts which inspired the writing of A Paris Fairy Tale.

A Lazy Sunday in Auvergne By Marie Laval

Two years ago I spent a wonderful holiday in La Crotte, a tiny hamlet in the Auvergne region, where my middle sister bought a ramshackle, rundown house which used to be a sheep fold. Whilst slowly doing the house up, she has learnt to live with the local wildlife (a family of dormouses  - of should it be dormice?) and insects (a bee colony in her loft one summer). She frequently sees boars and foxes around, and last winter, the police warned everybody not to leave their dogs or little children unsupervised outside as wolves have been sighted in the vicinity – yes, wolves!

I was won over by the beautiful countryside, picturesque villages and lovely chateaux (the region counts over 450, most of them private). If I could spend a lazy Sunday there again, this is what I would do…

Souvigny ©Marie Laval

         I would start with a stroll in Souvigny, a quiet and unspoilt little town with winding streets lined with medieval and Renaissance houses, including the ruined former palace of the Bourbons. After a spot of shopping in the ‘Herboristerie’, I would visit the impressive Priory Church of Saint-Peter and Saint-Paul. According to a local legend, the church was built by fairies in just one night, and when a local milkmaid saw it emerge from the morning mist, she was so shocked she was instantly changed into stone. 

Souvigny gardens ©Marie Laval

         What I loved the most when I visited Souvigny were the priory gardens, designed according to the capitulary De Villis, edited by Charlemagne in the beginning of the 9th century, which recommended the plantation of 90 plants known for their medicinal properties in monastic and laymen's gardens. 

         The gardens are a riot of scents and colours. We found garlic, roses, tansy, common sage, mustard, marigolds, leek, carrots, parsley, muskmelon, cardoon, coriander, cucumber, tarragon, rocket, parsnip, radishes, sage, burdock, flax, mallow, chicory, lettuce, to name but a few! I would love to send time there on my lazy Sunday. You can find more information about Souvigny here.

  

Montaigu-le-Blin ©Marie Laval

       The second place where I would stop on my lazy Sunday would be Montaigu-le-Blin, a delightful village boasting a medieval castle, several bourgeois houses (‘maisons de maître’), a tiny Roman church, and a ancient wood with two ‘magic’ stones, named God’s Font and the Devil’s Font. The village square is a listed site with over 143 chestnut, oak, lime trees, many of them dating from the early nineteenth century. 

The village also has two renowned auberges on opposite ends of the square, but as they are very expensive, I would leave Montaigu and have lunch in one of the many small restaurants which offer cheap but delicious ‘menus ouvriers’ (workmen’s menus). 

    

Charlie-Cintrat ©Marie Laval

     There are so many other places worth visiting in the area, especially if, like me, you like chateaux – for example, the chateau of La Palice with its fascinating history (more information about it here) and the charming Renaissance chateau de Chareil-Cintrat, set amongst ancient vineyards which boasts unique wall paintings (more information about it here). This chateau was the inspiration for the fictional Chavigny, which features in my latest romantic novel A PARIS FAIRY TALE. 

        

Market shopping ©Marie Laval

 I would definitely stop at a local outdoor market to buy fruit, pastries and crusty bread for the evening meal before returning to La Crotte and enjoying an ‘apéritif’ and the tranquillity of my sister’s garden. Although all is not always so peaceful in La Crotte… and this is why.

         The first evening of my last visit, we were having a drink in the garden when there a cacophony of honking erupted in the quiet evening.    ‘What on earth is that?’ I asked. 

My sister smiled and answered that it was the gaggle of geese who lived on her (eccentric) neighbour’s small holding nearby. ‘It’s the same every evening, you’ll get used to it,’ she said. ‘However, there’s something else you must get used to…’

‘What do you mean?’

         I didn’t have to wait long to find out. The chugging sounds of a steam train soon echoed all around us and I almost dropped my glass of rosé in shock. 

‘But you said that the train line wasn’t in use any longer,’ I said to my sister, who laughed and explained that it wasn’t a real train but a CD another neighbour played most nights to retaliate for the honking of the geese.

         ‘It’s like war,’ my sister said. ‘The neighbour puts her CD player in the garden and pushes the volume to the maximum. You’ll get used to it…’

         My sister informed me recently that the feud between her two neighbours had not yet been resolved. It is therefore safe to assume that on my lazy Sunday at her place I would be treated once again to the sounds of steam train – unless the angry neighbour picked another CD from her collection of annoying noises, such as rutting stags or Formule One racing cars (yes, she has them too). 

         However, whilst there is still daylight, I would end my lazy Sunday with a stroll down the lane to say goodnight to the donkeys who live in the nearby field, before probably enjoying another glass of rosé wine before bedtime.  

         I hope you enjoyed my lazy Sunday in the Auvergne. I cannot recommend this beautiful and unspoilt area too much.

A PARIS FAIRY TALE

Released on 23rd July.

Is Paris the city of happily ever afters?
Workaholic art historian Aurora Black doesn’t have time for fairy tales or Prince Charmings, even in the most romantic city in the world. She has recently been hired by a Parisian auction house for a job that could make or break her career. Unfortunately, daredevil journalist Cédric Castel seems intent on disrupting Aurora’s routine.
As Aurora and Cédric embark on a journey across France, they get more than they bargained for as they find themselves battling rogue antiques dealers and personal demons, not to mention a growing attraction to each other.
But with the help of a fairy godmother or two, could they both find their happily ever afters? 

Lazy Sunday in France, a trip to Melle market

Welcome to another Lazy Sunday in France, where today I am taking you to one of my favourite local markets. 

Dappled shade at Melle market

The Friday morning market in our local town of Melle used to be a regular feature for us, until three years ago when Ed started at the lycée there. Having driven the 50km round trip on a Monday morning to get him to school, then again on Tuesday evening to collect him for his guitar lesson in Celles-sur-Belle, then back in on Wednesday for another music lesson and once more on a Friday afternoon to collect him from school, an additional drive for market on a Friday morning didn’t seem very appealing.

Blue sky and clock tower at Melle market

This week however, Adrian was at home, the sun was shining, and I had an unexpected morning off work, (having swapped my Friday morning for a Wednesday morning) which gave me a nice four-day weekend, and I felt like I was on holiday. We decided to treat ourselves to a wander around Melle market and I’m so glad we did, I’ve missed it.

Inside the Melle market halle

Melle is classified as a Petite Cité de Caractère, a status that is generally awarded to towns, often in rural areas, that have buildings of historical interest, but that over the years have seen a reduction in their administrative function along with the population decline and reduced funding for their heritage that goes along with this. Melle has three magnificent Romanesque churches, is a major point on the Chemin de St Jacques pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostelle in Spain and a very pretty market town that is defiantly worth a visit. 

Organic wholewheat pasta at Melle market

I hope you enjoy these photos taken on our stroll around market on Friday morning.

Coffee and patisserie at Café Boulevard in Melle

If you would like to be involved in a future Lazy Sunday in France post, maybe you are a writer, a blogger or run an independent business in France and have something you think would be ideal to be included, please do get in touch.

The French Market Cookbook by Clotilde Dusoulier

The French Market Cookbook by Clotilde Dusoulier

My review today is for The French Market Cookbook by Clotilde Dusoulier, who is also author of the great blog Chocolate and Zucchini.

This cookbook concentrates on vegetarian recipes; with a French twist and that highlight seasonal produce. My perfect cookbook, and from the beginning there was a lot to like about it, so here are just a few of my highlights:

• Clotilde includes recipes from all over France and she thoughtfully gives a personal introduction to each dish, sharing why she likes it and where it comes from. She also adds in snippets of her Parisian life, which I enjoyed reading about. 
• Split into seasons, Clotilde begins each section with a list of the produce we should be concentrating on at different times of year, before selecting seasonal dishes to make the best of them.
• I could almost taste many of her dishes, just from reading her description of the flavours, and the photos made my mouth water. 
• There was so much choice and flavour; I didn’t miss the meat at all.
• Clotilde includes her measurements in cups and grams, for which I thank her. Coming from the UK, I grew up using Mums scales in lbs and oz and now happily use grams, but cups I’m afraid remain a mystery to me.

 

Savoury Pumpkin and Cornmeal Quick Bread

After a good few hours browsing I had a list of fourteen Must Try recipes and all of them looked simple and very tasty. The only problem I found was which one to try first. In the end it was the Savoury Pumpkin and Cornmeal Quick Bread. It was an easy to follow recipe that worked first time, even though I was new to baking cornbread, and it was delicious. I can also recommend the Cauliflower Gratin with Turmeric and Hazelnuts. Made with the fresh cauliflower I purchased at our village market, it was delicious and comforting.

I know I will get a lot of use from this book as so many of the ingredients are ones we grow, or are lucky enough to be able to buy from small local producers. Every time I pick it up it whets my appetite. The combination of easy to follow recipes and great flavours makes me a happy cook.

This book would be perfect if you are looking for fresh, tasty ideas as you make the move away from eating too much meat and trying to cook with the seasons.

 

Edible French by Clotilde Dusoulier

In addition to my review of The French Market Cookbook, I just had to tell you about Edible French, also by Clotilde Dusolier, that I recently treated myself to on kindle. This beautifully illustrated little book explains some of the edible idioms of the French language.

 

Illustrations by
Mélina Josserand

In France there are lots of expressions that include the use of food and in this short book (published following a series of blog posts Clotilde wrote on Chocolate and Zucchini) she introduces us to fifty of them. In addition, each one is beautifully illustrated, (even in the kindle version) by watercolour artist Mélina Josserand.

Clotilde translates them, explains their meanings and teaches us their origins. Some translate to a similar saying in English; some are very French and for some Clotilde includes recipes too.

I really enjoyed learning some new sayings and having fun with the French language through this book.

You can read Clotilde’s blog Chocolate and Zucchini here and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

September arrives once again

Back to school photo 2016

Farewell to another summer, the longest summer we have had in France. Ed finished lycée on 8^th June, twelve whole weeks ago, which was fantastic, but I only hope he will remember how to study. His suitcase has lain half packed on his bedroom floor for a few days and we will soon be back into the routine of dropping him off early on a Monday morning, collecting him on a Friday afternoon and washing his clothes and bedding all weekend.

This August has been the hottest, sunniest and driest we have experienced in twelve years of living here and it was with some trepidation we opened the shutters this morning. Adrian has a theory that the weather on the first day of a new month has an affect on the rest of the month. We were really hoping for blue sky rather than rain clouds, allowing us to carry on with our summer cycling routine, rather than accept Autumn is here.

 

Charentais melons at market

It was perfect. Warm, no wind and although sunny, not too hot either. Leaving Ed to enjoy his last weekday lie in, we set off to market, by bike. It is at this time of year that the Charentais melons are at their best and luckily Adrian is happy to carry four in his bike pannier. Even an extra one, popped in as a cadeaux by the stallholder wasn't a problem. 

Coffee at the Auberge du Cheval Blanc, Brioux-sur-Boutonne

Next stop was the boulangerie stall for two croissants, then on to the Auberge duCheval Blanc for a coffee and catch up with the friendly owner. Market day is a great day to people watch; the older lady with her old bike, complete with wicker shopping basket tied to the back, the stall holders planning a beer together after market, the never ending queue of patient shoppers at the fish stall and the cyclist with two baguettes poking out of his backpack. I can only hope the weather stays good enough for us to continue cycling to market every week.

Much as I dislike la rentrée (back to school/work), I do think September makes a better new year than January. I'm ready to turn over a new page and set some goals in much the same way Ed is ready to return to school. Life as a weekly boarder at the intern is what he says he has missed most this summer, but it's my home cooking that he says he’s going to miss now he's back at school.

Having dropped Ed off, Adrian and I will enjoy a quiet meal for two this evening, with a Charentais melon starter and glass or two of wine, to toast what has been and will continue to be another great summer.

This post has been linked to #AllAboutFrance at Lou Messugo blog. 

Traditional Marais Poitevin market

Following our second night of storms we awoke this morning to a clear blue sky and a fresh day, even if it was a little damp underfoot. I'm not a fan of storms and I'd even go as far as to say that if I was a pet dog I would be one who cried, whimpered and needed to be consoled in your bed during a storm, unlike our Mini who thankfully doesn't notice them.

We packed the bikes and a picnic and set off nice and early for one of our favourite places, the Marais Poitevin. This is a marshland area between La Rochelle and Niort that is a maze of tiny waterways, footpaths and cycle tracks that always provides a quiet and peaceful day out. However today in the small village of Le Vanneau the Marais was packed as the crowds arrived to join in the annual market held in the traditional way, on the water. 

We had a lovely time, bought a few tasty goodies, including a very mature goats cheese that we ate with our picnic on the banks of the river. We also cycled a 28km bike ride through pretty villages, past fields of creamy cattle, herons on the bank and with the air heavy with scent following the rain last night. Here are few photos of the market that is always held on the last Saturday morning in July.

The boulangerie barque

Vendors on the river

Decorated barque

Le Vanneau traditional market

Traditional dancing