Book review of Sister's Behaving Badly by Maddie Please

I am back in Brittany for a second book review this week – lucky me, it’s been like having a mini-break from the comfort of my favourite armchair. 

Sister's Behaving Badly by Maddie Please

 

Sisters Behaving Badly by Maddie Please

 

Sisters Kitty and Jenny haven’t spoken since a very disappointing Carvery lunch. Kitty, sixty-two, thinks Jenny is turning grey. Jenny, sixty-six, thinks Kitty needs to grow up!

So when both sisters inherit a farmhouse in rural France, it gives them the perfect chance to heal the rift between them. Except the farmhouse is a wreck, the garden is terrorized by a flock of chickens, not to mention a donkey with a serious flatulence problem!

Kitty is determined to enjoy herself, especially when she meets gorgeous French builder, Leo. Ooh la – la! And Jenny finds the fully stocked wine cellar helps enormously with missing horrible husband Paul – hic!

And as the two sisters begin to repair their fragile friendship, they discover that being bad is actually very good for the soul.

Sister's Behaving Badly Maddie Please

 

My review

 

Sisters Jenny and Kitty are very different. Fun-loving Kitty has a string of failed marriages; sensible Jenny has been with husband Paul for over thirty years. Forced to spend time together in Brittany, they have a lot of work ahead of them in this book, which neatly combines multiple storylines and all sorts of relationship dramas - lots of action to keep the pages turning.

 

As they battle the dust of a renovation project and the weeds of the unkempt garden they have inherited from Aunt Sheila, they can’t ignore the need to rebuild their once-close relationship. Pausing only to sip from a decent bottle of Sheila’s French wine, they start the soul-searching process of unpicking their past mistakes, understanding each other and looking to where the future will take them. 

 

The characters in this book often made me smile, despite the fact some of the situations were anything but funny. I warmed to Kitty immediately and the more I discovered about Jenny’s family life, the more I felt for her too. Life’s not always plain sailing, but there are plenty of entertaining moments cleverly crafted into the story as they try to cope with events that are often outside their comfort zones. I especially enjoyed the hilarious antics of the assorted animals (and Frenchmen) they seem to pick up along the way. 

 

This book was a dream read and the more I read, the more I loved it. I enjoyed the family dramas, the French magic, the humour and the love (in all its forms) that shines through. Add in a well-described location, a few handy and rather dashing locals, plus some tasty regional food treats, and this book had a lot to offer me.

 

I rarely quote from a book, but I think we could all do with remembering this simple, but powerful quote:

 

“It is never too late to be happy, to fall in love, to change things.”

 

If you need a pick-me-up book to keep you entertained now the nights are drawing in, I can recommend Sister’s Behaving Badly. I will be looking out for more books by Maddie Please.

 

Purchase Link 

 

Amazon

 

Maddie Please

Author Bio   

 

Maddie Please is the author of four bestselling romantic comedies, having had a career as a dentist and now lives in rural Devon where she enjoys box sets, red wine and Christmas. She will be taking a new direction in her writing for Boldwood with joyous tales of older women.

Sister's Behaving Badly Maddie Please

 

Social Media Links

  

Facebook   

Twitter   

Instagram 

Newsletter Sign Up Link     

Bookbub profile 

 

Sister's Behaving Badly Maddie Please

Book review of All That We have Lost by Suzanne Fortin

All That We Have Lost by Suzanne Fortin

My review today is for All That We Have Lost by Suzanne Fortin, a dual timeline novel set in a small village in Brittany. 

 

In alternating chapters, we follow two very different women as they cope with life-changing events. Eighteen-year-old Simone is angry at the hardships her family are forced to cope with under the German occupation during the Second World War. Her brother Pierre is ill, but they don’t have the money to pay for the doctor’s visits or the medicine required. There is little food for her mother to sell in her shop and everyone is hungry, except the German soldiers who have taken over her village. 

 

In the present day, young widow Imogen forces herself to learn to live again, as she takes the brave decision to realise the French dream she shared with her husband. While searching for a simple cottage in Brittany, an abandoned chateau steals her heart, but the more she tries to discover about its history and the fire that destroyed part of it, the more the locals shut her out. 

 

The characters in this book were strong and likable, with many of them surprising me as the stories progressed. Simone had difficult decisions to make, including knowing who she could trust, but her loyalty, independence and fighting spirit were what shone out for me. Imogen also needed to learn who to trust and whose stories to believe as she attempted to discover the dark secrets surrounding the chateau. Imogen’s character won my heart from the beginning, and I was as intrigued by Laurent’s story and air of mystery in the present day, as I was by what would happen to Simone in 1944. 

 

I am a big fan of dual timeline, and this book ticked all the boxes for me. Each chapter gave just enough to draw me in deeper, before switching me back to the other storyline. It was one of those books that kept me guessing and quite quickly I reached the dilemma of not wanting to put it down, but not wanting to rush through it either. The benefit of a well-written dual timeline is that it draws out the enjoyment longer and this book was a very good at that.

 

In places this book is heart-breaking, in others, heart-warming and it left me with a huge smile on my face.

 

If you enjoy historical fiction and love a book with a good pinch of French magic for the broken hearted, I am sure this book will be a great accompaniment to a cosy autumn evening.

  

An Autumn ride from Aigre to Angouleme

Angouleme at sunset

November arrives in a flurry of changes

They say a change is as good as a rest, but so much has changed, in such a short space of time, that I’m finding it exhausting. 

 

We have said goodbye to October, which means my four-month contract working at the library is over, and the clocks have changed. It still amazes me how sensitive my body clock is to just a one-hour time adjustment and the gloomy early evenings really haven’t helped my mood. The first few days without the routine of work were busy, but then my motivation deserted me. I cleaned out the fridge, Adrian defrosted one of the freezers and we battled the crowds to do the weekly shop, foolishly thinking that as Lidl had decided to open all day on a public holiday, we’d be the only ones there – wrong – I’ve not seen a supermarket so crowded since life pre-Covid. I baked a cake, made a couple of batches of soup and tried my best to plan some exciting meals using food we’ve found in the freezer. I’ve got books to read and lists of jobs to do, yet for now, nothing seems quite as appealing as serving customers at the library.

Autumn colours

 

Even without this huge change to my daily routine, November and December are my least favourite months of the year and it’s always been a challenge to keep my mind focussed. The weather has been changeable too, the sun has shone, the wind has blown, and the rain has poured down, sometimes all at once, but we’ve enjoyed the autumn colours on dog walks and bike rides.

 

Our studio apartment in Angouleme

Aigre to Angouleme

As a pick-me-up to take my mind off the end of my library work, we did manage to escape for an overnight mini adventure. The plan had been to finish work at lunchtime and cycle the sixty kilometres from home to Angouleme, enjoy a meal out, stay the night and then return the following day. Short, but sweet, however, things don’t always quite go to plan. 

Bright and breezy Autumn days in the Charente

Despite checking the weather forecast before making the last-minute booking, what looked like a breezy, dry, two days had changed for the worse by the day we left. The breeze had become a headwind of thirty to forty kilometres an hour, with bright sunshine, on day one and the return was looking to be wet and wild with stronger gusts of wind. They do say there is no such thing as bad weather, just badly equipped cyclists, however low autumn sun combined with wind creates flickering leaves and shadows, which is particularly risky for my photosensitive epilepsy. To say Adrian was concerned with me attempting a sixty-kilometre ride in these conditions was an understatement, so we took the disappointing decision to take the car part of the way in order to reduce the risk of an incident.  

A Charente village cemetery for All Souls Day

 

I can’t deny it was hard work battling into the wind, but the autumn colours were beautiful as we passed through villages, churches, cemeteries and vineyards. The villages may have been quiet, but the cemeteries were busy as family members placed colourful potted chrysanthemums on the graves for All Saints/All Souls Day. 

Sunset in Angouleme

The benefit of only having a forty-kilometre ride meant we’d arrived at our town centre AirBnB with plenty of time to wander around Angouleme in the daylight, catch a dramatic sunset and treat ourselves to an outdoor apero before dinner. 

 

Angouleme street art

Angouleme is a pretty town to walk around, with an impressive cathedral, a town hall that looks like a fairy tale castle, and superb views over the ramparts. It is home to an annual bande dessinée (comic book) festival and I especially love the themed wall art decorating entire building facades around the town. The apero treat soon turned into an eye-opening experience that was equally shocking and terrifying. To find ourselves amidst so many people out socialising, many in large groups, the students all greeting each other with multiple (unmasked) cheek kisses, almost made me run back to the sanctuary of our quiet rural village life. 

 

Le Bruleau Charentais restaurant Angouleme

We ate at Le Bruleau Charentais, a small, family-run traditional restaurant where the speciality is steak cooked on an open-fire, in full view of the diners. Most of their produce is locally sourced. For a grand total of fifty-five euros, we enjoyed a glass each of the local Pineau aperitif with a shared charcuterie platter, followed by entrecote steaks served with chips and a half litre of house red wine. This was our second visit here and easily lived up to our experience two years ago.

 

Breakfast in Angouleme market

Breakfast the following day was coffee and a croissant in the (almost deserted) covered market, surrounded by the deliciousness of the fresh produce. We made our escape before the rain started and although we’d lost the clear blue skies and sunshine of the day before, it was still a lovely cycle, criss-crossing the river Charente and returning to the car in Aigre, damp, but not as soaked as we’d feared.

 

River Charente in Autumn 

New beginnings

With a clearer head and an empty diary, the time has come to plan the next step in the adventure that is life. My dream job might belong to someone else, but I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to look after it for her this summer. Life is too short not to make every day count, something that hit home this week when I learned of the sudden death of someone who had been a good friend to us since we moved to France. Her enthusiasm for life was contagious and over the years she taught me so much about French food, culture and the language, as well as sharing her gardening and sewing skills. If it wasn’t for her, I’d probably still only be able to speak French in the present tense. 

RIP Fatima

RIP Fatima. You were colourful, kind and caring, and lived life at such a fast pace, finding photos of you where you aren’t blurred in movement, or talking, was a challenge.

 

Lazy Sunday in France with author Alison Morton

Author Alison Morton by the Loire, #LazySundayinFrance

This week saw the release of book two in the Mélisende Thriller series by local Poitou-Charentes author Alison Morton (read my review here), and I’m delighted that Alison is joining me today with a #LazySundayinFrance guest post. 

 

Not only has Alison given us an insight into a typical Sunday for her main character Mel, she has also let us see how she spends her Sundays at home in the north of the Deux-Sèvres department.

 

Double Pursuit by Alison Morton, book two in the Mélisende thriller series

Lazy Sunday, eh?

 

The heroine in my new series, Mélisende des Pittones, known as Mel to her friends, would be up at seven (a lie-in from her weekday six a.m.), go for a run in her home woods in Poitou, shower, eat a healthy breakfast of eggs, yoghurt and fruit. Next, she’d leap up from the table, then cycle or walk to see a friend for a chat over a cup of coffee, eat a salad lunch, catch up on her emails and social media, help her mother in the garden, read a book, go out with friends later, probably including dancing at some time in the evening. If she has a boyfriend/lover at the time, she’ll spend the rest of the evening/night with him, and we know what that means. This will re-energise her for the rest of the week.

 

Poitou countryside, home to Mélisende des Pittones, photo Alison Morton

I feel exhausted reading that, but she is just thirty and as a member of the French Army, pretty fit. I’m several decades older than her and my British Army days are a distant memory. A bad back and dodgy foot put me a world away from Mel’s. 

 

So, back to reality… A cup of tea in bed about eight-ish, half-wakes me up, then I read on my Kindle, check my phone, get totally diverted by some cat video or weird historical post on Facebook. After dragging myself out of my pit, I bumble through a shower and stagger to the kitchen for coffee and muesli, sometimes toast. 

Alison's geraniums

 

I look out of the window and experience guilt. The garden is a mess; burnt grass, weeds in the herb garden, shrivelled up flower heads. On with the old jeans and top. Down to the basement for the old trainers dotted with paint dribbles (euphemistically called my gardening shoes). A quick whip round with the secateurs deadheading geraniums and a few weeds pulled out between the herbs. Bash my head on a branch of the olive tree, but the autumn sun shows up how bountiful the olives are this year.

 

Oh, there’s my neighbour, son of a farmer. We chat. He’s a proper French gardener with a beautiful allotment-like vegetable garden laid out in neat rows; strawberries, beans, tomatoes, herbs, potatoes, leeks, lettuce, courgettes – the whole banana. Well, no bananas; we are in the Deux-Sèvres, not the Côte d’Azur.

 

Out comes his wife to join in the chat and we solve all the world’s problems. Easy.

 

Lunch is home-cooked accompanied by a glass of white wine; red at midday makes me fall asleep. Afterwards, we might indulge in an amble through the local fields. If it’s raining, and there really isn’t a good film on the television, I go down to our basement office and sigh at the state of it. I promptly turn round, switch off the light and go back upstairs. If it’s not too chilly or too hot, I sit on the patio and read a book. 

 

Sometimes we go out! It’s been a bit awkward for eating lunch in a restaurant during the pandemic, but a stroll along the Loire or through a château town like Montreuil-Bellay makes a pleasant afternoon. Simple things like watching the ripple of water or running your hand over stone worked five hundred years ago and warmed by sunshine have a lot going for them.

In the evening, I may type a few words of the latest book, but I tend to leave that until Monday morning. Time for another glass of wine. As we say here, c’est le weekend!

 

Lazy Sunday in France for French Village Diaries 

©alisonmorton2021

 

Double Pursuit by Alison Morton

You might also like to read:

My review of Double Pursuit

My review of Double Identity 

My ‘From the Writing Desk’ interview with Alison Morton.

 

You can connect with Alison, or follow her, on her thriller site, Facebook author page, Twitter, writing blog, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon and sign up to her newsletter.        

 

 

Buying links for Double Pursuit 

Kindle 

Kobo 

Apple 

B&N Nook 

Books2Read 

Book review of Double Pursuit by Alison Morton

Double Pursuit by Alison Morton

Double Pursuit by Alison Morton

 

Synopsis

She’s hunting arms smugglers. But who is hunting her?

 

One dead body, two badly injured operatives and five crates of hijacked rifles. 

 

In Rome, former French special forces intelligence analyst Mélisende des Pittones is frustrated by obnoxious local cops and ruthless thugs. Despite the backing of the powerful European Investigation and Regulation Service, her case is going nowhere. Then an unknown woman tries to blow her head off.

 

As Mel and fellow investigator Jeff McCracken attempt to get a grip on the criminal network as well as on their own unpredictable relationship, all roads point to the place she dreads – the arid and remote African Sahel – where she was once betrayed and nearly died. Can Mel conquer her fear as she races to smash the network and save her colleague’s life?

 

Double Pursuit by Alison Morton

My review

Having enjoyed Double Identity, the first book in the Mélisende thriller series, I was looking forward to returning to her action-packed life in Double Pursuit and I wasn’t disappointed.

 

This book is fast paced from the beginning as Mel and her colleagues continue to investigate the arms smuggling network they attempted to break in book one. In Rome, not only are there dead bodies replacing contacts at each rendez-vous point, but her team are in danger too. In Brussels, she is the one under fire, and as she makes her way to Strasbourg and the south of France, she is being followed. In London, it is only her quick thinking that saves her and Jeff from attack. With her team reduced in numbers and more questions than answers, Mel is in the unusual place of feeling one-step behind a ruthless enemy.

 

I loved the international chase in this book, and the adrenaline and excitement of not knowing where it would take me, or what would happen next, meant I sometimes forgot to breathe. There was rivalry and hostility, but ultimately cooperation, between many agencies and units, but I was never quite sure who to trust. There is a little bit inside of me who would love to be as fearless, strong and clever as Mel, but I’m not sure I could cope with the adrenaline or danger of her life. For all her strengths and ability to think clearly in a crisis, this book also showed her vulnerability, and the real test came when the enemy targeted her weak spot. I never doubted her, but with a climax so personal, I wasn’t quite sure who would have coolest head at the end of the chase.

 

This was a great read and sufficiently different to many of my usual books, that it refreshed my mind and awakened my senses. 

 

If you are looking for a bit of action and a series of books that make you think, I’m sure you’ll love Double Identity and Double Pursuit.

 

Buying links

 

 

Kindle 

Kobo 

Apple 

B&N Nook 

Books2Read 

 

Alison Morton

About the Author 

Alison Morton writes award-winning thrillers featuring tough but compassionate heroines. Her nine-book Roma Nova series is set in an imaginary European country where a remnant of the ancient Roman Empire has survived into the 21^st century and is ruled by women who face conspiracy, revolution and heartache but with a sharp line in dialogue. 

 

She blends her deep love of France with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, historical and thriller fiction. On the way, she collected a BA in modern languages and an MA in history.  

 

Alison now lives in Poitou in France, the home of the heroine of her latest two contemporary thrillers, Double Identity and Double Pursuit. Oh, and she’s writing the next Roma Nova story.

 

Social media links

Connect with Alison on her thriller site 

Facebook author page 

Twitter     

Alison’s writing blog 

Instagram 

Goodreads  
Alison’s Amazon page 

Newsletter sign-up 

 

Alison will be joining me back on the blog tomorrow with a Lazy Sunday in France guest post. 

 

You might also like to read:

My review of Double Identity 

My ‘From the Writing Desk’ interview with Alison Morton.

 

Book review of Sophie Valroux's Paris Stars by Samantha Vérant

Sophie Valroux's Paris Stars by Samantha Vérant

Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars by Samantha Vérant

 

In the first book in this series, The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux, we left chef Sophie at the chateau in rural France she had inherited from her Grand-mère Odette (you can read my review here). A lot had changed in her life, in a short time, but I was hopeful she had found herself, and her home in France, and I was looking forward to following her adventures once more. 

 

Right from the start of Sophie Valroux’s Paris Stars, the changes and surprises continue to come at her thick and fast, and she finds herself pulled in different directions, leaving her unsure as to where her dreams lie. To take her mind off the grief of losing her Grand-mère, and her inner fears of settling down with her childhood sweetheart Remi, she throws herself into work at the chateau. 

 

It was great to be back in her kitchen, where I could almost smell and taste the dishes she lovingly creates – warning, this book should not be read on an empty stomach – but I was a little sad that she didn’t seem as happy and settled with her new life as she wanted to be. 

 

With her reputation spreading far beyond rural France, it wasn’t long before an offer to cook at a celebrity event in Paris arrives. With the backing of her team, but against Remi’s wishes, she knows she must focus on Paris, despite the many challenges. Sophie still has a lot to learn about herself, her Grand-mère, and Remi, but will Paris offer her the answers she is looking for? I have to say, I was with Remi here, shouting at the pages as if I could influence her decisions, although I did enjoy the glamour and drama Paris provided. 

 

This is a book that is easy to get stuck into, with great fun characters who left me with a huge smile on my face, as well as feeling like I was part of their chateau family. 

The sense of loyalty is heart-warming, the passion and emotions breath-taking, the food descriptions delicious; it tickled my tastebuds and so much more. 

We all need a luxury break from reality every now and then and this book gave me that. Now the nights are drawing in, I recommend treating yourself to a bit of escapism and fun in France with chef Sophie and her team. 

 

Samantha Vérant has also published two memoirs about her extraordinary love affair with France and her Frenchman.

 

Read my reviews here:

Seven Letters from Paris

How to Make a French Family

 

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux

 

Read Samantha’s France et Moi interview here 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

A Year in Provence with Carol Drinkwater

Cosy Sunday nights in with A Year in Provence with Carol Drinkwater

A Year in Provence TV series with actress and writer Carol Drinkwater

 

The changing of the seasons has brought with it cold and clear morning commutes to work, lit with sunrises that hold so much promise for warm, sunny days - perfect for drying the washing. Knowing what to wear to keep warm first thing, but not overheat later is proving tricky, and digging out my winter wardrobe has just added to my already huge to-do list. As we approach another well-needed weekend, I just had to share the news that Sunday night TV (for those of us able to pick up UK TV) has just got a bit more exciting. 

 

Last Sunday the first of six programmes aired on Channel 5, set in the south of France with actress and writer Carol Drinkwater. I have been following Carol’s French life for longer than I have been living my own; her Olive Farm memoirs about life at Appassionata in the hills above Cannes, were a comforting companion for my early days in France seventeen years ago. It is always a privilege when a writer lets you into their personal life, sharing the highs and the lows, but writing about your homelife isn’t quite the same as opening the doors to your private life and inviting the cameras in. 

 

For an actress who has concentrated on her memoir and fiction writing in recent years, I imagine it was a big step for Carol to get in front of the camera again and for it to be such a personal documentary. Part home life on the farm she and husband Michel have owned for over thirty years, part out and about with her in Provence and the south of France; all I can say is that I enjoyed it more than I was expecting. Having loved reading her memoirs, there was a tiny part of me that worried a TV programme could take away some of the magic I’d found in her books. Would the reality of the villa and land match up to what I’d imagined it to be when I read the books all those years ago? I needn’t have worried. It was a great reminder of how much I’d enjoyed the books, and it made me want to read them all again. The highlights for me were Carol's natural confidence in front of the camera, the loving looks between her and husband Michel and her bravery as she clambered around moving boats, while talking to the camera, and then went snorkelling to see an underwater art installation. It was an honour to be invited in, to virtually share Michel’s passion for cooking, and I can’t wait to see what other gems we will see in the five remaining episodes. For me at least, as the nights draw in, I know this series will make Sunday evenings that little bit warmer.

 

If you don’t have access to UK TV, the first episode is already available on the UKTvShows YouTube channel, see here, so hopefully they will have the rest of the series as it airs.

 

As you wait for Sunday night to arrive, you might like to read my interviews with Carol, or the guest post she wrote for the blog:

 

France et Moi with Carol Drinkwater 

From the Writing Desk of Carol Drinkwater 

Lazy Sunday in France with Carol Drinkwater