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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The French Affair was my first Katie Fforde book. I was so very delighted and taken away from the first chapter and knew right away it wouldn't be my last. She is definitely now one of my 'to watch' authors for feel-good, happy reads. I am absolutely unapologetic in my love for this genre so am always thrilled to be introduced to a 'new to me author' with an extensive backlist to explore.
Sisters Gina and Sally Makepiece unexpectedly inherit a stall in an antique store from their late aunt. The catch is they must work with the stores director Matthew, a young but curmudgeonly man and make a profit. Determined to succeed, Gina and Matthew forge an unlikely partnership, with Sally helping from her home with kids and husband in tow. As Gina learns more about both antiquing and Matthew sparks fly. But recent history makes her leery of any relationship, let alone one with a stodgy grump like Matthew. Will her efforts to transform and update the antique center rub off on Matthew? Will they find their way forward together? Will each of their pasts prove too complicated and damaging to overcome?
Love, romance, women finding ways to healthier relationships, cosy country setting, travel, and a happy ending. This book has absolutely all the elements of a great escapist read. Katie Fforde does a wonderful job creating characters I care about, I want to get to know, I'd love to sit down and have a glass of wine (or two!) with. This is the difference between a book that's simply 'okay', and a book I really enjoy. For me, this hits all the high notes. I'm sorry, but anyone that can use the word 'orgasmic' in a non-sexual way totally has my vote! I highly recommend The French Affair for lovers of romance, feel good stories, beach reads, and happy endings.
I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from Bookouture through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.
Sisters Gina and Sally Makepiece unexpectedly inherit a stall in an antique store from their late aunt. The catch is they must work with the stores director Matthew, a young but curmudgeonly man and make a profit. Determined to succeed, Gina and Matthew forge an unlikely partnership, with Sally helping from her home with kids and husband in tow. As Gina learns more about both antiquing and Matthew sparks fly. But recent history makes her leery of any relationship, let alone one with a stodgy grump like Matthew. Will her efforts to transform and update the antique center rub off on Matthew? Will they find their way forward together? Will each of their pasts prove too complicated and damaging to overcome?
Love, romance, women finding ways to healthier relationships, cosy country setting, travel, and a happy ending. This book has absolutely all the elements of a great escapist read. Katie Fforde does a wonderful job creating characters I care about, I want to get to know, I'd love to sit down and have a glass of wine (or two!) with. This is the difference between a book that's simply 'okay', and a book I really enjoy. For me, this hits all the high notes. I'm sorry, but anyone that can use the word 'orgasmic' in a non-sexual way totally has my vote! I highly recommend The French Affair for lovers of romance, feel good stories, beach reads, and happy endings.
I received an advanced reader copy (eGalley) from Bookouture through NetGalley. This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinions.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mehdiocre
It wad too slow for me!! The overall thing was about antique hunting and buying which I thought uh oh but ok let’s ignore that I was going through it and there was no hint of romance. I skipped to about page 210 and they were just about to have their first kiss!
Another great read from Katie Fforde. I really whizzed through this and enjoyed it a lot. I liked the romance and I liked the way the conflict was resolved. I can't wait for the next one!
First off, this is not what I imagined from the title.
Gina Makepiece, a freelance PR agent, and her sister Sally inherit a stall in an antiques centre called the French House from their Aunt together with a very small sum of money to start off their antiquing careers. Sally quickly loses interest, preferring new things, but Gina soon gets the bug, assisted by the owner of the French House, Matthew Ballinger. The French House is very quiet and not trading as well as some of the rival antique shops in the town, but every time Gina suggests a way to drum up new business Matthew shoots her down, he really is a doom-and-gloom merchant!
But when a conniving, local shop owner colludes with Matthew's ex-wife and Gina's ex-boyfriend to buy the French House at a deep discount Gina rallies the troops to raise the necessary funds to pay off Matthew's ex and save the French House.
I'm sure it isn't, but this is the first Katie Fforde book I can recall which lets loose the F-bomb, not once but several times! Published in 2013 it feels more modern than some of her other books I have read and Matthew isn't one of her domineering, know-it-all, I love you but I won't tell you until the last 10 pages of the book, heroes that I loathe. Also he has a dog, so naturally he is a good hero ;)
Overall, despite the setting being somewhat different to what I had assumed, I really enjoyed this Katie Fforde romance.
Gina Makepiece, a freelance PR agent, and her sister Sally inherit a stall in an antiques centre called the French House from their Aunt together with a very small sum of money to start off their antiquing careers. Sally quickly loses interest, preferring new things, but Gina soon gets the bug, assisted by the owner of the French House, Matthew Ballinger. The French House is very quiet and not trading as well as some of the rival antique shops in the town, but every time Gina suggests a way to drum up new business Matthew shoots her down, he really is a doom-and-gloom merchant!
But when a conniving, local shop owner colludes with Matthew's ex-wife and Gina's ex-boyfriend to buy the French House at a deep discount Gina rallies the troops to raise the necessary funds to pay off Matthew's ex and save the French House.
I'm sure it isn't, but this is the first Katie Fforde book I can recall which lets loose the F-bomb, not once but several times! Published in 2013 it feels more modern than some of her other books I have read and Matthew isn't one of her domineering, know-it-all, I love you but I won't tell you until the last 10 pages of the book, heroes that I loathe. Also he has a dog, so naturally he is a good hero ;)
Overall, despite the setting being somewhat different to what I had assumed, I really enjoyed this Katie Fforde romance.
Gina and Sally inherit a stall in The French House from their slightly 'out there' late Aunt Rainey. They show up to find Matthew difficult and set in his ways regarding their ideas to make The French House a bit more profitable.
First issue with this was that within I think 3 chapters Matthew had been referred to as 'like Mr Rochester' twice and not to mention on the blurb as well. Firstly, I'm not sure Mr Rochester is what you want in a hero, and secondly, if you do and you can't get it across without saying it 3 times, you're in trouble.
I will preface this by saying I like Katie Fford, despite how formulaic her books are, but this one had very little to spark. Nothing seemed to be happening for a lot of it, and when it did (eg when they went to France and you thought movement would happen) most of it was describing food or the atmosphere, not much actual story.
All in all not a great outing and if I'm honest after the decline with Recipe for Love and now this one, it seems like Katie is running out of ideas...
First issue with this was that within I think 3 chapters Matthew had been referred to as 'like Mr Rochester' twice and not to mention on the blurb as well. Firstly, I'm not sure Mr Rochester is what you want in a hero, and secondly, if you do and you can't get it across without saying it 3 times, you're in trouble.
I will preface this by saying I like Katie Fford, despite how formulaic her books are, but this one had very little to spark. Nothing seemed to be happening for a lot of it, and when it did (eg when they went to France and you thought movement would happen) most of it was describing food or the atmosphere, not much actual story.
Spoiler
The development of the characters relationship was so vague that when Gina started to profess to 'being in love' with Matthew, you were a bit like 'er...when did that happen?'All in all not a great outing and if I'm honest after the decline with Recipe for Love and now this one, it seems like Katie is running out of ideas...
I started this book years ago and read about 75 pages before abandoning it. This month I picked it up again, and I’m now officially dnf-ing around the same point. Maybe the story gets good, but the dialog felt clunky and overly explanatory, and I’m not interested in all the bits about antiques. Not the book for me.
Light, fluffy and fun, and with antiques, so it had that going for it. Not my favorite of her books - I think her earlier ones are better - but enjoyable.