Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by theliterateleprechaun
The Season of Dreams by Fiona Valpy
4.0
First of all, if you’ve read The Beekeeper’s Promise you’ll remember Sara, the owner of the castle. She’s the protagonist in this story. If you’ve read The Dressmaker’s Gift, you’ll remember Mireille and Eliane. They also appear in this book. If you’ve read The French For Love/Light Through The Vines, you’ll meet Gina and Cedric again! I love it when characters pop up in a book when you aren’t expecting them - it’s like meeting an old friend!
Secondly, if you’ve already read The French for Always, then you’ve already read this book!
Can you imagine moving to another country with your fiance, starting a wedding venue business, and then catching him in flagrante with one of the client’s bridesmaids? What a letdown! For someone in the business of creating fairy-tale endings and happy-ever-afters, this was gut-wrenching. Sara has to pick up her life and carry on without Gavin because she’s got five weddings booked and she can’t let the brides down on their important day. When a cute wine salesman crosses her path, Sara begins to imagine other options than just selling and returning to London.
What a dreamy setting for a wedding - an ancient chateau in Bordeaux! I loved reading about Chateau Bellevue de Coulliac, the mystery it holds and how it connects to a book I’ve previously read. Valpy writes such descriptive settings that it’s easy for readers to place themselves in the story. The added historical fiction flavour increased my enjoyment of this book. I also enjoyed learning about les larmes de Saint Laurent, the bluet (cornflower), the sage-femme, and Code Napoleon inheritance laws. Valpy has a lovely mix of genres in this book.
Equally exciting are her characters. Although I couldn’t connect to them as well as those in book 1, I did love how the chapters were copies of the wedding invitations and featured the couple to be married. What a lovely idea. The design of the invitation was a perfect way to introduce them as it gave readers an inkling of what the characters were like. I loved The Hels Belles and the Irish family! The title was a perfect choice for the wedding season and brides' (and Sara’s) dreams for the future.
I already feel like I know this little community and I can’t wait to see what Valpy has in store for them in book 3.
I was gifted this advance copy by Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Secondly, if you’ve already read The French for Always, then you’ve already read this book!
Can you imagine moving to another country with your fiance, starting a wedding venue business, and then catching him in flagrante with one of the client’s bridesmaids? What a letdown! For someone in the business of creating fairy-tale endings and happy-ever-afters, this was gut-wrenching. Sara has to pick up her life and carry on without Gavin because she’s got five weddings booked and she can’t let the brides down on their important day. When a cute wine salesman crosses her path, Sara begins to imagine other options than just selling and returning to London.
What a dreamy setting for a wedding - an ancient chateau in Bordeaux! I loved reading about Chateau Bellevue de Coulliac, the mystery it holds and how it connects to a book I’ve previously read. Valpy writes such descriptive settings that it’s easy for readers to place themselves in the story. The added historical fiction flavour increased my enjoyment of this book. I also enjoyed learning about les larmes de Saint Laurent, the bluet (cornflower), the sage-femme, and Code Napoleon inheritance laws. Valpy has a lovely mix of genres in this book.
Equally exciting are her characters. Although I couldn’t connect to them as well as those in book 1, I did love how the chapters were copies of the wedding invitations and featured the couple to be married. What a lovely idea. The design of the invitation was a perfect way to introduce them as it gave readers an inkling of what the characters were like. I loved The Hels Belles and the Irish family! The title was a perfect choice for the wedding season and brides' (and Sara’s) dreams for the future.
I already feel like I know this little community and I can’t wait to see what Valpy has in store for them in book 3.
I was gifted this advance copy by Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.