The French Affair by Theresa Howes

                                                 

Ebook: 362 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction, WWII,

Publisher: HQ Digital 2023

Source:  Amazon Purchase

First Sentence:  If the war had taught Iris anything, it was that it was easier to lie during the blackout than in the cold light of day, and so it was with good reason that she always insisted on meeting Guy Mason after dark.

Review Quote:  An exceptional tale, expertly crafted with endearing characters and an enthralling plot that will captivate readers.' NetGalley Reviewer,

My Opinion:  

This second novel by Theresa Howes was published back in 2023 and has been on My Kindle for two years. Far too long, but at last I have read!

Set during WWII the female protagonist Iris, who is French, has been working in London for the British Intelligence Service. Her current mission takes an unexpected turn and to complete it successfully she has to return to France. She bases herself in Dijon, which is under German occupation, where she has family connections.  With an extremely tense atmosphere in a town where everyone is under suspicion she does not have an easy task ahead of her.

Once again I found the author's style of writing appealing with a captivating storyline. Recommended to fans of the genre.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A country at war. A dangerous secret. 

After a failed honey-trap mission for British Intelligence leads to the breakdown of her marriage, French journalist Iris escapes to Dijon, seeking refuge in the cottage of her beloved aunt, Eva. But Eva is gone, the streets are full of distrust, and Iris is soon followed by the very last man she wants to see – the British civil servant and traitor she was tasked with catching, now keen to rekindle their affair. 

Eva’s home used to be a comforting place, where the locals sought out Eva’s homemade tinctures and cures and gifted jars of fresh honey from the garden. Now it is a place of danger, where threats loom in every corner. And as Iris spends more time there, she discovers a secret that will change the way she sees her aunt forever – and the course of her own life too…

Previous Review:   The Secrets We Keep

Author Profile

                                                     

Theresa Howes grew up in Shropshire and has a background as an actor. Her historical fiction has been long-listed for the Mslexia Novel Award, The Bath Novel Award, The Caledonia Novel Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize.

She lives in London with her husband and Claude, a larger than average cat. When she isn’t writing or reading, she enjoys seeing how many more plants she can cram into her tiny London garden, walking, and putting the world to rights over a gin and tonic.

Her debut novel, THE SECRETS WE KEEP was published in November 2022. Her second novel, THE FRENCH AFFAIR was published in December 2023. Her third novel, A MATTER OF PERSUASION, which is a Gilded Age retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion, set in 1882 in New York and Rhode Island, was published in January 2025. 

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Authors Official Website.  Amazon Author Profile   Goodreads Author Profile

Twitter Profile

Daughters of War by Dinah Jefferies

 

                                           

Hardback: 538 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins 2021

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: If only it was late summer, and she could smell the sun-soaked scent of fir and spruce and be able to stand and watch the finches and starlings flitting between the branches. Her optimism might have outweighed the claustrophobic sensation of life leaning in, of ancient lichen-covered stone houses enclosing her as she walked through the village and the light began to fail.

Setting: Dordogne, France 1944

Series: Daughters of War (#1)

Review Quote: ‘A warm and engrossing tale of passion and courage. I loved it’ Rachel Hore, author.

My Opinion: Dinah Jefferies is a favourite author of mine, she has the skill of transporting the reader to locations that come alive on the page.’Daughters of War’ is the first volume in a trilogy about three sisters. Set in 1944 in France it is all about their lives living in occupied territory during WWII.

The story is told from the different perspectives of the protagonists, three sisters, Helene, Elise and Florence. Living in difficult times, experiencing the terrors of occupation, Helene the eldest, tries to keep her sisters safe but it becomes increasingly difficult. The author has a very descriptive style of writing which I feel helps the reader  immerse themselves in the surroundings and know the characters. However, this also means that the horrors the girls witness are also hard hitting and emotional to read.

A captivating read with engaging characters that makes the reader realise just how devastating  life in such circumstances must have been. The sisters story continues in the next volume ‘The Hidden Palace’, which I am looking forward to reading soon having already requested from the library. Highly recommended to fans of historical WWII fiction.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

A  sweeping historical novel of World War II from the international bestselling author of The Tea Planter’s Wife. 
France, 1944. In an old stone cottage, on the edge of a beautiful French village, three sisters long for the end of the war.

Hélène, the eldest, is trying her hardest to steer her family to safety, even as the Nazi occupation becomes more threatening.
Elise, the rebel, is determined to help the Resistance, whatever the cost.
And Florence, the dreamer, just yearns for a world where France is free.

Then, one dark night, the Allies come knocking for help. And Hélène knows that she cannot sit on the sidelines any longer. But secrets from their own mysterious past threaten to unravel everything they hold most dear… 

Author Profile:         

                                                                                               

                                                  Courtesy of Twitter Profile

Biography in her own words from her website

I was born in Malaysia but moved to the UK at the age of nine, going on to study fashion design, work in Tuscany as an au pair for an Italian countess, and live with a rock band in a commune in Suffolk.

A family tragedy changed everything, and I draw on the experience of loss in my writing, infusing love, loss, and danger with the seductive escapism of my locations. The sense of place, of history and of human nature is a heady mix in the novels.

Published in 29 languages in over 30 countries, I am currently writing an epic series for my new publisher Harper Collins (my 8th, 9th, and 10th novels) starting with Daughters of War set in 1944 in France (Sept  2021). I’ve always loved Italy but spent some years living in a tiny 16th Century village in Northern Andalusia, Spain. Now I’m delighted to have settled close to my family in the South West of England along with my husband and two enormous and very lovely Maine Coon cats.

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Profile  Twitter Profile. Dinah Jefferies - Official Website

Amazon Author Page

Just For the Holidays by Sue Moorcroft

                                     

Paperback: 369 pages                                                                                               

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins 2017

Source: Tywyn Public Library

First Sentence: Michele: Re holiday...Alister wants to come!

Review Quote: ‘Effortlessly engaging…a magical must!’ Heat

Main Characters: Leah Beaumont and her sister and family.

Setting: France

My Opinion: Strangely this is only the second novel I have read by this author and that was Uphill All The Way  back in 2007, somehow I have missed out on the many she has published in the intervening years. A month long holiday in a gite in rural France sounded like a perfect break to Leah the protagonist, but unfortunately it turned out to be very different from her expectations. It is a humorous relaxing read with engaging characters that I would recommend to those looking for the perfect read to whisk you back to summer and or France.

Précis Courtesy of Goodreads:

The #1 bestselling author returns for summer! Grab your sun hat, a cool glass of wine, and the only book you need on holiday…

In theory, nothing could be better than a summer spent basking in the French sun. That is, until you add in three teenagers, two love interests, one divorcing couple, and a very unexpected pregnancy.

Admittedly, this isn’t exactly the relaxing holiday Leah Beaumont was hoping for – but it’s the one she’s got. With her sister Michele’s family falling apart at the seams, it’s up to Leah to pick up the pieces and try to hold them all together.

But with a handsome helicopter pilot staying next door, Leah can’t help but think she might have a few distractions of her own to deal with…

A glorious summer read, for you to devour in one sitting - perfect for fans of Katie Fforde, Carole Matthews and Trisha Ashley.

Author Profile:  

Sue Moorcroft is a Sunday Times bestselling author and has held the coveted #1 spot in the Amazon Kindle chart. She's also a bestseller in Germany. She writes women's contemporary fiction with sometimes unexpected themes.

Sue has won the Best Romantic Read Award, been nominated for a RoNA and is a Katie Fforde Bursary winner. She also writes short stories, serials, articles, columns, courses and writing 'how to'.

An army child, Sue was born in Germany then lived in Cyprus, Malta and the UK. She's worked in a bank, as a bookkeeper (probably a mistake), as a copytaker for Motor Cycle News and for a typesetter, but is pleased to have wriggled out of all 'proper jobs'.


Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites.

Twitter Profile    Facebook -Sue Moorcroft Author    Instagram Profile  

 Official Author Website    Sue Moorcroft - Goodreads Profile   Amazon Author Profile