Christmas on the Riviera by Jennifer Bohnet

As a toddler Elodie Jacques was abandoned by her mother and left in the care of her French grandmother, Gabriella in Dartmouth, Devon.

Now 24 years old, Elodie struggles to reconcile the deep anger for the mother she has never since seen.

When Gabriella unexpectedly announces she wants the two of them to spend Christmas and her 70th birthday in her home town of Juan-les-Pins in the South of France Elodie is thrilled.

Gabriella meanwhile has her own ulterior motives for wanting to return after 40 years, a daunting homecoming potentially filled with memories, secrets and recriminations.

With Juan-les-Pins pulsing with lights, decorations and the festive spirit, Christmas promises to be filled with fun. But when Elodie learns there is the possibility that her long absent mother may join them she hides her feelings behind a show of indifference and animosity.

Will there be the reconciliation that Gabriella longs for - or will the spirit of Christmas fail to work its magic?

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What did I think?

I do love a festive book - and one set on the French Riviera sounds idyllic. Gabby and Elodie have planned a holiday over Christmas to coincide with Gabby's 70th birthday. Elodie is busy planning a birthday party for her. There are some charming descriptions of the preparations. There was a real sense of family bonds between grandmother and granddaughter and friendship in this story. 

I found this to be a cute and quick read (only 200 odd pages) - not overly festive if that isn't your thing. A gentle and emotional story and perfect for reading at this time of year.  

Author Bio –

Jennifer Bohnet is the bestselling author of over 12 women’s fiction titles, including Villa of Sun and Secrets and A Riviera Retreat. She is originally from the West Country but now lives in the wilds of rural Brittany, France.

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Making Waves at River View Cottage by Jennifer Bohnet

 

Cassie Lewis, a widow for over 20 years has begun to realise there must be more to life.

In-between working at the family boatyard in picture perfect Dartmouth and raising two children, she wonders where the years have gone.

Both her children, Tom and Polly, have inherited their father’s love of sailing and currently Tom is preparing for a gruelling round the world race. When an accident forces Tom to pull out, Polly, to Cassie’s horror, insists she is capable of taking his place.

As Polly prepares for the race, Cassie unexpectedly finds herself with two keen and eligible men vying for her love.

With her BIG 5-0 birthday approaching Cassie knows she has some big decisions to make but will the worry over Polly’s safe return, cloud her judgement?

Originally published in 2003 as Call of the Sea

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What did I think?

I love this authors books - mainly because they transport me to places I haven't been before. But this book was different as it took me to Dartmouth - a place I spent several holidays as a child. I could sort of picture the locations in my head as I was reading.

This book is a re release but it wasn't one I had come across before.

Sailing and the sea takes up a large part of this story - as the location would suggest. Despite knowing nothing about sailing I really enjoyed the story of Cassie and her family. Just enough detail to keep me interested but not overloaded. Plenty of drama with the dangerous and gruelling sounding race.

I loved the sense of family in this book and it kept my interest from start to finish.

Author Bio –

Jennifer Bohnet is the bestselling author of over 12 women’s fiction titles, including Villa of Sun and Secrets and A Riviera Retreat. She is originally from the West Country but now lives in the wilds of rural Brittany, France.

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Villa of Second Chances by Jennifer Bohnet

 

Everyone deserves a second chance…right?

Escape to the Villa in the South of France with Top 10 international bestseller Jennifer Bohnet, for an uplifting story of family, love and second chances.

 Run by sisters Rebecca and Delphine, Villa Sesame is a popular venue for small intimate weddings on the sparkling French Riviera. Beautiful terraces and a horizon pool all over look the Mediterranean setting the scene to make memorable days and dreams come true.
When recently widowed Delphine unexpectedly announces her desire to retire and live a different life, Rebecca feels her own life could be slipping into free fall.
How can she possibly carry on with the business without her sister at her side? Could this be the beginning of the end for Villa Sésame and Rebecca’s life as she knows it?
As the guests gather for the June wedding of Freya and Marcus, Freya’s two childhood friends bring their own problems to the villa and cousin Verity has her own agenda.
But it's the arrival of a certain guest who throws Rebecca’s whole world into turmoil and she finds herself asking the question, where do I go from here?

What did I think?

I enjoy Jennifer's books and their setting in France and her  heroines are more on the mature side - much appreciated as being a woman in my 50s myself!! 

This is a heartwarming story of new beginnings set in both the South of France an in Dartmouth. South Devon. The book meets the main characters -, 2 sisters, as they reach a turning point in their lives where changes are on the horizon. I felt the locations were gloriously described and the characters were believable and likeable. 

A charming read about friendship, loss, love and of course the second chances of the title.

This would make a perfect holiday read.

Jennifer Bohnet is the bestselling author of over 14 women's fiction titles, including Villa of Sun and Secrets and A Riviera Retreat. She is originally from the West Country but now lives in the wilds of rural Brittany, France.

 

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Falling for a French Dream by Jennifer Bohnet

 

Escape to hills high above the French Riviera with international bestseller Jennifer Bohnet.

After tragically losing her husband, Nicola Jacques and her teenage son Oliver relocate to his father’s family's Olive Farm in the hills above the French Riviera.

Due a family feud, Oliver has never known his fathers’ side of the family and Grandpapa Henri is intent that Oliver will take over the reins of the ancestral farm and his rightful inheritance.

Determined to keep her independence from a rather controlling Grandpapa, Nicola buys a run-down cottage on the edge of the family's Olive Farm and sets to work renovating their new home and providing an income by cultivating the small holding that came with the Cottage.

As the summer months roll by, Nicola and Oliver begin to settle happily into their new way of life with the help of Aunts Josephine and Odette, Henri’s twin sisters and local property developer Gilles Bongars.

But the arrival of some unexpected news and guests at the farm, force Nicole and Aunt Josephine to assess what and where their futures lie.

What did I think?- 

I have read several books by this author before and really enjoyed them - I have only been to France once but her books certainly transport you across the channel.

After Nicole's (ex) husband dies she takes her teenage son and heads to France to be with his side of the family thinking this would give her son the family stability she thinks he needs. The move isn't always plain sailing but it is full of all sorts of new possibilities.

I love Jennifer's writing style - she really manages to bring the location to life. When I read about this author (see below) I can now see why.

About Jennifer

Sixteen years ago Richard and I, with our then dog, 14 year old Holly in a trailer attached to Richard's bike, cycled down through western France via the canal paths, arriving in Antibes in July. With the exception of two fleeting visits back to the UK we have lived in France ever since.

For the past five years we have lived in a small cottage in central Brittany with one large collie dog called Viking, one fat cat known as Little’un and a young tortoiseshell cat called Missy. Oh, and there are various ducks and chickens in the garden, and a large pond with about a hundred fish in!

I have contributed short stories and serials to many of the UK women's magazines including, The People's Friend, Candis, My Weekly, Best, Yours and my stories have been published in Australia, Sweden, South Africa and Ireland.

I also write magazine features and my work has been published in national magazines and newspapers like, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Home and Country, Devon Life. For over three years I had my own newspaper column in the South Hams Group of Newspapers, that took a wry look at family life.

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