France

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Guest Review: The Orange Grove – Kate Murdoch

The Orange Grove

Kate Murdoch

Regal House Publishing

ISBN: 9781947548220

 

Description:

Blois, 1705. The château of Duc Hugo d’Amboise simmers with rivalry and intrigue. Henriette d’Augustin, one of five mistresses of the duc, lives at the chateau with her daughter. When the duc’s wife, Duchesse Charlotte, maliciously undermines a new mistress, Letitia, Henriette is forced to choose between position and morality. She fights to maintain her status whilst targeted by the duchesse who will do anything to harm her enemies. The arrival of charismatic tarot reader, Romain de Villiers, further escalates tensions as rivals in love and domestic politics strive for supremacy.

In a society where status is a matter of life and death, Henriette must stay true to herself, her daughter, and her heart, all the while hiding a painful secret of her own.

 

Brenda’s Review:

The Duc Hugo d’Amboise had a wife, the Duchesse Charlotte and several mistresses who all lived together in his chateau which was surrounded by beautiful gardens and the orange grove. It was 1705 in Blois, France and the politics of the household was rife with petty jealousies, anger and enemies. When a new mistress arrived, the young and beautiful Letitia, Charlotte was intensely jealous. The duc wanted a son; Charlotte was unable to produce one therefore the duc’s mistresses felt the pressure to give him what he wanted. The problem was, the duc’s affections for Letitia overtook his affections for anyone else, including his wife.

Henriette and her daughter Solange lived quietly in the chateau, with Henriette high up in the realm of mistresses. But that was to change when she befriended Letitia. Charlotte was bitter and angry, looking for anything that would remove Letitia from her husband’s affections. What would happen in the chateau as tensions escalated and rivalries flared? And how was tarot card reader, Romain de Villiers involved?

The Orange Grove by Aussie author Kate Murdoch is set in France in the early 1700s where it was normal for men to have mistresses, for wives to know and even approve in some cases. What a horrible time to bring up your children! As a woman, you’d need to be on your toes, fully aware of what could – and probably would – go wrong any time, day or night. And as a young woman, to be sold to ease your family’s financial woes, to a duke who was willing to pay money for a pretty young face and body – I’m glad I wasn’t born back then! Filled with intrigue, The Orange Grove is one I recommend. 4 stars

With thanks to the author for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

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Ahhhh Romance

For the romantics or those in love or those who  just enjoy reading about love in all its shapes and forms…a give away just for you. For your chance to win a copy of this uniquely Australian voice – in the comments tell me one of the regions this novel is based in.

the-dangers-of-truffle-huntingThe Dangers of Truffle Hunting

Sunni Overend

HarperCollins Publishers Australia

ISBN: 9781460752104

Description:

True desires will be unearthed…

A delightfully sexy story that spans the Australian wine country, the French provinces and hip inner Melbourne. Perfect for fans of Zoe Foster-Blake and Candace Bushnell, and for readers who relish fabulous food and wine.
Kit Gossard’s life is neatly mapped out. A secure photographic job. A partner ready to commit. A wedding in the family vineyard for her mother to preside over. So why the apprehension? Why a hunger for something … more?
Then someone new appears. Earthy, reserved, magnetic, this new man brings out feelings Kit has long suppressed, and suddenly she can’t contain her simmering discontent.

Black truffle hunting, illicit pastry lessons, vine fruit on flesh — Kit is seduced. It feels so right. Before it all goes wrong. Should she retreat to the predictability of life before? Or is the safe option the most perilous of all?

**This giveaway is open to Australian resident only. Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishers Australia  for generously supporting this giveaway. Entries close midnight 13th February 2017.

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Post Script: Stone Bruises – Simon Beckett

Moody and atmospheric.

Simon Beckett

Random House UK, Transworld Publishers

Bantam Press

ISBN: 9780593073285

 

Description:

‘Somebody!’ I half-sob and then, more quietly, ‘Please.’ The words seem absorbed by the afternoon heat, lost amongst the trees. In their aftermath, the silence descends again. I know then that I’m not going anywhere…

Sean is on the run. We don’t know why and we don’t know from whom, but we do know he’s abandoned his battered, blood-stained car in the middle of an isolated, lonely part of rural France at the height of a sweltering summer. Desperate to avoid the police, he takes to the parched fields and country lanes only to be caught in the vicious jaws of a trap. Near unconscious from pain and loss of blood, he is freed and taken in by two women – daughters of the owner of a rundown local farm with its ramshackle barn, blighted vineyard and the brooding lake. And it’s then that Sean’s problems really start…

Superbly written, Stone Bruises is a classic nail-shredder of a thriller that holds you from the beginning. The narrative slowly, inexorably tightens its grip as the story unfurls and will keep you guessing until the unnerving and shocking final twist…

My View:

Beckett does an excellent job of creating tension and a sense of mystery that builds and builds until the final revelations in the last few chapters. This dual time line narrative alternates between chapters in London describing  life and events leading up to the protagonists time on the run in the French countryside and the next chapter based in the present time in the provincial run down Chestnut farm in rural France.

The sense of foreboding and secrecy dominates the lives of those who inhabit the farm. There is a definite and palpable power imbalance and a strong sense of evil looms heavily over what could have been an idyllic setting. Fear orchestrates life on the farm; fear, pigs, traps and shot guns assert their authority.

 

This is an excellent thriller, the sense of unease and dread is cleverly constructed and the mysteries of both locations are not unlocked until the very last chapters of this novel. Beckett creates a great sense of place and maintains the high level of adrenalin loaded action that has the reader chanting; “leave, get out quick.” They dont.

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Post Script: The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles – Katherine Pancol

The Yellow Eyes of Crocodiles, Katherine Pancol

Description:

“Le Divorce” meets “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” in this hilariously entertaining mega-bestseller from France
When her chronically unemployed husband runs off to start a crocodile farm in Kenya with his mistress, Josephine Cortes is left in an unhappy state of affairs. The mother of two–confident, beautiful teenage Hortense and shy, babyish Zoe–is forced to maintain a stable family life while making ends meet on her meager salary as a medieval history scholar. Meanwhile, Josephine’s charismatic sister Iris seems to have it all–a wealthy husband, gorgeous looks, and a tres chic Paris address–but she dreams of bringing meaning back into her life. When Iris charms a famous publisher into offering her a lucrative deal for a twelfth-century romance, she offers her sister a deal of her own: Josephine will write the novel and pocket all the proceeds, but the book will be published under Iris’s name. All is well–that is, until the book becomes the literary sensation of the season.

My View:

If you are an admirer of Chick Lit then you will find this book a satisfying read. The author has the formula just right: a sullen teenager, a cute younger child, a cheating husband who runs off to exotic lands, a talented wife who is a doormat but undergoes a serious metamorphosis as the story progresses, mystery and affairs and a French backdrop. And it has the requisite somewhat happy ending that alludes to another installment to continue where this story leaves off.

Enjoy this read at the beach, on the bus or train. It is perfect to pick up and read a few chapters and then leave till the next time you have a moment to spare. It is a good example of the genre; a light and entertaining read.