Friday 28 June 2019

A Very French Affair by Sue Roberts


A Very French Affair
Sue Roberts
Rating: 5 stars

From Southport to the South of France - this is going to be a summer to remember!

Life just got a whole lot more complicated for thirty-eight-year-old single mum Liv. Her son Jake is practically perfect in every way, but he's started asking some difficult questions, and the answers lie in a holiday romance twenty years ago. Back when Liv was staying with her aunt on the French Riviera...

Returning to the Cote d'Azur, with its white sandy beaches, her supportive aunt, and exquisite wine and cheese is harder than it sounds though. Because - if she's going to give Jake the answers he needs - Liv knows she has to hunt down her first love Andre. And since she's a professional baker rather than a professional investigator, she doesn't even have a clue where to start.

At first, finding the one that got away proves trickier than she thought. And if she succeeds, how will he take the bombshell secret Liv has been keeping? Liv has to do the best thing for her family, but does that mean closing the door on this very French affair?

A joyful, laugh-out-loud story about second chances, secrets and sunshine! The perfect summer read for fans of Carole Matthews, Jenny Colgan and Sophie Kinsella.

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I always really look forward to reading a new novel by Sue Roberts. They're typically easy to read, enjoyable and full of the good stuff! I absolutely fell in love with this cover, and I do love reading books set in France, so I couldn't wait to get stuck into this one. I love the bright colours used for the sea and sand, the town on either side of the cover and the pretty grape vines dangling along the top of the cover. It screams summer and with all the washout weather we have been having in the UK recently, I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

It starts with main character Liv talking about her own cake business that she runs from home, with the help of her assistant Sam. She also touches on the fact that Jake is her son and that he doesn't have a father. One day Jake comes home from university and expresses to his mum that he wants to quit university and maybe go into the food industry. Liv is obviously concerned as to what had brought this all on, so during a heart to heart, Jake - quite harshly I thought - mentions to Liv about never knowing who his dad was. This of course brings up fond but heartbreaking memories for Liv.

As the story goes on, we learn that Liv's aunt who lives in France (the very same aunt who she stayed with that fateful summer when she met the love of her life, Andre) needs a knee operation so Liv and her friend Faye decides to head on over to help her and also get a little holiday out of it. Liv also wants to go over there so she can find Andre, Jakes father, and tell him he has a son. This novel came to life when Liv went to France. I loved the characters, the location sounded beautiful and my mouth was watering at all the descriptions of the lovely sweet treats that were made at the bakery!

There's a lot of drama which takes place throughout this story, which I absolutely loved. I love this authors style of writing so much so I knew that I would adore one of Sue's novels set in France! The ending was heartwarming and was exactly what I had hoped for. It sounded idyllic and I couldn't put it down. It's the perfect summer read. Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this novel which I have reviewed honestly.

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