Monday 15 July 2019

Escape to the French Farmhouse by Victoria Brownlee


Escape to the French Farmhouse
Victoria Brownlee
Rating: 5 stars

Ella moved to Paris on a whim - and found happily ever after.

But after six months of romantic bliss, living with her French boyfriend, cheesemonger Serge, Ella's new life is thrown off course. An unplanned pregnancy doesn't seem too bad, until Serge unexpectedly decides to move their growing family to a goat farm in the Loire Valley, without consulting Ella.

Can Ella and Serge's relationship survive their relocation to the depths of the French countryside?

A heart-warming and joyful romance, for fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Sophie Kinsella.

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I was wondering when the next one in this series was coming along, and I was so pleased when I saw it pop up on Netgalley. Being pregnant myself, it was enjoyable to read about a character who is going through a similar situation - and I really enjoyed this fresh storyline. The cover also drew me in and made me want to read it as soon as it hit my kindle! I love the bright colours, the farmhouse in the background and of course the lone goat. It's eye-catching and it made me want to read it.

Reading about Ella and her unexpected pregnancy was really different to other kind of novels I tend to read. I was a bit shocked sometimes with how Serge was hiding and I was worried for Ella and what she would uncover, it appeared to me at the beginning that he was hiding things from her. And I felt that Ella had been through quite a lot already - she didn't deserve to keep getting knock backs and more bad news! I enjoyed reading about her life in Paris, but when they made the move to the French countryside, I found myself enjoying this part even more - perhaps because there was more drama!

When Ella and Serge make the move, one of the conditions is for them to start renovations straight away, as quite understandably, Ella doesn't want to live in a rundown farmhouse - especially with a new baby! However, even though Serge agrees, he soon makes other plans, and all behind Ella's back! Ella is hurt and soon realises that she hates life in the country. She also worries about what other things Serge is keeping from her.

There's quite a lot of drama throughout, but this just added to the already amazing storyline. I really enjoyed reading about Ella and her quest to start a cheese room (but what ends up as more of an English tea room!). I enjoyed the characters and the location. Everything was making it more and more like a perfect summer read. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

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