Is there a more perfect place to mend a broken heart than a French Chateau?

Synopsis

When wedding planner Hattie signs up for her dream job, organising her cousin’s wedding in France, it offers the perfect escape from a relationship that’s been going south for a while. 

Unfortunately when she arrives at the idyllic Chateau St Martin, not everyone is as enthusiastic about the forthcoming wedding, including Luc Bremont, son of the owner of the chateau.  

Luc has finally been given the chance to make his own champagne at the family vineyard and everything rests on making it a success, the last thing he wants is the distraction of a big wedding at the chateau. 

Will Hattie be able to build bridges between the inhabitants of the chateau in order to allow the wedding to go ahead?

My review

With her boyfriend Chris giving her a dilemma, him or a French experience, Hattie decides to break up and go the French Champagne region to plan the wedding of her cousin.
But she didn’t expect the Chateau to be in such a state, as it appears that Hattie decision to turn up months early turned out to be the right one. Not only Hattie needs to be on top of everything, but the whole place needs a good cleaning. And with people suddenly backing out of made commitments, Hattie does not know where to start first…
Luckily she can count on Luc, whose parents own the chateau. While Luc himself is trying to chase his own dreams, he is also the person taking Hattie under his wings and shows her the French beauty.
But no matter how undeniable their attraction is, this could only be a holiday fling, or not? 

Julie Caplin is the Queen of Romance Escapism! Having read several lovely books, I keep being surprised by the talent of this author. Each story takes me on an adventure, a wonderful journey and I never get the sense of repetition. 

Hattie is the kind of character you like from the first moment. Even if she just came out of a (rather toxic) relationship, and her heart is broken, she keeps her head high and is ready to face the French adventure with great enthusiasm.
And that enthusiasm sparks from every page, even when things more often than not start to take another, negative direction. 

She also starts to discover the pleasures of life, how wonderful a simple picnic can be, or wandering around in local markets, tasting wonderful food.
Hattie starts to see that her life with Chris was not actual living her life at her fullest, but more just hanging in there. And seeing how Hattie enjoys the little things in life, was truly sweet. 

I liked it too how Hattie tries to adapt herself in France. Because often tourists or ‘temporarily’ people don’t make the effort to learn the language or to understand the customs and traditions of a country. Yet Hattie tries her best, even if failing at moments, and even tries to make a connection to the people around the chateau. 

And for sure she connects with Luc! While Luc for sure is a lovely character, I couldn’t stop feeling sorry for him…
It saddened me to read how he grew up without feeling loved by any of his parents, and how he feels more at home and loved by people who are not related to him, rather than the people he shares the same DNA with. 

Yet I also admired his courage to stand up against his own family, as once again they fail to understand him and his dreams. He isn’t afraid to go lengths for the right cause.
And he is absolutely the kindest man ever! Even if the wedding Hattie is arranging, clashes with the wedding of Yvette, a close friend, he tries to do the right thing. Just like Yvette does, it would have been easy to sabotage Hattie’s plans, but that is just not the person that Luc is.
Can I just also add that I could ‘hear’ his pronunciation of Hattie’s name and that made me weak in the legs? 😊 

And seeing how two lovely people, with their own problems, find not only comfort but so much more in each other, truly warmed my heart.
Hattie and Luc connect in a wonderful way, not only they enjoy spending time together, but they find a sort of complicity, trying to help each other out. And if that isn’t a great base to start something marvellous, I don’t know. 

Just like I am used to, this book is also filled with so many hilarious moments. I liked the animosity between Fliss and Alphonse, and seeing how quickly that turned 180°. But I also laughed at the attempts of sabotage. For sure I will never look at a certain kind of poo in the same way! 

There is also a bit of a mystery in this story, adding a great new layer, making the reader even more curious and more adamant on continue reading! 

Again this author delivered wonderfully, taking me on a journey in France, even if I am not a true connoisseur of Champagne.
But whether the story is set in France or in any other country, the author shows us that the best things can be found at the most unexpected times and places.
If only we dare to find the courage to change our lives completely and do as our heart asks us to do, no matter how scary it may seem.