Book Review: Love In Provence by Jo Thomas #LoveInProvence @jo_thomas01 @PenguinUKBooks @RandomTTours

Synopsis

Del moved to the south of France three years ago and hasn’t looked back. She’s found new friends, new purpose, and new love with gorgeous Fabien.

But just as harvest on her little lavender farm is due to begin, Del gets some shocking news. With no time to dwell as she welcomes a new crew of lavender pickers, she unexpectedly waves goodbye to Fabien for the summer.

Usually cooking – the thing she loves best – would help soothe her troubles, but Del doesn’t remember how . . . And then chefZacharie comes to town, dropping another bombshell!

Over one summer in Provence that’s full of surprises, friends old and new rally round. Can they complete the harvest and pull the community back together? And if Fabien returns, will Del finally get her happy-ever-after?

My Review

Del has been living in the south of France for the last three years. She is settled and happy. But when a mistral appears Del’s quiet life is thrown into chaos.

I have read quite a few books by this author and one of the reasons that I look forward to reading their books is because I find their writing style and storytelling comforting and I am whisked away to locations I’ve never visited before. I loved spending time in Provence during my reading journey and really wish I was at the Lavender Farm with Del and the Lavender pickers. As soon as I started to read the first thing that I did was look up what a mistral was because it wasn’t a term I’d come across before. As soon as I realised what it was I knew it was going to cause some chaos in the lives of Del and the other characters.

I didn’t realise that this was a continuation of Del’s story which started in Escape To The French Farmhouse, which I have not read. However, I didn’t feel like I was missing any key information because Del provides background to how she came to Provence, what happened with her ex-husband Ollie and how she met and fell in love with Fabien.

What I loved about the story is that it isn’t just about romance; it’s about so much more. The story is about connections, friendships, relationships, community and family. When the Lavender pickers arrive Del finds herself in a difficult place and very disorientated. The mistral is causing havoc, she hears some bad news about her business partner Henri, Fabian is away with his band and Henri’s son Zacharie makes an appearance staking a claim on Del and Henri’s business. It is clear that Del is struggling when we meet her because she is missing Fabien and worried about the status of their relationship and is scared that Fabien will leave her like Ollie did which means she is feeling insecure. Her insecurity isn’t helped by the appearance of Zacharie who is rude and makes some very nasty comments to Del about her cooking style. This does initially upset Del but at the same time it lights a fire in her and she starts to fight back by creating her own bistro to prove to Zacharie that he is wrong and has no clue about what the community wants or needs.

I loved the connection between Del and the Lavender pickers. They realise she is struggling and try to help her. It’s through cooking and food that they bond and I really liked how they all took it in turns to cook something to take the burden off Del. It was interesting to learn more about the Lavender pickers and their stories. In some ways they were a little disorientated like Del because they were either looking for something or trying to escape from their problems.

A brilliant read.

Author Bio

Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer, including time at Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s The Steve Wright Show.

Jo’s debut novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller and won both the RNA Joan HessayonAward and the Festival of Romance Best eBook Award. Her book Escape to the French Farmhouse was a #1 bestselling eBook. 

Jo loves to explore new countries and discover the food produced there, both of which she thoroughly enjoys researching. Jo lives in Pembrokeshire with her husband and three children, where cooking and gathering around the kitchen table are a hugely important and fun part of their family life.