** this giveaway is closed **
This book might have been better suited for around Halloween, as it is a modern ghost tale, but I wanted to tell you about ASAP, and couldn't wait! ENJOY!
Synopsis: Meeting Dom was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to me. When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom in Switzerland, their whirlwind relationship leads them to Les GenÉvriers, an abandoned house set among the fragrant lavender fields of the South of France. Each enchanting day delivers happy discoveries: hidden chambers, secret vaults, a beautiful wrought-iron lantern. Deeply in love and surrounded by music, books, and the heady summer scents of the French countryside, Eve has never felt more alive.
But with autumn’s arrival the days begin to cool, and so, too, does Dom. Though Eve knows he bears the emotional scars of a failed marriage—one he refuses to talk about—his silence arouses suspicion and uncertainty. The more reticent Dom is to explain, the more Eve becomes obsessed with finding answers—and with unraveling the mystery of his absent, beautiful ex-wife, Rachel. Like its owner, Les GenÉvriers is also changing. Bright, warm rooms have turned cold and uninviting; shadows now fall unexpectedly; and Eve senses a presence moving through the garden. Is it a ghost from the past or a manifestation of her current troubles with Dom? Can she trust Dom, or could her life be in danger?
Eve does not know that Les GenÉvriers has been haunted before. BÉnÉdicte Lincel, the house’s former owner, thrived as a young girl within the rich elements of the landscape: the violets hidden in the woodland, the warm wind through the almond trees. She knew the bitter taste of heartbreak and tragedy—long-buried family secrets and evil deeds that, once unearthed, will hold shocking and unexpected consequences for Eve.
You can read an excerpt on the author's website!
About the Author: After a childhood of constant moves around the world (including Kuwait, China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore - I read English at Trinity College, Cambridge. I trained as a journalist on a weekly South London newspaper, then worked on several national newspapers and magazines.
Review: I love it when review books come in unique packaging or with a little something extra, some Lagniappe, as we like to call it here in Louisiana! This book came in from Amazon Vine in a self-wrapped carton that opened to reveal the wonderful cover of the book. Yup, I was enchanted form the get go! Factor in my love for lavender and Provence, and a Southerner's love of a good ghost story and I knew I would be hooked!
As haunting as this book is, you would think it was set in the South and not the South of France! But it is the foreign setting that truly sets the story! But the book IS a modern gothic story of love, secrets, and murder, set in a huge old house—see all aspects of a good Southern story!- with the lavender fields of Provence echoing through it's pages.
The chapters alternate between now and the past, with Eve as one narrator, and BÉnÉdicte as the other. This makes for a VERY quick read- I finished it in 2 sittings! Like any good gothic novel, there are sub plots and stories that intertwine into a tightly woven complex novel that awaken the senses with the authors vivid detailed descriptions of the house and area, and provides goosebumps with the old tales and hauntings. She gives you SUCH vivid descriptions that you know that she truly LOVES the area with every iota of her being, and she is able to bring it to life in such a way that you will feel like you are there with the characters- a sign of a wonderful author!
I had never thought about there being braille strips on L’Occitane en Provence products until I read this story and the author's comments about how she came to write it! Based in Manosque, in 1997 the company created the foundation Provence dans tous les Sens (All the Senses of Provence) to introduce visually-impaired children to the world of perfume creation. So yes, part of the book is based on a real company, just the dates have been changed! YEAH- you know I love historical tidbits! But her info on the lavender industry and perfume making was so interesting, I lingered over those pages!
I think all of this is what makes the story so unique and intriquing- the author uses her personal history and knowledge, combined with local lore and industry, as well as the history of the area, to craft a book that resonates with the reader in such a way that you are pulled in and enchanted and unable to shake the lushness, and then suddenly you realize the ghosts are there and the story changes subtly and the reader along with it. When the end comes, the reader like the characters, will see the Southern French sun and how the release of secrets creates an unique light that can not happen, unless the truth is let free.
I highly recommend this book as the perfect Fall gothic novel!
**
**
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from the Amazon Vine Program, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it
This book might have been better suited for around Halloween, as it is a modern ghost tale, but I wanted to tell you about ASAP, and couldn't wait! ENJOY!
But with autumn’s arrival the days begin to cool, and so, too, does Dom. Though Eve knows he bears the emotional scars of a failed marriage—one he refuses to talk about—his silence arouses suspicion and uncertainty. The more reticent Dom is to explain, the more Eve becomes obsessed with finding answers—and with unraveling the mystery of his absent, beautiful ex-wife, Rachel. Like its owner, Les GenÉvriers is also changing. Bright, warm rooms have turned cold and uninviting; shadows now fall unexpectedly; and Eve senses a presence moving through the garden. Is it a ghost from the past or a manifestation of her current troubles with Dom? Can she trust Dom, or could her life be in danger?
Eve does not know that Les GenÉvriers has been haunted before. BÉnÉdicte Lincel, the house’s former owner, thrived as a young girl within the rich elements of the landscape: the violets hidden in the woodland, the warm wind through the almond trees. She knew the bitter taste of heartbreak and tragedy—long-buried family secrets and evil deeds that, once unearthed, will hold shocking and unexpected consequences for Eve.
You can read an excerpt on the author's website!
About the Author: After a childhood of constant moves around the world (including Kuwait, China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore - I read English at Trinity College, Cambridge. I trained as a journalist on a weekly South London newspaper, then worked on several national newspapers and magazines.
Review: I love it when review books come in unique packaging or with a little something extra, some Lagniappe, as we like to call it here in Louisiana! This book came in from Amazon Vine in a self-wrapped carton that opened to reveal the wonderful cover of the book. Yup, I was enchanted form the get go! Factor in my love for lavender and Provence, and a Southerner's love of a good ghost story and I knew I would be hooked!
As haunting as this book is, you would think it was set in the South and not the South of France! But it is the foreign setting that truly sets the story! But the book IS a modern gothic story of love, secrets, and murder, set in a huge old house—see all aspects of a good Southern story!- with the lavender fields of Provence echoing through it's pages.
I think all of this is what makes the story so unique and intriquing- the author uses her personal history and knowledge, combined with local lore and industry, as well as the history of the area, to craft a book that resonates with the reader in such a way that you are pulled in and enchanted and unable to shake the lushness, and then suddenly you realize the ghosts are there and the story changes subtly and the reader along with it. When the end comes, the reader like the characters, will see the Southern French sun and how the release of secrets creates an unique light that can not happen, unless the truth is let free.
I highly recommend this book as the perfect Fall gothic novel!
**
**
Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book, free of charge, from the Amazon Vine Program, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it
I love your description at the end of a perfect fall gothic novel. The setting sounds wonderful and the time of year very appropriate! Thanks so much!
ReplyDelete