Title: The Riviera HouseAuthor: Natasha Lester
Published by: Forever on Aug. 31, 2021
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 480
Format: Paperback
Source: Forever
Book Rating: 10/10
Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can’t understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in a Louvre museum and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections. They have no idea she’s carefully decoding their notes and smuggling information to the Resistance. But Éliane is playing a dangerous game. Does she dare trust the man she once loved with her secrets, or will he only betray her once again? She has no way to know for certain . . . until a trip to a stunning home on the French Riviera brings a whole new level of peril.
Present Day: Wanting to forget the tragedy that has left her life in shambles, Remy Lang heads to a home she’s mysteriously inherited on the Riviera. While working on her vintage fashion business, she discovers a catalog of the artworks stolen during World War II and is shocked to see a painting that hung on her childhood bedroom wall. Who is her family, really? And does the Riviera house hold more secrets than Remy is ready to face?
Natasha Lester brilliantly explores the impossible choices ordinary people faced every day during extraordinary circumstances, weaving fact with fiction and celebrating women who push the boundaries of their time.
Review:
Sincere, absorbing and expressive!
The Riviera House is a rich, engaging tale set in France during WWII, as well as present-day, that takes you into the lives of two main characters; Éliane Dufort, a young woman who, through determination and resilience, uses her knowledge of art to help survive the war; and Remy Lang, a vintage fashion entrepreneur who inadvertently stumbles across her true parentage when she travels to her inherited home in the Riviera for solace and quiet in order to grieve the unexpected loss of her husband and daughter.
The prose is eloquent and well-turned. The characters are strong, lonely, and brave. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel seamlessly into a heartfelt saga of life, loss, secrets, surprises, heartbreak, betrayal, survival, danger, friendship, and love.
Overall, The Riviera House is an evocative, sentimental, moving tale with compelling characters that I devoured from start to finish. I’m a huge fan of Natasha Lester’s writing, and this novel didn’t disappoint. If you enjoy well researched WWII time-slip stories with a fresh perspective and a dab of romance, then I highly recommend it.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Forever & Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Natasha Lester
Natasha Lester is a USA Today, internationally best-selling author. Prior to writing, she worked as a marketing executive for L’Oreal, managing the Maybelline brand, before returning to university to study creative writing.
Her first historical novel, the bestselling A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald, was published in 2016. This was followed by Her Mother’s Secret in 2017 and The Paris Seamstress in 2018. The French Photographer is her latest book (note: this will be published as The Paris Orphan in North America in September 2019).
Natasha's books have been published in the US, the UK, Australia and throughout Europe. She lives in Perth, Western Australia with her 3 children and loves travelling, Paris, vintage fashion and, of course, books.
Photograph courtesy of Goodreads Author Page.
Sounds great Zoe, adding to my TBR list
Thanks, Katherine. I hope you get a chance to read it! xx
Liked The Riviera House so very much! I was so afraid that Remy would never find out the truth about her background!