I have to admit that I knew very little about the German occupation of Guernsey during WWII. I now know a little more.

Emile is a man who is unhappily married to Letty. Isabelle is unhappy married to Ron. Emile and Isabelle were once a couple and this whole book revolves around that fact. Unfortunately for all of them, WWII breaks out on their island and completely changes everything.

The descriptions of what happened during the occupation, made me shiver. I am sure that situations along those lines were occurring all over occupied Europe - makes me grateful for being alive now, it has to be said.

Overall, I was not a fan of this book because it was so overwhelmingly bleak. A little bit of light in amongst the shade would have been nice. Even the love story between Isabelle and Emile wasn't enough to lift this book for me. The ending was nice although I would have loved a couple more pages.

3 stars from me, because it WAS a well written book. Just not what I was expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton.

Not your usual WW2 novel and certainly not what I had expected. This novel tells the story of one man’s struggle during the German occupation of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Emile, the main character, suffered hearing loss after an accident whilst in Vancouver, which prompted his return to his homeland. His emotions battle with his first love and those for his wife, added to which he is not the paternal father to his eldest daughter. Times were harsh with rationing during the war, and coupled with Germany’s occupation and strict rules, life was far from easy Gothenburg residents. The introduction of the German censor and his Island lover added some heat to the story. An enjoyable story of hardship, endurance and love that finishes on a happy note.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this advance copy.

What the Heart Desires

A wartime love story on the island of Guernsey. A story of two people Emile and Isabelle, a lost love and a new beginning amongst the German occupation of the island. One Man Emil, two women Isabelle and Lily. How can Emile choose between his wife and his lost love.

On the island of Guernsey against the backdrop of the French House the former home of Hugo a story of the people living under the German's and living dysfunctional lives trying to survive until the island is liberated and the war ends.

Emil and Isabelle has once been engaged and Emile goes away to Canada to find his fortune in order to come back and marry Isabelle. He has a horrible accident and loses his hearing. Meanwhile his letters are hidden from Isabelle by her parents and she marries someone else.

Emil is devastated when he returns home to find she is married. He marries Lily, a pregnant housemaid he feels sorry for , raises her daughter Maude and has a daughter Stella. They live a good life growing tomatoes until the Germans come.

When his greenhouses are destroyed by the Germans he must find another job to support his family. He takes a job as gardener at the French House where Isabelle is working as a housekeeper. when they meet again he finds she is in a loveless marriage as is he and although they fight the feeling they know they are still meant to be with each other.

Then he helps Isabelle's boarder a German soldier hide from the authorities and escape from the island when he is in trouble for being a gay man which in intolerable by the Germans. Then tragedy happens and he is arrested by the Germans.

What will become of Emile and his family, of Isabelle. Will they ever find their way back to each other? Will the German soldier escape or be caught and punished? You will want to read every word of this historical love story. It was a good read and I recommend it.

Thanks to Jacquie Bloese for writing a great story, to Bookouture for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review.

If you think you have read enough about war and the nazis, then think again as this novel set in guernsey is refreshing. Both heartwarming and heartbreaking you would imagine there was no sympathy for a nazi soldier but this turns things on its head. The most interesting part for me was the inclusion of a deaf man on the island and the heightened sense of isolation and fear. Verywell written and researched.

The French House is a beautifully written book .part love story ,part historical fact ,set in Guernsey during WW2.The characters are very well written ,Emile, who as a young man suffered a dreadful accident which took away his hearing ,Isabelle and Emile have a past ,Letty , Emile's wife who is a very unhappy woman and their two daughters. This is a story about love ,loss bravery and finally hope .What a brilliant book loved it so much .Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC .

Although "The French House" is set in 1940s, occupied Guernsey it is not really about the war. The war is a backdrop to the emotional lives of some of the residents, with these emotions heightened by the privations of the times. The story is about lost opportunities and opportunities seized which both have significant consequences. The characters are all well rounded and the events are well described, making this an engrossing and readable novel.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

In Nazi-occupied Guernsey, the consequences of making the wrong decision can be deadly. Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Emile is no stranger to isolation - or heartbreak. Now. as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.

Trapped in a tense fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn't know what has become of Emile and the future she hoped for.

Lieutenant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces.

I did like the authors writing style but this is a slow burner. It's basically a love story set around the time the Nazis had occupied Guernsey. It is interesting though, learning about Haunteville House where novelist Victor Hugo lived during his exile from France. The characters were well drawn out. This is a heartwrenching story. I really liked Emile's character from when we first met him. If the pace had been a little quicker, this would have been a five star read from me.

I would like to thank #Netgalley #HodderStoughton and the author #JacquieBloese for my ARC of #TheFrenchHouse in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful story with very strong characters that bring this book to life.Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this arc.5* I will be reading this book again.

This book is so well written and just loved it from the first page. Great characters and wonderful story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the early read

Set in the 1940s German occupied Guernsey, The French House is a achingly beautiful story about love, loss, family, sorrow and hope. Jacquie Bloese writes passionately and evocatively with a unique rawness which really took me on a journey through all sorts of emotions and feelings. The atmosphere is often tense and haunting which is compounded with a slow and deliberate pace. However, it was a fast read and anxious as I was to get to the end, it came too quickly.

The characters are all trapped in one way or the other. Emile became deaf in an accident and his marriage to Letty is indifferent. Their two daughters are dissimilar yet would move heaven and earth for each other. Isabelle is married to Ron, successful yet cruel. Emile and Isabelle have a past together but meet years later. German Billet Schreiber is far better at painting than fighting. And they (plus other minor characters) are all connected.

My favourite aspects are the gorgeous writing and the historical inclusions such as Victor Hugo as well as the effects of war. Watching the characters navigate their pain and circumstances was incredible!

Historical Fiction readers who enjoy snippets of romance and "real" life (aka not fluff), do read this. Just know there are occasional adult situations.

My sincere thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this riveting book.

I cannot put into words how good this book is. I haven't read a historical fiction that has moved me as much as this book did for a while. well written with a gripping and emotive storyline and well developed characters that all brought something different to the page and that I have taken to my heart. I loved it.

Just so beautifully sad. The impact of the Second World War on a family, unhappy marriages and a sensitive German posted to the island are huge. The book follows different interwoven strands with real care and love and the words are carefully chosen to show the fragility of the relationships as well as the tenacity. Horrors are described and yet there is a strand of hope in the hard hard lives and the devastating impacts of the war on so many lives.

This story is filled with courage along with acts of kindness. Emile who after an accident becomes totally deaf. Returning to Guernsey, he finds the love of his life, Isabelle, now married. The shame of it all has left him shattered, even though he is now married with children. We are now in Guernsey during WWII as the Germans have now inhabited the island. Neither Emile or Isabelle are happy in their marriages and to make matters worse Emile is avoided and shunned for his deafness. Added to the heartbreaking story of Emile and Isobelle, we have Leutnant Schreiber, an artist who would rather use his brushes to create art than handle a gun. The setting in Guernsey describes how the islanders handled the German occupation...being isolated and virtually on their own. The images of the characters are well drawn, how the people of Guernsey coped with the occupation was vivid and the story itself was one of compassion and courage. Each page kept me drawn until the very end. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Nazi occupied Guernsey this book is a very moving read. It is brought to life by the characters and the discriptions of the events taking place. The underlying love story is moving as is the loyalty and bravery of the people. A brilliant read that I can highly recommend 5* doesn't seem enough.

A heart-breaking love story set in Jersey in WWII
Set during the German occupation of Jersey, this is a multi-layered story of love, courage and disappointment. The titular French House belongs to the local gentry and its garden has been requisitioned to provide food for the troops. You really get a sense of the severe restrictions and turmoil endured by the locals during this time. There's a great cast of well-drawn characters, from often-drunk deaf gardener Emile to his former girlfriend Isabelle, now house-keeper at the French House. Then there's Leutnant Schreiber, a man with a secret. A powerful page-turner.

The French House by Jacquie Bloese

Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation - or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.

Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn't know what has become of Émile and the future she hoped for. But when she glimpses him from the window of the French House, their lives collide once more.

Leutnant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces - or in his own forbidden desires.
I really enjoy any novel set on Guernsey during WW2 . The history of it fascinates me and it is unimaginable how the islanders coped with occupation on their small island.
Books such as this one give an insight on how the communities may have made the best of a bad situation.
Great characters in Emile and Isabelle and Lieutenant Schreiber and the interactions they had.
Brilliant story.

The French House, set in Guernsey during WW2 when the Germans occupied the islands.

Emile, Isabell are the central characters whose lives we follow as life and war happens around them. The pace was a bit slow as the characters have a long journey ,life time journey to be together and get their happy ending.

I enjoyed reading their story and rooted for them as they went through pain, disappointment even some monotony to get together.

There's a bit of everything in this book, mystery, heartbreak, romance, historical events, gorgeous backdrop and great characters. It is really well written a d it must have taken the author a little while to research these events. It shone a light on parts of history I wasn't too familiar with and I enjoyed reading it.

The French House by Jacquie Bloese is a great WWII-era historical fiction that takes place on Guernsey island during the German occupation. I enjoyed it.

I have read a couple books now that takes place during the German occupation of the Channel Islands, more specifically upon the island of Guernsey, but each one gives a new facet and a different glimpse of the events, changes, and people affected during this time.

It was interesting to read more about Hauteville House, which in this book is described and titled by the “French House”. I did not know about its involvement with the infamous French novelist Victor Hugo, and was his “residence-in-exile from 1856–70”. I had to take that information and look it up to find out more. I love when I read HF and it ends up inspiring me to learn more about an area of history that I either missed, or new very little about. That, to me, was the best part of this read.

I of course enjoyed the history, mystery, suspense, and romance associated with the narrative, but I loved learning more about Guernsey.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Hodder & Stoughton for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/28/22.

The French House is a most moving and absorbing novel set in Guernsey during the German Occupation. At its heart is a love story between Emile, who is profoundly deaf after an accident while seeking a better life in Canada, and his childhood sweetheart Isabelle.

The French House that plays a large part in Emile and Isabelle's story is Hauteville House, once the home of Victor Hugo, and it is here that Isabelle first sees Emile again when he returns from Canada. When he discovers Isabelle has married someone else Emile settles down with Letty. Neither marriage is happy but the characters are all so beautifully drawn that the reader can only sympathise with the predicament Emile and Isabelle find themselves, particularly when the island is invaded and they take risks to help a German artist escape the Nazis.

Typical of its time, with a small and suspicious community, local people gossip about Isabelle and also treat Emile as someone to be avoided because of his deafness. As a deaf person myself I found Jacquie Bloese's portrayal of Emile to be a truthful and evocative one. His loneliness and frustration at being on the outside are perfectly envisaged here.

The assured writing of The French House ensures that we are cast into the characters' lives and experiences, Readers who enjoyed The Forgotten by Mary Chamberlain, The Child on Platform One by Gill Thompson, People Like Us by Lousie Fein, A Single Thread by Tracey Chevalier and Mussolini's Island by Sarah Day will enjoy The French House. On my list of favourite books of 2022, I highly recommend it with many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review it.