Fran, a secret shopper for a major hotel chain, takes on the role after a mysterious event following her mother's death. Upon arriving at a chateau, she's mistaken for a staff member and decides to go along with the confusion. Meanwhile, Johnny is on holiday at the same location with his brother, Noel, and two of their staff members. They run a wine company, but Johnny is growing tired of Noel’s behavior as he navigates the end of his marriage. Fran and Johnny cross paths, form a friendship, and their lives begin to intertwine. Although there are instances of frustrating miscommunication, was a bit unbearable sometimes.Overall a great beach read!

I struggled with this book I could not get in the flow of the story and some of the characters. I'm sure many will enjoy this book but I simply didn't.

A wonderfully uplifting read… A lot of sparkle and mischief… The characters are fabulous… A very relaxing read!
I loved it! I’m sitting here with a big smile on my face!… I laughed out loud lots of times… I’m still chuckling. What a wonderfully delightful book this was!…

There were several characters stories within one in this book. The main character being Fran. She’s at a crossroads in life with several events leaving her life in turmoil. Deciding to choose the life of staff instead of guest is closer to the life she knows. Along the way she builds relationships between coworkers and a man with just as many demons as her own. Together they navigate plans towards starting over. The other coworkers have the same issues about deciding their next step after the season is over. The book was a good enough read, just not extraordinary. Thank you to NetGalley dor this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

Fran is a hotel inspector and when she turns up at the latest hotel, they think she is a new member of staff. She decides that would give a different perspective on the hotels business. I loved the characters and was interested to learn more about them. I loved the building relationship with one of the guests and future plans. I was totally immersed in the story and would love a follow on book!

This is a lovely book to read. The characters were very likeable and the setting in a French chateau was always going to be a winner. Nice romance and a little twist to keep things interesting.

Fran visits the French chateau as a hotel inspector, but somehow ends up working there .Ideal holiday reading, a feel good theme. I really enjoyed the story.

I loved this book. A great summer holiday read. Beautiful setting, interesting characters and a page turning plot. Thoroughly recommend.

A captivating and sweet summer read set in the respendent sunshine of the Loire Valley in France. The scenery and chateau sound exquisite. Fran finds herself arriving under mistaken identity. Having lost her mum and extricated herself from a toxic relationship, she escaped as a secret shopper with Wilding Holdings, enjoying their chain of luxury hotels and reporting back. At Chateau Les Champs d'Or, a staffing error sees her step in as an employee. She hopes it will prove to be a distraction from heartache. She is sworn off relationships, but finds herself taken with a large Ginger cat and then drawn to the withdrawn Johnny, who is nursing his own broken heart and battling to put up with the ebullient nature of his brother and his friends. The pair have a few eventful run-ins, but soon find themselves softening. Can the chateau break down the walls of their hearts? The perfect holiday read. #escapetothefrenchchateau #Rachelbarnett #embla #emblabooks #netgalley

I really enjoyed this book and got so involved that I didn't want it to end. Loved the descriptions and the characters. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Fran is a secret shopper for a big brand hotel chain, set up in that role after a mysterious event after her mum dies, but when she arrives at the chateau and is mistaken for a new staff member she runs with it. Johnny is there on holiday with his brother Noel and two of their staff members: they run a wine company but Johnny's getting sick of Noel's ways as he struggles through the end of his marriage. Of course they meet and make friends, and then Johnny finds a crumbling chateau he falls in love with and Fran finds a stray cat SHE falls in love with and suddenly things get more complicated (there is much peril for the cat but he is OK and that is a spoiler but I know people will want to know that). A nice holiday read with the usual amount of frustrating non-communication but nice, positive characters with mostly believable back-stories and reactions.

this was a real escapist and cosy read, I read it in a weekend! a slightly different idea with the main character being hugely rich but not willing to use her wealth, instead she works as a chambermaid in a hotel. the romance was predictable but sweet, i would definitely recommend this read x

This was a great book! The characters and story are wonderful. I liked how the. characters storylines meshed. I recommend you read this fun French adventure.

A perfect summer read that was hard to put down.

I loved Fran’s character who took a different perspective as a mystery shopper. Once Johnny comes into the mix, the story nicely unfolds.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for this review.

À light and enjoyable summer read. A little slow at times and somewhat predictable but worth a read nonetheless. Good rounded character development, even the overbearing awful Noel, overall all set in the Loire Valley where it found myself when I read it, just not in a luxury hotel. I'd love to know what the future holds in the Chateau des Rêves. An excellent holiday romance to escape with.

I did enjoy this one overall and I liked the switch of the lead from luxury traveller to hotel maid. The characters were rounded and likeable. It's a fab setting and a great read for the summer. |The ending was somewhat predictable but I think that's part of the charm of this genre.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was fantastic!

A great Summer read or anytime for that matter!
There were lots of interesting characters with good backstories and emotional baggage which made for plenty of twists and turns.
The pace of the story was a little slow in places but I still really enjoyed it.
A charming little escape!

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

Fran job is like a mystery shopper, only, she visits hotels and reports back what she thought was nice or not.

But, when she arrives at a hotel in France, they think she’s the new housekeeper. Instead of correcting them, Fran does that job, so that she can give her viewpoint from the role of an employee.

But, soon things don’t go as she expected.

The perfect beach read.

I recommend this book.

A wonderful book by Rachel. With loveable characters and beautiful narratives making it a heart warming early summer read. I will be looking for more books by this author.