Escape to the French Chateau by Rachel Barnett

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Can a summer trip to France turn into a second chance at love?

Between getting over a bad breakup and losing her mum, Fran is ready to put the past year behind her. So when she's offered the chance to tour the world's finest hotels as a secret shopper, she can't pack her bags fast enough.

Arriving at her next destination in the Loire Valley, an unexpected mix-up suddenly sees Fran becoming the newest employee of Chateau les Champs d'Or. Fran isn't afraid to get stuck in, but running into handsome guest, Johnny, was never part of the plan.

There to do a job, she knows she should keep her distance from him - especially when Johnny's nursing his own heartache. But despite her best efforts, he somehow manages to come to her rescue at every turn, making it harder to resist his company.

Under the glistening French sun, Fran starts to discover just who the real Johnny is behind that gruff exterior, a man she's already losing her heart to. The problem is, she's set to leave in a week, and he's been badly burned by love before. Will Fran risk it all for a shot at happily ever after, or will their time together forever remain a holiday romance?

My Opinion

This was such a delightful book. Fran arrives in the Loire Valley and takes advantage of the fact that she has been mistaken for someone else. She is trying to escape from a toxic relationship having just lost her mother – whilst also hiding a secret about her true identity. This was a nice light-hearted read with some great characters.

Rating 4/5

I lovely summer read, full of romance, secrets and cats! A really great listen which I got hooked on very quickly. The characters and story are strong, with the perfect mix of humour and emotion. I defy anyone who says they weren't moved by Red the cat at certain points - I won't spoil the story!! A feeling good, summer read.

Escape to the French Chateau by Rachel Barnett and narrated by: Rosie Jones and James Meunier was a beautifully written book that just stole my heart from the beginning till the end. It was a beautiful audiobook, that will sweep from your chair and take you to Loire Valley to the Chateau les Champs d'Or. I loved listening to this - it was a joy to listen to, especially as Rachel Barnett was a new author to me. I will be reading more of her books in the future.

I highly recommend this audiobook......Just beautiful.

The narrators Rosie Jones and James Meunier were excellent.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Embla Books for my Audiobook ARC.

This is a nice lighthearted easy listen, a real summer vibe that has you feeling like you're living alongside Fran in her journey to the Chateu in France. Fran is a secret shopper reviewing hotels and next on the list is the Chateau les Champs d'Or where she sets out to do her job whilst dealing with grief from the loss of her mum and her own personal grief of separation.

When she first arrives at the hotel she is mistaken for a member of staff which she decides to embrace as what better way to see how the hotel is run but from the inside, however this doesnt last long and she then is shown to a beautiful guest room after the owner realises the mistake. The last thing in Frans mind is meeting someone new in her life. Her walls are high, but then comes along Johnny, who also has had his fair share of life's hurdles. He becomes a dear friend to Fran, and she begins to find herself in a position that she never thought possible. She is falling for him, how is this happening, especially at this time!!!

The narration was done well, very pleasant to listen to, to the point of soothing and definitely authentic in areas.

With thanks to Netgalley, Bonnier UK Audio & Embla Books for a copy of this in return for an honest review.

A sweet summer escape read! The lovely storyline and journey the characters go on keeps you engaged until the last page! Definite recommend!

Fran is the ‘secret shopper’ of hotels. Her next stop is at a beautiful French Chateau in the Loire Valley. But after a mix-up, she somehow ends up as the newest employee at Chateau les Champs d’Or!!

Heartache, romance, family affairs, secrets and new beginnings all set in the most gorgeous setting! What’s not to love?!

I really enjoyed this addictive audiobook and just couldn’t wait to find out what happened! A great holiday read which gets five stars from me!

Thank you to @emblabooks and @bonnierbooks_uk for providing this advanced audiobook in return for an honest review via Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

#EscapetotheFrenchChateau #netgalley #bookreview #emblabooks #bonnierukaudio #rachelbarnett #audiobookreview #bookrecommendations

Great book to be read by the pool or ocean - just the right story for a pleasurable, light book on a holiday.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in excahnge for an honest review.

Perfect summer holiday audiobook. Brilliant characters, and a nice, relatively predictable story with some minor surprises, just what you would want from a summer “read”.

This is a gem of a listen. A beautifully narrated tale set in France. A friendship building to romance in this quirky story which has an original storyline. and lots of Interesting characters. Warning - do not start to listen to this book unless you’ve got plenty of time as you won’t want to switch it off until you reach the end.