I really enjoyed this book. I love how Helga writes for the older women and finding a new path in their life and taking risks. Beautifully written, I could not put this down. It transported me to Monaco and the French Rivera and how the other life lives.

A lovely getaway of a book. An entertaining, easy-to-read second chance romance. This book was fun. Lavish yachts, glamorous Monaco, casinos of Monte Carlo, and traveling in Saint Tropez were a fascinating setting to fall in love. Lucy found herself in a fairytale among the rich lifestyle. Lucy and Elias were so good together. It was heartwarming. Characters are relatable and realistic. Their concerns are genuine when life takes an unexpected turn. We can never guess, at what stage of our lives, we'll find our happily ever after. Overall, it's a good uplifting book.
Thanks to the author, @Netgalley, and the publisher for the eARC.

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

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Helga Jensen.

It’s a story of second chances and learning more about yourself. Lucy aspires to become a writer, but she is finding it hard to get the words flowing. She and her friends travel Monaco, where one of them is going to celebrate her big birthday.

She meets Elias by chance, who is a handsome man and later invites Lucy and her friends to go on a yacht and have a sailing experience.

They slowly begin to grow close because of their past. Now, she has to think about what happened in her previous relationship that she finds it hard to trust another man again.

I loved the gorgeous setting. The story was well written and had romance, secrets and delicious food to make your mouth water.

I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed the story overall, but once again the author spends too much time on telling. As another reviewer put it, it's like a stream of consciousness coming from Lucy, and Lucy is quite childish for a 52 year old. There's something about the narrative style, it's too simplistic. I didn't feel there was much of a romance. The children were all annoying. Why didn't we hear more about the book Lucy was writing? That would have been interesting. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had such high hopes for this book based on the blurb but it didn't quite live up to expectations. On reflection, i don't think the characters were particularly well developed. The description of the setting was lovely but the story was a little meh unfortunately.

Even though I find the title and the cover of this book very beautiful, I found its content very weak. The story follows fifty-two year-old Lucy who goes in the south of France to celebrate her best friend's birthday. There, she meets a mysterious man called Elias and they have an instant connection.

The story in itself was fine and enjoyable, but the characters were awful, especially the main character, Lucy. She acted so gullible, not like she is 52 but 12. I found the dialogue weak and cringey, and even the love interest was really bad and didn't treat her well.

I could say that I am not the target audience of this book, but I have enjoyed so many books and authors in this genre. I would still give the author another chance, she has potential, but I also think she needs to hone her craft.

This book follows Lucy, an aspiring author who attends a wealthy friend’s 50th birthday party in Monaco. Still healing from a broken marriage, she isn’t looking for love. However, when she meets Elias, a charming man who invites her sailing on his employer’s boat, she agrees—seeing it as an opportunity for book research rather than romance. As they spend time together, they bond over their adult children, who seem intent on limiting their independence. The chemistry between them is undeniable, but Lucy soon questions whether Elias is truly who he seems. More importantly, is she ready to open her heart again?

Jensen delivers a heartwarming and engaging later-in-life romance with well-developed, relatable characters. Lucy is an inspiring protagonist, and her journey—both as a writer and someone learning to trust again—feels authentic. The romance with Elias is written realistically, highlighting the challenges of dating with adult children in the picture. The setting in the French Riviera adds a rich, atmospheric backdrop, and the novel’s balance of humor, warmth, and heartfelt moments makes it an enjoyable read. Fans of uplifting, second-chance romances will appreciate this compelling and beautifully told story.

Too much telling, not enough showing. The book opens up with exposition instead of action. I read romance because I want to read about falling in love—not about how the heroine’s previous marriage failed. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

This was my first Helga Jensen novel and it was exactly what I wanted! An untaxing, uplifting, romantic novel set in a beautiful location, it made the dreary January commutes fly by.
I enjoyed the fact it had an older-than-average heroine, dealing with different issues to the norm - navigating life post divorce, a difficult ex-husband, demanding teenage children. And I loved the handsome but humble Elias, as he and Lucy both learned to trust again.
I thoroughly enjoyed my Escape to the French Riviera! Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for the advance copy.

Wahoo another Helga book. She's such a talented and always on my to-read list author. I love her charming style. Her wit which just lifts the story. And how I just want to snuggle in and immerse myself in every moment of the book.
This time we are escaping to the French Riviera. And once again we are right there with the characters with Helgas wonderful descriptions and scene setting.
We have Lucy our aspiring author who's still suffering a lack of confidence due to heartbreak. Attending her friends birthday in Monaco she meets Ella's and is instantly taken with him. And the chemistry is mutal. He offers to take her on a boating adventure and their connection grows.
Will Lucy have the courage and self belief to love again.

I really liked how this book was in the "older" than the norm age group. And it's didn't lose anything from being so. We really need to see more of this age group and beyond. The more mature characters are always some of best in books so I don't know why they don't have a more prominent place!
Loved it. And I'm so grateful I got to read the next of one of my top favourite authors.

I was looking forward to this book however it did not live up to any of my expectations. Flat, one dimensional characters made it a struggle to finish.

Another great read from this author love how they write about relatable characters and issues and also write books about women in their 50s and show how life can begin at 50 and that it is possible to be given a second chance in life.

This was a perfect me pick up and feel good good uplifting read.

Escape to The French Riviera by Helga Jensen is a heartwarming tale of second chances and self-discovery. Lucy, a jaded aspiring author, attends a lavish birthday party in Monaco and unexpectedly crosses paths with Elias, a charming man who invites her on a sailing adventure. As their connection deepens over shared experiences and a growing attraction, Lucy must confront her past heartbreak and fears about trusting again. Set against the stunning backdrop of the French Riviera, this novel explores themes of love, healing, and the courage to embrace new beginnings. With its mix of romance, introspection, and scenic allure, it’s a perfect read for fans of feel-good, transformative love stories.

A lovely story of ignoring all the cliches and falling in love again. You had 3 good friends , 4 grown up children , an x pain in the neck husband and a beautiful setting. A real feel good read. Loved it. Read in one session.

Charming book. Great writing. But the highlight for me was the setting - reading this makes you feel like you are in the heart of the French Riviera.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's not often that I don't get on with a book set in such a glamorous location. but I just did not enjoy the writing style of this novel. It felt like a non-stop stream of consciousness of a slightly neurotic 50 year old woman. I know it was billed as a 'later in life' romance but I felt like Lucy, the heroine just let herself by completely walked all over, first by her ex-husband, then her children and finally the supposed love interest. The only thing believable was Lucy's friends, Soraya and Carol. The plotline was repetitive and totally unrealistic. She was supposed to be writing a book but we didn't really hear much about this - I think it would have been much more interesting if some of the things she was writing were mirrored in the bigger story. I persevered with it because I thought there might be some change by the end but unfortunately, in my opinion, it just didn't come. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 rounded to 3.

4⭐️

I thought this was a great book, it was definitely a feel good romance book. This was my first time reading a book by Helga Jensen and I was very impressed with her writing! I loved how throughout the whole book we saw so much character development with Lucy the main character. I thought Helga did an amazing job at capturing how it can be difficult dating after a divorce or losing a partner because family is always a big factor. I didn’t know how I was going to feel about reading a book with main characters who I do not relate to with their lives and situations. But this was the perfect feel good romance books that leave you smiling at the end.

Lucy is invited to spend her friends 50th birthday on the French Riviera. She hopes it will help her to write the book she's been trying to do for years. Her life's a mess and she just wants some time time to live her life. She meets Elias who invites her onto his employers boat

When aspiring author Lucy attends a rich friend’s 50th birthday party in glamorous Monaco, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever.

Heartsore after a broken marriage, she is not looking for love so when she meets Elias, and he offers to take her sailing on his employer’s boat, she agrees only as research for the book she desperately wants to write. They bond over their adult children – who seem to want to clip their wings and force them into living like pensioners – and the chemistry is undeniable.
But is he all he seems? And is she ready to trust again?

Well another one where Helga has done it again. I adore Helgas books, she is one of the few authors I have read that writes about women in their 50s with such relatable characters. They were so loveable. This later in life romance was a page turner. I laughed in parts and couldn’t put it down. It was heartwarming and addictive.

Lucy was a gorgeous character as were her friends and the more I read the more I was intrigued. I loved the element of Lucy pursuing her dreams of writing a novel and how the path is never smooth but to never give up. The scene was set perfectly in the French Riviera and took me to a descriptive France.

Elias and Lucy’s relationship was written so truthfully showing when families are in involved not everything is always smooth sailing. Their relationship journey was written beautifully and it was interesting to read how they were going to weave through the twists and turns.

I simply didn’t want this book to end and wanted more and more of it.

If you haven’t read one of Helgas books before please make sure you do! All are five star reads and people who have started reading her books after my recommendation also agree! This is one not to be missed and is out on the 20th February.

I loved this book so much! Full of beautiful hope for love after a certain age we need more books headed in that direction. I absolutely love the premise.