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Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky by Jennifer Bohnet #Review

  I am delighted to be on the tour to celebrate Jennifer Bohnet's romance, Secrets Beneath a Riviera Sky, which was published by Boldwood Books on April 17th.   As one door closes, another one opens… When Agnes Agistini receives a phone call from Theo, her brother-in-law informing her that her estranged, abusive husband Oscar has died in an accident, she feels nothing but relief. But that relief is short-lived as Oscar’s vengeance from an early grave forces Agnes to return to the place she fled from over forty years ago. A place and time she’s not keen to revisit. At the request of a French notaires dealing with Oscar’s last will, Agnes travels to Cannes in the South of France alongside their daughter Francine and her grand-daughter Jasmine. Agnes knows that going back will inevitably drag up deep, dark memories which she is yet to reconcile, but what choice does she have? What she wasn’t prepared for are the family secrets that will come to light, or the cruel w...
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The Coral Bride by Roxanne Bouchard translated by David Warriner #Review #Giveaway

 

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to my stop on the blog tour to celebrate the publication of The Coral Bride by French Canadian author, Roxanne Bouchard.  This is a sequel to We Were the Salt of the Sea and you can read my review of that book here.

I also have a great giveaway for you to enter for the chance to win a digital copy of The Coral Bride. Details are at the foot of this post. 

 
In this beautiful, lyrical sequel to the critically acclaimed We Were the Salt of the Sea, Detective Moralès finds that a seemingly straightforward search for a missing fisherwoman off Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula is anything but. 

When an abandoned lobster trawler is found adrift off the coast of Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, DS Joaquin Moralès begins a straightforward search for the boat’s missing captain, Angel Roberts – a woman in a male-dominated world. But Moralès finds himself blocked at every turn – by his police colleagues, by fisheries bureaucrats, and by his grown-up son, who has turned up at his door with a host of his own personal problems.

When Angel’s body is finally discovered, it’s clear something very sinister is afoot, and Moralès and son are pulled into murky, dangerous waters, where old resentments run deep...

An exquisitely written, evocative and poetic thriller, The Coral Bride powerfully conjures the might of the sea and the communities who depend on it, the never-ending struggle between the generations, and an extraordinary mystery at the heart of both.

My Thoughts

Roxanne Bouchard's novel has a distinct tone. At times, the imagery and writing style have a lyrical quality and the sea itself is never far from the page. The mystery of Angel Roberts' disappearance seems to unroll at a slow pace which mirrors the blocks that seem to typify the lives of both Moralès and his son. Communication seems to be impossible at times and there is a real frustration in the missed phone calls which they seem to ignore and the secrets they have about their marriages. Moralès is similarly impeded by his colleagues who regard him with suspicion as an outsider.

    The clues to Angel's disappearance, you realise in hindsight, are there in plain sight all along. However, Roxanne misdirects your attention beautifully through the large cast of suspects she involves. Set on the Gaspé Peninsula, you get a real sense of the surroundings and how the sea dominates the way of life of the fishermen and women. It is seen as a man's world, with grudges and past disputes close to the surface. The menace is lurking close by- well worth a read. 

In short: An evocative thrileer full of imagery. 

 

About the Author


Over ten years ago, Roxanne Bouchard decided it was time she found her sea legs. So she learned to sail, first on the St Lawrence River, before taking to the open waters off the Gaspé Peninsula. The local fishermen soon invited her aboard to reel in their lobster nets, and Roxanne saw for herself that the sunrise over Bonaventure never lies. Her fifth novel (first translated into English) We Were the Salt of the Sea was published in 2018 to resounding critical acclaim, sure to be followed by its sequel, The Coral Bride. She lives in Quebec.

You can follow Roxanne here: Twitter   |  Website

Book links: Amazon UK  

Thanks to Roxanne Bouchard, and Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.


                                                     Check out these great bloggers!
 
   
Giveaway (Worldwide)
 


To win a digital copy of The Coral Bride just Follow and Retweet the tweet at @bookslifethings Closing Date is November 10th 2020 and there is one winner.  Good luck!  
 
*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

 
  
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