I am delighted to return to Provence for Jo Thomas' Love in Provence which was published in paperback by Penguin on 6th June 2024. This is the sequel to Escape to the French Farmhouse and you can read my review here.
Escape to the beautiful lavender fields of Provence this
summer
Del moved to the south of France three years ago and hasn’t
looked back. She’s found new friends, new purpose, and new love with gorgeous
Fabien.
But just as harvest on her little lavender farm is due to
begin, Del gets some shocking news. With no time to dwell as she welcomes a new
crew of lavender pickers, she unexpectedly waves goodbye to Fabien for the
summer.
Usually cooking – the thing she loves best – would help
soothe her troubles, but Del doesn’t remember how . . . And then chef Zacharie
comes to town, dropping another bombshell!
Over one summer in Provence that’s full of surprises,
friends old and new rally round. Can they complete the harvest and pull the
community back together? And if Fabien returns, will Del finally get her
happy-ever-after?
My Thoughts
Having read how Del came to settle in Provence in Escape to the French Farmhouse, I was delighted to find out how life has panned out for Del, Fabien and their friends. There is a real feeling of community in the novel and a wide variety of characters. The new lavender pickers who arrive to help Del with the harvest fit into life on the farm. They each have their own backstory but find friendships and form into a tight group.
Early in the story, Del’s life suffers a huge shock and all her plans for the future are in jeopardy. In her grief, she pushes Fabien away and encourages him to embark on a tour with his old band. Too late, she finds she misses Fabien terribly but communicating this proves awkward. This is a warm, affectionate story, set in a beautiful part of France. Full of the sounds, smells and sights of Provence, I savoured the descriptions of the local food which serves to bind people together. There are lessons to be learned for several of the characters about facing up to what makes them happy. Whether Del can slow down and make room in her life for her relationship with Fabien remains to be seen. She has to face up to her vulnerabilities and trust in the strength of her love.
In short: escapist reading full of warmth and happiness
About the Author
Jo Thomas worked for many years as a reporter and producer,
first for BBC Radio 5, before moving on to Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Radio 2’s
The Steve Wright Show. In 2013 Jo won the RNA Katie Fforde Bursary. Her debut
novel, The Oyster Catcher, was a runaway bestseller in ebook and was awarded
the 2014 RNA Joan Hessayon Award and the 2014 Festival of Romance Best Ebook
Award. Jo lives in the Vale of Glamorgan with her husband and three children.
You can read my review of Jo's The Honey Farm on the Hill here
and Coming Home to Winter Island here.
Thanks to Jo Thomas, Penguin and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
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