Series Name: Romantic Escapes, # 10
Coming to, cradled in the arms of a handsome Frenchman, had to be right up there in the top ten of fantasies, unless you were covered in blood and had made a complete tit of yourself in the process.
The French Chateau Dream is an absolute delight and all I want to do is go back and read it again.
With a broken heart and a broken spirit, Hattie is in need of a summer escape. So when an opportunity comes up to work at a beautiful, stately chateau in the Champagne region of France she books her flights quicker than the pop of a cork.
Romance is the last thing Hattie is looking for but then she wasn’t expecting gorgeous Luc to stroll into her life. With picnics in the warm French sun and delicious foodie trips to the local market, Hattie starts to wonder if a holiday fling – or maybe even something more – might be just what she needs.
Every so often, I read a book that just resonates with my romantic soul on a whole ‘nother level, and this is one of those books for me. I lost count of the number of times I reread a scene in this book just because it gave me wonderful butterfly feelings or what I can only describe as this rush of happiness. And the thing is, I’ve had the same fabulous reading experience with a few of the other books in this series (I haven’t read them all yet). Everything Julie writes has been that good for me.
Now let’s talk about why I love this book so much. First, I got to talk about the gorgeous and unforgettable setting. In this book, we get to spend our time in the French countryside in an amazing Chateau that is breathtakingly beautiful and so rich in history. I felt like I was being transported to this enchanted place and did not want to leave. There is also some pretty great food talk in this book. It felt like the story was bursting with mouth-watering food descriptions at every turn. It was just so delicious.
All the characters are delightful and just so real. I loved, loved, loved Hattie. She is a person who is always the one to take care of others, even at the expense of her happiness. At the beginning of this story, Hattie has finally put her dreams first and has begun her journey to start her own wedding planning business. Her first job is to plan her cousin’s wedding at this gorgeous French chateau. Like many romance heroines, she is downtrodden at the beginning of their stories. In Hattie’s case, it is from having to take care of her boyfriend and his mother, who are both super needy. She has lost her zest for life. But of course, that is all going to change with this new adventure and also with the help of Luc, a gorgeous French man.
We get two wonderful love stories in this book. First, we have the main love story between Hattie and Luc, which will have you swooning in your reading chair. Then we have this fiery, passionate love story between Fliss and Alphonse. Hattie and Luc are amazing together as a couple. The chemistry between these two characters is delicious, and there is this soft sexiness to their relationship. Their relationship just gave me all those wonderful, good feelings. Fliss and Alphonse’s love story was an utter surprise to me, but I love it. These two are like oil and water. They fight like cats and dogs, but chemistry and attraction are so evident. I loved watching the battle of wills between these two. It was so much fun.
The French Chateau Dream is the book of my romantic dreams, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great escapist love story.
Thank you, HarperCollins UK and Rachel Random Resources for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
