‘Maybe other people’s actions is enough for me,’ Orla suggested. ‘When you’re in the spotlight you’re just setting yourself up for someone to tell you you have no right to be there.’
‘Someone has made you feel like that?’ he queried, getting angrier by the moment.
‘Someone made you feel like that too,’ she reminded him. ‘Maybe I should build myself a fortress in a forest and never come out.’
He grabbed her then, with a bit more force than he had intended, until her back was up against a fir tree. ‘Don’t you say that. You should never hide away. You are too beautiful, too clever, too charismatic to not be one of the biggest parts of this world. I can’t believe someone would dare to try to make you think otherwise.’
One Winter at the French Chalet will warm your heart this winter.
With Christmas fast approaching, her boss is insisting Orla must travel to a rural village in France to interview a man who doesn’t speak.
Saint-Chambéry is a picturesque French village nestled in the snow-capped mountains, but Jacques Barbier – gorgeous and brooding, yet a man of few words – makes it clear that Orla is wasting her time here.
Orla can’t deny that Jacques intrigues and infuriates her, but what is the mysterious Frenchman hiding exactly? And can she get close enough to uncover his secrets without risking her own heart?
This book is perfect for those who want to read something wintery without being bombarded with Christmas shenanigans. I really enjoyed this book, and I think it’s because it took me on a journey I wasn’t expecting. I was thinking this would be a light and fluffy small-town romance with a lot of Christmas magic sprinkled throughout it. While it is this to a certain extent, it also is a story that possesses a lot of depth and mystery and tackles some tougher issues. This story is about these relatable characters who are juggling a lot of real-life problems. Mandy was thoughtful in how she included topics such as mental health, dealing with a serious illness, strained family relationships, and living and healing from past traumas. Everything in this book really worked beautifully together.
I adored the setting. I am a sucker for a small-town romance, and one that is located in the rural mountainside of France really scratched an itch I didn’t know I had. The little town of Saint-Chambéry was quirky, fun, and possessed so much charm. I loved all the townspeople, and Mandy did a great job at creating a community that felt like a cozy blanket was hugging you.
One of the things that made this book feel so real was the complicated family dynamics that existed in it. Both Orla and Jacque’s family relationships aren’t the greatest. Orla’s parents are struggling with health problems and marriage problems. Orla’s younger sister is talking to this mysterious stranger online, and Orla is afraid her sister will either be hurt or scammed by this mysterious person. Jacque has a strained relationship with both of his parents and has chosen to distance himself from his family, except his younger brother. Watching Orla and Jacque navigate these different solutions was heartbreaking and heartwarming. There aren’t any clear answers or solutions to their problems; they are just trying to do their best.
I liked Orla and Jacque. They have this interesting chemistry going on between them. There is a lot of friction between these two, and they often go from hot to cold in the blink of an eye. Both of these characters deal with a lot of issues, both family and personal. Their emotional baggage often leads to misunderstandings, leading to fights. I enjoyed Orla and Jacque’s story. They are both extremely likable characters, and it was utterly adorable to see how nervous they were about going on a date with one another. Jacque is absolutely smitten with Orla, and there are moments when his feelings cause him to say the sweetest and swoonest things. You will like this book if you like forced proximity, dislike to lovers, small-town meddling, misunderstandings, and closed-door spice. Overall, the romance in this book was this fabulous mixture of charm, warmth, and a dash of lusty attraction.
One Winter at the French Chalet is a real and heartwarming romance.
Thank you, Boldwood Books, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
