Off The Wild Coast Of Brittany

Description

An unforgettable story of resilience and resistance set during WWII and present-day France on a secluded island off the coast of Brittany An unforgettable story of resilience and resistance set during WWII and present-day France on a secluded island off the coast of Brittany Natalie Morgen made a name for herself with a memoir about overcoming her harsh childhood after finding a new life in Paris. After falling in love with a classically trained chef, they moved together to his ancestral home, a tiny fishing village off the coast of Brittany. But then Francois-Xavier breaks things off with her without warning, leaving her flat broke and in the middle of renovating the guesthouse they planned to open for business. Natalie's already struggling when her sister, Alex, shows up unannounced. The sisters form an unlikely partnership to save the guesthouse, reluctantly admitting their secrets to each other as they begin to heal the scars of their shared past. But the property harbors hidden stories of its own. During World War II, every man of fighting age on the island fled to England to join the Free French forces. The women and children were left on their own...until three hundred German troops took up residence, living side-by-side with the French women on the tiny island for the next several years. When Natalie and Alex unearth an old cookbook in a hidden cupboard, they find handwritten recipes that reveal old secrets. With the help of locals, the Morgen sisters begin to unravel the relationship between Violette, a young islander whose family ran the guesthouse during WWII, and Rainier, a German military customs official with a devastating secret of his own.

Juliet Blackwell is the pseudonym for the New York Times bestselling author of Letters from Paris and The Paris Key. In addition to writing the beloved Witchcraft Mystery series and the Haunted Home Renovation series, she also coauthored the Agatha Award-nominated Art Lover's Mystery series with her sister.

Praise for The Vineyards of Champagne "A beautifully captivating story of wartime tenacity and tenderness that celebrates the sweetest bonds of human relationships and the courage to love again after loss. So exquisitely rich in detail, you'll feel bubbles on your tongue."--Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War "Blackwell moves effortlessly between present-day France and the battlefields of WWI... The allure of the decades-old mystery of missing letters juxtaposed against the history of the caves of Champagne makes for a satisfying page-turner."--Publishers Weekly "Blackwell's exquisite talent at interweaving the past with the present is on full display in her latest...telling the universal story of grief, loss, and human resilience."--Booklist Praise for Juliet Blackwell "Plan your trip to Provence now. In this meticulously researched novel, Juliet Blackwell deftly navigates three time periods, taking us from contemporary California to both the Belle Epoque and Nazi-occupied France, as she spins a story as charming as an antique carousel."--Sally Koslow, author of Another Side of Paradise "With crystalline imagery, vivid characters, and lively prose, Juliet Blackwell redefines what family means in a way that will touch readers long after they've read the last page....This novel should come with a warning: will cause enormous desire to travel to France."--Stephen P. Kiernan, author of The Baker's Secret "Blackwell seamlessly incorporates details about art, cast making, and the City of Light... especially stuns in the aftermath of the main story by unleashing a twist that is both a complete surprise and a point that expertly ties everything together."--Publishers Weekly "Bestselling author Blackwell brings us another captivating tale from the City of Light."--Booklist "A charming protagonist and a deep well of family secrets, all gorgeously set in the City of Light."--Michelle Gable, international bestselling author of I'll See You in Paris