Publication: 21st July 2022 – Hodder & Stoughton
Where there’s a will, can love find a way?
When cynical divorce lawyer Daisy Jackson unexpectedly inherits a ramshackle farmhouse in Provence, she sets off for the French countryside to oversee renovations herself.
But Gabriel Laforet has other ideas. A local builder with ties to the property, Gabriel is determined to see Daisy off and preserve the characterful, charming farmhouse – which, but for a missing will,he knows is rightfully his.
When the two meet, it’s clear they couldn’t be more different: Gabriel has lived in the small country village all his life; Daisy is a city girl whose career means everything. He is laid-back and messy;she is used to being in control. As they begin to work together, sparks fly. Yet they’re inexplicably drawn to each other and, in the heat of the Provence sun, secrets begin to spill. Perhaps Daisy can trust him with her carefully guarded heart after all?
But Gabriel is still searching for the missing will that proves the farmhouse belongs to him – and in doing so, risks upturning everything he and Daisy have started to build together…
I am thrilled to welcome you on my stop for the blog tour of An Escape to Provence, the entertaining new novel by Sophie Claire.
I also want to escape to Provence after reading this latest beautiful and enjoyable novel by Sophie Claire. I loved the characters, the setting, the food, and the story is emotional and heart-warming.
Daisy has inherited the farmhouse Le Mazet in Provence from a relative she didn’t even know she had and she plans to turn it into a rental house for tourists. The house needs a lot of work so she hires local builder Gabriel to transform it into a house more suited to her modern taste. However, Gabriel, who has his own personal attachments to the farmhouse and thinks he should be the rightful owner, has no intention to follow her instructions. When no other construction company accepts the job, Daisy has no choice but to take a few days off her work – for the first time in years! – and travel to Provence to convince Gabriel to do the job. After they finally reach an agreement, Daisy decides to stay for a few days to oversee the works, but, as her relationship with Gabriel turns into friendship and days turn into weeks, Daisy realizes that her life in London is not as perfect as she thought…
The story is told from the point of view of the two protagonists who couldn’t be more different. Daisy Jackson is a pragmatic and busy divorce lawyer in London who doesn’t do relationships and lives for her job. When she initially arrives in Provence, she finds it difficult to adapt to the slow pace of the village or to Gabriel long breaks from his work. Gabriel Laforet is more laid back, a builder with romantic views on life who is waiting to meet the love of his life and start a family. And yet the chemistry between these two characters is fantastic and I enjoyed how their relationship develops.
The setting is appealing, evocative, and very-well described and I could picture in my head the rundown yet charming farmhouse or the sleepy French village where everyone knows everyone.
An Escape to Provence is the third novel by Sophie Claire that I’ve read so far and, once again, I enjoyed every page of it. I read it in two days, so immersed in this well-written, entertaining, romantic story and its relatable, well-developed characters that I couldn’t help but love. Highly recommended!!!
A huge thank you to Oliver and Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to join the blog tour and providing me with a copy of this beautiful novel.
Sophie Claire, born to a French mother and Scottish father, grew up in Manchester where she still lives with her husband and two sons.
She writes stories centred around sunny Provence, where she spent her summers as a child.
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