Book Review
Love In Provence by William Auch
Publisher: Bookbaby
Publication Date: December 15, 2012
Format: eBook - 265 pages / Kindle - 801 KB / Nook - 635 KB
ISBN: 9781624884443
ASIN: B00ALZFM16
Genre: Contemporary Romance
BUY THE BOOK: Love In Provence
Disclaimer: I have received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Book Description:
When John Martin is forced to sell his tech company, he decides to take a six-month vacation to the south of France.
When he meets Madame Garcin, her daughter Sophie, and her granddaughter Isabelle, his life is changed forever. What began as a long vacation becomes a journey of self-discovery marked by love, loss, and tragedy.
He is molded by this family of three generations of women, tempered by tragedy themselves, in ways that he could never have imagined.
Book Excerpt:
It seemed to John that the next three weeks could not go by fast enough. He was energized and quickly got back into the routine of jogging along the Embarcadero. It was a Sunday morning and John had made it all the way to the Marina Green, which was farther than the length of his usual run.
The green was filled with joggers, mothers pushing strollers, and the sailors heading for the yacht harbor. The sky was bright blue and cloudless, and a stiff breeze blew into the harbor from the other side of the Golden Gate. John stopped in the middle of the green to catch his breath and looked up to see a sky full of kites. There were large ones, small ones, one that looked like a dragon, and another which resembled a bird, all in a kaleidoscope of colors that were enhanced by the sun from above. They all danced in the wind, some darting side to side, and others diving toward each other as if to demonstrate who owned the skies. Some would descend to the ground then dart back up into the sky again.
Off to one side was a small girl with a pony tail, who ran across the grass as though she were about to lift off like a bird. Behind her she towed a small red kite, which stubbornly refused to become airborne despite her best attempts to launch it. Each time the kite plunged to the grass she would tighten the string again and make another run at it, only to have the kite rise about ten feet, then plummet to the grass. She tried over and over again with such determination, John wondered how long she had been at it. After each failed attempt she would look over at her mother who was keeping an eye on her from a distance, then the girl would continue with more determination than the previous attempt. John thought about Isabelle and how much he missed her. He could not wait to see her. He could imagine Isabelle when she was young, pulling on the kite string with the same determination as the little girl. John walked over to her mother sitting on the grass and asked with a smile, “Do you mind if I give her a hand?”
Her mother raised her eyebrows at first and studied John from top to bottom, but then a smile slowly crept onto her face. “Sure, why not?”
Off to one side was a small girl with a pony tail, who ran across the grass as though she were about to lift off like a bird. Behind her she towed a small red kite, which stubbornly refused to become airborne despite her best attempts to launch it. Each time the kite plunged to the grass she would tighten the string again and make another run at it, only to have the kite rise about ten feet, then plummet to the grass. She tried over and over again with such determination, John wondered how long she had been at it. After each failed attempt she would look over at her mother who was keeping an eye on her from a distance, then the girl would continue with more determination than the previous attempt. John thought about Isabelle and how much he missed her. He could not wait to see her. He could imagine Isabelle when she was young, pulling on the kite string with the same determination as the little girl. John walked over to her mother sitting on the grass and asked with a smile, “Do you mind if I give her a hand?”
Her mother raised her eyebrows at first and studied John from top to bottom, but then a smile slowly crept onto her face. “Sure, why not?”
My Book Review:
In Love In Provence, author William Auch weaves a lighthearted and poignant story of one man's journey of self-discovery and finding romance when he meets a family of three generations of French women while on vacation in the South of France.
Written in the third person narrative from a male's perspective, the reader follows the inspirational journey of John Martin as he embarks on a six-month sojourn to the South of France. John is a millionaire who has enjoyed success in the business world. When he is forced to sell his tech company, he decides to travel to the South of France on an extended vacation of rest and relaxation. When he meets up with an extraordinary family of three generations of strong French women: Madame Garcin, daughter Sophie, and granddaughter Isabelle, their lives intertwine as they share stories of past loves, loss and tragedies in their lives. John's visit with this family of women will lead him to have a life transforming experience that will alter the way he views life and love.
Author William Auch transports the reader to the richly detailed and descriptive setting of South of France where they follow John's journey of self-discovery when he meets the remarkable family of French women who will change his outlook on life. The reader can't help but become captivated by this passionate story refreshingly told in the male's perspective. The author engages the reader with the intriguing histories of John, Madame Garcin, Sophie and Isabelle as they share an interwoven theme of love, loss and tragedy with remarkable strength and grace that ultimately will transform John's outlook on life. The story flows with intriguing and dramatic twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing what will happen next as the story unfolds. I really enjoyed the mixture of life lessons/experiences and romance between two very different cultures, generations, and genders that was interwoven throughout the story.
Love In Provence is a lighthearted and enjoyable romantic read that will leave the reader pondering about their own outlook on life and love.
RATING: 4 STARS ****
About The Author
William Auch is a physician residing in Sacramento, California. When not seeing patients, he writes, studies French, and travels the world.
Virtual Book Tour Contest Giveaway
Win A $25 Amazon Gift Card
Author William Auch will be giving away a $25 Amazon gift card. Follow the tour and comment on each tour stop; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.
The tour dates can be found here:
http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/02/review-tour-love-in-provence-by-william.html
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A lovely review thank you.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Hi Mary, thank you for the kind comment and for visiting my blog. :)
DeleteThis review was really great. I think this is a story I would really enjoy.
ReplyDeleteHi MomJane! Thank you for stopping by and posting your kind comment. Hope you get a chance to read this book. :)
DeleteThank you for a wonderful review and excerpt.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Hi Ingeborg, thank you for visiting my blog and posting your kind comment, I appreciate it. :)
DeleteI love your review! Makes me really wanna read! I usually don't read Male POV. SHould be a welcome change!
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
Hi Andra Lyn! Thank you for stopping by my blog and posting your kind comment, I appreciate it. It was refreshing to read a romance story from a male POV, I hope you get a chance to read it. :)
DeleteThank you for the opportunity to hist the virtual book tour event.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen! So glad you enjoyed the blog posts this week, I'm getting ready to post next week's schedule, hope you enjoy them too! Thank you for stopping by, have a great weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteI love that it is not only his relationship with Sophie but with all three generations of women, adding the element of each type of relationship with it. Sounds really good
ReplyDeletefencingromein at hotmail dot com
Hi Shannon! Exactly, I was fascinated with his connection to each of the women and the girl, it was kept me engaged. Thank you for visiting my blog. :)
DeleteI love the cover...It's very eye-catching. The rose and almost sepia tones give it a very romantic feel.
ReplyDeletecatherinelee100 at gmail dot com
Hi Catherine! The cover is lovely, I was drawn to the book when I saw the cover. It is a wonderful story, hope you get to read it. Thanks for stopping by!:)
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