Tag Archives: Historical Romance

The Winemaker’s Wife, by Kristin Harmel

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The synopsis provided for this story is a bit misleading. Less than 15% of the story deals with the French Resistance; and moreover, it goes into little to no details about what they did other than hiding the munitions as stated in the synopsis. The members are never named, the groups are unknown, and the effect of their cause is anonymous. The reader never sees the outcome of what came from their help with the resistance and there is no action regarding the resistance movement.

The premise for this book was an interesting concept showing a different perspective of WWII German-occupied citizens: the winemakers. It was interesting that they were treated differently since the Nazi soldiers needed booze, and I would have liked more interaction between them.

This novel relishes in marital problems, affairs, and wine. The chapters alternate between Liz, Ines, and Celine. The reader is quickly made aware of Liz’s divorce in 2019 which causes her to fly to Reims, France to stay with her 99-year-old spunky Grandma Edith. Meanwhile set in 1943 during German-occupied France, Ines and Celine both express their own marital problems. The first half of the book primarily focuses on Ines and Celine’s relationship problems with their spouses. Ines constantly feels left out and insignificant, and for the reader it frequently feels like she is whining and can become annoying to suffer through the pages of her moaning about no one caring about her

Overall, there was little depth to the main characters, so none of them really resonated with me. I didn’t like any of the characters set in the past, and I felt like it was hard to get to know them as a reader. On the other hand, I did like Grandma Edith and it was her relationship with Liv and the connection that was to be made between her and the past that caused me to keep reading. The ending was carefully crafted and enjoyable. 

This is a good light read for those interested in both romance and wine. (There are many paragraphs throughout beautifully describing how wine is made.) 


Thank you to Gallery Books, Kristin Harmel, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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All The Flowers in Paris, by Sarah Jio

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Set in 2009 Paris, France, Caroline suffers memory loss after a bike incident. While searching for her past, she discovers letters in her apartment written by Celine from 1943 during German-occupied France. The reader is then taken on a journey to unearth the past of Caroline, and now Celine. Along the way, Caroline becomes romantically involved with a nearby chef, and meanwhile we see Celine’s romantic interests slipping away during the Nazi occupation. Notably, the motif of flowers is kept throughout the story to create an extended metaphor.

For the most part, the first half of this book was average. There were a few moments when it felt like the action was about to begin, yet no major occurrences or activities appear until over halfway. The story takes a considerable twist at around 80% and the story starts to take off, but at that point the book is almost over. I found the very last chapter, a two year follow up of the characters lives, very cliché.

There is little history incorporated into this story. It is not until nearly halfway that any historical aspect, other than simply being set in the past, starts to trickle into the plot. Even still, it is used as a prop rather than an emphasis. Likewise, some ideas and instances that transpire are also romanticized and not completely believable.

While much history is lacking and the overall story is too easy to follow for my taste, I found the mystery behind Caroline’s identity alluring which is what made me keep reading.

Pieces of this story reminded me too much of Sarah’s Key.

I recommend this novel to those who enjoy reading romances set in the past.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing- Ballantine, Sarah Jio, and NetGalley for this advanced read copy in exchange for my honest review.

| Purchase on Amazon | Goodreads Review |