The Little French Guesthouse – by Helen Pollard

Get your copy of The Little French Guesthouse here from Amazon!

Series: La Cour des Roses

342 pages

Bookouture (April 27, 2016)

ISBN-10: 191075188X

ISBN-13: 978-1910751886

 

The Blurb:

Sun, croissants and fine wine. Nothing can spoil the perfect holiday. Or can it?

When Emmy Jamieson arrives at La Cour des Roses, a beautiful guesthouse in the French countryside, she can’t wait to spend two weeks relaxing with boyfriend Nathan. Their relationship needs a little TLC and Emmy is certain this holiday will do the trick. But they’ve barely unpacked before he scarpers with Gloria, the guesthouse owner’s cougar wife. [Read more on Amazon…]

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(WARNING: this review has a bit of spoiler!)

I picked up this book, taking the blurb at its word as “the perfect, feel-good summer read”, and it absolutely did not disappoint!

Many of us know what it’s like to be betrayed by spouse or lover. Some can even relate to catching the jerkwad (or “heifer”, as the case may be) in the act! Those who have ‘been there’ likely also have painful memories of the devastation such an act has caused in their lives – and the fortunate few have had an unconditional support system to see them through the difficult aftermath.

Emmeline, or ‘Emmy’ as she prefers, has arranged a two week holiday at – you guessed it – a little French guesthouse for herself and her more-than-a-boyfriend, Nathan. She is hoping that the getaway will inject a little excitement(?) back into their relationship, which had been lagging. Welllll….Nathan got excited, alright. Only he got excited with their host’s wife, Gloria, and on the first night of their stay, no less!

When their host, Rupert, had an apparent heart attack, Emmy rendered as much aid as she could, and then frantically went looking for Gloria, who had disappeared at roughly the same time as Nathan. She found both of them…with Gloria’s legs wrapped around Nathan like a belt, as it were.

Emmy did not apprise Rupert of her discovery that they had both been cuckolded, for fear of exacerbating the heart condition that was revealed once he was taken to hospital. But she did confront both Nathan and Gloria the following morning, and neither felt the least bit of shame at having been caught; in fact, both seemed a bit put upon and indignant at Emmy’s attitude about the whole thing.

Although Emmy keeps Rupert in the dark about what happened between her boyfriend and Rupert’s wife, Nathan ends his part in the holiday a few days later by breaking up with her and leaving…with Gloria. Rupert, of course, was upset, but more for Emmy than himself. In fact, he didn’t seem at all surprised by his wife’s desertion.

Emmy decides to extend her stay in France to assist Rupert at the guesthouse until he has recovered from his attack and an injury he sustained when he fell on that fateful night. And it is here that Emmy’s own recovery begins, from miserable and lonely, to finding selfless support amongst veritable strangers. She also makes the surprising discovery that, in spite of her determination to return her mundane existence after her holiday, she doesn’t have to hold on to the misery brought on by the disappointing turn of events.

It is with much humour and wit that Ms. Pollard invites us to share in Emmy’s experience with Rupert and her new, sometimes irascible friends, at the little French guesthouse. Her description of the beauty of La Cour des Roses and the surrounding area is so visual that the reader will not find it difficult to experience the place almost first hand.

Just a note, here: while there are intimate innuendos and situations aplenty, there is zero graphic sex…which an old fossil like myself can appreciate.

I can’t say when I have enjoyed a simple read like this more. The only issue I had was that I wanted to go back with Emmy if she ever returned to The Little French Guesthouse…

…oh wait!

The Return to the Little French Guesthouse is out!!