TLC Book Tours Book Reviews: Whispering In French

About Whispering in French

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (August 1, 2017)

Award-winning romance author Sophia Nash makes her women’s fiction debut with a beautifully crafted, funny, and life-affirming story set in the Atlantic seaside region of France, as one woman returns to France to sell her family home and finds an unexpected chance to start over—perfect for fans of Le Divorce and The Little Paris Bookshop.

Home is the last place Kate expected to find herself…

As a child, Kate Hamilton was packed off each summer to her grandfather’s ivy-covered villa in southern France. That ancestral home, named Marthe Marie, is now crumbling, and it falls to Kate—regarded as the most responsible and practical member of her family—to return to the rugged, beautiful seaside region to confront her grandfather’s debts and convince him to sell.

Kate makes her living as a psychologist and life coach, but her own life is in as much disarray as Marthe Marie. Her marriage has ended, and she’s convinced that she has failed her teenaged daughter, Lily, in unforgiveable ways. While delving into colorful family history and the consequences of her own choices, Kate reluctantly agrees to provide coaching to Major Edward Soames, a British military officer suffering with post-traumatic stress. Breaking through his shell, and dealing with idiosyncratic locals intent on viewing her as an Americanized outsider, will give Kate new insight into who—and where—she wants to be. The answers will prove as surprising as the secrets that reside in the centuries-old villa.

Witty and sophisticated, rich in history and culture, Sophia Nash’s novel vividly evokes both its idyllic French setting and the universal themes of self-forgiveness and rebuilding in a story as touching as it is wise.

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Review:  This book took me awhile to get into, which is a shame. It took over an hour to read thirty pages. So yeah, this is a slow read, not that it is a bad thing, but when you've been in a reading slump for awhile, a slow book isn't a good thing.

Then there's Kate. She wasn't exactly the most likable characters, but after awhile she started to grow on me. Its hard not to like a psychologist that is a certifiable mess. (Do as I say, not as I do). I grew to like her as her friendship with Edward, a soldier with PTSD grows. With this friendship, you saw some changes come over both of Kate and Edward, and you also learned both characters backstories, which explained some of their preset behavior. (I had more sympathy for Edward though, as you learn they are both similar in their suffering)

Midway through the story we finally meet her daughter Lily, who has troubles of her own, related to her mother and father.

Then there's a side story going on called "Whispers In The Garden" which is just way too bizarre. I mean very bizarre. It ends up being a sweet part of a story that is full of drama and strangeness, be it family drama or the weirdness of Kate's clients. (She's a psychologist).

Kate's family drama is probably the most colorful and it gives so much more depth to the plot. It isn't just about a messed up woman tried to get her grandfather to sell his crumbling villa and move to someplace safe. No, there's a crocked uncle, an unknown sibling, a wacky mother, along with all the neighbors in the town that seem to be out for a piece of the villa.

I did enjoy the relationship that started to develop between Kate and Russ Nation in the last part of the novel.

As I gave myself time with this book, I started to like it more but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting.  I hope that the author revisits these characters, because it would be nice to really see how things turned out for them as years go by.

Rating: 3 flowers

About Sophia Nash

Sophia Nash was born in Switzerland and raised in France and the United States, but says her heart resides in Regency England. Her ancestor, an infamous French admiral who traded epic cannon fire with the British Royal Navy, is surely turning in his grave.

Before pursuing her long-held dream of writing, Sophia was an award-winning television producer for a CBS affiliate, a congressional speechwriter, and a nonprofit CEO. She lives in the Washington, D.C., suburbs with her husband and two children.

Sophia's novels have won twelve national awards, including the prestigious RITA^®Award, and two spots on Booklist's "Top Ten Romances of the Year."

Find out more about Sophia at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.