You had me at Boulangerie!
You know that I am always up for a foodie read, and books set in France, so a foodie book set in France is my jam. Or should I say confiture!
When Lia breaks up with her up to no good partner Freddie, not only is she now single, but she also has to sell her apartment and find somewhere new to live. Deciding that she needs a holiday, she goes to see her boss to ask for some time off only to find out that she is likely going to be losing her job as well due to being made redundant.
Lia is naturally devastated, but Jules encourages her to think about where her happy place might be and to try to go there. It doesn't take Lia long to remember how much she loves France, particularly the Toulouse region where she spent 3 months living with a French family fifteen years previously. She has kept in touch with the Molins family, and they would love to see her, so it is quickly arranged that she will go and visit.
The Molins run the village boulangerie. It means early mornings to get the baking done, and long hours in the shop with customers. But life happens and everyone gets older, and for the Molins family this means that their parents/grandparents are getting older and have significant health concerns. Shortly after Lia arrives there are some health emergencies, and she finds herself helping out in the boulangerie, just getting by with her very rusty French.
Fresh off a break up, the last thing that Lia is really thinking about it is a new relationship, but she soon catches the attention of not one, but two very handsome French men. Theo is flashy, a bit pushy and wants to take Lia to the most expensive restaurants in town. Jean-Luc is more down to earth and owns the fromagerie that is right next to the boulangerie. Soon Lia finds her life getting a bit complicated, especially given that both men have history with the Molins family.
Lia finds that spending time with the family, even with all the challenges they are facing at the moment, and in France makes her realise that perhaps her current circumstances give her the chance to choose what she wants for the future, rather than just following her existing path. As the pressures rise on the Molins, could it be that Lia can find a new path for herself and help them overcome their own challenges.
I loved the Molins family. This is a family that is having a serious run of bad luck. The have worked hard over the years building a successful family run business that is an important part of the local community. I think if I had to get up at 2am to do the baking everyday I would end up seriously over tired and grumpy, but together they are able to support each other both with the boulangerie and through their current trials.
I also enjoyed the Toulouse setting. I loved the sound of some of the places that Lia visited, and the fact that Carcasonne is just down the road is a real temptation for me as that is a place that is on my bucket list.
There is lots of baking in this book, and plenty of references to delicious sounding treats like chocolatines (which is what pain au chocolat is called in the South of France), baguettes and other less familiar sounding pastries such as pastis Gascon which is apple pie with a hint of Armagnac.
One of the sections that I really loved was when the team from the boulangerie decide to enter a regional competition for new products, and they decide to develop a fig and cheese fougasse. I had heard of fougasse before, which is kind of like foccacia but it has distinctive cuts in it which form slits in the bread making it both crunchy and soft and pillowy. It is traditionally flavoured with olives which I don't love, but the idea that there are lots of other flavours out there is very appealing. Here's a video to show what they end up looking like
I have making foccacias on my list of things to try one day. Maybe I will try fougasse instead.
In the blurb below it says for fans of Gillian Harvey, Jo Thomas, Rebecca Raisin and Veronica Henry. I really enjoy those first three authors, and now Susan Buchanan, so I guess I should go and find some Veronica Henry books. Oh, and read some more from Susan Buchanan as well! This is the first in her new European Escapes series and I will be looking out for the next one.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story and of course with Weekend Cooking which I host. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.
Rating 4/5
About the Book
The Boulangerie on the Corner
🥖🥐🥖🥐 Grab your passport for the first in the European Escapes series 🥐🥖🥐🥖
No home. No job. No boyfriend.
When Lia loses her job straight after a break-up, she escapes to the Molins’ family-run boulangerie in Toulouse – the place she was last happy, far away from her cheating ex.
Sworn off men, she isn’t prepared for the spark she feels for charming cheesemaker Jean-Luc, nor for things heating up at the family’s country home in Gascony when handsome, self-assured vineyard-owner Théo asks her out.
Torn between the two and her connections to the Molins family, Lia has some tough decisions to make.
Lia loves being back in France with the people she cares about, helping in the boulangerie. On discovering it is under threat of closure, she is devastated and resolves to do everything in her power to help it stay open.
Will she succeed? And will she be able to choose between the two handsome Frenchmen and live her happily ever after?
For fans of Gillian Harvey, Rebecca Raisin, Jo Thomas and Veronica Henry.
Purchase Link - https://books2read.com/u/4ErY7z
Her books are Sign of the Times, The Dating Game, The Christmas Spirit, Return of the Christmas Spirit, A Little Christmas Spirit, A Taste of Christmas Spirit and Just One Day – Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn, The Leap Year Proposal, You Can’t Hurry Love and The Boulangerie on the Corner.
As a freelance developmental editor, copyeditor and proofreader, if she’s not reading, editing or writing, she’s thinking about it.
She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Alliance of Independent Authors.
She lives near Glasgow with her husband, two children and a crazy Labrador.
When she’s not editing, writing, reading or caring for her two delightful cherubs, she likes going to the theatre, playing board games, watching quiz shows and eating out, and she has a penchant for writing retreats.
Social Media Links –
X @susan_buchanan and Instagram @AuthorSusanBuchanan and Threads @authorsusanbuchanan
And on her website www.susanbuchananauthor.com
Giveaway to Win a signed and dedicated paperback of The Boulangerie on the Corner (Open to UK Only)
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Gleam box below. The winner will be selected at random via Gleam from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Saturday - Away for the weekend
Sunday - Away for the weekend
Monday - Away for the weekend
Tuesday - Chicken Schnitzel and chips
Wednesday - Mexican chicken and rice
Thursday - Chilli con carne and rice
Friday - Takeaway
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