Whispering in French- Fiction Review and Blog Tour

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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My Thoughts:  

I didn't really read too much of the blurb when I joined this tour.  Really all I saw was "crumbling villa in France" and I was in.  I think I was expecting more of a mystery and a book about uncovering secrets of the past.  Instead this book is more about uncovering the secrets and the motives of the present and figuring out how to get what you really want.  I really liked Kate though there were times I wanted to shake her.  She did what she thought was best for her daughter and really in her circumstances I'm not sure I would have done anything different but things went catastrophically off the rails and Kate blames herself with crippling guilt.

While there's quite a lot going on in this novel between Kate's relationship with her daughter, trying to figure out her life, trying to deal with her family's financial situation, and trying to keep her business going as well as trying to help Major Soames.  I really loved her interactions with Soames even though it wasn't all sweetness and light.  He really challenged her and made her look at her life and what she wanted and at the same time she was able to help him.  It was really nice to see though it wasn't an easy road for either of them.  The only thing I didn't really enjoy about the book were the passages written from the perspective of the hedgehog and the cat.  It didn't take up too much of the book but I could have done without that entirely.  It felt to whimsical for the rest of the book.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and seeing how everything came together.  I found this to be a fast read with complex characters who weren't always likable but were always real.  If you enjoy books about people who aren't perfect trying to navigate their lives and work through their past mistakes without getting melodramatic then this would be a book not to miss.  This was my first book by Sophia Nash and it won't be my last.  Rating:  Very Good

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.