#Review: The French Cookery School by Caroline James @CarolineJames12 @0neMoreChapter_ @rararesources #blogtour #publicationday #romcom #laterlife #RespectRomFic #TheFrenchCookerySchool

I’m so delighted today to be helping launch the blog tour for the latest romantic comedy from the wonderful Caroline James, The French Cookery School, and sharing my publication day review: published today (25th April) by One More Chapter, it’s now available as an e-book on all major platforms, in paperback, and as an audiobook. My thanks, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).

Caroline’s books are – without exception – an absolute delight. She was one of the first authors I discovered who wrote so well about the lives of women who were a similar age to me – and made me laugh (and, just sometimes, cry) in the process. Pop her name into my search bar and you’ll find reviews of some of her early books like Coffee Tea The Caribbean & Me and Jungle Rock – and maybe you’d discovered her writing too in time for those wonderful visits to The Best Boomerville Hotel (you’ll find my review of that one here) and Boomerville at Ballymegille (review here – it was one of my Books of the Year in 2020).

But I think the best were yet to come! Her first book with One More Chapter, The Spa Break, was a sheer joy from beginning to end – the loveliest female friendships, and lots of bravery as each woman gained a different perspective on their lives, and realised what they had been missing (one of my 2022 Books of the Year – and you’ll find my full review here). And have I mentioned here that I’ve booked a world cruise to celebrate my 70th birthday? That’s down to her most recent book, The Cruise – I totally adored it, one of my 2023 Books of the Year – and I’m just hoping I’ll have half as much fun as those wonderful ladies (you’ll find my review again here). So, it’s a cookery school in France this time – what a treat!

The recipe for a perfect summer…

 

Step 1: Mix together a group of mature students

 

Step 2: Add in a handsome host

 

Step 3: Season with a celebrity chef

 

Step 4: Bring to the boil at a luxurious cookery school in France!

 

Waltho Williams has no idea what he’s letting himself in for when he opens the doors of La Maison du Paradis, his beautiful French home. But with dwindling funds, a cookery school seems like the ideal business plan.

 

Running away from an impending divorce, super-snob Caroline Carrington hopes a luxurious cookery holiday will put her back on her feet. Blackpool fish and chip café owner Fran Cartwright thinks she’s won the lottery when her husband Sid books her on a week working alongside a celebrity chef. Meanwhile, feeling she is fading at fifty, journalist Sally Parker-Brown hopes her press week covering the cookery course will enable her to boost her career.

 

But will the eclectic group be a recipe for success, or will the mismatched relationships sink like a souffle?

 

Whip out an apron, grab a wooden spoon and take a culinary trip to La Maison du Paradis, then sit back and enjoy The French Cookery School!

The prologue to this lovely book is just so perfect. It’s one of those wonderful descriptive scenes, introducing the beautiful setting of La Maison du Paradis, as Waltho and Lauren plant the lavender that will grow along the pathways of the home of their dreams – and you can really feel the love between them. But three years later, things have changed and there’s a lingering sadness – Waltho is now alone, and his home is to become the French Cookery School. There are challenges, but it might just be the fresh start he needs. The team is in place – right hand woman Angelique, the suitably arrogant celebrity chef (he’s good – but doesn’t he just know it?), the experienced staff who’ll support him – so bring on the guests. Perhaps some of them might be in need of a fresh start too…

There’s Caroline – self-contained, a bit cold, perfectly turned out and most definitely posh, dealing with so many problems while her life is falling apart, but also extremely difficult to like. And in the opposite corner – and that’s how it often feels – is Fran, salt-of-the-earth fish and chip shop owner from Blackpool, hoping to learn enough to open a fine dining restaurant but also wanting to squeeze every moment of fun from her stay. Caroline was never really likely to warm to her – my goodness, she’s loud, and it doesn’t help that she’s also kept awake by her snoring through the bedroom wall – but Fran does find a much needed friend in food journalist Sally, most definitely up for some fun of her own, especially if she responds the amorous advances of the celebrity chef. Add identical twins Jeanette and Pearl, the lovely Ahmed, bossy Brigitte (and we’ve met her before – far more fun than you might expect!), and a clutch of locals – and the fun can now begin!

The characters are simply wonderful, perfectly drawn, all with their own stories, all a little older, very real but all a little quirky in their different ways  – and it’s an absolute joy sharing their lives and every moment of their culinary experience. There’s plenty of laughter along the way as the friendships develop and they spend time together in the kitchen, alongside the pool, and on various excursions around the area – sometimes with a bit of drama attached – but there are a number of emotional journeys too, beautifully handled, as each of the main characters experience a range of trials and tribulations while moving closer to finding their own individual happy endings.

There’s a real sense of place to the whole book – the loveliest descriptions to transport you to the chateau itself and the surrounding area, all bathed in the most glorious sunshine, infused with the perfume of lavender as the sunflowers sway in the breeze. And I really loved the cooking, and the eating – the food descriptions were mouth-watering, and I learned a fair bit myself about its preparation – but this certainly isn’t a book you’d want to read when hungry. I really felt for Fran every time she found herself frustrated while struggling to impress – but I entirely loved the ways she chose to take revenge.

Having shared their time together, every single character (yes, most definitely including Caroline…) found their place in my heart, and I really didn’t want the experience to end – there’s plenty of laugh-out-loud humour, but (as well as being a fantastic storyteller) the author does have a particularly special emotional touch so there are also a few tears along the way.  There’s an unexpected romance too, and it was one that really touched my heart – beautifully tied up with an epilogue that couldn’t have been any more perfect. This was a book I totally adored, read in a single thoroughly enjoyable sitting, and one I’d heartily recommend to all.

About the author

 Caroline James always wanted to write, but instead of taking a literary route, followed a career in the hospitality industry, which included owning a pub and a beautiful country house hotel. She was also a media agent representing celebrity chefs. When she finally glued her rear to a chair and began to write, the words flowed, and several novels later, she has gained many bestseller badges for her books.

The French Cookery School is Caroline’s tenth novel. Previously, The Cruise, described as: ‘Girl power for the over sixties!’ was an Amazon Top Ten Best Seller. Caroline’s hilarious novels include The Spa Break and The Best Boomerville Hotel, depicted as ‘Britain’s answer to the Best Marigold Hotel’.

She likes to write in Venus, her holiday home on wheels and in her spare time, walks with Fred, her Westie, or swims in a local lake. Caroline is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, the SOA, ARRA and the Society of Women’s Writers & Journalists. She is also a speaker with many amusing talks heard by a variety of audiences, including cruise ship guests.

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