Sadie Way Scott has found success with her internet cooking show that shares stories of family and cherished recipes.  She has done everything she can to limit trips back home to Sugarberry Cove, but when she gets a phone call that her mother has suffered a heart attack, Sadie finds herself right back at her family B & B.  

Leala Clare haș dedicated herself to her young son and her marriage, but recently her life isn't quite as rosy as she has imagined it.  She too returns home after her mother's heart attack to help with the family business.  

Leala Clare and Sadie Way both have so much hurt buried along with many secrets.  Will this time together help them to uncover those truths and heal those deep wounds?  

I enjoyed the Southern setting of the novel and appreciated the multi-generational, multi-layered characters.  I loved the cooking show idea and really wished I could tune it to watch a real episode.  It was a heartwarming story of forgiveness, healing, growth and the many paths love can take.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The Riviera House is everything I love about historical fiction.  It had characters that spoke to me long after I closed the book, locations that I could clearly see in my mind both heartbreaking and beautiful, and an inspiring look at a time in our history when everyday people became heroes.  

In 1939 Paris, Eliane can not idly stand by while the Germans remove precious artworks from the Louvre, its museums, and confiscate private collections from their Jewish owners across the country.  She finds herself in a unique position to spy on the Germans and work against their efforts  They think her an ignorant "fraulein" who doesn't speak German, and she plans to keep it that way.  

​Present day, Remy is dealing with the unimaginable grief of losing both her husband and her young daughter.  She escapes to a home she has inherited along the French Riviera to shoot photos for her latest look book of vintage fashion and to try to piece her life back together.  

The Riviera House was one of those stories that stayed with me so much so that I was thinking about the characters even when I wasn't reading the book.  It made me really think about those people responsible for saving our world's artistic treasures and preserving those masterpieces for the generations to follow.  The author does a magnificent job of detailing the locations, both in Paris and of course the Riviera House that you feel utterly transported to both the brutal winter of the German occupation of France to the sun drenched beaches near the Riviera House.  The characters come to life as well, as you are inspired by Eliane's bravery as she defies the German officers and you feel Remy's deepest grief over the loss of her daughter.  

This book was so well researched that I wanted to delve further into all the historical facts after reading it.  The author's blog has many photos, including a photo of the house that was the inspiration for The Riviera House and further details regarding her research process.  Here is a link to her blog:  https://www.natashalester.com.au/blog

​I also loved the nod to vintage fashion through Remy's business and the tribute to the wonderful fashion photographers as well.  The Riviera House definitely made me a fan of Natasha Lester and her work.  I look forward to reading many more of her books.  

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.