Love, lies and Cafe au lait

When Annie Roberts has the chance to escape rainy Accrington for the glamour of sunny Nice, it seems like a dream come true, even if it does involve dog-sitting a pampered pooch for the winter.

But, once in France, despite trying to adopt a classy persona, Annie attracts the attention of all the wrong people: from Jacques, an attractive waiter, to Reen, a perma-tanned expat from the Costa del Sol.

And just who is the charming Monsieur Xavier who is so keen to befriend her? Dare she enlist his help to solve the mystery left behind by her France-obsessed mother?

Can Annie find her way through all the lies, intrigue and deception or is she just too nice for Nice?

Lynn Forth went to live in Accrington when she was 11 and still has the accent to prove it.
She now lives in Worcestershire (where it doesn’t rain as much) with her family, and has a room with a view to write in.
With a lifelong fascination with words and people, she studied English and Psychology at University and, as a lecturer at the local College, she tried to impart this love of words and teaching to students of all ages.
An avid reader, she runs two book clubs and, as a bit of a movie buff, she loves the discussions at a local Film Club. Although not a big exercise fan, she enthusiastically enjoys the fun and music at her Zumba sessions and loves encouraging a riotous array of flowers in her garden.
She now writes romantic comedies full of sparky dialogue set in sunny foreign climes, which, of course, she has to visit for the sake of research.
Her debut novel, Love in La La Land, combines this love of films, humour and hot, steamy places. 
Her second novel, Love, Lies and Café au Lait, is inspired by a visit to Nice and evokes Accrington Annie’s delight in living in such a sophisticated city full of elegant buildings and people although, perhaps, all is not quite as perfect as it seems. 

She can be contacted at lynnforthauthor.wordpress.com.
Twitter@lynnforth or her Facebook page.


My Review

I must say I was pretty much sold when I found out the book was set in the South of France, an area I love. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. There were so many things I could identify with; a Lancashire lass (or in my case a Yorkshire lass) being slightly overawed by the seamless elegance of French women, making many a faux pas with the language although I didn't have a dog to practise on and of course, experiencing many kindnesses once you are finally accepted as a local.
Apart from the protagonists, there are some wonderful secondary characters too. Everyone must have come across a Reen at some time in their lives - flamboyant, over the top but with a heart of gold.  Monsieur Xavier, on the other hand, is decidedly dark and mysterious.
This is a wonderful story, well-told with lots of observations on life that just ring true - I thoroughly enjoyed Annie's story and the way in which it turned out.