Really looking forward to the next instalment of this series - I’m not usually bothered about booked that come in parts but I enjoyed this.

This is a good short read, I read it in two hours this morning. Other reviewers have already provided a synopsis of the story so I will not repeat what has already been said by others. I immediately warmed to Ella and it was a joy to read about her life in Paris as she attempts to get away from a stagnant relationship with her boyfriend in Australia. The descriptions of Paris took me back to a trip we made some years ago and have made me want to repeat the visit to wander again amongst the shops and bars .
I do hope that Net Galley will allow us to preview the rest of the book as it becomes available. I can't wait for the next instalment!
My only concern is about how the novel will be delivered when it is for sale...... will it be released for purchase as four instalments and how will these be priced? this way of marketing the book could mean that people will be reluctant to purchase it.

‘A Winter Retreat At The Paris Cheese Shop’ is the first part of a four part series. Part 2 (‘A Summer Of Love At The Paris Cheese Shop’) is due for release on 31st May 2018, Part 3 (‘An Autumn Affair At The Paris Cheese Shop’) is due for release on the 28th June 2018 and Part 4 (‘A Final Fling At The Paris Cheese Shop’) is due for release on the 26th July 2018. The book will be published in full in August 2018.
I read the synopsis for this first part and I was immediately taken with the storyline. I immediately found myself warming to Ella. There she is at almost 30 years old and hoping for a marriage proposal (which she thinks is imminent) from her boyfriend Paul. All does not go to plan however and I found myself wanting to jump inside the pages of this book to give Ella a huge hug, whilst slapping Paul silly with a wet fish. I don’t really want to type too much about what happens as I might unintentionally give too much away. The upset caused is enough to make Ella think ‘stuff it’ and she takes the courageous decision to up sticks and move to Paris for a year. This will enable her to get away from everybody and everything and to allow her time to heal. Paris is somewhere Ella loves and somewhere where she experienced happy times. Ella lands in Paris and tries to settle in to her new (temporary) life. I must admit that in Ella’s shoes, I would feel a little daunted by the thought of not only moving to another country but to another continent. Ella is from Melbourne, Australia. At times Ella is a little afraid but she swallows her fear and tries to make a go of things. She finds a divine sounding cheese shop and a delicious sounding bakery. Ella’s command of French is a little rusty to begin with but she soon seems to get the hang of it. Ella finds herself a job in a coffee shop and she has a trial run so to speak. Ella seems to develop feelings for a certain male but who could it be? Does Ella regret moving to Paris? Well for the answers to those questions and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out.
Oh my days, I was hooked on this book right from the start of Chapter 1. I found myself rooting for Ella and I chuckled along at some of her antics, which were unintentionally funny on her part. I empathised with Ella with her difficulty of not being fluent in the language because I have faced that myself but I had faith that Ella would overcome whatever hurdles were in her way. Reading Part 1 of ‘The Paris Cheese Shop’ became a serious addiction and I found myself reading chapter after chapter because I needed to know what Ella got up to next and how she faced her fears. There were only 10 chapters in this book and I finished them in next to no time, which I was disappointed about. I was so ‘into’ the story that I genuinely hadn’t noticed how quickly the pages were turning until I got to the end. I was enjoying the writing style and the story so much that I just wanted the book to continue. I must admit that all the talk of food in this book made me feel hungry and in desperate need of cheese and bread, although I don’t have the wealth of cheese in my fridge mentioned in this book nor do I have a baguette in the bread bin. Guess what I will be buying when I go shopping?
To conclude I have to say that this is a great start to what promises to be a fantastic series. I absolutely loved reading ‘A Winter Retreat At The Paris Cheese Shop’ and I am patiently waiting for my next fix of part two ‘A Summer Of Love At The Paris Cheese Shop’. Thankfully I don’t have too long to wait because part 2 is due for release in three days time. I would definitely recommend this to other readers. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Review: This is the first part of a novel and I really enjoyed it. I was first interested as the story is set around a cheese job and Paris is a great location for a story and a possible romance. 

It is written well and has left me wanting more. I felt like I was there in Paris. I was gripped from the first sentence. A refreshing book and cannot wait for the next instalment.

A refreshing, ideal read for Francophiles. Like a Summer breeze,its light and uplifting ,perfect for a holiday read. After overdosing on psychological thrillers,this is a welcome change for me. I look forward to the next instalment of Ella's adventure

Wasn't sure I'd enjoy this one as I hadn't heard of the author before now but wow, what an amazing start to a new series! I can just tell that this new series is going to be mouthwateringly amazing!! The food descriptions made my mouth literally water and I felt like I was right there next to Ella in the story!

It started off brilliantly, with Ella being let down (big time) by boyfriend Paul, and then going on a journey of self discovery. She realised that Paul had changed her, and not for the better! So, to get her life back on track, and to start feeling more herself again, she decides to head on adventure back to her favourite place - Paris!

I mean, how exciting? I know this is a really short book (about 70-odd pages) but boy do you literally fly through it! It's a nice way to spend a couple of hours, but you'll be left feeling hungry afterwards! I can't recommend this novella enough and I'm so looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

A quick little read that had me interested right from the beginning. I like books that transport you to new places and this was no exception. The descriptions of Paris made it easy to picture and the story line kept evolving. I now need to find a good cheese shop.

“A Winter Retreat at the Paris Cheese Shop” is the first instalment in the four parts “The Paris Cheese Shop” series by a brand new and very promising author Victoria Brownlee. It quickly sets the scene and introduces us to Ella who, like many, many other literature heroines, thinks she’s living a dream with her boyfriend in the sunny Melbourne and lovely apartment, making plans for the future and waiting for THE question to be popped. However, as it often happens, everything suddenly changes. After quickly coming to terms with the new situation, Ella finds herself in Paris, starting her new life there.

It was the cover of this novel that made me click the “request” button – it’s simply gorgeous, I just love the pastel colours. Well, this and the fact that it’s about cheese, and not about another shop selling cupcakes or another bakery – big brownie points for choosing cheese as the snack here!
The characters’ introduction seemed very, very brief and very, very quick, actually everything in this novella happened like a flash. There was not will they/won’t they, should she/shouldn’t she and so on, no, there was the idea and its immediate realisation. I couldn’t help thinking that Ella would do much, much better without Paul, who came across as very selfish and unlikeable. I can’t say much about Ella herself, to be honest, as I just have a feeling that I wasn’t given the chance to get to know her yet. But she seems a nice, determined girl who hasn’t forgotten how to be spontaneous and how to enjoy life.

Everything in this short story happened very conveniently and run smoothly, there weren’t any twists or surprises. The writing was very easy to follow but I was missing some depth to it and I didn’t warm to it completely but I do hope that in the next parts the missing “something” is going to appear on the pages – because this novella left me wanting to read the next parts to see what’s going to happen.

a very good start to a book, i cannot wait to read the rest of the series

After living together as a happy couple in Melbourne for eight years Paul has decided to call it quits with Ella as he attempts to go off to Thailand and discover himself as inspired by Jessyka, his gym cross fit buddy.



Ella was expecting a proposal, not this and so was her mum too!



So post breakup, her friend Billie is there with wine and cheese as Ella recalls meeting Paul as a student in France and how he's changed into a high flying financial man since then but it inspires her to make a bold move and quit her job and live in Paris for a year. In her words, 'to drink wine and eat cheese!'



So she heads off to Paris where she explores all the little coffee shops and finds her dream cheese shop where she buys some great cheeses she falls in love with. Ella also looks for work and finds a cafe with an Australian server of all coincidences and finds a hot mystery man...



Who knows where Ella's journey will take her eventually? She is a headstrong and impulsive woman for sure taking on Paris alone and not a hundred percent certain of the language! She's hugely likeable and this book was a lovely easy read to immerse myself in, I could imagine walking Paris streets myself, I love it!



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I wanted to give this book far more than five stars as so amazing it may be a quick read but simply brilliant and can't wait for the second part has you shedding a tear but realising you can start your life again and travel and do what makes you happy. It's the first book I've read by this author and will definitely read more. So well written and great characters and story line so true to life and getting the most out of life to ensure you are happy. Simply Devine to read and couldn't put it down as so good.
Ella has been with her boyfriend for a number of years and she is sure tonight is the night he will propose to her how wrong can she be. He wants to go on a retreat to find out what he wants from life and Ella isn't happy she ends up heartbroken and finishing with him. She decides to pack her bags and travel to France it's where she went years ago and had an adventurous time so feels she wants to go back to find herself. Once she is in France she is looking for accommodation but while there she finds her hearts true desire which is cheese. She finds a cheese shop very close to where she is staying and she feels herself being drawn back every day. She's in a different country she can't speak the language and hasn't got a proper place to live so has she taken on more than she can really manage or can she be happy. Really can't wait for the second part to come out now as desperate to see what happens next a great read.

Part one of the book, which sets the scene and leaves you wanting to read the next parts to see what happens.

I love the fact it is set in a cheese shop in Paris!