The Riviera House is everything great historical fiction should be. The author's meticulous research brings the past to vivid life, while also organically teaching the reader things they may not have known from history. Strong, fully developed characters who love, struggle and persevere kept me hooked. The plot was well constructed and not predictable. I love that you got chunks of time in the past and the present, rather than alternating chapters, which built a stronger connection to both timelines for me. Finally, beautiful, nuanced writing, that broke my heart while also inspiring it, made this book the best of historical fiction. This is one of the absolute best books set during WWII that I have read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for access to this arc.

Fans of Natasha Lester rejoice, The Riviera House is a welcome addition to your beach bag! This book is almost guaranteed to give you all the big feels. There's stolen art, Nazis, war, personal sacrifice, difficult decisions, two riveting timelines, and juicy romance.

Lester does a nice job juggling the dual timelines, although the WW2 storyline, almost by necessity, is the more compelling. I really enjoyed the themes of courage and personal sacrifice and I'm a sucker for books about art. This novel is well researched and includes vivid setting details, as well as details about the art in question. I felt like I could see the paintings.

To some extent, the romance angle seems to bog down the plot, although I understand why it's included. This novel is pretty long and I grew impatient at times. For that reason, I wish there'd been a little less romance.

However, I really appreciate the evocative atmosphere and the tension in the stolen art story line. I think this book will do very well.