The Paris Affair by Melanie Hudson is a beautiful love story. The characters of Sebastian and Sophie are very well developed. We get to know them, and we get to know the demons and burdens they carry. This love story is played out against World War II, spying, espionage, brotherly relationships, dysfunctional families, the true love and comfort on good friends and the sacrifices people make to help other peoples. It is a story of love and peace. A genuinely nice read.

WWII historical fiction, with Sebastian a doctor scarred from the First World War and Sophie, whom he meets when she visits his home, the Island of Sark. Written in first person from the doctor's point of view this is ultimately an uplifting book, sensitively written.

Another wonderful historical fiction and one which I thoroughly enjoyed. A story of war and its after effects and how it changes your life and future.

So we have two stories of two people. Firstly Sebastian Braun who fought in the Great War as a youngster and then Sophie Hathaway who is the love interest in this story. But there is more to the story than that and it builds beautifully with a well paced and well structured read, The characters are all very relatable and really do make this story come to life!

There is so much going on i this book and it really tugs at your mind and your heartstrings. You can feel the tension, the fright, the love and as you read you are taken on a journey that will have its bumps and twists and you will get emotional. And that is what a good book is all about.

Great read, highly recommend, loved it!

Evocative literary historical fiction; gently paced with vibrant characterisation and vivid sensory imagery. Sebastian is emotionally scarred from fighting in WWI and becomes a pacifist. Withdrawn to a safe world on the Channel Island of Sark, he attempts to heal and make amends as a doctor. Meeting Sophie makes him want to live again, but WW2 means he has to flee, and when they meet serendipitously in Paris, he is unprepared for what follows.

With crafted historical detail and emotion, this is a story that draws you in and keeps you turning the pages.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This was an unlikely love story that survives the test of time and the roller coasters of war time life. I truly loved all the strong female characters in this book but I must say, personally, I had a hard time staying engaged. The writing was not bad. I just felt like the story took a bit long to get gOverall I think I would still recommend the book to a friend.

Thank you Harper Collins UK and One more chapter for the advanced copy.

The Paris Affair didn't feel like the title suggests. The story of a German man, Sebastian, is told as he awaits his execution in Paris at the end of the Second World War, as he tells it to a priest who becomes a friend.

It begins in Sark, one of the Channel Islands, where, as the Germans march into Paris, Sebastian practices as a doctor to the inhabitants of the small island. As a German, he is in danger if the island is taken over by his countrymen who would expect him to fight on their side. Sebastian holds bad memories of fighting during the First World War, in particular having to execute a woman who was a spy and he is now a pacifist. But, as the likelihood of being captured by the Germans grows, Sebastian falls in love with a young woman sent to bring him to England.

The Paris Affair is an enthralling tale that endeavours to incorporate some history alongside the love affair and the dangers Sebastian encounters. Many thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter/HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I almost gave up on this book a couple of times. To me, it was too philosophical, too wordy. I couldn’t read it for long stretches of time because I would get a little frustrated- just tell the story already. But the more I read, the better I liked it. By the last fourth of the book, I liked it a lot. This is really a 3.5+++ stars but that wasn’t an option. Sebastian was a doctor, a German doctor that fought in WWI as his twin brother Sascha. And now the world is on the brink of WWII starting and Sebastian does not want to fight for Germany or France or any country again. He has moved to the island of Sark. But he realizes that being a German, they will expect him to fight with and for them. The story is very convoluted but if you can hang with it, it is worth it at the end. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

I liked this new novel from Melanie Hudson. The characters were quite lovable! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read.

The Paris Affair is a standout WWII historical fiction novel. There are many stories focusing on people and events during WWII available to readers these days, and most of them are very good reads, but The Paris Affair is special. Sebastian is a complicated, complex man, changed by the horrors of the first World War and now wanting nothing more than to stay in his refuge with his small number of his patients and his garden. He is well-educated, a doctor, somber and thoughtful. He doesn’t feel love and traditional family life are for him and he plans to live out the rest of his life just where he is. Until another war comes along – and Sophie arrives. When the British leave and France is collapsing and the German Army is on the way, as a German doctor he will no longer be safe. Leave, fight or surrender? No good choice there. And his heart is not safe now, either. Against his will and his common sense he seems to have lost it to Sophie. He has choices to make there, too. And they are not easy, either.

The Paris Affair is enthralling, a compelling read that you won’t be able to put down. The action takes place from 1940 – 1945 and rotates among Paris, the Sark Channel Islands, and La Sante Prison where Sebastian is awaiting execution. The transitions are clear and understandable, and just enough information is provided each time to keep your interest peaked. This is the second book I’ve read by author Melanie Hudson and the writing is as excellent as ever. The characters are multi-layered and interesting, the descriptions of the Sark Channel Islands convey their beauty and the horror of war and the feeling of impending doom awaiting the German Army’s arrival feels real. The suspense waiting for Sebastian to be executed – or for there to be a miraculous reunion with Sophie – is nearly excruciating. But well worth the read.

Thanks to Harper Collins One More Chapter UK for providing an advance copy of The Paris Affair via NetGalley for my reading pleasure and honest review. This is a truly remarkable story. I recommend it without hesitation.

This WW2 book had me totally engrossed!
The story was beautiful, sad, exciting and there were some really funny bits in.

I loved the main characters and just wanted to give them a warm hug.
The bombshell near the end wasn’t such a bombshell as I had guessed that may have been the case, but the author, who I have read previous books by and loved, wrapped the story up so skill-fully and beautiful it was just perfect.
Wish I could give more stars
Strongly recommended.

This is the first book I have read by this author and was not sure what to expect. I was happily surprised that it really intrigued me from the first page!

A story of the life of a German Doctor who had settled in the island of Sark after the first World War. He was living his quiet life, without a lot of patients due to how small the area and enjoyed working in his garden.

Then the story turns, told in first person as he is sitting in a prison during WWII waiting to be executed, telling his story to a priest.

I want to tell you the entire story, but you will just have to read for yourself!

I loved historical novels and this was a good one. Wonderful characters from a creative author. There are two timelines to the story, and it opens at a prison in France where a man called Shasta Braun is set to die. He is visited by a Catholic priest, who offers to hear his confession. The man advises the doctor that his name is not Sasha, but that he is the twin brother Sebastian and is a doctor. He says he has nothing to confess, but will tell the priest his story.
The story begins with Sebastian as he flees France as the Germans invade and lands at a small island in the Channel Islands where he opens up his medical practice among other things. He meets a lovely woman Sophie who he falls in love with, but they become separated when the invasions expand, and so their story goes.
This is a story of a strong love that was tested by war, a long period of separation and tragedy and the resilience of those that believe that all endings don’t have to end unhappily. I loved the writing of Melanie Hudson, her obvious ability to research her subject and her wonderful characters.
I loved the book and recommend it highly. My thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK for the ARC. All comments are my own.

Sebastian Braun is a doctor in Sark, the Channel Islands. He arrived in 1925 and was accepted by the locals, despite being German.
The start of WW2 changes all that. And he meets Sophie.
The book moves between this time and 1944, when we find Sebastian in prison in Paris, where he is awaiting execution, but we don't know his crime.
Here, he is visited by a padre, and the story of his life is related. His twin brother, Sascha, is a high-ranking Nazi officer, who joined the party to please their domineering, bullying father. Sebastian fled Germany when he saw the way things were going.
Secrets are revealed, mysteries unfold. What will Sebastian's fate be? Will he meet Sophie again? And who is the mysterious priest?
A great book

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers UK for this ARC. Sebastian, a German, survived WW1, the brutality of his father and running for his life after stepping in to save his twin brother from making a terrible mistake, he landed on the island of Sark and soon became their sole doctor. After living several years of peace and content, in walks Sophie who quickly stole his heart. When the Germans have arrived on the island after capturing Guernsey, Sebastian knew he needed to run or wind up back in the German army. Jumping in a boat, he is hoping to land in Cornwall but will he ever see Sophie again?

I thought this book started out really slow and it took me a week to get through the first half but once the story picked up, I couldn't put it down. Worth a read! #TheParisAffair #MelanieHudson #Sept2022 #HarperCollinsUK

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I read a lot of WWII historical fiction and have read a few books set on Guernsey, but this is the first book I've read with a great deal of time set on Sark which is an island that belongs to England, but is much closer to France.
Sebastian, a German doctor who is still recovering from what he saw in WWI has made Sark his home, but then the Nazis are invading again so he has to choose between fighting for the English or the Germans. Meanwhile, at a very inconvenient time, he falls in love with Sophie. This story moves around a lot and we find out a lot of the story told by Sebastian to a German priest, Christophe while Sebastian is in prison. A very interesting story showing that men do fall in love too.

I found this a difficult book to rate: it is not the normal small town romance that I usually enjoy (historical or contemporary), and is rather dark reading. Flitting between a German prison in 1944 and previous years on Sark the latter sounded idyllic, the former horrific. I really felt for Sebastian, a German doctor traumatised by his experiences in the first World War and his desire never to be involved in war again. Although there is that romantic element between Sebastian and Sophie it is as much about the effect of war on both those who fought in it and those just caught up in it. I did find myself reading a bit of it and then putting it down, but ultimately just had to read it through to the end so not light entertainment but well worth reading.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Could not put this book down we follow Sebastien as a German who is against the war, he finds a new life on sark which becomes his home until the new war starts and it seems there is no where he will be safe, his twin brother a high ranking German officer orders him to work for the Germans or face the consiqences so Sebastien must do what he can to avoid this at all costs, he meets some wonderful and kind people on his travels and manages to have a good life until he is captured and placed in prison waiting for his execution he meets the prison padre who turns out to be a lot more than that
Absolutely loved this story and reading all about it from Sebastiens side
Highly recommend this book

The description of Birdsong meets The Nightingale is completely right with this book. It is beautifully written with vivid descriptions and rich imagery on almost every single page. I was completely enchanted and couldn;'t put it dpwn, I read it in one day.

World war two historical fiction set in Sark, Cornwall and Paris. A truly amazing story based on real facts and fiction. As a teenager, Sebastian Braun fought for the Germans in World war I., he witnessed the horrors of the trenches and was also a member of the firing squad that shot a British nurse. After the war he vowed never to take up arms again, no matter what and eventually settled on the Channel Island of Sark. It was his haven, he loved the people and practiced as a doctor, he also met the love of his life Sophie but could they ever be together? Unfortunately, Germany became the aggressors again and as such, they invaded the islands. Sebastian knew in his heart that he would have to leave as he realised once the Germans landed on Sark it wouldn't be long before they found out his nationality and he would be conscripted into the army whether he liked it or not. He was supposed to be leaving with Sophie and two Polish men but she backed out at the last minute saying there wouldn't be enough room for her and it would make it a more dangerous crossing. The story continues with Sebastian first finding a welcome in Cornwall where he lives and tends the garden of his hosts and also works as a doctor once again. Sophie is never far from his thoughts but he doesn't hear from her and soon his life takes a frightening different path.

The title of this novel is confusing as it’s not so much about Paris but more about the small Channel Island of Sark and Cornwall. The back story contains a glimpse of life in Sark, where a German born doctor, Sebastian, tends equally his garden and patients. Here he meets and falls in love with a woman who calls herself Sophie who unbeknownst to Sebastian is investigating him as a sympathiser and potential spy for the British. It is only much later that the story shifts to Paris where Sebastian poses as his brother Sasha, a high ranking Nazi. Sebastian is arrested in Paris for a non-related war crime committed by his brother, of which he is unaware. It’s a heart rendering story of the mental torment faced by Sebastian as he tells his story to a priest whilst awaiting his execution in a Parisian prison. An interesting concept for a novel, with traces of non-fiction events during the war and infamous people. Ms Hudson brought to life the characters in her novel, the beauty and tranquility of Sark and a very believable story line.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers HarperCollins One More Chapter for this advance copy.