This was a heartbreaking story, linking the First and Second World Wars. The suffering of the people both in Europe and the Channel Islands is beyond belief. Through most of the story runs a romance with both participants enduring unimaginable distress until eventually the Nazis are beaten and peace returns. I loved the conclusion which was a great relief after all the trauma.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a historical fiction set in WWII. I wanted to like this book but it just didn't resonate with me. The plot felt a little repetitive to other WWII novels. Probably just me. I'd love to try another novel by this author.

Sebastian moved to the island of Sark and rebuilt his life after serving as a German soldier in the horror of WWI. Now, however, the physician is telling his story to a priest as he sits in a prison waiting to be executed, How he got there and his love for Sophie will surprise you. Sophie also found peace on Sark after a bad marriage but WWII saw her going undercover to fight the Nazis. It's a well done and emotional tale of WWII. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical fiction.

The characters are excellently written and you become part of them. The historical research that has gone into this book is incredible. A fantastic story. A definite must-read.

What a wonderful riveting read. Once I started this book I could not put it down.
Sebastian Braun, German born is living a quiet life as a Doctor and tending his garden on the Isle of Sark part of the Channel Islands. He has lived through the Great War and does not want to be part of any armed conflict every again. He lives a lonely yet fulfilled life until Sophie arrives on the Island and he finds love.
WWII is looming and the UK don’t defend the Channel Islands so the Germans are on their way. Sebastian either has to leave the island or submit to being enlisted as a German soldier.
The story that follows is suspenseful, tense and emotional. A truly great read.

This book makes me want to book a flight to Paris ASAP!!!!

This is my first Melanie Hudson book and I must say she is a magician with words! I've read a plethora of incredible WW2 fiction, hence I wasn't expecting this to be something that'll be new or something that'll blow my mind. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how original the story was. If you are a fanatic for the historical fiction genre, you should go for it!

‘Good old Shakespeare. He knew a thing or two about love.’
‘He did. But I was young and youth makes fools of us all.’
I wonder. ‘Perhaps it is love that makes fools of us?’ I suggest. ‘I was hardly in my youth when I met Sophie.’
But Christoph shakes his head. ‘Never fools. It is love that makes humans of us all.’

The story is about Sebastian, a German-born doctor, who retreated to an island called Sark after witnessing the atrocities of WW1. Years later, Sebastian finds himself in prison in Paris and is telling his life's story to Christoph, a prison chaplain. His story is full of love, heartbreak, war, regrets, and dreams. Each character in the story is vividly portrayed which brought this novel to life.

I'll be picking up more books by Melanie Hudson! Overall I'll rate it 4/5. I'm taking away 1 star because it took me quite a few pages to fully immerse in the story.

I really enjoyed "The Paris Affair" by Melanie Hudson. The writing style is more descriptive, even poetic, than most novels of this genre. The characters are wonderfully complex and there are some great twists and an inventive plot. The book features a real life character in Sybil, the Dame of Sark - a brave and forthright woman who protected her island from the Nazis. Although Sark was occupied by the Germans, their rule was not nearly as onerous as on Jersey and Guernsey.

The idea of Sebastian being an identical twin is a cornerstone of the plot and enables an interesting story-line. Sophie is a bit of an enigma, and we never find out who she really is. This book is a great read and highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

The Paris Affair is the first Melanie Hudson novel that I have read. How I have missed previous Hudson novels surprises me, but I am glad to have discovered such a talented and interesting author. The Paris Affair is compress and multilayered. The characters have depth and a quirkiness to them that held my attention to the end of the book, which I was disappointed to finally reach. I wanted to keep reading about these characters.

The Paris Affair is carefully plotted, with an effective use of real history interwoven into the plot. Edith Cavell and Dame Sybil are real historical characters, who share their lived with beautifully drawn fictional characters--Sebastian, Christoph, and Sophie/Juliette. There are, of course many other characters, who inhabit life on Sark, Cornwall, and Paris. The historical background is WWII and the impact on lives less conventional in nature.

I loved this novel. The Paris Affair was a book I hated to put down and was sad when I finished. I want to thank the author and publisher for providing this beautiful ARC novel. And thank you also to NetGalley for listing it. The comments above are my real responses after reading The Paris Affair.

The Paris Affair is a brilliant and very unique book - told from the first person perspective of the main character, Sebastian Braun. Sebastian is a German veteran of the First World War that has made a home and life for himself on the Channel Island of Sark. He is a smart, well-spoken and easily likable character that really quickly draws your attention and you become a fan of his really quickly. His picturesque life on the island comes to an abrupt halt when the Germans invade France and then the Channel Islands - and also when the beautiful and mysterious Sophie invades his heart.

The storyline of The Paris Affair is captivating, addicting, heart-warming yet heart breaking. The author does a fantastic job at setting the story line and going at a perfect pace. The character development is phenomenal. The banter and conversations between the characters was one of my favorite things about this book. The detailed conversations, raw and in depth emotions and funny banter amongst the characters was very well done.

If you like books that can be somewhat philosophical, tell a story within a story, with a strong dash of romance and mystery, and a surprise ending you will not see coming, then look no further because this book is a must read!

'The Paris Affair' is a quirky, yet thoughtful and unpredictable story. Sebastian Braun recounts his tale while sitting in prison, to the prison priest., 'Can a man of evil deeds ever wash himself clean or are his future actions forever to be tarnished...?'. We slowly learn how Sebastian may have been enprisoned, but we are left page turning to find out how his story ends.

Sebastian is a German-born doctor who, after experiencing the atrocities of WWI, serving in the German army, retreats to an English island off the coast of France. Further, he retreats within himself, 'I simply do not want to be the main character in the story of my life'. The onset of WWII changes all of this; challenging his views on war, patriotism, and love. 'I can only conclude that while the last war took my life away from me, somehow, this one gave it back...'.

I have never previously read any of Melanie Hudson's other books, and this one certainly took me by surprise. I expected a usual (but often welcome) story of espionage and finding love. However, as Sebastian narrates the last 20 years or so of his life, the reader gains a thoughtful introspection on what really defines a person; head or heart. I did feel that a few of Sebastian's tales were repeated - albeit to different people and in different depths of detail, and it did slow the pace for a time. Reading this book, however, has made me want to look over Hudson's other works to see if they too are just a little different.

“The best thing one can do when the chips are down is focus on helping someone else - or something else. It wards off melancholy.”

“Flowers invoke nothing but joy in the giver and the receiver. They are not a luxury item at all. They are a necessity.”

Right from the start I knew this book was prime for screen adaptation. Author Melanie Hudson has set up her story’s opening so that it draws readers into her characters’ arcs from the outset. Immediately I needed to know why Sophie fainted and why Sascha felt he should be released from prison. Her vivid descriptions of the prison, of Paris, and of life on Sark make her writing visual and immersive. She also writes to connect with diverse readers because her story has universal themes we can all relate to; strength in the face of adversity, the power of love, ordinary heroism, the importance of friendship and support for our fellow man, and the perils of war.

Hudson’s characters are multidimensional - ones I’d like to meet and spend time with in real life. I loved Dame Sibyl Hathaway and found myself smiling when reading about her bravery, leadership and determination when facing the Nazis, reacting to Churchill’s decision, or rallying her fiefdom to work together. She truly was dynamic. I found myself cheering for the star-crossed lovers and for Dame Sibyl and Sophie who faced vast odds. In crafting her characters, Hudson raises the question - who are we really? - and allows us time and space to contemplate Dr. Sebastian Braun, Sascha Braun, Sophie Hathaway, Juliette Vernier, and Christoph Wagner. Who really were they?

The plot is well paced and structured and it pulled me into the deception, suspense and tension and my sigh of relief was welcome when things seemed to be working out for the characters. I appreciated the great balance between showing and telling as well as the reminder that we become someone else when we do things simply to be accepted by others. Sascha was a perfect example of this on more than one occasion.

Two things that will stay with me for a very long time: (1) the assassin’s teapot and (2) Christoph’s advice to carry on playing and not waste time waiting for the bell to ring.

I hope to see this on the silver screen one day.

I was gifted this advance copy by Harper Collins Uk, One More Chapter and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Sebastian Braun was only a teenager when he fought for Germany in The Great War, he was so traumatized by his experiences, he left Germany, vowed he would never pick up a gun again and studied medicine. Instead of taking lives, he now saves them, he lives in the Island of Sark and it’s part of the English channel Islands. He enjoys living in the tranquil place, tending his patients, and his beautiful garden.

Sophie Hathaway comes to visit her aunt Dame Sibyl, born in France to an English mother and American father, she married young and is now divorced. Sophie is like a breath of fresh air, a cynical Sebastian thought he was too old to fall in love and he's wrong. The Germans are poised to invade the Channel Islands, Sebastian has to make a difficult choice, he doesn’t want to leave and if he stays he might be forced to fight for Germany again?

The German forces arrive and he and Sophie are separated, Sebastian is determined to find her and for them to live happily ever after in Sark. The couple do bump into each other in Paris and towards the end of the Second World War, Sophie’s working undercover and so is Sebastian. He's caught and detained in La Santé Prison, while waiting to be executed and he’s visited daily by a priest Christoph Wagner. He tells father Christoph about his life, regrets, his love for Sophie, how he ended up sitting in a Paris jail cell and wearing the shreds of a German officers uniform.

I received a copy of The Paris Affair by Melanie Hudson from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK in exchange for an honest review. Based around true facts, it’s a story about a pacifist doctor and how he was involved in another war. His sorrow for what he’s done in the past and for all that he has lost, most of all does he really know the woman he’s fallen madly in love with and will he ever see her again? The narrative is a little slow in the middle of the book, it does pick up it’s pace, the ending is unpredictable, took me by surprise and kept me guessing. Four and a half stars from me and I’m keen to read the authors previous book, The Last Letter from Juliet.

This book is quite simply epic! It should be made into a film, as the writing is so beautifully visual and presses all the emotional buttons. I was transported to 1940s Sark, Cornwall and Paris by Sebastian's story. Sebastian, a doctor, and gentle gardener from Sark, is now in a Nazi prison awaiting execution. He tells his emotional, funny, entertaining, and often heartbreaking story to Christoph, a prison chaplain, who turns out to be so much more in the end. Every character and setting is wonderfully drawn and totally believable - testament to the meticulous research that has gone into the book. During the course of the novel, we see Sebastian change his perceptions and ideas on the big questions, and come to terms with life, love, and ultimately death. A huge thanks to Melanie Hudson for writing such a phenomenal story, and I will remember to always play in the playground until the school bell rings!

I read this in a single sitting. It combined both world wars to create a unique and lovely character who is scarred by his experiences in WWI, yet finds the strength to do what is right against evil when it comes to his beloved home. Romance, history, and of course, the beautiful writing of Melanie Hudson make this an excellent addition to the WWII canon and one that you should not miss!!

This was an absolutely enthralling read from beginning to end. A real page turner, I couldn’t put it down. Melanie Hudson’s books just get better and better. Set in WW2 Sebastian is in a nazi prison in Paris waiting to be taken to be executed, during these days he tells his life story to the prison priest, which transports you to many places starting with Sark. There is a bit of everything in this book, romance, laughter and of course sorrow, it’s a real rollercoaster ride. The characters are excellently written and you become part of them. The historical research that has gone into this book is incredible. A fantastic story. A definite must read.