Lizzie finds herself the new owner of a crumbling chateau. This was owned by her aunt, someone she had had lost touch with after an argument. So, when Lizzie goes to the chateau, it stirs up a lot of memories, some of them not so good.

Luc is running a nearby vineyard. He doesn't really have time for this English stranger who seems hellbent on making waves in his quiet life.

Naturally enough, Lizzie and Luc meet and sparks fly, however, Lizzie needs help with the chateau and Luc reluctantly provides it. They get to know each other as friends but those sparks still continue..... Will Lizzie's past catch up with her and ruin everything? Will she figure out how the goat is accessing into her home? Will the villagers forgive her?

I really liked this story, it is a sweet romantic story that you can read by the pool in the summer. Does it have hidden depths? No, it doesn't, but that is ok, it isn't always wanted or needed :)

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon.

Who hasn’t thought about having a chateau in the French countryside?!? This is a beautifully written story of Lizzie, fresh from heartbreak who learns that she has inherited her great aunt’s French chateau. Thinking she will go and quickly sell it turns into a story of self discovery and new found friendships and love. This was a beautiful story and I love the growth that you see in the main character, Lizzie. There is also a “found family” type of twist in this story which I adored.

When Lizzie is jilted on her wedding day, she flees to the chateau in Provence left to her by her great aunt Sarah. When she arrives, she fi ds that it is pretty ru down and is not saleable as she had hoped. Add in the grumpy neighbour, Luc and a big slice of Provincal life and you get a fairly predictable tale. The characters and setting are described so well you can smell the lavender and feel the rays. As problems are solved just a little conveniently, it was slightly irritating. Worth a read though.

Summer at the Chateau is a perfect addition to your summer reading list. A romantic, feel-good story set in France that is a light and fun read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved reading this book.

Following the breakup of a relationship Lizzie receives news that she’s inherited a chateau.

When she arrives, she’s shocked to see what state it’s in and has a lot of obstacles to get through in order to renovate the chateau. But with the help of the locals she slowly begins to make changes.

Felt sad to read about how Lizzie and her Aunt fell out and not being able to meet again.

It was lovely to see Lizzie and Luc’s story start and grow, as well as her finally finding out that Margot is his ex wife and that he has a daughter.

The other sad part was when she found the letter that her Aunt wrote to her but never got round to sending it on.

I loved the goat and its antics.

Looking forward to the next book.

I recommend this book.

A great summer read just great to take on holiday.
Be transferred to run down chateau in France and a brooding gorgeous French man and you have all the ingredients for a gorgeous read.

Lizzie's aunt has left her a chateau in Provence- and the timing is wonderful because she's just been ditched. So why not head to France and spend time at the chateau and then sell it! Well, it turns out that the chateau is unsaleable in its present condition but luckily, there's Luc the handsome brooding neighbor who is willing to help her fix it up. And the village. This is trope-y rom com territory but the setting is wonderful and the characters a treat. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

A superb summery, sunshine read from Annabel. A lovely, comfortable read with relatable characters. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Lizzie is heartbroken after being jilted at the altar, but is now determined to make her way in her career as a journalist. She finds that her estranged aunt, with whom she has many happy memories of staying with in her Chateau in France, but also of their final argument that resulted in them not talking for years. has left her the Chateau in her will. She decides to travel to France to visit the Chateau to prepare it for sale, however when she arrives she finds it virtually derelict and unsaleable She starts to carry out repairs with the help of a very grumpy, but handsome neighbour, but finds she is starting to fall in love with the location - and the neighbour.
Life in France sounds far more my thing than Lizzie's life in London. The way that the local community takes to her shows the small community spirit that I would love to be part of, although I'm not sure that I could cope with the scale of the restoration required. There are some great supporting characters, especially Gary the goat. This is an ideal summer read, or even in winter where the summer scenes will help warm you up.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book and have pre-ordered it as I enjoyed reading it so much.

A perfect holiday read! A beautiful setting, a heartbroken female lead and lots of simmering tension between her and her brooding neighbour! I really enjoyed this story of love, friendship and finding your home.

Lizzie is heartbroken, as she is jilted at the altar and feels that everyone is laughing at her. To make matters worst, her aunt has died and Lizzie is left her Chateau. Perhaps this escape is what Lizzie needs to heal her broken heart.

With the idea of documenting, her inheriting and then selling a Chateau in France, Lizzie takes a period of extended leave from her magazine job and heads for Provence. However the Chateau is not how Lizzie remembers it as a teenager, and finds that it is a crumbling wreck, much like herself and the idea of going, selling and returning to London quickly is now an impossibility.

All the time the aim is to restore the Chateau and return, but Lizzie finds herself drawn to the local village, the wonderful markets, the sunshine, to the locals who remember her aunt, to the rather grumpy man living next door in the vineyard and even to Gary the goat.

Of course the path to restoring the Chateau and restoring her own equilibrium is not going to be smooth for Lizzie. We get to go on this adventure with Lizzie, that it felt like I was going on holiday.

This is a wonderful summery book, full of warmth from all the different characters and the descriptions of the sun and the heat of the Provence that I could positively smell the lavender around the Chateau, taste the delicious food, savour the wine and feel all my troubles simply ebb away.

A great start to a new series and I cannot wait to escape into another Chateau soon.

A lovely, easy summer read full of sunshine and good looking French men! Perfect escapism and a wonderful beach read

Lizzie has been jilted at the altar. A few months later, she finds out she has inherited her aunt Sarah's chateau in France.
This is such a lovely, feel-good read.
We meet some great characters, especially Sylvie.
I loved Gary the goat.
Luc is the smouldering, sexy man next door who sets Lizzie's heart aflutter.
The setting sounds absolutely beautiful with the lavender fields. Somewhere, I could see myself living.
Thoroughly enjoyable summer read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

First time I have read this author and I really enjoyed this book. The main charcters Lizzie and Luc were well wrote and worked well together. The location and chateau were amazing and well written so you could feel yourself there. It had a great main story line and interesting side story’s. Recommend

This book is about a family owned Chateau in Provence. It’s occupants and their lifestyles are discovered in depth, how family fallouts can be misunderstood and the consequences of the aftermath. Lizzie has suffered great heartache and being left this chateau by her Aunt helps her to rediscover what she wants from life and is a great place to heal. You are introduced to the people in the village and the closeness of community spirit and friendship. I like the way that the renovation of the Chateau is portrayed. It is easy to feel that you are there in the French countryside and local Markets. I would recommend this book

Lizzie and Luc are an engaging couple, and their story is one that readers will be able to relate to. But I have to say that Summer at the Chateau by Annabel French does seem to be a LOT of drama about very little at all! Not that I approve of Sarah's behaviour, but I really expected a much bigger reveal than there actually was. I think the real strength of the book is the setting. Annabel French conveys that wonderfully well. I could smell the lavender, feel the heat and touch the stone. Wonderful!

I loved this book. I really liked Lizzie and Luc. I loved the descriptions of the area and could feel myself walking through the fields, smelling the lavender and meeting the locals. It made me miss the freedom of being abroad and I really wanted to inherit a chateau myself and live the lifestyle.
Minor annoyances - the romance went from glances and touches to jumping into bed together and the stuffed camel was mentioned a few times - I thought there was going to be money hidden inside!! I would have loved more on Sarah and her travels.
Great summer read

A fixer-upper and two fragile hearts!

Lizzie Summers is stressed! She’s just been jilted at the alter and now when she arrives in Provence to assume ownership of her great-auntie’s chateau, she discovers it’s dilapidated, unlivable, and needs lots of work done to it before she can even put it on the market. The biggest problem? She can’t afford to fix it. What a dilemma!

Enter Luc Allard, the gorgeous, albeit cranky, studmuffin next door. He’s a vintner with no social skills and a cold, closed heart. Can they help each other and get what each needs to move on in life? Will Chateau Lavande ever reach its former glory?

This is a great introduction to the series; I laughed out loud at Gary Baaarlow! I’ll be watching out for book 2. This grumpy sunshine romcom is the perfect beach read to add to your summer reading list.

I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Lizzie is great. A bright summer read with bustling french markets, vineyards with grapes to look after and fields of lavender. A great cast of French friends and villagers alongside some surprises really made this a super, tender and funny read,

This was a truly wonderful read. I loved all the characters especially Lizzie and Luc. I enjoyed how their story slowly unfolded and how Lizzie found out about Margot being his ex wife and that he had a daughter. Lizzie had so many hurdles to overcome but with the help of her community overcome them she did. It was so sad to read about Lizzie and her Aunt's story of their falling out. A real jerking moment when Lizzie found her Aunt's letter to her that was never posted. It was funny to read about the goat. I am looking forward to future titles in the Chateau series.