A perfect escape book with flowing champagne and lots of lovely characters. Set in France I could imagine the chateau and the countryside. Hot, dusty with lots of green fields. A lovely book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A perfect summer love story.

What Hattie escapes a dull and stifling relationship to plan her cousins wedding in France she assumes she will be able to just get on with the job, however not everyone welcomes the intrusion….

A great read with a few twists along the way.

I have really enjoyed anything I have ready by Julie Caplin and The French Chateau Dream is no exceptionHattie Carter-Jones traded in a deadbeat boyfriend and her job in England for a chance at wedding planning for her French cousin. It was the best decision she ever made! Luc Bremont, the owner of Chateau St Martin, teaches Hattie how to slow down and take time to savour things while Hattie offers Luc a chance at seeing things from a different perspective. An unplanned aerial photo of the estate gives Luc the very thing he needed - an opportunity to fulfill his dreams. The two months in France have also given Hattie perspective and she realizes for herself that she’s in a relationship with the wrong man. Funny how distance and time have that effect!

I enjoyed the chemistry between Hattie and Luc, the friction between the two ‘events,’ and the foodie references throughout. I promise it won’t be so long between my Julie Caplin novels next time.

Luc Bremont returns to the only place he has ever felt at home, its been a long time since he'd been back and it felt different? The French Chateau that was once full of life had lost its sparkle, it was run down and along with the family business of producing the best Champagme in the region, it was redundant.

Hattie has been employed by her Uncle to plan her cousins wedding, no expense spared and its too be held at his Friends grand French Chateau. The opportunity to escape life has come at the right time and Hattie grasps the chance for an adventure.
Soon realising the inside of the Chateau doesn't match its grand exterior,

Luc wants his father to let him start producing champagne again. Hattie needs this wedding to be the start of her dream of her own Wedding business. It seems they both have a huge challenge ahead.

A wonderful summer story you won't want to put down, Julie Caplin writes exquisitely bringing the characters to life, there is humour, love and drama, what's not to love.

I am writing an honest review after being given the chance to read this book in advance via Netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers.

Following a break up with her boyfriend, Hattie Carter-Jones has left Surrey to stay in France for two months, organising her cousin Gabby’s wedding in a French chateau. As she arrives there, she meets Luc Bremont, whose father owns the chateau. He is rather gorgeous and an attraction soon develops between them, but who is the glamorous Marine that keeps turning up?
Examining the chateau in more detail, Hattie realises it is in a state of disrepair and is going to need a lot of work to get it ready to be a wedding venue. She also meets Yvette who seems to be trying to put Hattie off organising the wedding. What is going on?
It was easy to get into the book, I really liked Hattie straight away and wanted her to make a success of her new venture. Out of the more minor characters, my favourites were the widowed housekeeper Solange, capable English woman Fliss and 95-year-old Marthe, who is in the nursing home, but still full of spirit. All the characters are interesting, though of course, some are ones you love to hate! (Hello Yvette!)
The setting of the French chateau and vineyard was interesting and I loved how it wasn’t perfect and glamorous, but was more run-down. I also liked the village and surrounding areas, I’d definitely be at the market and buying cheese from the fromagerie! There is a lot of food, cooking and eating out in the book and I ended up really fancying some decent French bread and cheese!
This was the first of Julie Caplin’s books I have read, but it won’t be the last. I enjoyed every aspect of the book and give it five stars.

The setting is in the Champagne region of France. How beautiful is that? Plus, having a wedding in a French Manor Chateau. Sounds perfect doesn’t it?
Well developed characters added a great depth to the story.
Overall, perfect summer reading with just enough romance.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a book of pure escapism, I absolutely love reading books by the wonderful Julie Caplin and this book did not disappoint.

Hattie is a wonderful character that you instantly want to befriend as soon as you start reading and she pulls up at the not quite as stately as she was expecting chateau.

Full of character and wonderful characters, I just wanted to keep reading and spend time with the wonderful characters and their escapades that are soon filling the recently empty chateau.

This was a lovely book and I recognised a couple of characters from Julie Caplin's previous books in this series.

You cannot fail to be taken away to the wonderful world of the French chateau and the characters that we meet in the book. The smell of the food seems to waft out of the kitchen into our imagination and you want to cheer on Hattie and Fliss as they arrange the wedding of the year.

The ending was not one to be expected and really loved the twist in the tail.

I would recommend this to anyone who needs a holiday read.

Do you have an author who you buy the books from, even though you have never read any of their books? Julie Caplin is one of them for me. I have at least 3 books from her Romantic Escapes series on my Kindle, and yet, here I am reading book 10. Normally I am a stickler for reading in order but I didn't really feel as though it mattered in this case. There are brief glimpses and mentions of previous stories which just makes me want to read those stories as opposed to making me annoyed that I had read out of order.

Hattie needs a new start. She's just broken up with her long term boyfriend Chris and she needs an opportunity to take the next step in her wedding planner career, just to prove to herself she can! She has been an assistant for years, but her cousin is getting married in a no expense spared event and it's up to her to make it all happen. Even if that means having to spend the two months leading up to the wedding staying in a chateau in the heart of champagne country in France.

This is something of a surprise to Luc Bremont. He has just returned to the one place that feels like home to him with big plans to start producing champagne again from their family vineyard. His father has agreed to let an old friend use the chateau for his daughter's wedding. There's no point fighting his father, so he might as well let Hattie do her thing. Everything will be fine as long as she stays out of his way.

The chateau has been somewhat neglected over the last few years. Luc's aunt, who is one of the most important people in his life, is getting on in age and the housekeeper, Solange hasn't been herself since her husband died. She also has some other things on her mind. Her firebrand daughter is getting married soon herself and she has to look after her grown son who seems to have no intention of settling down any time soon.

Hattie has to deal with the local politics that suddenly sees many of the people she wants to employ unavailable. Suddenly she needs to find new caterers, and she has to start cleaning the chateau herself. All this as well as having to be in close proximity to the handsome Luc all the time. She is also learning all the time about wine making and the local area. There's no point in even dwelling on her growing attraction to Luc. After all, at the end of the two months she's going back to the UK.

There was some delicious sounding food in this book! I am currently looking for a inspiration for a French recipe to make as part of Paris in July, and I did highlight several passages in this book to either share as quotes at a later date or as potential recipes to try. I also liked non food related passages including a quick trip to Paris and the information about the area. I am really tempted to insist that we visit the area around Reims next time we go. Did you see how I am putting that out there? It's not a question of if, but rather a question of when.

I really loved the subplot between Luc's friend Alphonse and Hattie's friend Fliss who joins the team at late notice. The sparks really fly between these two characters. And I loved seeing Sylvana gradually come back to life as more people begin spending time in the chateau.


If I was to look back at my recent reading history, I am sure that I would see an increasing number of these escape/new start romances over the last couple of years. I just can't seem to get enough of them, especially if they are set in France or Italy. And this book is a really good entry in this reading adventure I am on.



When we were in France we took the opportunity to visit a number of chateaus from Chambord to Chenonceau and popping in to look at Dick and Angel's place from Escape to the Chateau. Whilst I can't imagine living in chateau's that big, we did stay in a smaller chateau in a small town in the Loire Valley. I could definitely imagine staying in a place like that for a couple of months. Especially if the hosts were there to serve us the amazing breakfasts that we had!

I am sharing this review with Paris in July, which is being hosted by Emma at Words and Peace this year.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Check out what other people thought about this book at other stops on the tour!

What a lot of fun The French Chateau Dream has been to read! I loved the characters, particularly Hattie and Luc. The instant attraction between these two despite their minor clash when she arrived unannounced on his doorstep provided plenty of sexual tension as each of them tried to resist. The setting was gorgeous too. What chateau wouldn’t hae an instant appeal, even if run down and not the cleanest? The almost ghosting of Hattie by her soon-to-be-married cousin Gabby and the interference with Hattie’s wedding preparations kept me on my toes and I found myself flying through the pages.

This was such a charming book. The author really captured the essence of France and owning a vineyard. I found myself fully immersed in those descriptions of wine. I warmed totally to all of the characters and loved the developing romance between Hattie and Luc, some of their dates were so delightful. A perfect book for escaping into.

The French Chateau Dream by Julie Caplin
It was a little different to the previous books in the Romantic Escape series, but this is not a bad thing, I don’t know if it was intended but I went into it thinking it was going to be different as this was the first cover in series with a person on the front.

I really enjoyed it. Every character was so engaging, even Chris, though I really did not like him, controversial because of his own issues, but he was too lifelike to my ex-brother-in-law (also named Chris). Felicity’s arrival was a pleasant surprise and an excellent companion for Hattie and Solange.

The story spoke to me because Hattie is trying to find her place in the world and escaping the pressure of taking being the the one who is always relied on, with Luc she goes on her journey, not only finding love, but friends to build a family around.

My thanks to the author Julie Caplin, the publishers One More Chapter and Netgalley for allowing me to read this story, it was everything I could have hope for and provided some relief during a very difficult period.

View my latest (and belated) book review of the fabulous Julie Caplin's newest release here: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2707825273854546500/926141336929956268
Blog includes purchase links

When Hattie received the opportunity to be the wedding coordinator for her cousin at a beautiful chateau in the Champagne region of France, it was just the break she was looking for. Heartbroken by a recent breakup with her needy boyfriend, she arrives at the chateau and right away meets the handsome owner, Luc. Will Hattie be able to mend her broken heart while planning the wedding over the summer? Or will she become temporarily distracted by handsome Luc?

I enjoyed The French Chateau Dream by Julie Caplin because of the beautiful imagery and the building attraction between Hattie and Luc. Add in a few splashes of champagne and the most incredible French cuisine, and that is a recipe for a romantic summer.

Without giving out any spoilers, I would have enjoyed the story more if the romantic tension didn't fizzle out through the second half of the story.
 
Overall, I thought the story was especially strong in the prose department. It was written in a dual POV, but the transitions were smooth and flawless. I had no trouble following along. This story also had some very entertaining characters that built a sense of belonging and community.

many thanks to one more chapter for the gifted early copy for review considerations. All opinions expressed are my own.

When Hattie’s cousin needs a wedding planner to organise her French chateau wedding, the opportunity to escape her current life is too good to miss. Once in France, however, with all the expectations mounting up, the prospect becomes more daunting. And with her growing affection for handsome chateau owner Luc Bremont distracting her, will the wedding be ready in time?

The French Chateau Dream is the latest in Julie Carlin’s Romantic Escapes series, and it is just as good as the earlier novels. As always, there’s a delightful mix of characters, from widowed housekeeper Solange, coming back alive with the wedding plans following her long months of mourning, to her daughter Yvette, who has her own reasons for wanting the wedding to fail. All add together to make an entertaining story and a great read.

There is very little I look forward to more each year than cracking open the latest book in Julie Caplin’s Romantic Escapes series. As I said in the opening, each of these books works brilliantly as a standalone novel, but you are denying yourself a huge amount of reading pleasure if you don’t go back and read all the other books in the series. Each is set in a beautiful location around the world, with evocative descriptions of the settings – the sights, the sounds, the smells, the people and, most of all, the food – so you’ll feel that you are really there and I couldn’t wait to see where Julie was going to take us next.

The answer is, to a beautiful chateau in France’s Champagne region where Hattie is organising her cousin’s grand wedding. This is Hattie’s first foray into wedding planning by herself, and the first wedding hosted at Chateau St Martin, so the stage is set for a lot of fumbling their way through the process and so much to go wrong. In addition, the host, Lucy, is not that keen on the idea of hosting a wedding, and some of the locals are downright hostile.

So far, so typical of a romantic novel you might think, but there are a number of elements that elevate Julie Caplin’s novels above the humdrum. Firstly, there is her way of invoking the settings. It’s obvious that Julie does a huge amount of research for these books because the setting is alive on the page. The descriptions are so detailed and immersive that they catapult the reader directly into the location and make you feel like you are there. There is nothing better that a truly transportive novel if you are wanting a read that can double as a virtual summer holiday. Beware though, you may find that the virtual experience is not enough and you will be browsing travel websites and planning a real holiday to Rheims as soon as you’ve finished the book!

The second is the characters. The author is absolutely fantastic at peopling her books with really interesting characters, with fascinating back stories that really build the story, and this includes all the supporting cast as well as the main protagonists. In this book, Solange and her daughter, Yvette, were two of my favourites, because of their strong characters. Could Yvette have a more perfect name for her spiky nature, either? Solange just melted my heart with the story of her loss and how she is able to find life and purpose again through the novel. Of course, the main characters are the focus and they are just perfectly drawn. I love the way Julie draws in supporting characters from her previous books and makes them the star of their own story, and Hattie is a particularly lovely example. It is great to see her finding her way and her purpose in this novel, after meeting her in The Christmas Castle in Scotland, and throwing in the gorgeous and kind Luc as her love interest is the icing on the cake. They are perfect for each other!

The main reason to pick up Julie’s books though is for the food. Each one is a feast for the senses and this one is no different; how could it be when it is set in France! Prepare yourself to wander through French markets, vicariously squeezing tomatoes, smelling the herbs and tasting the oozing cheeses. Get into the kitchen with Solange and learn some French recipes that you are going to want to get into the kitchen and try out for yourself. And sit at a romantic, outdoor table and sip a glass of crisp Champagne whilst the sun sets behind the profile of a handsome man you are quickly falling in love with. Sounds pretty perfect, doesn’t it? Romance writing doesn’t get much better than these books.

Every time I finish a Julie Caplin novel I am in love with it and think I can’t possibly enjoy the next one as much. I’m always wrong. Every one of these novels is a sumptuous delight and I savour them all from start to finish. The collection has pride of place in my library, read for me to revisit every time I need a bit of escapism and a mood lift and I can’t wait to add the paperback of this to my collection.

A gorgeous read,
The kind I always need,
With characters you follow as they grow
And who you feel you get to really know.

Hattie needs to escape and this is great
Organising her cousin's wedding, she can't wait!
However, the setting is idyllic but needs lost of care
And there's some mischief of which she needs to beware.

With Luc Bremont, the chateau owner's son,
Unaware of the wedding or what needs to be done.
He's more interested in the champagne he hopes to make
Than joining in the wedding plans, no part he wants to take.

There's three families with drama in each case
All play a role in what should be taking place.
So great to see relationships as they unfold
And Hattie becoming more confident - and more bold!

A heartwarming story, so great to escape into
And the kind of chateau setting I'd love to really view.
There's fun, surprises, secrets and chances
As well as more than one possible romances!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

4.5 stars out of 5 stars

As soon as I received the arc for this book from Netgalley I immediately started reading it. I got the chance to review the previous book in this series as wel, so I was quite excited to read it. And then also with Hattie, who I quite enjoyed seeing a bit of in the previous book, as well as Fliss showing up was just everything I could've wanted. And that combined with a wonderful french chateau.

This book was everything I wanted to get from this book and I can't wait to read more from this author, as well as tracking down the previous books. It's just the right kind of warm, cosy and feelgood that is sometimes needed. It's perfect for either a rainy day, where you'd rather be anywhere else, or while you're lazying in the sun.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Julie Caplin books always transport me to wherever her books take place. This time, her beautiful descriptions of France had me researching flights as soon as I devoured this book! From Hattie's wedding planning to Luc's desire to make champagne on his family's property again (and their smoldering chemistry!), this book was full of sun, fun, laughter and love. It also had a wonderful cast of supporting characters. I especially loved the reappearances of Fliss and Nina!

Reading this book, well every book in this series has been so much fun, I do love a Julie Caplin book, each one is so heartwarming, has a lovely cast of characters , a wonderful story, set in fantastic places, you get to travel without leaving your own home. Although this is book ten in a series, each book can be read as a stand-alone.

As we are well into the summer holiday period, this book is the perfect read to take with you whether it’s going somewhere on a plane, travelling in your own country or just a week at ‘our gate’. The French Chateau Dream will transport you to a beautiful location , fill you with laughter, warmth, joy, a touch of drama, tension and a whole lot of lovely atmosphere.

Julie’s writes such a wonderful cast of characters, you really get invested in their stories, Hattie and Luc are really relatable and sympathetic leads absits a delight to watch their relationship develop over the story. I also loved the food nature of the story, the kitchen adventures , the market visits, you’ll want to go experiment yourself and try new things. I just loved the lighthearted nature and the warmth of the book. I recommend reading this book, once you fall in love with it, I’d go read the previous books because each book is a delight.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

If I need a book that will lift my spirits, fill me with dreams of beautiful settings, give me mouthwatering descriptions of foods and drinks and of course, fill my heart with romance, I know I can do no better than pick up one of Julie Caplins romantic escape books. The French Chateau Dream is the 10th in this series and if full of sunshine, dreams and of course, romance.
Hattie, oh Hattie, is a great character. We briefly met her in ‘The Christmas Castle in Scotland’ and now she’s heading to France to a Chateau as a wedding planner for her cousins upcoming nuptials. Fresh from a relationship break up, Hattie really wants to prove she is capable of planning this wedding, keen to establish her business she is determined to make this a success.
Arriving in France, Hattie meets Luc who lives at the Chateau and is keen to start making champagne again. He isn’t altogether on board with the wedding but knows they need the money if he is to make a go of things at all. Hattie is a force to be reckoned with in her own way and I admired her tenacity, especially when she comes up against sabotage. It is evident who is to blame but Hattie can more than handle herself.
Hattie falls for the chateau, is quite keen on the gorgeous Luc and starts believing that she could achieve what she has always wanted but knows her time there is limited especially when a face from the past pulls on her heart strings once again.
I absolutely adored reading this one, location, characters, storyline – all fantastic. I didn’t want to put it down but didn’t want it to end. I love this series as you can read any one at any time, but for those, like me, that love to read things in order you will spot the cameos from previous stories and it is great to catch up them even for a moment.
There would never be a time I didn’t champion any book by Julie/Jules – an author that enables the reader to have a true connection to the characters, where we feel like they are just like any of us and that we want the best for them – like a friend.
Julie/Jules’ books are familiar, like a comfort blanket or a ray of sunshine on a grey day. The French Chateau Dream is a gorgeous read, perfect for this summer by the pool, in the garden; highly recommended.