The Last Fashion House in Paris
by Renee Ryan
Publisher: Harlequin - Romance | Love Inspired Trade
Series: None but it does tie in characters from other novels
Rated: 4
Obtain: Borrow or buy
Back of the Book: “In the heart of occupied WWII Paris, an elegant fashion house is the unlikely headquarters of a daring resistance network. Behind closed doors, courageous women vie to save loved ones and strangers alike from the Nazis in this powerful story of survival, friendship and second chances.
France, 1942 Once, Paulette Leblanc spent her days flirting, shopping and drawing elegant dresses in her sketch pad. Then German tanks rolled into France, and a reckless romance turned into deep betrayal. Blaming herself for her mother’s arrest by the Gestapo, Paulette is sent away to begin a new life in Paris, working as apprentice to fashion designer Sabine Ballard.
But Maison de Ballard is no ordinary fashion house. While seamstresses create the perfect couture gowns, clandestine deals and secrets take place out of sight. Mademoiselle Ballard is head of a vast network of resistance fighters—including Paulette’s coworker and friend Nicolle Cadieux—who help escort downed military men and Jewish families to safety.
Soon Paulette is recruited as a spy. Working as a seamstress by day, and gathering information at glamorous parties by night, Paulette at last has a chance to earn the redemption she craves. But as the SS closes in, and Nicolle goes missing, Paulette must make life-and-death decisions about who to trust, who to love, and who to leave behind…”

Impressions: Although this is a stand-alone novel you will find characters from other novels such as The Paris Housekeeper and The Widows of Champagne interwoven into the plot. Like Ryan's other novels, I found it hard to put this book down always wanting to read one more page. The plot was intriguing and the characters interesting. It is far too easy to look only at one's outward appearance but in this novel the war had everyone hiding something. Finding out that everyone was not who they seemed on the outside gave each person a depth to discover while reading. This was not a Christian novel and did not allude to anything spiritual. It did suggest sexual relationships but did not expand on any intimacy.

Quotes: “What makes one soul more worthy than another?” - This question of the sanctity of life is still on the minds of many today. From slavery to abortion, people have chosen to pick and choose who deserves to live and to what freedoms they have. I find it interesting and sad how this idea of the worth of life is still an issue today.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Terrific story set in 1940's France during the German Occupation. Fans of World War Two will want to add this to their reading lists! Overlapping the previous books in the series, but easy to read on its own.
Suspenseful in parts, with characters who make real history come alive, and a bit of romance. It is a tribute to the many people who formed the web of the French Resistance, risking their lives to help others escape, especially the brave women who worked as guides. They are inspirational and should not to be forgotten.
I was intrigued from the start as Paulette was sent to Paris in 1942, seeking a new start and personal redemption for past mistakes.
I loved Nicolle's character and backstory that comes into play. They both had good reasons for personal risk, and made the storyline interesting. I like how the author weaves in characters from the other books, adding another layer to their stories without giving much away. I couldn't read it fast enough hoping for a good ending. The epilogue gave a nice round out to the whole series. No real faith references, but a good, clean read. .
Recommend! Terrific read!

The Last Fashion House in Paris was a fanciful book that held my attention from the very beginning. France had been taken over by Hitler. Paulette's mother was Jewish. She had fallen in love with a German officer and had betrayed her mother to him which caused her mother to be taken away. Her sister, Gabrielle, decided to send her away from Reims to Paris to live with their mother's best friend, Mademoiselle Sophie Ballard, who owned a fashion house. Paulette had a dream of opening her own fashion house so working for Mademoiselle was like a dream come true.

Mademoiselle worked for the French Resistance. She had a woman working for her named Nicole who was a passeur. Her job was to rescue fallen British soldiers and see them out of France into Spain so they could get back home to England. After a while, She employed. Paulette to work for the resistance. She had her go to German parties and spy. She had a man named Rochon go to the parties to protect her. Before long, Paulette became a passeur. Her job was to see a Jewish mother and daughter into Spain.

While she was going to the German parties, Paulette ran into a German officer by the name of Wolfe who had been responsible for taking her mother away. Needless to say, she blatantly distrusted this man.

When Paulette and Rochon came back from her trip with the mother and daughter the Germans were at the fashion house. Mademoiselle's right hand woman, Genevieve, had been a mole and had sold her out. She didn't know about her resistance work, but she made up stories. She wanted to get her out of the fashion house so she could take over. When Paulette found out what she had done she was furious. But it wasn't long before Genevieve got busted by the Germans as well.

This book was both a drama and a love story. I thought the author did a stellar job with story development. And the characters were all totally believable. If I didn't know better I would think it was historical fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I gave it five stars.

A riveting novel of mystery, intrigue, love, and great courage. Beautiful and elegant Paulette Leblanc has grown up in wealth due to her family’s vineyards and the famous wine those vineyards make. When the Nazi’s take over her country and her home, Paulette is wooed by a handsome officer resulting in scandal and the arrest of her mother by the Gestapo. Facing guilt and grief, Paulette is sent to a fashion house in Paris. Determined to make a new life for herself, Paulette is apprenticed to the famous Sabine Ballard. As time goes by, Paulette begins to realize that not everything at the fashion house is as it seems. Secrets abound and danger lurks around every corner. Seeing something in Paulette that Paulette herself does not see, Mademoiselle Ballard recruits her to work in the Resistance. As Paulette grows ever entrenched in the world of the Nazis and Gestapo to gain intelligence, the more danger she finds herself in. After secrets are uncovered, Paulette will have to make decisions about who to save, and who to trust. When members of the Resistance start disappearing, Paulette vows to keep working to help Jewish people escape, even at the expense of her own life. The Last Fashion House in Paris is a novel that will have readers on the edge of their seats until the last word. Full of rich historic detail, Renee Ryan has woven together a novel that will captivate the hearts and minds of the reader. The depth of emotion and the journeys that each character must take is mesmerizing. It was also fascinating to see real life characters show up as well as some of the fictional characters in Ryan’s previous book, “The Paris Housekeeper.” The ending will leave readers breathless! I thank NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC of this book. I am not required to leave a positive review. All opinions within this review are my own.

I had recently read a soon to be published book about Coco Chanel and her relationship with the Nazis that allowed her to survive World War II. I was interested to see how The Last Fashion House in Paris, which is about the same time in history, would depict the French Resistance efforts. This novel is very good. The three main characters ( Paulette, Mme. Sabine, and Nicole, are complex women whose pasts mold them and prepare them to face the challenges of getting people to safety and interacting in the charged political world. The story is gripping and I couldn’t put it down.

1942-1944 Paris, France

It was a pleasant surprise to find characters from prior novels featured in this one.

After falling in love with a Nazi, Paulette is no longer welcome at home and goes to Paris to learn to be a seamstress. She is quickly accepted by the owner and one of the other seamstresses. But there is more happening with the dressmaker. Mademoiselle Ballard leads an elaborate network that work against the Nazi Regime.

The biggest takeaway is the emotion and risk that were taken by Parisians in helping Jews escape the city and country. The raw feeling of doing your best, but wondering if it's enough and wondering if you are next to be arrested. I cannot imagine the difficulty in navigating so many duplicitous co-workers and acquaintances. Who can be trusted and who cannot?

While the entire novel was good, the final 25% was incredibly suspenseful and page turning.

Another wonderful WWII novel by the author.

Set in Paris during WWII, Paulette finds herself banished from her family's home and sent to work as a seamstress. She has made serious mistakes in her young life and this book tells the story of her transformation into another woman. Marvelous

The Last Fashion House in Paris is another fantastic read by Renee Ryan set during the Nazi occupation of France in WWII. I love the authors idea of writing a book for the purpose of redemption of a character from a previous work. There are references to both The Widows of Champagne
The Paris Housekeeper (both excellent reads) that make this book richer but it is still a good stand alone story. It is hard to fully comprehend the danger in which everyday people placed themselves to aid in Resistance work during WWII. The Last Fashion House in Paris includes an intriguing cast of characters, lovely descriptions of fashion and design, heart racing espionage, and heart tugging relationships to bring this story, the heroism of the resistance, and the realities of the horrors of war to life. This hauntingly beautiful story is one you don’t want to miss.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read for my honest review.

Wonderful book about a woman in Paris during WWII. I have read a lot of these types of books, and sometimes I get tired of them, but I enjoyed this one a lot. Even better than the author's last book, "The Paris Housekeeper", which has tie-ins to this one. I had not read "The Widows of Champagne", which apparently is a prequel, although it did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I'd now like to go back and read that one.

Allusions to sex, murder, violence along the themes of war, but overall an unusually "clean" book. I think that is what this publishing imprint is meant to showcase.

Recommended for women's book clubs, WWII historical fiction fans, and definitely for fans of Ryan's other works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC #sponsored

Who can you really trust during WWII when the world is turned upside down?
France may seem like the center for elegance and class, but in 1942 the French people were driven to hard times while the Nazis SS exploited them in all ways possible. A naïve mistake can change everything, especially for the ones you love. Thus begins Paulette’s education on the realities and consequences of her privileged and sheltered life. Banished from her home (for her own good) she is sent to Paris to learn from her Mother’s closest friend, Mademoiselle Ballard at her fashion house, Maison de Ballard. While living and working on the premises of the fashion house, she learns what it means to work hard and work even harder to be accepted and trusted by her coworkers. With the patient guidance of talented Nicolle and by cheer determination Paulette learns quickly. It doesn’t go unnoticed that she observes her surroundings and is quick to adjust to the social standards and situations of the salon’s elite clientele. These traits come in handy throughout the book.
Mademoiselle Ballard demands organization, professionalism and proficiency with the making of her design collections and the girls under her employment. By juggles many clients, not all upstanding, and taking risks, she stays afloat in uncertain times by every means possible. Her son-in-law Philipee is also a risk taker and determined in helping Mademoiselle in more ways than one. Resistance work is a passion for them both. Helping downed pilots and escaped Jewish prisoners out of France becomes their calling and mission. Dangerous and tense situations abound. Betrayal, lies & greed surface in unexpected people and places. The suspense gets worrisome as you become more vested in the characters you meet, and as you learn their own guilt and secrets. Things aren’t always what they seem as you read along in their journey to right so many wrongs. By the end of the book things tie up thoughtfully, leaving you with a satisfied feeling of redemption.
On a personal note, I especially enjoyed the author placing an American character and situation from her previous book: The Paris Housekeeper into the context of this book. BTW, that was a great book as well. Renee Ryan does her research and brings it to life in her writing. Another wonderful and heartfelt book of past realities of a world in chaos.
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Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read The Last Fashion House in Paris. This book is fantastic! It is an edge of your seat journey through occupied France. I am new to Ms. Ryan's writing, but I am a fan!! You do not want to miss this book.

I thought this used France in the 1940s perfectly and that it had that suspenseful element of World War 2 throughout the book. The characters had that feel that I wanted and thought they felt like real people in this world. It really did a great job in who to trust and survival. When I finished this I wanted more from Renee Ryan as it was so well done. I'm glad I got to read this as it was really well written with interesting and real characters.

This was a wonderfully written book. The ins and outs of the fashion world during WORLD WAR II. So many secrets in order to help people escape the horrors. I enjoyed reading this sad story.

During WWII a fashion house is used as part of the resistance. Very touching story. Renee Ryan is one of my favorite authors.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an early release of Renee Ryan’s latest book
I really enjoyed reading this
It was an emotional heartfelt story about the Jews and the Germans taking over during ww11
There are many lives and happy endings in the end.

I love redemption stories and have been following this family since The Widows of Champagne. Paulette Leblanc was young and naive in that story and makes a terrible choice. We get to see the effects of that choice and the second chance she’s been given in Ryan’s latest, The Last Fashion House in Paris. Thank you for all the Easter eggs you hid, Renee Ryan!

When Paulette, Helene’s youngest daughter, is sent to her mother’s friend, Mademoiselle Sabine Ballard, to work in a fashion house in Paris, it’s the making of her and the start of her redemption story. It’s a historically rich and vibrant wartime story and Paulette’s emotional story ties it all together. Will what she’s learned about trust help her make the right decision this time around?

I was prompted to google the fashion industry during the occupation and was surprised at the tenacity of Les Parisiennes in keeping the industry in Paris.

If you haven’t read any of Ryan’s historical fiction yet, you need to put this author on your radar.

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

The Last Fashion House in Paris by Renee Ryan is a World War II story that takes place in Paris, France in a fashion house. The two heroines are brave and daring as they face the challenges of trying to hide from their heritage and their past. Readers will learn about the world of fashion and see the way that the fashion was used to help rescue Jews from Paris as the Nazi's tried to take over. The plot is predictable and mingles in with some plots of other novels that I have read about world war II. The setting will be familiar to readers of World War II novels. Occupation from the Nazi's and trying to escape their wrath. Guilt does haunt the two main characters, but they learn to let their guard down and learn to trust others again. Enough to make better decisions that will affect others lives through their choices. Overall, The Last Fashion House in Paris by Renee Ryan fits nicely into the World War II fiction genre, but the story was predictable.

I received a complimentary copy of The Last Fashion House in Paris by Renee Ryan from Harlequin Trade Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.