The French Effect by Patricia Sands ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

A hopeful and heartwarming journey that reminds us it’s never too late for a second chance.

France has a way of changing your mind ... and your heart ...

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November 2025; Patricia Sands Books; 978-1069128126
ebook, print (330 pages); holiday romance

Nora is a 50ish-year-old author who has been a widow for 17 years.  She lives in Canada and has friends who mean the world to her.  Her only daughter, Chloe, is an artist who moved to Paris and decided to stay after she fell in love and married Oliver.  Christmas was always a special holiday for her family, and Nora isn't looking forward to spending the holiday alone.    She also has writer's block and just can't get words on paper.  Chloe calls and asks her to come to Paris and live in the apartment next door for 6 weeks to take care of a Doberman while the neighbor travels.  Nora has never been real impulsive, so she and Chloe were both surprised when she agreed.  She hopes that Paris will help bring back her love of Christmas and bring enough joy back into her life that she can start writing again.  As she walks around Paris and sees all of the decorations, she begins to find happiness, but her writing plans are derailed when she's asked to do a memoir for a 93-year-old woman who had never shared her story of life in the Resistance during WWII.  But Paris isn't all about memories as she begins to meet more people and find happiness in her new life.  She learns to tango with a handsome younger man.  She makes friends with various people, plus she gets to spend Christmas in Provence with her son-in-law's grandparents.  Will Nora find a second chance at love in Paris -- will it be her dancing partner or Oliver's grouchy father?  Will she return to Canada to her comfortable life or decide to live a new and exciting life in Paris?

If you've ever been to Paris or dreamed of Paris, this book will have you packing your suitcase for a trip to the city of love.  Patricia does a wonderful job of bringing Paris to life -- the sites, the food, the people, but most importantly, that 'joie de vivre' that exists among Parisians.  I've done considerable travelling since I retired and have enjoyed all of the places that we visited - but my favorite city is Paris.  The author's love of France is evident on every page, and I found it wonderful to read about places that I've visited in Paris; plus, I added a few new places for my next visit.  It brought some wonderful memories back to me from my visits to Paris and convinced me that it's time for another trip!

Buy The French Effect at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

 

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