Fiona Valpy Books

In this haunting tale from the bestselling author of The Storyteller of Casablanca , Beatrice kept a wartime secret to protect the innocent. Now, could telling it set her free? Tuscany, 1943. Stranded in war-ravaged Italy, Beatrice’s dream of an escapist year teaching English is shattered. Granted shelter at the Villa delle Colombe, she seeks refuge in Francesca and Edoardo’s beautiful walled garden, hidden from the outside world, with an elaborate cypress maze at its heart. But Beatrice is not the only one seeking an escape here. Francesca has brought children to the safety of the house, as well as other adults, all of them seeking sanctuary on the estate with its mysterious maze. As the war closes in, the residents are forced to witness―and do―unthinkable things… 2015. Tess arrives at the villa raw from the agonising loss of her husband. Beatrice, now custodian, guides her to the solace of its gardens, where Tess begins to heal. But all hope of peace is shattered by the arrival of Marco, the estate’s absent owner, who wants nothing more than to hand it over to developers. Distraught, Beatrice realises she must finally reveal the villa’s painful past if she wants to save it. As the extraordinary story unfolds, Tess realises that Villa delle Colombe is not just a refuge, but a beacon of hope in the darkest of times. Can she convince Marco to give it a new lease of life―and find a way back to happiness herself?

In this evocative tale from the bestselling author of The Dressmaker's Gift, a strange new city offers a young girl hope. Can it also offer a lost soul a second chance? Morocco, 1941. With France having fallen to Nazi occupation, twelve-year-old Jewish girl Josie has fled with her family to Casablanca, where they await safe passage to America. Life here is as intense as the sun, every sight, smell and sound overwhelming to the senses in a city filled with extraordinary characters. It's a world away from the trouble back home--and Josie loves it. Seventy years later, another new arrival in the intoxicating port city, Zoe, is struggling--with her marriage, her baby daughter and her new life as an expat in an unfamiliar place. But when she discovers a small wooden box and a diary from the 1940s beneath the floorboards of her daughter's bedroom, Zoe enters the inner world of young Josie, who once looked out on the same view of the Atlantic Ocean, but who knew a very different Casablanca. It's not long before Zoe begins to see her adopted city through Josie's eyes. But can a new perspective help her turn tragedy into hope, and find the comfort she needs to heal her broken heart?

Loch Ewe, 1940. When gamekeeper's daughter Flora's remote highland village finds itself the base for the Royal Navy's Arctic convoys, life in her close-knit community changes forever. In defiance of his disapproving father, the laird's son falls in love with Flora, and as tensions build in their disrupted home, any chance of their happiness seems doomed. Decades later, Flora's daughter, singer Lexie Gordon, is forced to return to the village and to the tiny cottage where she grew up. Having long ago escaped to the bright lights of the West End, London still never truly felt like home. Now back, with a daughter of her own, Lexie learns that her mother--and the hostile-seeming village itself--have long been hiding secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew. As she pieces together the fragments of her parents' story, Lexie discovers the courageous, devastating sacrifices made in her name. It's too late to rekindle her relationship with her mother, but can Lexie find it in her heart to forgive the past, to grieve for all that's lost, and finally find her place in the world?

1938. Eliane Martin tends beehives in the garden of the beautiful Chateau Bellevue. She meets Mathieu Dubosq and falls in love for the first time, daring to hope that a happy future awaits. But France's eastern border is darkening under the clouds of war, and Eliane is separated from Mathieu in the chaos of German occupation. She makes the decision to join the Resistance and fight for France's liberty. In 2017, when Abi Howes takes a summer job at the Chateau Bellevue, she finds herself drawn to the woman's story. -- adapted from back cover

When Kendra first visits her ailing grandmother, Ella has only one request: that Kendra write her story down, before she forgets... In 1937, seventeen-year-old Ella's life changes forever when she is sent to spend the summer on the beautiful Île de Ré and meets the charismatic, creative Christophe. They spend the summer together, exploring the island's sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, and, for the first time in her life, Ella feels truly free. But the outbreak of war casts everything in a new light. Ella is forced to return to Scotland, where she volunteers for the war effort alongside the dashing Angus. In this new world, Ella feels herself drifting further and further from who she was on the Île de Ré. Can she ever find her way back? And does she want to? From the windswept Île de Ré to the rugged hills of Scotland, Sea of Memories is a spellbinding journey about the power of memory, love and second chances.

From the bestselling author of The Beekeeper's Promise comes a gripping story of three young women faced with impossible choices. How will history - and their families - judge them?

In this romantic tale in the Escape to France collection from bestselling author Fiona Valpy, Sara has one summer to make wedding wishes come true. But can she save her own happy-ever-after? Once upon a time, in an ancient château nestled above a golden river among the vineyards of Bordeaux, Sara and Gavin opened a wedding venue where fairy tales come true...But when Sara discovers Gavin in the arms of a wedding guest, their own happiness crumbles to dust. Faced with five beaming couples yet to say 'I do', she realises it's up to her to host the rest of their first make-or-break season alone. For the summer to go off without a hitch, Sara must bury her broken heart and her fear that she'll soon be packing her bags for London, and lean on her local team of helpers. So when handsome Thomas Cortini, wine salesman and amateur DJ, crosses her path, Sara's thrilled to draft in further reinforcements--and finally dares to hope the summer might not be a total disaster... But with her life savings at stake, can Sara pull off a successful season, save her budding business and--just maybe--find her own happy-ever-after before the summer ends? Revised edition: Previously published as The French for Always, this edition of The Season of Dreams includes editorial revisions.

"Gina's London life lies in tatters: she has lost her father, her steady job as a wine buyer and her suave but unfaithful boyfriend. When she also suffers the loss of her beloved aunt, a silver lining dawns in the shape of an unexpected legacy: Aunt Liz has left Gina her beautiful, if slightly ramshackle, house in the heart of Bordeaux wine country. With nothing left to lose, Gina takes a chance on a fresh start. Throwing herself into her new life in the beautiful French countryside, Gina discovers the warmth of a close-knit - sometimes too close-knit - rural community and the exhausting exhilaration of the grape harvest under the late-summer sun. But just as she is beginning to feel like she belongs in her crumbling but charming home, she uncovers a long-hidden secret that makes her question the one person she used to trust the most. While she's worrying that this is a sign to pack her bags and run, a storm blows a hole in the roof, and Gina finds herself with nowhere else to turn except her neighbour's capable son for help. Before long Gina finds herself admiring handsome Cédric for more than just his stonemasonry skills... But everyone she's ever held dear has left her or betrayed her. And as the grapes ripen on the vine, can Gina find her way to forgiveness, and could it finally be time for her to open her heart to love again?"--Page 4 of cover

When her friends offer Evie their French cottage for the Christmas season, she plans to use her French grandmother's notebook of recipes to bake herself back to happiness. The neighbor proves to be the perfect taste tester, but can he be more?

Paryż, 1940 rok. Trzy krawcowe próbują prowadzić możliwie normalne życie w okupowanym przez nazistów mieście. Każda z nich ma pewien sekret. Poraniona przez wojnę Mireille działa w ruchu oporu; Claire została uwiedziona przez niemieckiego oficera; Vivienne zaangażowała się w coś, o czym nikomu nie może opowiedzieć Wojna zmusza trzy młode kobiety do podejmowania niełatwych decyzji, a skrywane tajemnice narażają je na ogromne niebezpieczeństwa. Przyjaciółki wspierają się, wierzą, że są wobec siebie lojalne, lecz czy nie grozi im zdrada? Czy przetrwają ten okrutny czas, a więzi między nimi pozostaną nienaruszone? Dwa pokolenia później Harriet, angielska wnuczka Claire, przybywa do Paryża w poszukiwaniu rodzinnych korzeni. Mieszka w tym samym budynku przy Rue Cardinale, w którym żyła jej babcia. I tam odkrywa historię, mroczniejszą i bardziej bolesną, niż mogła się spodziewać To znakomita powieść, napisana doskonałym językiem, ukazująca poszukiwanie własnej tożsamości przez pryzmat trudnych doświadczeń oraz odkrywająca, jak bardzo wojenne traumy wpłynęły na powojenne losy rodzin. W ciągu miesiąca książka została sprzedana w ponad 100 tysiącach egzemplarzy, zdobywając tytuł najlepiej sprzedającej się książki miesiąca platformy Amazon.