Return to the Little French Guesthouse – Helen Pollard

When you go away and find a lovely place to stay, all you want to do is go back there and experience it all again.That can be the same with reading books I am sure and is certainly the case when you can actually return to a story.

This is the follow-up to The Little French Guesthouse which I read earlier this year. Without wishing to give away any of the first book, Emmy did not have a very good start when she first arrived at this little guesthouse. It was never meant to be a life changing holiday but it was in more ways than one and not just for her but also for the owner,  Rupert. I do think you need to read that one before you pick up this one, although there is enough contained in this novel to get an understanding of how the characters get to where they are in this second book.

Emmy is back at the guesthouse and it is about to host the biggest ever amount of visitors than before, However the booking and a number of the details seem to somehow been lost and it falls to Emmy and Rupert to try and fill in as much of the blanks without appearing unprofessional. It is going to be a difficult task because the guest Mrs Thomson and her extended family are rather demanding in their requirements.

The little guesthouse is about to get a whole lot bigger!

Emmy is settling into the French way of life, and whilst she is working hard she is still able to take time off and explore the area, something which the author does very well. Like the first book I felt I was there, I was driving around, experiencing all these wonderful places with the sun on my back and glass of wine in my hand.

However the idyll that seems to have been created is about to be shattered when a face from the past turns up and it seems Emmy is once again going to face a life changing moment. Will she still be able to rely on the support that Rupert has given her? And what will happen to the blossoming relationship with the dishy accountant Alain.

Will Emmy and Rupert be able to carry on together without Mrs Thomson and her family know there is anything going wrong?

As in the first book, Helen Pollard’s skill at creating a story is that it draws you in. I cared and disliked in equal measure the main characters to the point where I became frustrated in thinking what their actions might end up being.The rich description of the countryside, just adds more substance to the book. You really do feel you are there.

Follow up books can sometimes fall a bit flat, this one certainly didn’t and I devoured it very quickly. I hope there will be more because I am sure that guesthouse has a lot to offer in the autumn and the winter as well!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. 

Return to The Little French Guesthouse is out now.

My review of the first book can be found here.