In the beautiful village of Chamillon lies the Café Belle Vie, where you’ll always find croissants and friends when you need them the most – and where Elle is hoping to uncover the truth about her past… of the very few things she has from her mother – she heads straight to the Île de Ré to begin her search.
With only the postcard and the ivory shawl she was wrapped in as clues, finding her mum is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, even with the help of friendly – and gorgeous – café-owner Charlie. And since Elle hasn’t exactly told her younger sister what she’s up to, the little white lies about where she is are starting to add up…
But Elle is really starting to feel at home on the beautiful island. The locals are welcoming, the café is homely, and Charlie is always there with a helping hand, a listening ear, and a pain au chocolat.
Is Elle about to discover not just where she came from – but where she belongs?
A hilarious rom com perfect for reading in the sunshine! Fans of Debbie Johnson, Zara Stoneley and Debbie Macomber will love Karen Clarke!
Readers are loving Summer at the Little French Café!
‘I was hooked in really quickly into the wonderful, summery book, and read it in a few short hours… I loved every moment of this delightful book and there was even a mystery that had me stumped but equally eager to find out the outcome. This was a pure pleasure to read.’ Rachel’s Random Reads, 5 stars
‘A fabulous sunny, summery read that sparkles and delights. I was engrossed in this lovely story from page one. Lovely imagery and a really pretty cover, a must read for the beach!’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
‘You can’t help but kept swept away… The added aspect of it all being set in France was just the icing on the top of an already scrumptious story… a wonderful and entertaining read.’ By the Letter Book Reviews, 5 stars
‘So summery and inviting – I couldn’t wait to dive in!… The story moves quickly, with Karen’s usual humour, which makes the pages fly by… Enjoyable and fills you with happiness… fell in love with the location of the novel and the characters.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Has everything: fantastic characters, a great storyline, beautiful scenery, and it will leave you smiling from ear to ear and feeling good and happy. Loved it.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Perfect summer read, with great characters, beautifully described scenery and a story that will have you glued to the page. Really enjoyed this book.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘Just amazing and that hit the right spot with me… a joy to read… fooled me with her love choice for the heroine and it was quite a twist.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘A really sweet quick read. I was hooked straight away… Perfect for fans of Katie Fforde and Debbie Macomber.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘A really lovely feel-good book which leaves you with a smile on your face… a huge host of delightful characters in this book and the descriptions of Chamillon will leave you wanting to visit… Loved it. A perfect feel-good summer book.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I can’t stop smiling… absolutely delightful!… Quirky, engaging characters that I missed as soon as the book ended… a great choice for a beach read.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 starsmore
Summer at the Little French Cafe by Karen Clarke blends a mystery with a romance in a wonderful theme of family and friends. Eloise Matheson has decided to take a week away from her photography studio and search for answers. Elle has always known her realtime mother and birth mother were two different people. Her birth mother was a beautiful French woman who surprised her father one night with a newborn baby nine months after their one-night affair. Her father never knew the woman’s real name and when the baby was shockingly presented to him, all he had was a memory, a new baby, a shawl, a charm bracelet, and a postcard. He had left the items in a travel bag in his closet for years. After his death, Elle finds the items which are associated with the way she was presented to her father when she was about a week old. Why did he keep the items a secret when he had been honest with her about her conception? Elle journeys to the Île de Ré and approaches the cafe which was printed on the postcard, the Café Belle Vie. The choices she makes as she searches for the mysterious “M” set her future on a different path. Elle’s search becomes more than seeking for answers about who her birth mother is, and leads her to new answers about her own self-discovery.
Publication Date June 27, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is the second book in Karen Clarke’s series set in the pretty village of Chamillon and at the heart of this book is the Café Belle Vie. The café is where Elle Matheson ends up agreeing to work for the week that she’s booked to stay on the island of Ile de Re, and were she begins the search to trace her birth mother who gave her up as a baby. All Elle has to go on is an old postcard showing the café that she found in her dead father’s possessions and a shawl that she was wrapped in when her mother arranged to meet her father and handed baby Elle over to him.
She also knows a couple of vague things about her mother and although Elle’s not used to sharing her thoughts or feelings about her mother, she is grateful when Dolly, the owner of the café, offers to try and help her solve this mystery.
This book is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. That said, it does add to the story to know the backgrounds of the characters that you meet in the first book of the series. I especially love Dolly’s son, Charlie.
This story made me laugh, but it was also one that made you think about how it must feel to not know who one or both of your parents are. This is a delightful read that made me want to travel to Chamillon and Dolly’s café to meet the cast of characters in person. I loved this book and look forward to reading the next in this brilliant series.
Elle’s excursion to charming Chamillon — delightful!
June 27, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
A lovely, cozy little gem! I could just smell those freshly baked French pastries and imagine myself hanging out at the cafe and indulging in an afternoon of sun and people-watching. Elle, the principal character, still recovering from her father’s recent death and a vital secret he kept from her, is on a quest while holidaying and gets sidetracked from day one by handsome men, a job she literally stumbles into, and the charming residents of Chamillon.
Mathilde, one of the bakers in the neighborhood cafe, is one of my favorite secondary characters. She says little, but her venomous looks at Elle are priceless and the reason for her animosity only surfaces late in the story.
I adored the mix of a mystery to solve with a bit of romance on the side. Although the humor made me chuckle rather than laugh out loud, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole reading experience. This is the first Karen Clarke novel I’ve read but I’ve already got another queued up on my e-reader.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book provided through NetGalley; this is my voluntary and honest review.
I can’t stop smiling. Summer at the Little French Cafe was absolutely delightful! From page one until the end, I enjoyed this lovely story about a young woman who admittedly had everything she needed but was missing something important. Karen Clarke does a wonderful job of creating quirky, engaging characters that I missed as soon as the book ended. I felt as though I would be happy to continue reading about Elle, Charlie, Dolly, and Marie (and all the others) forever.
I read Summer at the Little French Cafe in just a couple of days, some of which was spent on the beach. This is definitely a great choice for a beach read.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for honest feedback.