This is my fourth book by Katie Fford and it may just be my favorite. I say may be because I think she writes the perfect summer/beach read and this really is a feel good summer read.

Gina and her sister inherit their aunt's antique stall in The French House and a small amount of money, with the stipulation that if they make a profit there will be a bit more. Gina jumps wholeheartedly into learning the business with the help of Matthew, the owner of The French House. As she learns the antique business, she also uses her PR background and suggests ways to improve the business for all the vendors.

The plot of this book is well crafted, with several twists and turns to keep the reader interested from the first chapter to the last.

I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I'm happy to see Katie Ffforde published in the US (I used to haul her hard copy paperbacks back from London.). This is not the best example of her books, which tend to enjoyable, light chicklit but it's still pretty good. Gina, Sally, and Matthew all have issues to resolve with their inheritance and business respectively, let alone with their love lives. There are no real surprises here but think of this as a beach or airplane read and you'll be satisfied. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Sisters Gina and Sally are heading to Cranmore-on-the-Sea, in the Cotswolds, after receiving a letter from their late Aunt Rainey’s solicitor. They are to meet with Matthew Ballinger to discuss letters that Aunt Rainey left for the three of them. Gina has worked in PR and has just broken up with her boyfriend after which she decided to move near Sally. Sally is an artist and a stay at home mum to twin girls.

Matthew is an antiques deal and owner of The French House, an antiques centre. He appears to be a rather serious and glum man. Once there, the three of them open letters from Rainey and find she has left the girls 500 pounds, wants them to take over her stall at the centre and Matthew, having been good friends with Rainey, has agreed to teach them the ropes. As the girls are totally ignorant of the antique business, thus begins the process of learning.

They start with smaller antiques sales and slowly progress to larger ones. Both girls become quite enthusiastic about the business. Before long, an attraction develops between Gina and Matthew. Recently divorced, he is somewhat bitter and has lost a lot of money in the divorce. His ex-wife is threatening to make him sell The French House unless he pays her the money he still owes her. That is when Gina and Sally step in to see how they can help him raise that money.

This is a clever story about the relationship between the sisters and the relationship between Gina and Matthew. There are some well-developed characters that help keep the story interesting. My only complaint is that it is a bit long and could have been cut back somewhat. I know readers will enjoy the story and antique lovers will be especially pleased with it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I'm in love with Katie Fford's books now. This was my first Fford book and I was not disappointed. Cute and fun and such a delight to read. Romance with a little extra in the mix. It was great for a way to while away a summer afternoon (although this book may be even better for a winter read). The books are being republished and I think a new audience will find great delight in this British Chic Lit. I must read all the books now! If looking for a lighthearted romp through the English countryside, take this book out for a spin. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Enjoyable and charming British chick lit albeit a little predictable. Two sisters inherit an antique stall from their wacky aunt in a building owned and managed by someone who sounds like your favorite Hugh Grant character-what's not to like? Breezy read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my unbiased opinion.

Gina is disappointed with the men, after a frustrating relationship with Egan, she wants to breathe new life and goes live near her sister. Sally is well married and has cute twins girls and because of this she dreams that her sister also finds the right guy to form a beautiful family like hers. By inheriting a point of sale from the deceased aunt, these two sisters will have their lives transformed. The only problem is the owner of the antiquary.
Matthew is a serious and closed man who looks after the antiquary with an outdated and not at all modern look. When confronted by the insistent Gina who wants to revitalize the place, he finds himself in conflict until he realizes how special and courageous Gina is.
I'm a fan of Katie Fforde's freshing and light writing, she creates stories with light dramas and moody touches to show how much we should fight for true love. My favorite book of her still remains Recipe of Love.
French Affair had everything to steal the scene, but I found the narrative very slow and I could not feel the chemistry of the couple. The protagonist left me confused by his reserved behavior with few moments to see if he really liked the girl or not. I think at this point, the writer herself wanted to leave everyone in doubt because until almost the end Gina also did not know what he really felt for her.
Highlighted for me in the book, it was Sally's family and the dog Oscar who stole the spotlight for themselves every time they appeared, especially in a scene where Gina asks Oscar for help and I ended laughing very much.
I also confess that I prefer the old cover, because I love these personalized book covers where I look and I know who the writer is.

3/5 stars
Kisses, Myl

I liked this story. It's a typical Katie Fforde book with great characters and an unusual storyline. Antique collectors will really love this book. Gina and her sister Sally inherit a spot in an antique co-operative from their aunt. Neither knows a thing about their new business. Matthew runs the co-op and has agreed to help them learn. Set in small town England the story travels to various locations as they search for stock for their store. Another great book from Ms. Fforde.

You guys already know about my Katie Fforde love (here, here and here) so I jumped at the chance to review her latest being offered up for the kindle this summer. I really do love how they are finally making a lot of books from her backlist available on kindle for the first time even if this particular book wasn't my favorite of hers. But, like pizza, even when Katie Fforde's books aren't my favorite, there is still a lot to love in them. A French Affair was fun - lighthearted, romantic and interesting, I just wish there had been a bit more of France in it. It also meandered a bit in terms of sub-plots but it had that same comfort I have come to expect from Katie's books, something that we don't get in non-British romance. Of course, lots of tea/coffee/afternoon breaks were involved and I particularly loved Gina's sister, Sally. She offered a fun break in the romance. I definitely recommend this one if you like Antiques Roadshow!

A French Affair comes out for the first time on kindle next week on July 7, 2017, and you can purchase HERE.

He was looking at her intently and Gina found she couldn't meet his gaze. She wasn't sure she could conceal how she felt about him. She'd suddenly realised that what she felt for him wasn't just a crush. It was much, much more than that. You didn't pine for someone you simple had a crush on; you didn't want to protect them, to save them from marauding gift-shop owners and grasping exes. She'd fallen in love with him.

This was a fun read. Especially for a gal like me who's getting ready to make her first trip to Paris. Loved it!

You can never go wrong with a book by Katie Fforde, for an quick, entertaining experience. Sally and Gina are sisters who are thrust into the antiques business by the wishes of an eccentric aunt after her death. Thrown together with Matthew, the three try to salvage the business while encountering the evil ex-wife and her friend, Carmella. A light summer read to bring to the beach.

I normally dive into a book and finish it in 2 nights but I really struggled with this story about a stubborn antiques dealer and a PR freelancer thrown together by her aunt's will. I thought the story developed slowly and there wasn't any fire between Matthew and Gina - they just kind of came together without a real attraction. After a quick trip to France allegedly for buying antiques, Gina was right to expect some kind of romance but Matthew became aloof. That didn't deter Gina as she dove into saving his beloved childhood home without much help from Matthew but a hidden letter to him from Gina's sweet old aunt seemed to bring it all into focus for him. In the end it was a cute but predictable story - just a little slower in getting my attention than I am used to.

Not my favourite of the Katie Fforde books as I thought it was going to be all about France! Or at least set in France - some of it was but it;s more a story about the goings on of an antique centre. This is a lot more fun that the versions you see on the television and I for one do love a good wander around such a market on the weekends but I wish the blurb had made that clear.

Having said that, it was a nice easy read and I am now itching to go to the sunday market and see if I can see a Matthew. The descriptions of the Dordogne are light and evocative and I could almost see the vineyard and smell the olives.

It was a light easy read but I felt it disjointed probably due to my thoughts going in to the story. It's certainly a good novel to spend reading on a nice sunny afternoon!

I normally adore Katie Fforde and can’t get enough of her books. I loved Second Thyme Around and Life Skills, Wild Designs even more, and Stately Pursuits is one of my favorite books — the romance novel for people who think they can’t stomach a romance novel. Yet, Fforde seems to be phoning it in with A French Affair.

Due to their Aunt Rainey’s eccentric will, sisters Gina Makepeace (the single practical one) and Sally (the artistic married one) are thrown together with handsome but austere antiques dealer Matthew Ballinger to make a go of Aunt Rainey’s antiques business. Needless to say, readers will immediately register that Gina and Matthew are destined to be together; however, the real problem is that Fforde doesn’t make the journey to the predestined destination the least bit interesting.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

A charming story of two sisters who end up inheriting from an eccentric aunt. Little did they know that it would include the hunky Matthew and his lovable dog Oscar as well. I enjoy this author's writings, and she knows how to capture the reader and keep them interested through to the end. Really enjoyed this one, and it makes a sweet story to read for the summer. Highly recommend this book and author.

4.5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic feel-good read! I love books like this one that can make me laugh out loud, and my heart both twist with pain and swell with joy. Katie Fforde has a gift for writing relatable, warm characters that you simply enjoy reading about and spending time with. This book was no exception. I was sad when my time with Gina, Matthew & Sally came to an end. If you are looking for a heartwarming story, look no further. Highly recommended!

**Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced readers copy to honestly review**

I have enjoyed this author in the past but found this book to be lacking. I really wanted it to be over sooner than later

While I find that the book is well written and flows well from chapter to chapter, I found it very hard to get interested in this book. It took me 5 days to finish it and that is a really long time for me. With this book supposedly being a Romance book, I expected, well a bit more romance. I believe it was somewhere between the 50% and the 60% mark in this book, where the romance showed itself. To be honest, if I didn't receive this book from Netgalley to review, I wouldn't have even finished the book. I need a book to capture my interest in the first 2 chapters, or I normally stop reading it and move on, but I felt an obligation. That being said, around the 60% mark I finally began to find the book interesting and I enjoyed reading the rest of the book. I did like the characters for the most part, but I felt that there was something lacking and therefore I really didn't connect with any of them in a way that would make me want to see more books about them.

I gave the book 3 stars because as I mentioned I finally found some interest in the book, but since it took me reading more than half of it before that happened, I couldn't give it any more stars than that. I do not see myself looking to read any other books from this author.

A French Affair is a charming albeit predictable read but easy to get lost in for a few hours. I enjoyed being on the journey with the heroine and found this book (with her by my side) to be a great escape. I look forward to reading more novels by the author in the future.

** Full review to be posted online come release week **

I felt it was a little slow but I enjoyed the story.

I really enjoyed this book. I did not expect the story to go the way it did. I would like another book with the other sister's story. I also wonder if there was an earlier book to fill in the back story of Gina.