Likeable characters, adorable pups, and a connection that will warm your heart, JOJO'S FRENCH ESCAPE by Lorraine Wilson is the perfect read to escape into on these beautiful, sunny evenings.

JoJo has left behind her life and is licking her wounds in the French countryside where she hopes to hide from the world indefinitely. But when celebrity chef, Callum O'Connor, shows up, Jojo soon realises that her solitude is about to be shattered and she just isn't ready to deal with the fallout from what has happened to her. But as JoJo and Callum get to know each other, he cannot understand why she is willing to hide from the truth when he knows what a strong and capable woman she is beneath it all. Can JoJo find it in her to let go of the past and grab a hold of a future that could make her the happiest she has ever been?

A stunning setting and a great cast of characters are just some of the wonderful things about this book. JoJo is relatable and as it became clear what happened, I wanted her to find happiness and the strength to be herself. I enjoyed watching JoJo and Callum learn more about each other and there is a delicious tension between them that really made me smile. And we cannot forget about the adorable pups that will make you want to run to your nearest shelter and adopt ( but remember dogs are for life!).

JOJO'S FRENCH ESCAPE by Lorraine Wilson is a thoroughly enjoyable story and I look forward to reading more from this author.

I first got to know JoJo in Christmas at the Château, book 2 in the French Escape series. Now, we find get to find out why she came to France and what happens next! 

Sex in the Suburbs reality T.V. series gave JoJo her fifteen minutes of fame but it came at a huge personal cost. One sex tape later, she's hiding in Southern France trying to rebuild her life, after leaving her bakery business in the UK. When Irish celebrity chef, Callum O'Connor turns up, lustful sparks fly between them. However, T.V. producers in the UK want JoJo to be part of a new reality spin-off show...along with her ex Aiden and his girlfriend. Is the sexy chef the reason her whereabouts have been uncovered, or is his presence at the Château a coincidence? 

Oh my, this novel is sexy and the chemistry between JoJo and Cal is off the scale. As a couple, their physical attraction is instantaneous, their sexy trysts are frequent, however, there's nothing gratuitous in their loved-up scenes as it merely reflects how they are as a couple. 

Cal is the perfect partner for JoJo; he's wise, "deep" with his thoughts and has an ability to make JoJo see her situation from a different perspective. He's also using his time in France to re-evaluate his own past like JoJo, but will they feature in each other's future? 

For those who have read either of the previous books in the series, you'll be happy to catch up with Poppy and Leo, as their wedding gets closer and plans for the château begin to take shape. 

My only "tiny" gripe is about the dogs… there are many, very cute but I felt they stole a bit too much of the limelight away from their humans. Although in kleptomaniac Flump's defence, he plays a useful role at the perfect time! Saying that, if you love adorable dogs, you'll love them all!

Overall, another well thought out and written novel by Ms Wilson set against a beautiful backdrop with relatable and likeable characters and a pleasurable ending.

***arc generously received courtesy of One More Chapter via NetGalley***

This is a story about Joanne, (nickname: JoJo), who owned a small restaurant and became a reality TV star, until she's shamed by two scandals: 1) finding out her best friend is sleeping with her boyfriend; 2) finding out her boyfriend recorded one of their lovemaking sessions and put it up on the internet for all to see. She's ashamed and scandalized, and public opinion is against her (double standards for men versus women), so she escapes from England to a small town in France, where she's hiding out as a manager/cook for a bed and breakfast hotel. Afraid and fearful, she's hidden herself from the world, instead surrounding herself by her friend Poppy, Poppy's fiance Leo and a menagerie of Poppy's dogs.

Then Poppy and Leo decide to turn the barn on the property into a restaurant, and they bring in one of Leo's friends to help with the project --a celebrity TV chef named Cal. This is the last person JoJo wants in her life--a celebrity. She thinks he's probably like her old boyfriend--a good looking man who would seek fame at all costs, regardless of who he hurts in the process. She avoids Cal, especially when she overhears a conversation that he and Leo have, in which Cal says that JoJo is the type of person he is trying to avoid.

So, the relationship between JoJo and Cal starts out frigid, but as time goes by and they began sharing the same house (he's staying the in the hotel JoJo manages), they get to know each other better and an attraction forms. Cal helps JoJo overcome some of her shame and start to feel better about herself.

But of course, the road to true love is never that easy, is it? I won't go into some of the hurdles they overcome, because I don't want to spoil the story, but I will say that well, maybe there's a happy ending. (smile)

I thought the story was a lighthearted read that took me away to sunny Languedoc, France for a while. The author did a nice job describing sunflower fields, quaint old villages and old charming characteristics of small-town France. I enjoyed reading the book until I got about halfway through it. Then, I grew a bit tired of JoJo's introspection. She seemed to be running the same script over and over in her head, without resolving the issues that were troubling her. I know that's what people often do, but reading it for many pages gets tiring. I kept thinking "listen to the people around you, who care about you, and move on. Ignore those who are only trying to hurt you for their own benefit." At times, I wished I could shake her and say "why waste your time and energy? You're only ruining your life while that awful ex-boyfriend and disloyal best friend go on living theirs to the fullest, while you hide away." Anyway, maybe that's just me, because I really don't like to wallow, but want to do things to overcome the problems. So that was frustrating to me.

The other issue I had was with the ending. It seemed to end abruptly. Cal and JoJo expressed their feelings to each other, but the author let it drop after that. As a reader, I was left wondering if they would really have the "happily ever after," or would they just be together until the barn restaurant was a success and then Cal moves on? JoJo keeps asking herself that after she and Cal begin a relationship so I expected the author to give us an answer, but it never really happens.

Despite these two downfalls, it is a good book and I will recommend it to others. It appears that this is third in the author's series of books in Southern France. Two of them features a character I really enjoyed in this book--Poppy--so I'll be checking them out.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for providing me an ARC copy of this book in return for an unbiased opinion.

In what seems to be a recent trend, I picked up this book, not knowing it was the third in a series 😅. I was totally pulled in by the gorgeous cover and the south of France setting, and by the time I realised, I wanted to know what happened!
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Reality tv star JoJo, having been placed in a very compromising position 12 months ago, fled to the south of France leaving behind her life, family and successful cafe. Here, she has made a new, much quieter life for herself, living with her new best friend Poppy at her holiday retreat. Between looking after a small pack of dogs, helping organise Poppy’s wedding and working the kitchen at the retreat, Jojo is kept busy enough to not think too much about her past. Haunted by the tagline of ‘disgraced reality star’, she has built a pretty protective (and lonely!) wall around herself, and has no interest in celebrity, fame or especially reality TV.
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Enter Callum. Celebrity chef extraordinaire, and celebrated ladies man, he’s coming to stay at the retreat for the summer to help Poppy and Leo bring their vision of a new business to life. Judging her from the outset puts JoJo immediately offside, but did they both judge one another too quickly? As their relationship blossoms, Cal helps Jojo regain her confidence and rewrite her narrative. This aspect of the story was quite empowering!
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Overall a really sweet story with a side serving of steam. The setting really helped, as I’ve been gravitating to books set ...well, anywhere but here really! 😅I really enjoyed the first half, and somewhere around the second JoJo’s internal dialogue got a little repetitive for me, and Callum seemed a little too smug at times! I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a quick, indulgent read with some exploration of deeper issues. Maybe start from book 1 though 💁🏻‍♀️.
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Thanks so much to @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for providing me with this ebook.🥰

This book had so much promise: a great setting, well-rounded characters and good writing. I absolutely adored this book for about 50% and then it was like I had started reading a completely different book altogether.

Lately I've been reading quite a few contemporary romances and this sounded like one that stood out from the crowd. It's a book that handles sensitive topics including revenge porn, social media shaming and trolling. These are all such relevant topics in today's society and were handled well. It has a gorgeous setting in France in a beautiful house with numerous canine companions. I thought this was going to be a winner.

It was going brilliantly until around halfway through. Then I had some issues. The last thing that Jo wants is to be in the spotlight and seen romantically with another celebrity. However, as soon as they start to get to know each other it's like they've skipped the romance story and gone straight into far too detailed erotica. It was like the plot disappeared and all that was thrown into the story was incessant steamy sessions. Not what I was expecting at all.

I didn't particularly like the protagonist either. She seemed to be stuck in a constant loop of going through the same introspective thoughts and worrying about the same things... It didn't make the last half of the story anywhere near enjoyable. Jo was all too happy to forget all of her concerns about her previous partner and the fact that revenge porn is actually a crime wasn't even taken into consideration and her ex seemed to get off scot free.

I had high hopes for this one but didn't quite get what I expected. I would have loved to have seen the romance blossom and seen more of a slow burn with them cooking together and exploring the gorgeous area of France they were staying in.

My favourite parts of the story were the support system Jo has in place in France. She has great friends and canine companions with brilliant personalities. The journey of self-discovery for Jo was key to the story and worked well. The ending with Jo's ex gave her the story the finale it deserved.

Overall, it's a book with great promise and topics, but it wasn't quite the escapism I imagined.

As much as I wanted to enjoy Jojo's French Escape, it was a total flop. I was so bored beginning te end. I kept hoping the story was going to pick up but it didn't. It had so much potential between the serious theme of sex tapes getting leaked online and staining --or destroying-- a person's reputation, to second chances, to falling in love with a celebrity,.. Even the sex scenes, even though graphic at times (which did not bother at all, quite the contrary) did not do anything to me. The storyline stayed superficial throughout. Big bummer.

The worse part was the extensive puppy scenes and that wedding talk that did absolutely nothing to me.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This novel is full of cute dogs, fancy French food, sun-kissed locations, and plenty of steamy intimate scenes.

I loved the message the author is sending–that you’re more than the labels others put on you.

I am in agreement with Joanna when she distrusts intense blue eyes and charming Irish good looks. I’ve read too many romance novels to know that those are necessarily good things. 🙂 But Cal redeems himself with his sensitivity, empathy, and understanding–even in the face of monetary temptation.

I loved the scene where Joanna sticks up for herself in front of Sally and Aiden is the best in this story.

One thing’s for sure–dogs and sensitive men make the whole world better!

Poppy and Leo’s wedding preparations were a distraction I did not need, and I was tempted to skip over those sections to get to the meatier part of the story.

Joanna has this whole internal dialogue going on in her head each time she meets a hurdle, and it is hard not to empathize with her being unable to trust after being hurt so badly.

I enjoyed this romance set in the south of France which also sends a thoughtful message to readers to not limit yourself to the labels that others give you.

Thank you to the author and Rachel’s Random Resources for my review copy!

A cute feel good story, a light read, I did enjoy this but wasn’t actually that keen on the main romance. I did love JoJo, she is brilliant, realistic and because of this more loveable. The supporting characters are fantastic too, it’s Well written and flows well, very easy to read many chapters at once. I just enjoyed the relationship between other characters in the story than the main focus.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

It’s been a year since JoJo made national news – infamous for a ‘leaked’ sex tape with her reality-show-star boyfriend, after being summarily dumped, on air, by him with her childhoodul friend. Embarrassed and distraught, she packed a bag and jumped in her car with no real destination in mind, ending up in the Languedoc region of France, working with a new friend and her multiple rescue dogs in her new guesthouse. A perfect set-up for JoJo as Poppy is an artist and not particularly connected to the gossip world, and with planning her wedding to Leo, her work and the dogs, she’s got no time to indulge. With JoJo starting to feel a bit more ‘settled’, news comes that her ex and the reality show he works with are coming to her area, and the thought of it is making her anxious.

Add to that, Leo’s friend and celebrity chef Callum is coming to stay for a bit as they work on organizing “The Barn” to make a small restaurant focused on the local bounty, and JoJo is worried that Callum’s fame will bring photographers and disrupt her quiet refuge. But Callum will disrupt much more, from an overheard conversation where ‘snap judgments’ were made to the electric connection between them and the hoard of dogs (and trust me – it is a hoard) instant affection for him, there’s much more here to unpack, and most of it is for JoJo to determine.

Throughout the story we get to know the real people, meet the dogs, and see just how much the connection and conversations between JoJo and Callum work on her confidence, and their electricity fairly sparks between them. With a tendency to overthink for England and working herself into a fine mess, there’s plenty of trust questioned, as JoJo is trying to find her new normal, and Callum is trying to discover his next steps. With some help from Poppy’s friends on the hen weekend, self-confidence boosts and straight talk from Callum and a social media ‘rework’ of her life and taking back her own ‘descriptors’ the story is easy to read, full of heart and sure to leave you with a smile.


I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aHY/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Wow this is a story with a really powerful message in it. I won't say what it is but I'd like to think women especially everywhere will identify with it, in their own ways.

It's also a story featuring some of my favourite ever canines, Pickwick, Treacle, Peanut, Barney, Max and new to the mix Flump.

The others fans of Lorraine Wilson will recognise from the previous books in the series, but this can be read as a standalone easily.

But Flump is adorable, playful and a kleptomaniac on 4 legs. Most of my laugh out loud moments with this book have involved either Flump or the other doggies!!

Believe it or not the heroine is JoJo and she is human, and her plans to stay hidden in France could be affected by a dashingly handsome incredibly sexy T V Chef who is coming to stay for the summer.

As I have come to expect from this author there is sizzling sexual chemistry and incredibly enjoyable sex scenes, within the pages.

This is a pure escapist read that I have read on a hot day, in my garden during lockdown. It has taken my mind away from real life, and I couldn't get enough of this story.

It's a truly pleasurable reading experience!!

Thank you to One More Chapter and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily,

This is an energetic and enjoyable novel featuring fictional celebs and set in France. It’s also about finding the courage to face up to past mistakes and move on.
JoJo is our heroine. She’s flawed but likeable, although it takes a little while to warm to her. It’s time for her to deal with a previous faux pas and rebuild her life. She manages to do this thanks to help and support from her friends. These are Poppy and Callum, with some back-up from a lot of puppies. They weren’t there for gratuitous tweeness – they had a role to play.
It makes for a light, sweet read. Elements of France and French life emerge, but the story is mainly character driven and about starting over.

Lovely feel good book. Set in what sounded like an idyllic place. It was lovely. Great plot and lots of different characters thrown into the mix. It was very well written. Highly enjoyable make me wish it was me the book was about

You know sometimes a book comes along that really does allow you to escape. This one took me to France with Jojo, a reality tv star. This was out of my comfort zone and I don't watch reality TV and thought...hmmm...but put your reservations aside as this was a right laugh! The boyfriend was a rat who wanted more ratings and didnt care for Jojo. But the girl does good and escapes to france with her sister. THERE she meets Callum the nice (cur celebrity chef) is he going to be the change she needs?

It's a nice positive and light read this one that cheered me up when I needed it. I might even go and watch Towie of something now *

*not really. Im sticking to books

I have to begin by saying, I haven't read the other books in this series. I have not felt as though I have missed anything. 
I have absolutely loved Jojo and her journey in regaining her confidence. This is filled with friendships and development and has been an absolutely fantastic read. I haven't been able to put this one down. It is definitely a book I would recommend to others. 
The plot is great and the characters are extremely likeable. I haven't read anything by Wilson previously but it definitely won't be the last. I am eagerly off to add more to the TBR. This is definitely worth

Jojo was a reality tv star until her rat of a boyfriend humiliated her in order to raise his own ratings. She's hanging out in France with her sister Poppy and a pack of puppies (not a bad place to be). Then she meets Callum, a handsome, nice celebrity chef and all seems to be proceeding nicely= she's getting over things and moving on. Until.....no spoilers but know that JoJo is going to grow up and take control of herself. I liked the characters, who are nicely drawn, and the fact that there were some chuckles. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read with a nice setting and a positive vibe.

An entertaining and engrossing read with some darker moments and a plot more complex than the usual rom-com.
I liked the well thought cast of characters, the lovely and vivid background and the well crafted plot that kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the third book in this series tited "A French Escape". This book is about JoJo Grant, who has been has been hiding from a secret too shameful to share for the past 12 months. While in the midst of her self isolation with puppies and planning her sister's wedding, one of the most famous celebrity chef around – Callum O’Connor comes into her life.
Callum is aware of JoJo’s past during her time as a reality star including the scandal that has dogged her, but he isn’t sure why she’s still hiding? After becoming closer Jojo, Cal believes she has nothing to be ashamed of – she just needs to be a little braver…
But as much as JoJo likes Callum, Can JoJo let go of her past…with Callum by her side?
This book was a good story about self discovery and the ability to move past the darker moments of our past to help us thrive in the future. Jojo was a good character, but she did not really have a depth or complex personality. She did not let the scandal make her bitter, but it did make her very weary of putting herself out there, not only within her professional life, but also within her personal life. This was very understandable. I loved the support system Jojo had around her especially her sister Poppy and the Puppies! The moments between Cal and Poppy were very sweet. Cal was a very nice and steady guy throughout this book. While he might be famous and good looking, he is willing to be patient with the pace of her relationship with Jojo. Cal is able to help Jojo learn to trust not only herself, but also trust in a her desire to pursue a new relationship. The book's pacing moved along quite fast, but not to the point that I felt the story line was not developed. I was kinda sad that the book did not have either Cal or Jojo in the kitchen cooking together. I think that would have been a great relationship bonding activity for them due to the comments made by the other characters on the cooking skills both Cal and Jojo were suppose to have. Overall, I felt the ending of the book was very cute! I would recommend this book for those who like reading light and sweet romances. I can't wait to read the other books in this series!

I enjoyed Jojo’s story and her journey back to regaining her self-confidence. While there are darker moments, based on her past experiences, the author balances these well. As the plot unfolds, friendship, puppies and positivity become the key focus of the story. And then there is the very lovely Callum O’Connor, who, as a celebrity chef with plenty of swoon appeal, causes more than what’s cooking to sizzle in the kitchen. As you’d expect from Lorraine Wilson, there is plenty of heat and spice in this book, making for a fab read and ideal escapism.

Such a wonderful read, thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Look forward to reading more from this author

This third story in the series now concentrates on JoJo who is staying with Poppy and her dogs. JoJo ran away from England following public humiliation infiltration her boyfriend and best friend and chose France to escape from all the backlash. She is just beginning to recover from this when they are joined by Callum, a celebrity chef, who knows of her background.
This is not a fluffy feel - good story, JoJo has many dark moments that she struggles to get through, but it shows the power of friendship in helping to recover from these times. Throw in some fantastic French scenery and food plus a pack of adorable dogs and I ended up really enjoying this story to the detriment of my sleep. There are some sex scenes, so if you don't like these this isn't the book for you, but it does help to show JoJo's progression in her relationship with Callum.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review and I've already pre-ordered the book for its release.