This was powerful historical fiction told across two timelines. I absolutely loved it.
The book tells the story of Eliane, who works in the Louvre. She worked there before the Nazis invaded Paris, and she stayed on. The Nazis don’t know she speaks German, so they speak freely in front of her. She and another woman named Rose keep notes about the artwork stolen from France and from Jewish families, to prove to whom the art originally belonged. They try to copy as many records as possible, and pass information about the Nazis through Eliane’s brother to the French Resistance. Eliane finds herself playing a dangerous game, traveling to the Riviera with the Nazis, still pretending she doesn’t understand German while passing on information that could get her killed.

In the present day, a woman named Remy owns a vintage fashion business. After the death of her husband and daughter tears her life apart, she goes to a chateau on the Riviera that she’s inherited, rather mysteriously. She is shocked to find a painting she owns in a Nazi record of stolen paintings. The past and the present eventually converge, in a way I never could have guessed.

This book is based on a true story. It is difficult for us to understand today just how far brave men and woman would go to save their priceless culture and their country. I can’t recommend this book enough, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
@NetGalley @forever @natashalester #TheRivieraHouse

I absolutely loved the dual timeline of this novel. If you want a family saga that crosses multiple decades, this book is recommended. I cried at the end of this novel, so prepare tissues, just to be safe.

The WWII portions of this book kept me rapt. The modern story didn’t rise to the level of the previous Lester titles, which was rather disappointing. The Paris parts are definitely worth the read.

Before reading The Riviera House I had no idea about the art theft that was happening during WW2. Which of course lead me down a rabbit hole of learning more about it. I love the dual time line set in Paris 1939 and present day. The love stories and the proof that life hold beauty and tragedy at the same time is at the forefront of this novel. This is my second Natasha Lester book and I would definitely recommend her books if you haven't tried one already.

The year is 1939 and the Nazis are invading France. Eliane sends her mother and sisters to the border, but she stays to help the resistance hide precious art from the Louvre along with her brother. Soon Eliane is working for the Germans in a gallery where they are cataloguing art for their private collections. When she sees the man she loved and lost, she is confused and conflicted as to why he would also work with the Germans. But all is not what you see, and Eliane will have some tough choices to make.

In the present, Remy is taking shelter in a home she inherited, a deed to the home that was given to her adopted parents to hold for her until she needed it. Remy is fighting her way back from a devasting loss and all she wants to do is focus on her vintage fashion business and find peace. What she does not count on is discovering finding long buried secrets to a family she never knew.

This riveting novel by Natasha Lester left me breathless reading both Eliane and Remys journeys. The story wove together brilliantly and as secrets were uncovered, the story kept evolving into a dynamic tale of love, loss, and family. I highly recommend reading the notes by the author at the end of the book, as she explains how she based this story on actual people and events while adding her own spin. Truly a remarkable novel and this is definitely a five-star read. Thank you to Harlequin Publishing, Natasha Lester and Netgalley for gifting me an advanced readers copy which I voluntarily read and reviewed

It's so fun discovering a new-to-me author and loving her newest book even more than the last.
And that's after giving The Paris Secret five stars - Natasha Lester's The Riviera House is just that good!
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for my eARC for review!
This historical fiction novel is told in two timelines, one is Éliane's story in the WWII era, then Remy's story in present-day.
Remy has experienced the agonizing loss of her family. She has tried to rebuild her life as a vintage fashion proprietor and living in a Riviera home she mysteriously inherited.
Along the way she discovers a painting from her childhood has connection to the wave of Nazi theft of Jewish artwork during the war and the Jeu de Paume museum as a holding/sorting facility.
Folded in are the unanswered questions of Remy's family history, of her parents and grandparents.
Éliane's story fills in the backstory, with the sweeping backdrops of Paris, the French Riviera and New York; the art and resistance community.
I don't read a ton of historical fiction but this one was absolutely in my interest area - I'm intrigued by art history and thefts, alongside strong and memorable female characters. Natasha Lester manages to infuse her books about the horrors of war with layers of beauty and obvious depth of research.
Absolutely recommended!
Released on Aug. 31.

Wow. I don't even know if I can write a review worthy of this story. This book was absolutely incredible. If you are at all interested in historical fiction, then I suggest you pick this one up. The story was beautiful, and so well written. There was two timelines, which I am always a big fan of in historical books. The "present day" 2015 story line was fun and unique - I adored Remy. The author's descriptions of fashion and vacation were superb. The other timeline was world war II France. And it was sad, beautiful, and tragic. I was hooked from the beginning and through all the twists and turns, this book is definitely the top book I've read this year. Please read, and have your Kleenexes handy.

This book is so, so good. It broke my heart into a million little pieces and then showed that there's always a chance for hope.
The story jumps between a young woman doing all she can to save art in Paris during the Nazi occupation in World War II and a woman trying to get over a horrible loss while staying in a house in the French Riviera in 2015. Lester writes a beautiful tale that weaves historical facts with heartbreaking and inspiring humanity. It's full of twists and turns that just keep upping the ante until it's a frenzied ride on an emotional rollercoaster that you can't help but enjoy.

Many happy thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the emotional read!

The Riviera House is a compelling story about art, broken hearts and loved. We have Éliane, living in occupied France, trying her best to do her part and we have Remy trying to keeping on going after a tragic accident. They both show strength and they both show that life is not always easy but that there is hope and things worth fighting for.
I have loved all of Lester’s books I have read so far and this was not the exception. I liked the part of the art and the fashion part. I liked Éliane and liked Remy, Xavier and Adam as well. The book is written with enough detail and it profound yet compassionate way. It is not easy to talk about WWII and everything that happened then, but there are stories that need to be told, and Lester masterfully achieves that in all her books.
I deeply enjoyed the book and, even when it was sometimes heartbreaking; it is also beautiful and so worth it.

After falling in love with Natasha Lester's The Paris Secret last year, I was going to read her next novel no matter what (as well as wanting to check out her backlist). Then I learned what The Riviera House was actually going to be about and I was bouncing off the walls with excitement. And good news, my friends. It lived up to my very high expectations. I absolutely loved it.

Here's the book's description:
Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can't understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in a Louvre museum and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections. They have no idea she’s carefully decoding their notes and smuggling information to the Resistance. But Éliane is playing a dangerous game. Does she dare trust the man she once loved with her secrets, or will he only betray her once again? She has no way to know for certain . . . until a trip to a stunning home on the French Riviera brings a whole new level of peril.
Present Day: Wanting to forget the tragedy that has left her life in shambles, Remy Lang heads to a home she’s mysteriously inherited on the Riviera. While working on her vintage fashion business, she discovers a catalog of the artworks stolen during World War II and is shocked to see a painting that hung on her childhood bedroom wall. Who is her family, really? And does the Riviera house hold more secrets than Remy is ready to face?
There are certain topics I will read about no matter what. The theft of art from museums and Jewish families during World War II is one of those topics. It is fascinating and heartbreaking in equal measures and I don't think I had read a novel that treated it so well until The Riviera House. I love art but I don't live and breathe it like Éliane and Xavier (and others in the novel) did. But between my appreciation for art and the way Lester writes, I was on edge just like all the characters as pieces were coded and moved from the Louvre and then, later, as other pieces were picked over by Hermann Göring. I get so sad and frustrated when I think about all the art and artists Hitler decided were "degenerate." (Though, let's be honest, I get furious every time I think about what Hitler was up to.) Given I'm more of a fan of Impressionism and some modern art, that's not surprising. Those pieces are the ones that make my heart sing and he decided that there was something wrong with them. I just can't understand. And then there's the fact that he wanted all the best pieces for himself and would stop at nothing to get them. That meant pillaging museums and claiming art owned by Jewish families as his own. To this day, there are still so many pieces of art that have not been recovered or returned to their rightful owners. Part of that is because certain codes couldn't be broken and the Allies can't figure out where those artworks went. Some stolen pieces were hidden by Nazis and either never found or their families are hiding them (knowingly or unknowingly). And some pieces would have been destroyed - there's a scene in the book where a pile of paintings considered unsuitable by the Nazis were burned. Yes. You could say this is a topic I love and I am so appreciative of how Lester approached it.

Occupied France would have been a terrible place to be. Paris was overrun by Germans and the Nazis as they claimed the city as their own. They were ruthless if any Parisian retaliated - Éliane mentions at one point that the French had killed one German so the Germans turned around and killed many more Parisians, just to put them in their place. Éliane and her friends and family, all fighting for the Resistance in various ways, which meant risking their lives every single day. But what else could you do? I'd like to think I'd do the same - fight in whatever way I could, even if that meant "just" copying codes to determine where valuable pieces of art were being hidden (versus the active fighting we're groomed to think is more heroic). Éliane was a fictional character but she did work with a real war hero, Rose Valland. Valland was forced to work for the Nazis and she used that to her advantage and recorded where art was being moved to and helped save thousands of pieces of art.




There's a modern timeline in this story as well which takes place in 2015. Remy was a hard character to really get a read on as she is so overtaken by her grief. But the pacing was well done and every time Lester switched timelines there was a purpose and I was ready to discover the next puzzle piece she was ready to offer me. The reader should be able to figure out a few things before Remy, which meant I was a bit annoyed with her behaviour - though I completely understood why the revelations she was met with would have been unsettling. I could feel everything, which is a testament to Lester's writing.

Readers may pick up The Riviera House for a number of reasons but the end result will be the same: falling absolutely and totally in love with Natasha Lester's latest novel. It's well written and well researched (without reading like a dry history textbook), with rich descriptions and a multitude of emotions. Read it. You won't be disappointed.

Review of The Paris Secret is here.

*An egalley was provided by the Canadian distributor, HBG Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

I love Natasha Lester’s books, but every time I forget the way she tears my heart out by the end of the story! Twice now I’ve finished one of her novels and immediately started yelling at my empty house because I’m so worked up! Thank you Forever Publishing for the gifted copy and also for the havoc wrecked on my emotions!

Each book she writes is filled with amazing characters that I clearly get way too attached to, and there are always plot twists galore. As mentioned previously the endings always have my heart racing.

Her newest novel The Riviera House came out this week and it was SO GOOD. This book focuses on the art world of Paris during the German occupation. She writes WWII stories that feel so fresh and exciting. I learned a lot and felt a lot too!

By sheer coincidence I just finished Peter May’s latest book, Night Gate, that also was about Nazi looted art. It even featured Rose Valland, a real life hero who walked a fine line between cooperating with the Germans and secretly cataloging stolen works in the hopes she could reunite them with owners.
So, if you like The Riviera House, I would recommend Night Gate because the plot is different even though the historical setting is the same. Only disappointment with The Riviera House was who Luc gave up to the Nazis to save himself. Not believable. No way.
The modern story line was less compelling than the historical one and some elements were pretty far fetched,
like trying to escape from East Berlin with no luggage, but with a bulky painting that could have been sent by another, safer way.
Excellent job of weaving fact with fiction, great research. I liked the author’s notes at end of book.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #TheRivieraHouse for advanced digital copy.

WWII, sigh…I would not want to live during the war, but I devour anything I can find that is written during that time. I loved every word; I could picture the Louvre along with the workers trying to save the art while the Germans were taking whatever they wanted. The Mona Lisa was talked about often and I learned so much about the lengths that were taken to keep her safe and not lost to the world.

The relationships were not easy with so many things working against love, but Elaine and Xavier start their relationship before the war starts and I found it intriguing to see how the war could change their relationship. The love that had for each other did not falter, it was not easy, it was not simple, but it was true. Even when forced apart they never let their hearts give up on each other.

I am focused on the past, but the current story was just as entertaining. I was not sure how it would all come together but I knew that it would at some point. The catalog is found, the Riviera house, all held the clues as to what had happened and the hope for what the future could hold.

Love and loss during a time of war with the hope and love of a future kept me turning pages and hoping for the happy ending I wanted the characters to achieve.

The Riviera House, Natasha Lester
Pub Date: August 31, 2021

Happy pub day to Natahsa Lester and her latest historical fiction novel, The Riviera House.
Historical fiction readers and fans of Kate Quinn will enjoy this World War 2 novel that is inspired by a true story.

Using alternating points, readers follow the lives of Elaine of Paris 1939 and Remy from the present day. Remy inherits a house along the French Riviera and discovers the long buried secrets of her family ancestry. Specifically, Elaine, whose job was to catalogue art in the Louvre who learned that the pieces were in fact being stolen for private nazi collections. Soon after, Elaine finds and decodes messages from the resistance but doesn’t yet realize the level of danger she has found herself in until she visits a home on the French Riviera. Years later, Remy begins to unearth her heritage and is soon faced with their impossible decisions and difficult truths - like finding a hidden catalogue of art along with learning that the art piece that once hung in her childhood bedroom is one such missing piece.


In The Riviera House, Natasha pits “the impossible choices ordinary people faced every day during extraordinary circumstances” such as in World War II.

With a mix of fiction and historical facts and references, Natasha highlights exceptional women who pushed boundaries, led resistances and made a path for the next generation of women.

My thanks to @readforeverpub and @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for my advanced copy.

WWII historical fiction, a mystery, love stories set during WW II and 2015, strong characters! The Riviera House by Natasha Lester is this book. It has been a long time since I have been so invested in a story that made me root for the characters, cry with them, and feel the need to turn the pages of this wonderful book at lightning.speed.

You will be drawn into Éliane Dufort’s story of survival in Paris during WW II. She gets a job helping to catalog paintings that the Germans are confiscating. They do not know she can speak German. She falls in love with Xavier whose father owns art galleries in Paris, London, and New York. As Ėliane gets involved in the Resistance with her brother, Luc, Rose Vallard, Monsieur Jaujard, life gets complicated. Who can she trust?

The second storyline involves Remy Lang who is in the vintage fashion business. Her husband and daughter were killed in a car accident and she has not recovered. Remy decides to go to a house she mysteriously inherited on the Riviera. She is on a journey to investigate her past and find out something about her birth parents.

This beautiful book will stick with me for a long time to come. My thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

𝘊𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦; 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦'𝘴, 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯. 𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵.

This summer I've been reading a lot of romcoms, YA and contemporary fiction and not as much of my favorite genre, historical fiction. I forgot how special it is to be sucked into a story that's based on extraordinary true events until I picked up 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗥𝗔 𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗦𝗘 by Natasha Lester.

Told in dual timelines, it's a beautiful story filled with intrigue and romance. In 1939, the Germans descend on Paris and aspiring artist Éliane becomes part of the Resistance, protecting the world's masterpieces by working for the Nazis who are stealing the precious pieces for themselves. In 2015, Remy escapes to a house on the Riviera to recover from the loss of her husband and young daughter but she gets anything but solitude when another family arrives next door, forcing her to face not only her past but her future.

I couldn't get enough of Éliane and Remy's stories separately and loved the reveal of how they lives connect. Both women are strong, resilient and willing to take unimaginable risks for what they love. Lester's writing is so vivid, bringing the locations, the artwork and the people brilliantly to life. This is truly a love letter to art in all its forms that's even more special knowing how much of it is true.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?

Thanks Forever Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to review.

Another amazing dual timeline WWII historical fiction book from one of my very favorite authors!

This one is full of heartbreak, grief and loss but also love and hope. It's also got a great art mystery connecting both stories plus the trademark vintage/high fashion we all love about Natasha's books! I don't know which timeline I loved most, both storylines had me fully captivated.

In the past we get to know Eliane, a young woman trying to take care of her family and putting her love of painting aside when the war comes to France. She also works at the Louvre and helps with hiding the art from the Nazis. As the war goes on she eventually gets involved in resistance work and reunites with her first love who is now working with the Nazis. Secrets, espionage, first love, second chances, friendship, family, this one has it all.

In the present we get to know Remy, a woman who tragically lost her husband and young daughter in a car accident and is trying to work through her grief. She runs a vintage clothing store and has celebrity clients. A surprise inheritance on the Riviera leads her to look into the mystery of her past and find more about the painting she loves so much.

I couldn't put this book down and it was great on audio narrated by Barrie Kreinik. HIGHLY recommended, especially for fans of Kate Quinn, Kelly Rimmer or Kristin Hannah. Much thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advance review copies!

This was a really really lovely story.

I liked how it was presented with the dual timelines. I enjoyed both stories equally. Éliane and Remy both had heartbreaking lives but they managed to find love and push through.

There were some moment when I found there to be too much story, pieces I felt weren’t completely necessary. But I also finished this book in 3 days, so it was still very much engaging.

Definitely recommend this to fans of historical fiction with a hint of romance.

To be honest I was expecting just another WW2 book. Boy was I pleasantly surprised! This book is told with dual timelines, both interesting. The time line set in the past deals with the artwork the Nazi stoled during the war. It makes you want to be there helping save those priceless pieces. The present day story is happy but sad too. There’s a bit of a mystery woven into the story also. I will say I kinda wanted to shake Remy a little towards the end.
This book was good and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

4.5 stars
What a heart-breaking, beautiful and intriguing story about love, loss and fighting for a better world. Told through two different timelines, a woman and her granddaughter are both going through very different struggles filled with grief and dealing with an unknown and terrifying reality - one dealing with the Nazi invasion in Paris and the other hiding from reality after the death of her husband and daughter. I love Natasha's writing style, she really immerses you in the story and I felt the grief and anguish both Elaine and Remy were dealing with. The way she structures her stories provide a little bit of mystery while also filling you with hope in a world full of despair. Although her books are long, I find myself binging them, unable to put them down as I just have to know what happens.