Fans of Natasha Lester rejoice, The Riviera House is a welcome addition to your beach bag! This book is almost guaranteed to give you all the big feels. There's stolen art, Nazis, war, personal sacrifice, difficult decisions, two riveting timelines, and juicy romance.

Lester does a nice job juggling the dual timelines, although the WW2 storyline, almost by necessity, is the more compelling. I really enjoyed the themes of courage and personal sacrifice and I'm a sucker for books about art. This novel is well researched and includes vivid setting details, as well as details about the art in question. I felt like I could see the paintings.

To some extent, the romance angle seems to bog down the plot, although I understand why it's included. This novel is pretty long and I grew impatient at times. For that reason, I wish there'd been a little less romance.

However, I really appreciate the evocative atmosphere and the tension in the stolen art story line. I think this book will do very well.