Avignon, France 1941: Mathilde's cousin is killed during the destruction of a railway line. Mathilde is captured by the Gestapo but, with help from the Resistance, she manages to escape. She makes her way to a vineyard which contains secrets and she must do whatever she can to keep the vineyard and her new family safe.

Present Day: Juliette has settled into her life in the bookshop in Paris and with her partner Nico. When she sees the opportunity to investigate Mathilde's war years, she jumps at the chance and so makes her way to Provence and into a past history she hadn't expected.

This story is Mathilde's point of view from the previous book by Daisy Wood, The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris.

I loved this story as I did the previous one. Thank you Daisy Wood and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story prior to release.

As mentioned in the authors notes this novel continues the story of Jacques and Mathilde Duval, who the author first wrote about in The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris.
This new title can be read as a stand alone title; however, I would recommend you reading the first book as it is a great read.
This new title is a dual time line: WWII and present day. In present day Juliette lives in Paris after her marriage breakup and she owns the bookshop that Jacques and Matilde Duval ran in WWII. She is interested in her family history particularly her grandmothers time during the war period. In the WWII time line we learn of Mathilde’s life when she is forced to leave Paris, her bookshop and her husband Jacques. She goes to live with her cousin in Provence and becomes involved with the Resistance. How the two time lines come together will have you reading well into the night,
It is an emotional read - family secrets, betrayals, loyalty and love.
It is one of those books that you can’t put down and highly recommend it to historical fiction readers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this opportunity.

Another delightful read by Daisy Woods, one of family intrigue, lost love, wartime and resistance. This is a follow up from The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris, however, this book can stand alone for those not familiar with the first one…..but to recap; 1940 Jacques and Mathilde, married just one year, are celebrating at a restaurant when two Nazi officers walk in. Much to the dismay of Jacques he realises he knows one of them, who in turn recognises Mathilde from the museum where she works, Herr Schmidt.

Jacques has a bookshop and during its renovation he had designed a secret hidden hold, a tiny room. Herr Schmidt is a regular customer, a man with a keen interest in collectable books for which Jacques is able to supply. This is very dangerous for Jacques who hides banned books in his basement and refugees/fugitives in the tiny locked room.

The couple witness atrocities to their fellow Parisians, Mathilde is determined to become involved with any sort of resistance. However, after she is taken in by the Police and brought home by Herr Schmidt, he makes it perfectly clear that she is to leave Paris and for which he has arranged a pass. As things turn out the couple are hiding an English woman in the secret room and it's decided for Mathilde to take her on the train south with her. Jacques has to stay in Paris to look after his ailing mother as well as running his bookshop.

The train trip to the unoccupied zone is fraught with danger for Mathilde and Madame SJ, the English woman for although she is overly dressed with numerous scarves to hide her features based on health reasons when a German official demands to see her face and the interaction that follows is only saved by Mathilde’s quick thinking in diverting the man’s attention.

Arriving into the unoccupied zone, Mathilde is amazed at the difference, not a Nazis flag in sight. Here she is met by her cousin's wife Renée for it's with this family that Mathilde will stay.

Present day, Juliette has remained in Paris, is now divorced from her husband and living in a small apartment above the bookshop which she manages. Her children are grown up and she has a new love in her life, Nico. Zizi, Nico's grandmother, aged and in care has not lost any of her feistiness seems to barely tolerate Juliette but for Juliette the relationship is important for Zizi knew her grandmother Mathilde Duval who went under several names including Marie Ganier. It’s difficult for Juliette to gain much information from Zizi who is at times recalcitrant towards her. Juliette’s quandary about her grandmother is why after starting a whole new life with her American husband in the United States why she had never revealed anything about her past life during the war.

However, at this time Juliette's mind is occupied on a totally different event after having been informed by her son that he intends to marry his French girlfriend, plans are beginning to take shape which see Juliette and Sophie in Provence visiting Sophie's parents.

Avignon 1941 Mathilde finds employment with the local winemaker who trains her into all aspects of the industry. However, it's not long before the Nazis begin their heavy handed tactics in demanding all the wine that has been produced by this small vineyard, conditions agreed upon by the Vichy government. Mathilde has already discovered a small resistance group's stash of goods and in putting two and two together realises her cousin is involved. She keeps her eyes peeled for activities but realises too late that a collaborator has reported the group, which sees her cousin killed; Renée and Mathilde are imprisoned. Renée is able to escape with help from Mathilde who remains in prison. It's here that she learns of her husband's death in Paris. During a prison transfer an ambush takes place where Mathilde is able to escape and begins a new chapter in her life and finally part of the Maquis resistance.

Back to modern day, during dinner with Sophie's parents Juliette produces a photo of the Château where her grandmother had lived and to her amazement learns that the Château still exists and that it had recently been sold. With the insistence of the family, Juliette finds herself in front of the new owner, Alison who, in discovering information about the Chateau, takes Juliette to meet the daughter of the housekeeper whose mother would have known Juliette's grandmother and who still lives on the grounds. It's here that the history of her grandmother and a silver pendant add further intrigue to this story and for the realisation that sometimes difficult and heartbreaking decisions, all for the better good have to be made.

I have found that Daisy Wood has a writing style that pulls the reader into the story from the very beginning and this story was no different. As I began to read this dual timeline story, I realized that this story revisits characters from the author's The Forgotten Bookshop of Paris, which I had really enjoyed. This time, Jacques' wife Mathilde is the main character in the 1940s timeline and we learn about her life from when she traveled to Provence from Paris, leaving Jacques after being threatened by a Nazi. And what a life Mathilde led - working her fingers to the bone while also working for the French Resistance to help to free France from the German occupation. In the current day timeline, Mathilde's grandaughter Juliette is still happily living in Paris in the bookshop that her grandmother's first husband Jacques had owned during the war years and she is researching her grandmother's lifem trying to put together all the puzzle pieces since her Meme never talked about the war years. No spoilers - but there was a surprise twist at the end that I had not anticipated. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a solid historical fiction read. I always like the dual timeline plot, and I like how Daisy Wood connected them through the grandmother. I give this book a 3.5, rounded up to 4, because I am fascinated with historical fiction that tells unknown stories or strong women during WWII. But there are some points that keep this from being a solid 4 in my mind. The first one is that there was nothing in the back of the book that said who was real and who was fake. I wanted to know if Mathilde, who went by the name "Lionne," was. a real person of if she was just based on real women of the time, and the same could be said for Jacques and Yves. They were all such strong characters with such strong convictions - but were they real people or made up?
The second problem I had with this novel were the characters who seemed to really have no important role, yet when you first meet them, you think they are going to. The example for this is the character of Alison. I understand that there had to be a way for Juliette to get into the chateau and that Alison was her way in, but then she is not developed, and yet, you think she is going to play a real role. She is introduced, and immediately, you don't really like her or the way she interacts with Juliette or Esme, but what is her purpose, really? The reader is not really sure, and this is why the book does not rate higher for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

ARC of The Secrets of Provence granted by Avon Books UK.

WHAT A GREAT READ.

To start: this book perfectly blends historical fiction, romance, and the weight of searching for your own roots into a chilling story about love and family during war times.

I read the first book to this story, The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris, and greatly enjoyed the read from Jacques and Juliette’s dual perspectives.

The Secrets of Provence was a great follow up, intermeshing the perspectives of Mathilde (Jacques’s wife) and Juliette to tell a story full of family secrets and the choices certain characters had to make during and after WWII. I found myself open mouth gasping by the end of the book, where it felt like anything could’ve happened to the characters at any moment. The detailed character development was something that held me the closest to this story and I found myself really invested in how this was going to resolve.

If you enjoy dual timelines, historical WWII fiction, and the suspense of discovering hidden family history, this story is for you!

A great read, very difficult to put down!

The book is set in a dual timeline

Mathilde - married to a book seller in Paris - the Nazi's become interested in her, so for her and her husband's safety she leaves Paris to stay with her cousin in Provence and a promise to meet her husband on their wedding anniversary at Sacre Coeur

Juliette is American, her grandmother was French, although she knew nothing of what happened during the war.

Juliette's son Ben is getting married to Sophie, a young girl from Provence. Juliette remembers a holiday with her grandmother, mother and brother when they were quite young. She decides to find out why they went there.

A romantic and lovely story.

I received a free copy of, The Secrets of Provence, by Daisy Wood, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Its the 1940's in France and Mathilde is not having a great time, running from the law. In present day Juliette and her husband travel to France to trace Mathilde. This book has so much going on, it was and interesting and enjoyable read.

A wonderful story from a great author. It’s a dual timeline from Provence in 1940 to present day Paris. Well researched. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this continuation of The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris. It was lovely returning to the story and seeing it expand into the beautiful setting of Provence, which felt vivid and atmospheric throughout.

The dual timelines worked well, especially the historical storyline, which was emotional and quietly tense. I liked how the secrets from the past were revealed gradually, keeping me interested and invested in the characters. The modern timeline added a nice balance and sense of connection.

It did slow down a little in places, but overall it was an engaging and satisfying read. A great pick if you enjoy historical fiction with mystery, heart, and strong settings.

Another Daisy Wood book that does not disappoint! I loved every single one of her books and I am a huge fan of her work, so I was very excited when I received an early copy of her newest book, The Secrets of Provence. I loved reading about characters I already knew a little about, Mathilde’s story was so heartbreaking and full of emotions. You should definitely read it if you enjoy WWII books!

Some parts of the past cannot be hidden. This book is intense at times and yet it reveals a realistic historical account. Two timelines -- WWII and the present -- show how a woman’s life can abruptly pivot from unexpected circumstances.

In 1940, Mathilde Duvall, a museum curator, was feisty with an attitude towards a German Nazi officer. Big mistake; he detested her. She was forced to immediately leave the area. Her husband had no idea where she went. The story followed her involvement with the French Resistance during the heart-wrenching days of WWII. She struggled to survive and changed her identity several times.

In 2025, Juliette’s life also shifted. She was on a trip celebrating 25 years together with her husband in Paris when she discovered that he was having an affair. She decided to leave her husband and America and follow her French grandmother’s path who once lived in Paris. She was curious and wanted to find out about the untold story during WWII. The author balanced the harshness of the war with this timeline which included a delightful wedding.

It's beautifully written with both stories that merged together perfectly revealing deep connections from past events. Secrets were unveiled one by one which explored several cases involving fear, trust and love. It was packed with the painful images of the war.

This story gives you anxiety with the feeling of uneasiness. It wasn’t that long ago when there was blood, death and destruction in Paris and many parts of the world. Can this happen again? This is a must read.

My thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of March 26, 2026.