Paris, 1956. Eighteen year old Daphné may be from a tiny French village, but she knows she’s destined for more. Stepping off a bus into bustling Paris with a suitcase full of her home-made beauty products, she’s ready to do whatever it takes to claim her stake in the world.
London, 2016. Scandalous love affairs and an iconic cosmetics brand have kept Daphné Le Marche in spotlight – but her darkest secrets have never come to light. Now, in her London penthouse, enveloped in her rich signature scent, the Grande Dame of glamour has died.
But not even those closest to her could have been prepared for what came next.
I’m really excited to be part of another great blog tour today, this time for Kate Forster’s latest release ‘The Last Will and Testament of Daphne Le Marche’! I’ve seen Kate Forster’s name before in different places, even on my own book shelf in the form of a paperback copy of one of her other novels, but I’ve never actually had the pleasure of reading one of her books. This tour provided me with the great opportunity to finally check out her writing and I have to say I was quite curious to do so. I immediately liked the colourful book cover and the description of the book promises an intriguing story, so I hoped it would live up to my expectations. Be sure to scroll down to check out my review and visit some of the other stops on the tour, you can find the blog links on the blog tour poster!
Daphne Le Marche is the owner of her very own successful cosmetics business, Le Marche, to which she has dedicated the majority of her life. However, now she’s almost 80 years old, it seems her time has come and she will need to hand over the business to someone else. While her oldest son, Robert, has his eyes set on the business, Daphne surprises everyone around her by leaving the company to her two grand-daughters. Robert’s daughter Celeste lives a seemingly glamorous life in Paris where she mainly spends her days shopping, while Sybilla, known as Billie, works as a scientist in Australia. The two girls haven’t seen each other since they were kids and do not seem a likely pair to take over the big family business. It seems Celeste and Billie have some important decisions to make; decisions that will not only affect their lives, but the entire Le Marche family and legacy.
'The Last Will and Testament of Daphne Le Marche' was my first read by author Kate Forster and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it! The book focuses on the story of successful businesswoman Daphne Le Marche, and tells not just her life story, but also the history of some of her family members and important decisions made after her passing, based on her will. The different chapters in the novel are told from different points of view, such as Daphne herself, her granddaughters Celeste and Billie, and her son Robert, and focus on different parts of the story set in various time periods. This really made sure there were lots of things going on and I really just wanted to keep on reading to discover everything there was to discover about the Le Marche family.
This novel really ticked quite a lot of boxes for me. It has an intriguing storyline, some interesting characters (with a few strong female characters in there, which I really liked), a great setting (both Paris and London), and includes a good dose of romance and family. I was already expecting a good read, but Kate Forster really blew me away with her writing and novel and I can't wait to read more of her work and see what she will treat us to next. On the whole, 'The Last Will and Testament of Daphne Le Marche' is a captivating, well-written and simply great family saga I couldn't get enough of; a book that comes highly recommended!
Rating:
9,5/10
For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hollywood movie star Maggie and friend and manager Zoe need an escape from their complicated star-studded lives in LA. With its history and Christmas charm, London feels like the perfect getaway.
But can they truly leave their realities behind?
In their luxurious quarters, the girls meet Holly who is ideal at showing Maggie and Zoe the sumptuous sights and sounds of London in their most glittering light. But behind her bright façade, Holly is hiding a secret: suffering from unrequited love, she’s looking for a Christmas miracle. Desperate to see an unattainable love story for Holly come together, will our LA starlets succeed in providing a Hollywood ending before the dawn of Christmas Day?
Some of you might know Kate Forster from novels such as 'The Perfect Location' (2012) and 'The Perfect Retreat' (2013), and before the end of this month she is treating us to a special Christmas novella! 'The Perfect Christmas' promises to be a lovely holiday story, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who is secretly already really excited about Christmas 2014! I love the sound of this short story and its gorgeous cover, and I think it will be a great read to end September with a touch of festive cheer!
