Some lovely friendships were forged and I enjoyed seeing the children blossom under Alexandra’s care.

Characters and places are beautifully depicted and I found the setting in the early 60s quite unusual and very interesting. A chance meeting in Paris leads to her being employed as a nanny to three French children who live in a chateau in Provence. Alexandra is a sweet, kind girl, who means well and is blessed with seeing the positive in most things, which is an attribute you don’t see much of these days. I can’t fault anything in this book, I can only fault Katie herself… for not writing more than one book a year! Although young Stephie is the one I took to heart from the beginning, I developed soft spots for all the children.Btw, I’d go ahead and admit surrender right now and prepare to lose your heart to a sassy nine-year-old. I would recommend this to any fans of clean romance, especially if you like journeying to other times and places! If you’ve read any previous book by Katie Fforde you’ll know she absolutely slays her characterizations, every single character in all of her books are believable, not perfect in any way, and absolutely so dang lovable.

The plot line isn't completely original, and there are no real surprised, but the quality of Katie Fforde's writing elevates it to a 5 Star for me. A Wedding in Provence follows Alexandra, a young woman who is desperately trying to avoid the life expected of her by her relations.

But, the job is in a chateau in rural Provence, with 3 children to look after, no experience and a very attractive Count; can Alexandra forge her own path? Yes, the romance is there, absolutely, simmering, in the background, but I do wish there had been more of the build-up, as the inevitable conclusion is so sped up! She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. Usually, I end up having one or two favourite characters but I loved almost every character in this charming book, even the ones who didn’t feature much! Now she has to care for children who view her ‘with a mixture of hostility, resentment and defiance’.

Portobello Book Blog is not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without its permission. She had had a comfortable life and had nannies and later companions to guide her through the years after family decided to support her from afar. I have not read many books by Katie but I thoroughly enjoyed this one, I felt as though it was an easy and fun read that had lots packed into it.

There are some great characters in the book and Sophie’s flamboyant friend David was probably my favourite, larger than life and so funny.

With relatable challenges that keep her on her toes – Antoine’s over-bearing ex-mother-in-law and his haughty ex-wife, a prickly love rival, the upward battle of building trust with children who have all but been neglected – Alexandra’s character develops gently and convincingly. Alexandre is an orphan, and largely brought herself up when her parents died, with the aid of some remote family members, and various governesses and companions. There are many interesting characters in this book, that help to add colour to the story, and the market scenes make me want to go and visit similar places, too!

I love any book that can take me on a beautiful journey in foreign countries, from the comfort of my home.