A French Wedding

Tunnicliffe's (The Color of Tea; Season of Salt and Honey) latest offering whisks readers off to the coast of France, where fading rock star Max is about to turn 40. He is gathering his oldest college friends for a birthday weekend, with the ulterior motive of confessing his love to best friend Helen. Enter Juliette, Max's new private chef. Having just suffered a nasty breakup, given up her restaurant in Paris, and moved home to be with her ailing parents, Juliette needs the distraction of cooking to start fresh. But over the course of Max's birthday weekend, old grudges come to light, emotions erupt, and nothing will ever be the same. While the prolog is a little heavy-handed, readers should persevere, as the first chapter will sweep them up and not let go until the last word. The author's style is lyrical and soothing. Juliette is as charming and endearing a voice as one is likely to find.