Summer in the Vineyards by Zimbabwe-born British author Natalie Meg Evans (
Fantastic Fiction), is her standalone contemporary/literary fiction novel with mystery & f/m romantic elements set in the countryside of southwest France, starring a woman who takes a job at a Chateau which seems to hold some kind of secret which she hopes a dashing local landowner will help her to unravel, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Quercus, which turns out to be just one of the many imprints owned by Hachette.
This is the featured Free Book of the Week in the iTunes UK store and was originally published under the title
A Gown of Thorns.
Currently free @
Amazon UK,
iTunes UK,
Google Play,
Kobo (available to the UK, EU, South America & Japan when I spot-checked assorted regional stores, YMMV)
Description
A sun-soaked summer read set in the gorgeous French countryside. Perfect for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Hourglass.
Shauna Vincent has just learned that the job she set her heart on has gone to a well-connected rival.
Devastated, she accepts an offer from an old family friend, and soon Shauna is deep in the French countryside with endless hours to explore the magical landscape around her. Her new home is the ancient Chateau de Chemignac with its vineyards and hidden secrets.
One afternoon, Shauna falls asleep in a valley full of birdsong, and has a strange and unsettling dream. So when she suddenly awakes to find charming local landowner Laurent de Chemignac standing over her, Shauna can't help but wonder if the dashing aristocrat might be just the person to help her untangle the secret that this little French castle amongst the vines might be hiding...