Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway for The Promise of Provence

Welcome to my stop on Patricia Sand’s Virtual Book Tour for The Promise of Provence.  Please leave a comment or question for Patricia to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter the giveaway for a $10 Amazon GC by leaving a comment, along with your email, below.  You can follow Patricia's tour here.  

The Promise of Provence

By Patricia Sands

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: May 30, 2013

Genre: Women’s Fiction

ISBN: 9780991931316

Length: 494 Pages

Buy Links:  Available on Amazon Worldwide &  may be ordered at any bookstore

USA  Canada  UK  FR

Book Description:

June in Provence is full of promise when Katherine arrives from Canada, eager to feel renewed by her surroundings. Endless rows of lavender prepare to burst into pink and purple blooms. Fields of sunflowers flow in golden waves among vineyards and olive groves overlooked by ancient hilltop villages. It’s the postcard setting she envisioned, but is that all she needs?

After a year of heartbreak, Katherine has impulsively agreed to a home exchange in the south of France. Colorful locals, a yellow lab named Picasso, and the inspiring beauty of the countryside breathe new life into her days.

Seeking to shed the pain of betrayal and loss, she struggles to recapture her joie de vivre and searches for the answer to a haunting question: is it too late to begin again?

"Be prepared to fall in love with Provence! This is a story that will draw you in with its vibrancy in setting and characters. A must read for any woman with a desire for romance and travel."     Steena Holmes, author of Amazon bestseller Finding Emma

Author bio:

Patricia Sands lives in Toronto, Canada, when she isn’t somewhere else. An admitted travel fanatic, she can pack a bag in a flash and be ready to go anywhere … particularly the south of France. With a focus on women’s issues and ageing, her stories celebrate the feminine spirit and the power of friendship. Encouraging women of all ages to stare down the fear factor and embrace change, she has heard from readers ages 20 to 83. 

Her award-winning debut novel The Bridge Club was published in 2010.

Her second novel, The Promise of Provence is an Amazon Hot New Release as of April 2013.

Pop in to visit her at:

http://www.patriciasands.wordpress.com

http://www.patriciasandsauthor.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/patricia.sands.9

and https://www.facebook.com/AuthorPatriciaSands

Twitter https://twitter.com/patricia_sands

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4381348.Patricia_Sands

My Review

While Dale Carnegie is credited with saying “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade”, it’s the thought behind the phrase that Patricia Sands captures so well in her book The Promise of Provence.   A book with many messages, and not all for women either, Ms. Sands reminds us that life is essentially what we make of it.  Whether you’re an 18 year old just starting your adult life, or a 55 year old divorcee whose life seems to have lost its meaning, you really need to grab life by the horns, embrace change when it comes and learn to love who you are and where you are in your life. 

When Katherine Price left for work on the day of her 22^nd wedding anniversary, she didn’t know the world she had become accustomed to would end before dinner.  Now, abandoned by her husband for a younger woman (who’s expecting his child no less), Katherine finds herself living with her sick mother and learning how to heal with her mother’s help.  After her mother’s death, Katherine, with the help of a cousin, decides to “exchange” homes for a short period of time with a couple in France.  They’ll come to the U.S. and she’ll get to spend a couple of weeks in Provence.  A place she remembers fondly from her college years.

Ms. Sands does a good job developing Katherine’s character right from the start; I found it easy to connect with this woman whose life literally fell apart with a note (yes the JERK told her he was leaving her in a note with the roses he had gotten her for their anniversary).  While Katherine is hurt, humiliated and feels betrayed, with the help of other’s she’s able to see that the life she always dreamed of, that she let go of to live someone else’s dream, is still attainable.  She just has to embrace who she is, reach for what she wants and embrace change.

While there is a romance, which takes place later in the book, I want to focus more on the beauty of the book itself.  As Katherine heals and learns to embrace her new self, Ms. Sands treats us to beautiful descriptions of life in Southern France.  While I’ve always admitted my love for history and all things European, after reading this book I seriously wanted to pack a bag and head off to the South of France myself. 

Will Katherine learn to embrace change?  Will she be happy with who she is at the end of her journey and will it give her everything she needs?  You’ll have to read The Promise of Provence to find out.  I know I’m personally going to be trying to embrace the lessons Katherine learned myself and look forward to reading more of Ms. Sands’ work. 

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of this book as a part of a book tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.  I received no additional payment for my opinion of the reading material provided.

Don't forget to leave a comment or question for Patricia to let her know you stopped by.  You can enter the giveaway for a $10 Amazon GC by leaving a comment, along with your email, below.  You can follow Patricia's tour here.