Villa of Sun and Secrets by Jennifer Bohnet

The Official Blurb courtesy of Amazon

Carla Sullivan’s 50th birthday is fast approaching when her whole world is turned upside down. Discovering her feckless husband is having yet another affair and following her mother’s death, she is in need of an escape. Finding an envelope addressed to her mother’s estranged sister Josette in the South of France gives Carla the perfect plan.

Seizing the moment, she packs her bags and heads to Antibes to seek out the enigma known as Tante Josette. But as the two women begin to forge a tentative relationship, family secrets start to unravel, forcing Carla to question her life as she has always known it.

Review

When Amelia, Carla’s cold and unloving mother, dies, Carla is saddened that Amelia’s sister, Tante Josette, doesn’t attend the funeral.

Twins, Amelia and Josette were both born and raised in Antibes at the beautiful Villa Mimosa but, had mysteriously become estranged.

Carla is married to David and they have two adult children, Maddy and Edward.  David has not been a faithful husband but, has never strayed too far or for too long.  Everything changes when Carla discovers a jewellers’ box with an exquisite diamond pendant.  The note says, ‘to my darling Lisa, all my love David’.

In that moment, Carla decides that it’s time to move on. Yearning to learn more about her mother and aunt Carla hopes to uncover the reason behind their long estrangement.  Armed with a bundle that Amelia has left for Josette, Carla makes a life changing decision.

Josette is furiously protective of her privacy and has a strict, ‘only in emergencies’ rule for being contacted.  Surely, a broken marriage is a big enough emergency for Carla to reach out.

This book transported me to the beautiful French resort of Antibes; I could feel the warm sun and smell the beautiful flowers at Villa Mimosa.  The unravelling of family secrets will always be a painstaking task and the sheer devastation, as history is revealed, left me reeling. 

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