Poppy’s place in the Sun- Lorraine Wilson-Rachel 4th July Rachel+ netgalley 4*
Poppy is moving to her dream home in France. Ok, it will be a dream once it has been done up, but it’s in a beautiful place and with a little TLC she can begin the business of welcoming guests. Her boyfriend Pete is also an investor and will be sorting the gites out on site. Local vet Leo is easy on the eye but also has a grudge against Poppy for some unknown reason. His parents, whom she bought the house from however are a delight and welcome her with open arms. When things from the start don’t go to plan, Poppy has her work cut out and her doubts about herself have to be put t one side, at least for now until things change. Although this is a lighthearted read, there are some wonderful life quotes at the beginning of each chapter and a message within the pages themselves. For anyone who has felt their confidence drop for any reason, or doubted themselves - which probably covers most of us- this is a tonic and a read to lift you up. A highly enjoyable read.
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Thank you to Rachel at RaRa Resources and Netgalley for issuing me with my review copy of the book and inviting me to take part on the blog tour.

As soon as I saw this book and read a bit more about it, I knew I had to read it. It had dogs on the front cover which is always a big yes from me!

The lovely Peanut, Treacle and Pickwick take centre stage and I loved reading about their exploits and their different characters. I fell in love with them from the first page and although my dogs are *slightly* bigger, they had similar traits that made me laugh along as I was reading!

We are introduced to Poppy who after deciding to move to France and renovate her house with her boyfriend, finds herelf alone in a new country with only her lovely little dogs for company when Pete changes his mind. The average person would maybe deicide to pack up and return home but not Poppy. Determined to follow her late Grandma's advice she is determined to make a success of her illustrating career and also carry on with her renovating.

Poppy is such a lovely character that you can't help but warm to her. Lacking confidence, you are willing her to find happiness in her new surroundings with her trio of misfit dogs. Her next door neighbour is the handsome vet Leo,who isn't so keen on his new neighbour but slowly warms to her along with his dog Maxi.

The story moves along at a lovely pace allowing you to appreciate the absolute beauty of the new French surroundings. Poppy slowly integrates herself into the community and we are along for the ride with her and willing her along.

A lovely feel good story that will bring a smile to your face!

Review: This is a wonderful book to get lost in. It is one of those books full of great characters that fills you with hope and happiness. It is also brilliantly written and puts you in the mood for Summer. I loved it.

A book full of fun that makes feel good and help to relax and enjoy the pleasure of reading.
It makes you feel good.
It's well written and full of lovely characters both human and canine.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK, HarperImpulse and Netgalley

Perfect book for putting you in a holiday mood! A gentle tale of friendship, romance and animals all set in a brilliant area. Buy this book for a good light and relaxing read.

Poppy is a likeable, independent character who makes her dreams reality when she moves to France. Things don't go to plan, and she finds herself alone in a French village she knows little about, in a property that requires renovation and with a neighbour who makes no secret of the fact he wants her gone. Not the most auspicious of starts but Poppy is determined to succeed and sharing her journey with its ups and downs is a pleasurable read.

Well researched and with a precise local knowledge you learn about village life in France and its history in entertaining conversational bites, the detail is there but cleverly interwoven into the story without inhibiting the pace or the character development.

The book's stars are the animals, the loveable dogs and quirky donkeys, they have individual personalities which bring them to life, and they provide many of the story's comic and tender moments.

Another favourite character is Joanna who Poppy helps even though she is running from something. We learn Joanna's secrets, but she is worthy of her own story and happy ever after too.

Romance is a major theme, and Leo and Poppy have a tempestuous relationship, which is often passionate with realistic, sensual love scenes that underpin the couples emotional development. The ending is believable and happy and makes a satisfying conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Poppy's place in the sun was a delight to read.
Poppy is a character I instantly loved, I think that this may be down to her being completely believable, as Lorraine Wilson has done a fab job of this as at times throughout the book when Poppy had done something a little embarrassing I found myself thinking crikey I've done that!!!
The book is based in a village in France that Poppy has moved to from England for a few reasons but mainly to help her health so she can continue her drawings as she is a children's book illustrator.
There was nothing I didn't like about this book and loved how we followed Poppy on the ups and downs of her new life and as she is such a great character how the locals come to love her. The story is full of love, dogs, donkeys, vineyards, neighbours and making new friends. It was a delight to read and is a perfect summery read.
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK HarperImpulse for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! Poppy came alive from the pages and I took to her immediately. Sometimes you meet a character in a book who either reminds you of yourself, or who you know you would be friends with if they were real or (in my dreams) who you feel you could have created – Poppy was all of these to me and I didn’t want the book to end.

Poppy finds herself alone in France where her plans to renovate her newly purchased house and outbuildings, with the help of her boyfriend, are in tatters as she discovers her French dream is not one that is shared by him. Not to be defeated, and despite the wishes of her parents, she begins to create a life for herself in the sun, tackle the decorating and continue her work as a children’s book illustrator.

She soon makes a few friends in the village, although not everyone is as welcoming or friendly as she hoped, and she senses that there are undercurrents of tension between some of the villagers. It was obvious to me that the author has experience of living in a French village as she describes the oddities of village life perfectly and I couldn’t help but smile and nod in agreement.

Through Poppy’s art I was able to visualize the rural landscape, the chateau next door and the antics of her dogs and the donkeys in the fields. Through her new friendship with a like-minded history buff, I learned about the history of the Languedoc area and through her emotions I could empathise with her hurt and rejection, but also felt the excitement and passion her new life gave her.

There are mysteries to be solved, from unexpected finds in the chateau to strange behavior from some of the villagers, but her dogs prove to be great listeners when she's not sure who else to turn to. The dogs played an important role and often made me laugh, but there is so much to smile about in this book, it can’t fail to cheer you up. Don't miss out on this perfect summer read.

A lovely escapism read set in a part of aframce that makes you want to explore more and and follow the scenic views from this book.
I loved the characters and the style of writing Lorraine offered the readers and the dogs were justbso cute but not overly dicussed. I would definetly read another book by this author.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this.

I loved this book! Based in France with romance and dogs, whats not to like?!

Poppy was always very close to her gran and so when she dies and leaves her a sum of money with a note telling her to find a home in France. She finds the perfect house and once she has arrived she finds that she has been dumped by text.

Such a lovely story perfect for a bit of escapism

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lovely book set in a great location.

Poppy has bought a house in France, but instead of sharing the move with her boyfried, she gets dumped by text instead. Still, she has her motley collection of rescue dogs with her.
Her neighbours in the chateau make her feel welcome, but their son Leo makes it clear he is not happy she has bought the house. But there is no denying the connection between them.

Great read which makes you want to ditch everything and run off to France!

What a delightful escape to the French countryside.
Reviewed early thanks to an ARC from NetGalley.
Sun, castles, new friends, donkeys, goats, and puppies, what's not to love.
Something about Poppy really spoke to me, someone who is always seen as the dreamer, someone who doesn't have a "proper job". Lorraine's writing and description make her jump from the page with the troublesome trio in tow.
Leo is everything you want in a hero, moody to begin with, slightly misunderstood until you peel back the layers until you find his soft heart at his core.
The email conversations are not normally a format I like to see in books but Lorraine uses them well to bring in her secondary characters, who are funny and hold their own appeal.

I would definitely recommend Poppy's Place in the Sun to my friends and on social media and hope there is more to come from Lorraine Wilson.

This was my first book by this author and will not be the last at all. I had seen so many posts about this book and I loved the cover and it didn't disappoint me at all. The book is worth far more than five starts as simply amazing. Characters are amazing and story plot is great full of romance and starting over again and showing dreams really do come true. A definite feel good factor book and didn't want it to end at all.
Poppy has always only really got on with her gran and when she passes and is left money with a message saying follow your dreams and find the perfect house in France. She buys one with her boyfriend but once she moves he texts to say he's not coming with her and she is so upset. Her mum tells her to come home as it's silly to be out there but she wants to stay as the sun is shining and she knows she can make it a perfect retreat. Poppy is made welcome by many villagers but sadly not by her neighbour Leo the local vet. He wants to buy the house back from her but she won't as she knows what she wants to do but she soon start to get close to Leo and learns he's had a hard life to. Can she find romance and be happy and is it a smooth ride or not. Can she also turn her house around and start a holiday business or not. Falling for Leo isn't straight forward and not easy to both open up but can they work through it.
Worth far more than five stars as such an amazing read didn't want it to end hope a follow on comes out.

This was such a fun read!

Poppy was such a wonderfully written character and her dogs literally stole the show for me. I fell in love with the little dogs as the story moved on. Poppy is a genuinely lovable character and the side characters were pretty lively on their own. Leo and his dog, Maxi, are awesome in their own way. I loved the fact that Poppy dealt with a nasty blow in life but didn't become scared of the changes and challenges. I loved that her individuality remained steady throughout the novel, yes, there was romance but the thing is, I loved the journey she went through.

I also want to know what happens to Joanna next.

It's a perfect read for those lazy afternoons and this book made me wish I was in France. I can't speak French at all! Imagine the chaos! This was my first time reading anything of Lorraine Wilson's and now, I would like to read more of her books because her writing is lovely.

I would recommend it to those who love France, dogs and a little bit of everything from life.

4.5 Stars

Pure escapist fun, perfect poolside reading. Transport yourself to Poppy's Place in the Sun in rural France, near to Carcassonne.

Poppy may be the main character but to me the absolute stars of the book are Peanut, Treacle and Pickwick, her trio of tiny dogs, 2 chihuahuas and yorkshire terrier that have the biggest personalities in the world. And they aren't the only canines that produce laughs and aww moments, there is also Maxi who lives next door with the gorgeous Will.

Maxi's introduction to the book is hilarious, and certainly memorable for Poppy who is utterly convinced he is a wolf at first! Then are are some donkeys who also provide some fun moments, and some other wildlife too to add into the mix.

This is a book for animal loves, French food lovers, Francophiles in general, romance lovers and for anyone that has ever watched A Place in the Sun and wished it was their life. For that is in part what inspired Poppy to make the move, despite knowing no one in the area.

I loved seeing how she slowly tries to become part of the community, and does her best to resist feeling anything for the sexy vet next door. As I have come though to expect from Lorraine Wilson's book by the time the sex scenes occur they are hot, steamy and incredibly realistic - I may just have wished I was Poppy, but not just for that reason!

Absolutely loved this book, it really hit the spot, and I just wish I had been reading it on holiday, and could have fully appreciated the heat on my body, while reading about how warm the climate in that part of France was.

Really enjoyable and entertaining story that I completely and utterly enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.