A moving dual timeline story involving family
Where first dreams are thwarted dramatically.
However heartbreak is best left behind
For then a happier future you may soon find.

A traumatic past comes at a cost
As all Maggie's dreams seem to be lost.
Hearing her ex-husband's latest news,
Is unsettling, not what she'd choose.

When her Mum asks Maggie to complete a task
It wasn't something too onerous or big to ask.
She wants her to visit her grandmother's friend
To collect some things and holiday time to spend.

Meeting Allegra, going to Cannes, too,
Learning what happened, all she went through.
Finding out more about her grandmother's past
Maybe she'll stop living in the past at last?

A beautiful story with romances, too,
Where opportunities help give chances for things new.
A moving story with great characters and history,
Together with revealing a family mystery.

A heartwarming read, so moving, too,
I have no hesitation highly recommending to you!
For my copy of this book I say a huge thank you
As I share with you this, my honest review.

In this heartwarming new novel, readers follow Maggie as she copes with her grandmother Elizabeth’s death and travels to Cannes to retrieve a box of photos from Allegra Morgon, her grandmother’s glamorous friend desperate to tell Maggie about the year they spent in Paris in the 1960s. As Maggie learns about Allegra and Elizabeth’s adventures in the 60s and the story that began in Paris and continued in New York and on the French Riviera, she begins to feel inspired and wonders if everything has brought her to this moment to teach herself to stop living in the past. Bringing three incredible stories and locations to life, McGinn has really committed to the world-building in this charming new novel, and the settings act as characters themselves, bringing this novel to life in fantastic detail. Maggie, Elizabeth, and Allegra are excellent characters, and their relationships and dynamics help build out the story. The character development and the balancing of different perspectives and narratives really help this novel convey its larger messages about love, family, and peace with the past. A great summer read for readers looking to (mentally) travel to some beautiful locations, the emotional tones and charming characters will keep readers immersed in this excellent story.

A lovely dual-timeline story set in modern-day Cannes and 1960s Paris. When Maggie travels to France to collect her late grandmother’s things, she uncovers a touching past through her grandmother’s friend, Allegra.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline - it flowed well and added depth without being confusing. This is an easy, feel-good summer read with gorgeous settings and a gentle, heartwarming story. Perfect if you’re after something enjoyable and not too taxing. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC.

Maggie is at a cross roads in her life, she enjoys her job but feels something is missing especially after her marriage has broken down. Her mum comes to the rescue when a camera belonging to her late Grandmother needs retrieving from the South of France, Maggie agrees to go and bring it back. From here we learn about the life that her Grandmother experienced in Paris and the friends she made and how Allegra ended up with a box of memories for Maggie to dive into.
Maggie blossoms here in the South of France she is able to dive into winemaking and realises that her life could be different and do something adventurous.
this is a lovely story about realising life can be different we just have to brave and jump in with both feet. A lovely story .

This book is guaranteed to take you on a journey, back to a time where life was very different, two generations ago in Paris!
The story flows nicely and reveals life messages amongst nostalgic surprises.
The characters show real emotions that are deep and raw, life presents healing moments when least expected.
Maggie’s life hasn’t turned out as she had hoped for, she mourns what could have been. She travels to Paris to visit her grandmother’s friend Allegra, old photos aren’t all that
are given to Maggie. Allegra’s history is very interesting and well written, the touching moments are second only to the amazing settings and the descriptions of the food that was available.
Maggie slowly starts to heal as she immerses herself in both modern times and the past, life for her has become more appealing! A gem to enjoy reading and learning from!

Thanks to Boldwood Books, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Really enjoyed a previous read from this author, so welcomed the opportunity to read her latest book.
Although I usually struggle with a storyline set in two time eras, this one was an exception, a beautiful tale of love & loss. I eagerly await Helen McGinn’s next book

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!

Oh this book is an absolutely perfect vacation read - or, it's a perfect read for someone wishing they could currently be traveling! There is so much exploration in Paris and of the Riviera and it really had fantastic imagery.

The prose is very flowy and it's just so easy to read - very lighthearted and pleasing to read. The characters are really vivid and feel incredibly real and as though they are part of the family. The only issue that I really had with this book was why we suddenly jumped a year in the timeline - as I feel like we really missed the actual introduction and growth of Nico and Maggie's relationship. It was writen like it was supposed to be some great second chance in love but it was more insta-love.

I still really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone that loves travel, loves somewhat historical romance stories!

WOW! What a wonderful and beautiful read! I loved the gorgeous setting of France. The flashbacks of Allegra’s life were so enchanting. I could not put this down, I had to know more about what happened with Etienne! I felt like I was right there with them in Paris and in Cannes and on the vineyard! Such beautiful imagery! I loved watching her story intertwine with Maggie and how Maggie fell in love with her life ! Would definetly recommend Would definetly recommend this book to anyone who loves a heartwarming second chance destination read! Thanks to Boldwood Books, the author and NetGalley for the eARC 😍

This was the perfect book to read as the pressures of life mount. I found a much needed escape from life as I dove into the lives of the characters in the story.

Told in alternating voices bringing together both past and present, Maggie learns of her grandmother's life from her long-time friend Allegra. Set mostly in Paris and Cannes, there are beautiful descriptions of what it is like to live every day in far-off places (far from my own home, anyway!) I am grateful for the chance to read this charming book.

Under A Riviera Moon is the second book I have read by Helen McGinn and after sinking rather nicely into the previous one, The Island of Dreams, I was delighted to review another for the blog tour. Under A Riviera Moon is Helen McGinn's 5th stand-alone book.

Set in the 60's in Paris makes Under A Riviera Moon interesting and quite different. Helen McGinn paints a picture with words, so you can visualise the places her characters go and hear the jazz music playing. It's all rather immersive.

Spanning 3 generations, there is a lot of life about the place as well as love and loss.
In the present day, there is Maggie who has got a lot on her plate. She's divorced and there are uncertainties surrounding her career. She takes a trip to Scotland and this unexpectedly sends her to France to collect her grandmother's belongings from Allegra, her grandmother's friend. This in turn leads to a fascinating look into Allegra's life and more importantly, Maggie's grandmother's whom it would seem she didn't know much about at all in her younger days.

Under A Riviera Moon is captivating and fascinating reading about what was happening in 60's France. With rich threads within the plot in an interesting time and setting, Under A Riviera Moon is a great holiday or wet weather read to lose yourself into for some escapism.

This is a wonderfully written dual timeline story of love, loss, friendship and finding peace and contentment in life. We learn about Paris in the early sixties, vineyard life in Provence, and the art world in New York. All the while we are enjoying the delights of current day Cannes. The interesting thing about this dual timeline is that Allegra from the sixties sits and talks through her life with Maggie from the ‘present day’! The interweaving of friends and relatives now and then makes this a joy to read. Highly recommend.

This was such an enjoyable read, capturing love and loss across the years. The way the book went through time and back to the present was easy to follow. I think this is a perfect summer read. An easy five stars in my view.

What a wonderful story about Allegra and Elizabeth! The sixties in Paris, New York and the Riviera. Glamorous life of the two friends who spent the sixties traveling to this amazing places.
Love, loss, joy, hopefulness, friendship, this book has all.
Thanks to the author, boldwood books and netgalley for the advanced copy.

This is an engaging novel that instantly pulls you in with the promise of sun-kissed destinations and a bittersweet journey of self-discovery. Maggie's initial hesitation about her Cannes mission is soon replaced by curiosity as she meets the glamorous Allegra and the vibrant history of her grandmother's life. The peek into 1960s Paris, filled with jazz and nascent romance, is especially enticing.

Allegra's life, which stretches from Paris to New York and the Riviera, holds out the promise of a richly textured experience that will surely engage and inspire Maggie. The novel is also about fate, that Maggie's journey is not merely geographical but emotional, one that takes her toward healing and the potential for her own "love story for the ages."

I will highly recommend this book to all the romance lovers. The writing skills of the author are flawless and through her captivating writing style I could visualise all the places mentioned and also the plot unfolding in front of my eyes little by little. I was engaged throughout the book without getting bored at all and it has been a perfect read for me while drinking a cup of coffee. So grab your copy today and you will definitely enjoy reading it as much as I did. The book is also available for free for Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

Maggie is asked to take a trip to Cannes to pick up a box of photos and other items that belonged to her late grandmother, Elizabeth. The box is with Allegra, Elizabeth's glamorous friend with whom she spent a year in Paris while they were students.

Under A Riviera Moon tells the story of Allegra and Elizabeth's time in Paris plus Allegra's life after Paris, mixed with Allegra helping Maggie to make sense of her own life. It is a story of love and romance, art and wine.

I loved this story - the Parisian setting of the sixties mixed with modern-day Cannes gave a depth to the characters and their lives. Allegra is the glamorous older friend that everyone needs in their lives!

I don’t know where to start with this review. I read this book and was absorbed in to two women’s lives in different time periods and just went with the enjoyable flow.

I didn’t expect to be transported to 1960s Paris, yes the blurb mentions it but what I got was something atmospheric of a city that has a sweet spot in my heart. McGinn gave me a different side to the French capital that felt thoroughly authentic as Allegra was twirled around the jazz cafes and got an art education.

The life journey I went on with Allegra was emotional but I loved it. This woman was so genuine and loveable. Not that Maggie wasn’t. Maggie was equally the same but very different. She was brilliant in her line of work, could handle anything she was presented with on the TV set but life wasn’t her friend. I’ll admit her visiting Cannes got me a little green – I’d love to go there and McGinn’s depiction of the city deepened that desire to get to the French Riviera #oneday.

This is a beautifully written split timeline story of rebuilding life after it’s given you a lemon. I loved spending time with Allegra and Maggie. I escaped to different cities around the world with this pair and would do it all over again if i could! McGinn really has brought these women’s worlds alive and I loved it.

Maggie is dealing with the breakup of her marriage and her mother gives her a task to get her to do something. She is sent to Cannes to meet an old friend of her grandmother's. Allegra Morgon has found a box of Elizabeth's things, lots of pictures, and has asked if someone can come and retrieve them. Allegra is looking forward to telling Maggie all about the time she and Elizabeth spent together in Paris, in the 60s, when it was the city of love. Not only does she learn about her grandmother's love, Luke, but about Allegra's life and first love. Etienne's family were vintners and he had a dream of running his own vinyard. When Allegra's parents make her come home to see her mother, who has just been diagnosed with cancer, she promises to return, and he promises to write. Allegra's story spans years moving from Paris to New York, then to Cannes. Maggie is entranced with the life and just maybe, this could be a new start for her.

Under a Riviera Moon is a lyrical story, one that pulled me into the magical life of Allegra, Elizabeth, Luke and Etienne. It sounded like such a wonderful time to be alive, single and in Europe. As things change and their responsibilities change, something always feels missing. I enjoyed the relationship that Allegra and Maggie developed. They were like mother and daughter, as well as best friends. The story is told in dual timelines, which I always enjoy. I liked both timelines, which isn't always the case. The storylines meshed nicely, and moved back and forth from the past to the present effortlessly. I did think Maggie's romance was a bit quick, especially as she was still heartbroken when she arrived, but it was a nice addition to the story. If you enjoy armchair travel, the settings are well described and someday, I hope to visit both Cannes and Paris to see them for myself. This is a story of family, friendship, lost love, and new beginnings, so if you enjoy those themes, I recommend this story to you.

You all know that I am a sucker for a few things when it comes to books right?
France - check

Dual timeline - check

WWII setting - .......wait, what!

Whilst this book is predominantly in the city of Cannes, famous for the film festival and a jet set lifestyle, it also tells the story of two young women who are living in Paris in the early 1960s, and is not, I repeat not, a WWII story!

When TV producer Maggie is asked to go to Cannes to pick up some items from a woman who was friends with her grandmother Elizabeth she is both grateful and surprised. She is grateful because it gives her a chance to get away from her not so great life for just a couple of days, and surprised because she never knew that her grandmother lived in Paris back in the early 1960s.

Maggie knows that the reason her mother is asking her is two-fold. Firstly, her father's dementia is getting increasingly worse and so her mother feels like she needs to always be at home, and secondly to help Maggie get out of her own head following her recent divorce, but she goes along with it anyway.

The plan is that Maggie will go for a couple of days, pick up the box of photos and a camera, and then come back home again. Then Maggie meets Allegra, her grandmother's friend, and Maggie is intrigued. Allegra is an elegant American woman who has retired to Cannes after working as an art dealer for many years and she has many stories about art, jazz and life in Paris, even touching on some less glamorous aspects of life in the city. Soon Maggie is staying longer, getting to know the people who live in the area and getting to know who her grandmother was as a young woman.

While I enjoyed the two stories of love lost and found, and how they came together in the end, the real strength for me was in the details. I loved the way that the author showed Allegra learning about art and jazz. And the food! Helen McGinn is wine expert who appears on a British cooking show called Saturday Kitchen, and you can tell. Part of the story revolves around a vineyard. At one point, she writes about a harvest feast, and it was evocative!

I hadn't read this author before. After reading this book, I will definitely be looking out for more from her!

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 4/5

Under a Riviera Moon by Helen McGinn was a beautifully written book from start to finish. I just love reading Helen's book's. She always writes with so much love and from her heart. This book was no different, you could just float away with it and dream of you, being in Rome or even Cornwall or even under a Riviera Moon snuggled under a blanket reading it. It was just magical. I have read all 3 of Helen's book but this one! WoW was magical and heartwarming. But, you will need tissues, I needed them.

I fantastic book for your holidays. Helen - You're amazing storyteller, and the best book so far.


Review on Goodreads and Amazon UK.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

The book follows Maggie’s journey in the present day, and Allegra’s story in the 1960s. In the present day, Maggie goes to France to meet Allegra, who has a box of treasured things that belonged to her grandmother, Elizabeth. Looking through the photographs and talking to Allegra, Maggie learns all about the time that Allegra and her grandmother spent together.

It was heartwarming to follow both Maggie and Allegra. Both of them were great characters, and I enjoyed the friendships between the characters. This romantic story swept me away, and I felt it delivered some inspiring messages too. This is a lovely feel-good read, ideal for when you want something to help you escape.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, and to the author and publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.