Books & Java

The Lavender Garden 

by Lucinda Riley 

Synopsis:

An aristocratic French family, a legendary chateau, and buried secrets with the power to destroy two generations torn between duty and desire.

In the sun-dappled south of France, Emilie de la Martiniers, the last of her gilded line, inherits her childhood home, a magnificent chateau and vineyard. With the property comes a mountain of debt and almost as many questions . . .
Paris, 1944: A bright, young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is sent undercover to Paris to be part of Churchill's Special Operations Executive during the climax of the Nazi occupation. Separated from her contacts in the Resistance, she soon stumbles into the heart of a prominent family who regularly entertain elite members of the German military even as they plot to liberate France. But in a city rife with collaborators and rebels, Constance's most difficult decision may be determining whom to trust with her heart.
 
As Emilie discovers what really happened to her family during the war and finds a connection to Constance much closer than she suspects, the chateau itself may provide the clues that unlock the mysteries of her past, present, and future. Here is a dazzling novel of intrigue and passion from one of the world's most beloved storytellers.

My Review:

This was a great example of a book designed to entertain and intrigue. The story was a bit confusing at first and had a lot of different characters that were a bit tough to keep straight. However, as the story progressed, every character fell right in place with the story. I found the last 200 pages hard to put down.