Book Description
Paris, 1939: Gazing out at the glittering skyline, Evelina clutches the letter from her love in shaking hands. “I know I do not deserve you, my darling, but I pray that you will change your mind. You have my heart, and I hope that nothing will keep us apart…”
London, present day. Blake gazes down at a scrap of shimmering silver velvet attached to a faded dress design, tracing the details with wonder. They were left with her grandmother at Hope’s House, a home for unmarried mothers, before she was adopted. Now her beloved grandmother has passed, the beautiful fabric and the designer’s signature are the only clues Blake has about her biological family. Will she be able to unravel the decades-old family secret?
Blake can’t get the intricate drawing, and what it could reveal about her family, out of her head. Armed with a plane ticket, a Paris address and the details of a handsome fashion curator named Henri, Blake is determined to find out the truth about her talented great-grandmother Evelina’s life. Perhaps doing so will help Blake get her old spark for designing back, after her dreams have sat forgotten for so long.
Soon Blake is walking down the Champs-Élysées and enjoying intimate dinners with Henri, who is researching Evelina’s work as one of Paris’ most celebrated designers, whose bold designs rivalled Coco Chanel’s. As Henri and Blake grow closer, they uncover Evelina’s legacy, and her forbidden romance that set the fashion world ablaze.
As Blake discovers the impossible choice that caused Evelina to flee the most romantic city in the world, she wonders if she too could risk everything for love. Could hearing tales of her great-grandmother’s bravery encourage her to take a chance on a new life with Henri? Or will the fallout of Evelina’s heart-wrenching past drive Blake back home?
A completely addictive and emotional novel about family secrets, forbidden love and having the courage to follow your dreams.
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE PARIS DAUGHTER (The Lost Daughters Book #5) by Soraya Lane is a captivating and emotional dual time-line women’s historical fiction from start to finish. Each book in the series stands alone with the connection being Hope House, a home for unwed mothers in London, England. This series and author are both new to me, but after reading this beautiful story, I will absolutely be reading the other books in the series.
1930’s Paris France is all about high fashion. Eighteen-year-old Evelina has been dreaming and drawing to be just like Coco Chanel her entire life. Her farming parents hate the decadent city and do not support her dreams. They tell her she must marry or leave home. Evelina goes alone to Paris and is willing to work hard for her dream, which over several years, she accomplishes. She is the exclusive designer for the most prestigious department store in Paris.
In present day London, Blake receives a wooden box meant for her grandmother who has passed away. Inside is a chic dress drawing and a luxurious piece of fabric. Blake proposes writing a series of articles for her job as she searches to find the connection between this mystery box and her grandmother. She is desperate to find out who this designer may be and if she was her grandmother’s mother. The search will take her out of her normal everyday existence to the world of high fashion houses and designers in Paris. Could this connection be the spark to reignite Blake’s designing talent and forge a new life she has only every dreamed of?
I loved this book so much and I cannot believe I have not heard of or read the other books in this series. These books are easily read as standalones, but I am glad I read this book first because Evelina was the first occupant of Hope House. Ms. Lane brings these two women to life on the page as well as Paris in the past and present. The story seamlessly flows between the two time periods which led to me not being able to put the book down because I was so engrossed. This story has so many emotional parts, both happy and sad as the two women learn to be true to themselves. Their courage, tenacity, and love are evident throughout. I am so looking forward to reading about the other daughters in this series.
I highly recommend this extraordinary and beautiful women’s historical fiction novel.
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About the Author
Soraya Lane graduated with a law degree before realizing that law wasn’t the career for her and that her future was in writing. She is the author of historical and contemporary women’s fiction, and her novel Wives of War was an Amazon Charts bestseller.
Soraya lives on a small farm in her native New Zealand with her husband, their two young sons and a collection of four legged friends. When she’s not writing, she loves to be outside playing make-believe with her children or snuggled up inside reading.
Social Media Links
Website: https://www.sorayalane.com/
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