Another WWII historical fiction read. Once again, I picked this one out because of the beautiful cover and its favorable rating on Goodreads. I enjoyed reading Eliane’s story and this would have been a much more satisfying read for me had it been the sole narrative. Alternating between Eliane’s and Abi’s stories muddied the waters. I just didn’t feel that there was a strong enough connection between their two lives to integrate Abi’s “finding herself” with Elaine’s story of resistance during the Nazi occupation of France.

Eliane Martin, the primary subject of this work is living in France in 1938 with her family near Coulliac, a fictitious village situated between Tulle ad Sante-Foy-la-Grande. She is a beekeeper and kitchen worker for Comte de Bellevue at the Château de la Chapelle. She sells the honey she harvests from the hives at the market in town and lives with her parents at their home just below the estate of her employer. Her father makes his living grinding flour at their mill powered by the nearby weir. Her older sister, Mireille, works as an apprentice seamstress at an atelier in Paris, and her younger brother, Yves works with their father. She meets Mathieu, while working with the bees and they fall in love, only to be separated by the conflict which soon reaches the soil of France. When the opportunity to help the resistance presents itself, Eliane decides that it is “time to fight for the things that matter.”

In 2017, Abi Howes has come to France with her friend, Pru, who quickly abandons her when she quickly gains the attention of a foreigner. She has no family ties, and has left behind a life damaged in a few short years by an abusive husband and a car accident. When she meets Sara and Thomas the proprietors of Château Bellevue they offer Abi a position in their business as a wedding venue. While they work together, Sara tells Abi Eliane’s story, and Abi begins to heal her wounded soul.