Hellllllo readers, and welcome to another review from yours truly. I cannot believe how many books I’m churning through. It reminds me of a scene in the film ‘About Time.’ If you haven’t seen it (you should) the film follows a family line where all the males can enter a dark space and they can return to an earlier point in time. I adore the line where Bill Nighy’s character tells his son and when asked what he does with said ‘gift,’ he states he’s read everything at least twice. I wish I had the power but unfortunately I’m just going to have to keep whipping through; book by book. Today’s is a buttery tale that made me feel super sweet; a beautiful tale and one I really enjoyed.

This is the magical tale of Edith Lane, who sets off to find her fortune in the beautiful city of Paris. Fortune, however, is a fickle thing and Edith ends up working in a vintage bakery in the positively antique town of Compiègne. Escaping heartache and singledom in Ireland, Edith discovers that the bakery on Rue De Paris is not exactly what it seems and that some ghosts from the past are harder to escape than others. A heart-warming story that is sure to appeal to all of the senses, The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris is a mouth-watering journey of love, liberty and la vie en rose.

First things first; mystery, bakery, Paris; how could you not want to pick up this darling novel and dip in and out of this story. Those three things instantly got me itching to read and the cover is sublime. As the blurb suggests the book follows Edith who, throwing caution to the wind, decides to apply for a bakery in Paris. On arrival things aren’t quite how they seem; she’s in Compiègne rather than Paris, her boss Madame Moreau is a little unfriendly and there is a little mystery surrounding the bakery. Why is unable to go down to see where the sumptuous products are created? Throw in the mysterious photographer Hugo and it’s getting a little worrying. Will this move to Paris be the move she’s always wanted? Or would she have been better staying in Dublin. All will be revealed.

I really adored this book; I thought it was well constructed with a real understanding of how to build a plot-line. The characters are strong and loveable even the slightly stroppy Madame Moreau; each is built with a different set of characteristics which help the story to take form and shape. In terms of our main female protagonist she starts a little waiflike but as her French improves and she settles in her gutsy nature really starts to shine. I also adored Nicole who befriends Edith, her drive and tenacity mixed with her sweet nature was wonderful to read. Hugo is a dashing fellow and I thought his romantic touches were darling.

I must admit the magical/mystery touch did take me a little while to warm to although no spoilers here as to what happens in the end. For me it felt a little inauthentic but the enchanting writing of the books as a whole it did fit in and I thought it was well integrated. I also felt that we found out the mystery too quickly and it could have been pulled apart more as to build the tension. As such an important part of the story it needed a bit more time. The writing style was honestly delightful; the descriptions of France, the idyllic little village and the delicious pastries the writing moved with pace and style; I really did feel transported inside the fictional world.

Overall this is a gorgeous book of love, wit, determination and pastry and from page one I knew that I would want to come back to this writer. It really is a cracking read with attention to detail and a real understanding of how to construct characters. If the mystery has been lingered on a little more I think I would have enjoyed the build-up more but a delightful read.

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