Hattie Carter-Jones needs a new start after her relationship begins to flounder and losing her job. She accepts the offer from her uncle to plan her cousin's wedding in France. They have booked the Chateau St. Martin for the wedding, and he wants Hattie on sight. When Hattie arrives she meets, Luc Bremont, the son of the owner. He was unaware of his father's plans to turn the Chateau into a wedding venue. He wanted to reopen the family's old distillery and begin making the champagne his family had been known for. Luc realized that he has to fulfill the contract his father agreed to and begins to work with Hattie, helping her to source things for the wedding. He also introduces her to what it means to live in a small village and slow down to enjoy life. In reverse, Hattie gives Luc a different perspective and that he can do both. Luc's aunt is very much against Luc getting the champagne business going again, and he doesn't know why. There are secrets to be revealed, lives to enjoy, and love to be shared.
Although this is the 10th book in the Romantic Escapes series, the story is a standalone and I enjoyed it very much. I enjoyed meeting both Hattie and Luc and loved their chemistry. The situation they found themselves in could have made a friendship impossible, but they both bent a little and made it work. The story is told from both their points of view. Hattie wants to make a name for herself in the wedding planning business, Luc wants to reopen his family's champagne distillery, rather than see the grapes sold to others, as his father and aunt had been doing. The chateau has a housekeeper/cook/surrogate mother to Luc, and there is a major situation involving her daughter and the use of the chateau and the grounds. It almost derails the wedding, but Hattie doesn't give up. The two months in France give Hattie perspective and she realizes that she’s in a relationship with the wrong man. This was a fun romance, with armchair travel, new beginnings and family secrets. The narration of the audiobook was wonderful. Sophie Roberts does an amazing job with the French accents, making this an enjoyable way to experience this story.