The Lavender Keeper

It's likely I wouldn't have chosen to read The Lavender Keeper because I am not a huge fan of historical novels, particularly those that feature war, but this showed up on my doorstep (courtesy Penguin Australia) so I added it to my reading list. I am glad I did as I enjoyed The Lavender Keeper very much.
A blend of action, adventure, romance and intrigue, The Lavender Keeper is set during WW2 during the Nazi occupation of France. Luc Bonet, a lavender farmer, joins the Resistance when his family is dragged away by Nazi collaborators and their farm in Provence is seized. His life is lived in the shadows sabotaging German forces, the threat of capture and execution ever present. Lisette Forestier, a French native with a facility for show more languages, is recruited by the London Home Office tasked to infiltrate the Reich and aid the downfall of the Nazi regime. Luc, known as Faucille amongst the Marquis, is Lisette's escort upon her clandestine arrival in France and they are both shocked by their immediate attraction. War calls for sacrifices though and the pair have a mission to accomplish, to free France and bring the German war machine to its knees.
The growing horror of World War Two pierces the hills of Southern France when Luc's family returns from Paris to their lavender farm, dispossessed, dispirited and branded by yellow stars. Still the terror of the Third Reich seems a distant threat until with the arrogance of youth, Luc unwittingly condemns his family to the Nazi camps. Swearing vengeance on the German regime and its supporters, Luc becomes involved in the Resistance working against the occupied forces. I felt for Luc who mourns his family terribly and must live with the dark shadow of guilt. McIntosh briefly sketches Luc's life before the war portraying a young confident man devoted to his family and proud of the high quality lavender farms the family cultivates. Luc is almost crushed when he learns the true circumstances of his birth, both a blessing and a curse in such tumultuous times. There isn't a lot of information about his actions once he becomes a member of the Marquis, though it can be inferred from hints about his reputation. Luc isn't a terribly complicated character but he is appealing.
I really admired Lisette, no stranger to tragedy, she overcomes her natural reticence to join the London Home Office, putting herself at risk as a spy amongst the German. McIntosh gets the balance of Lisette's trepidation and excitement just right and Lisette proves to be resourceful, smart and quick thinking. She is committed to ending the war even when complications arise as she grows closer to her target, a high ranking German officer. The conflicts and dangers Lisette faces are emotional rather than physical threats. Her concern for those that help her, even unwittingly, her attachment to Markus and her strong feelings for Luc are all features of the story.
Lisette has the larger role in the novel but the romantic attraction between Luc and Lisette ensures he is always an integral part of the narrative. Their relationship is not a traditional one, they spend more time apart than they ever do together but the link between the two is ever present.
McIntosh captures the details of the period and settings well. The tragedy of the death camps is touched on, as is the violence of battle and Hitlers bizarre policies but the focus of the story is on the protagonists experiences as she explores themes of trust, identity and patriotism.
The Lavender Keeper is a wonderfully entertaining story that is a surprisingly quick read. I believe that the author is currently working on a sequel and while this story has a satisfying ending there is certainly the scope for McIntosh to continue Listette and Luc's story. I know I won't be overlooking it. show less

I thoroughly enjoyed “The Lavender Keeper”. I loved the front cover and McIntosh’s descriptions early in the story brought the lavender fields alive.

Set in France during WWII the reader follows the journey of Lisette Forestier and Luc Bonet, both doing their part to bring an end to Hitler’s madness, and although the story touched on the atrocities of war they never overwhelmed the plot.

Filled with action, adventure, romance, suspense and intrigue, I found myself totally engrossed in the story, and often had my fingers crossed for both Lisette and Luc’s safety. Lisette had the larger role in this book, and I found her story riveting as it was filled with danger and high risk.

Although, I am not usually a fan of love triangles, show more I did enjoy this one - it worked. I could understand Lisette’s struggle as she found herself torn between two men. Markus and Luc shared many similarities, one being their deep love of Lisette and, although I knew who Lisette would end up with, I felt sorry for the other man. Overall, “The Lavender Keeper” was a terrific story and I am looking forward to starting the sequel. show less

A comprehensive novel about two people working for the French resistance, one an SOE spy tasked with befriending a German Wehrmacht colonel in Paris thought to be anti-Nazi. Good descriptions of what life must have been like under German rule and recognizing that not all Germans were Nazis. Two historical errors jumped out at me: a description of a rural Provence family listening to a vinyl record which weren't available until the early 1950s and probably later in rural France. The second error I noticed was a comment by a Parisian resistance fighter that knocking out German telepbone exchanges meant they had to use radio which could be listened to by Bletchley Park. The latter was one of the most secret British establishments of WW2 show more whose role was only really revealed in the 1970s and it would certainly not be known by anyone in occupied Europe. Nonetheless an entertaining read. show less

This novel tells the story of Luc, the Lavender keeper and Lisette, a British spy in France during WWII. Luc, an orphan with German heritage was adopted by a French Jewish family and spent a happy childhood growing up and learning to farm in their lavender fields. When his grandmother is killed by the french police and the family is rounded up and sent to a concentration camp, Luc manages to escape and join the Maquis, the French underground. As a keepsake he wears a small bag of wild lavender seeds around his neck, which belonged to his beloved grandmother which he vows he will plant as soon as he can return home after the war.

Lisette, born in France moved to England to live with her grandparents after the death of her French/English show more mother and German father in a car accident when she was 17. Now working and living in London, she sees her best friend killed in the Blitz and is subsequently recruited to be trained to parachute into France to spy on a German officer in Paris. Luc is charged with getting her to Paris from the south of France and even though they only spend two days together, they are both deeply attracted to each other.

Working for a German friend of the family in his bank, Lisette soon contrives to meet the German officer, Markus Kilian, and works at becoming his lover. Luc has meanwhile got a job as a driver for the German officers and unknown to Lisette is keeping a watch on her.

As the story evolves, both Luc and Lisette are put at risk of having their covers blown. Lisette also begins to care for Markus who she has come to realise is essentially a good man who hates what the Nazis are doing and is caught up in a war he wants to end. As the war starts to turn against Germany following D-day and the impending liberation of Paris, life becomes even more dangerous for Luc, Lisette and Markus and the story moves towards an exciting climax.

Although the writing was patchy in parts and the story somewhat predictable, this was a very easy, enjoyable novel to read. show less

well written story set in Vichy France during WW11. Love story woven around the occupation and resistance efforts by French and German people against Hitler's madness.

‘The Lavender Keeper’ is the precursor to its sequel ‘The French Promise'. His may appear as an odd statement; however, unlike some other series or sequels (which can be read as standalone novels) it is definitely better to read The French Promise as the second book.

Both books contain basically the same characters. Some merely alluded to in one book and expanded upon in the other, hence the necessity to read the two books in order.

I read The French Promise first not knowing that it was a sequel and thoroughly enjoyed it. I immediately followed with The Lavender Keeper which was as enjoyable.

I look forward to reading some more of Fiona McIntosh’s books.

Brilliant, fast moving story -French resistance - romance but certainly not stuffy and not predictable