The Riviera House

Natasha Lester writes engaging historical fiction with a big heart and The Riviera House continues strongly in that tradition. Set mainly in France, the story covers dual timelines of strong women finding their way in the world.

Eliane is a young woman in World War II France. Forced to work at the Louvre rather than study art due to the family finances, she falls in love with Xavier. But as the Nazis enter France, her family is divided and she is forced to work for the Germans cataloguing the art they have stolen from Jewish families and museums. It is here that Eliane becomes part of the Resistance working against the Nazis – she pretends she doesn’t understand German and she and colleague Rose start their own secret catalogue of show more art stolen. But it’s so much more complicated than that after Xavier appears alongside the Nazis and one of the German officers takes a shine to Eliane. She is forced to play a difficult game, not knowing who has her back – and who is ready to sell her out. Meanwhile, in present day Remy has escaped to her house on the Riviera after the death of her husband and daughter. She’s there to try to heal and work on her vintage fashion business (which is stunning!). She didn’t intend to run into an acquaintance, Adam, who becomes a friend with possibilities. When they find a copy of the painting Remy has had since childhood in a book of stolen paintings, both are determined to find out how this links to Remy and the family she’s never known.

I must admit that I’m not the biggest fan of art, so while I knew most of the names of the artists mentioned, I wasn’t familiar with the works. This didn’t really matter in the overall plot though, as the focus turns more to the effort by Eliane and her friends to work against the Nazis. The stakes get higher, and the drama is real edge of your seat sort of stuff! Remy’s mystery of how she got the painting (and her lavish house) did engage me instantly, but by the halfway mark of the novel I was fully invested in both the women’s stories. Eliane’s is one of courage and determination while Remy’s story is that of loss and learning to live and trust again. Both are strong women (no moping around for what is lost) and although they both have been broken, they get up to fight another day. Eliane’s descriptions of the casual cruelty of the Nazis are stark (and made more sombre by recent events in Ukraine). Her story is also based on a true story of stolen art during World War II which made everything feel that bit more serious – this really happened. I did enjoy Remy’s story, particularly the mystery and her gorgeous clothes, but it was a tone lighter which was a nice break from the horrors of war.

Overall, The Riviera House is compulsively readable and the characters and events stay in your mind while you aren’t reading about them. It’s a story of love, loss, war and mystery which is highly satisfying,

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Thanks to BookTrib & Forever Publishers for an advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I loved this World War II-themed novel! It contains all the qualities of a compelling story: historical fiction with a dual timeline, romance, mystery, and secrets. This beautifully written love story to art contains themes of love and loss, grief and courage, and unforgettable characters exhibiting bravery, loyalty, and passion.

I've read numerous World War II novels, but this one has an intriguing focus: four people doing what they could for art - dedicated to preventing France's entire cultural heritage from being destroyed. Beginning in 1939, these people work daily in the Louvre under the German occupation of Paris, secretly show more trying to keep the Germans from stealing priceless art. Centering on Éliane Dufort's narrative of danger, risk, and love, her story alternates with the present day tale of Remy Lang, grieving over a tragic loss. We meet Remy as she arrives on the French Riviera and first sees a spectacular home that she has mysteriously inherited.

It is this stunning home that connects the past and the present. Will Remy learn the truth about her family? Will mysteries be explained including the origin of a painting that has hung on her bedroom wall since childhood?

In "The Riviera House," Natasha Lester brilliantly explores the impossible choices ordinary people faced every day during extraordinary circumstances, weaving fact with fiction and celebrating women who push the boundaries of their time. I highly recommend this powerful, memorable novel. show less

The Riviera House is another fantastic WWII novel by Natasha Lester, who has quickly become one of my favorite authors for WWII fiction. As with her last three books (The Paris Seamstress, The Paris Orphan and The Paris Secret) her new book takes place in Paris during WWII. In this book, the main character is once again a strong woman who does what she can to thwart the daily threat from the Germans who have occupied Paris and want to remove many of the famous artworks to send them to Germany for personal collections.

This dual time line novel connects the life of Elaine in Paris during the war and Remy in present day who is fighting to recover from a terrible personal tragedy. Many times in a dual time line novel, I like one story show more better than the other but in this book, both times lines and both characters were so interesting that I enjoyed them both.

Paris, 1939. Eliane works at the Louvre cataloging the art collection. She also works at home to help her younger siblings because her parents spend all of their time at a restaurant they own and her father spends much of his time drunk. As the German Army grew closer to Paris, she worked with other people to help remove many of the important paintings and statues from the Louvre to put into hiding in various estates throughout France. When the Germans start to confiscate art from the museums, it quickly becomes apparent that the masterpieces are being sent to the private collections of Goering and Hitler. They continue to get more art work from the rich Jewish families who are being sent to camps. Elaine continues to work with the Germans and since they have no idea that she can understand German she is able to get valuable information about what paintings are being removed and where they were sent. She's playing a dangerous game but believes that this information needs to go to the Resistance so that once the war is over, the art can be returned to the rightful owners.

Present Day - Remy comes to a home on the Riviera that was mysteriously given to her to help herself recover from a personal tragedy. When she finds a catalog of the art works that were stolen from France during WWII, she's shocked that one of them hung on her childhood bedroom walls. She was adopted and knew very little about her birth parents but she begins to wonder how they became the owners of this painting. As she starts a personal investigation into the painting, she finds out family secrets that shock and dismay her.

This wonderful written, well researched novel is based on a real woman who risked her life to save the art in Paris during the war. Other characters were also based on real people of the time. I think it's great that we can learn more about women who worked with the resistance because these stories have stayed hidden until now. This was a book that I couldn't put down and I'm still thinking about the characters days after I finished reading it. It's a real testament to the women who fought to make a difference in the world and to overcome their oppressors during the war. I shed a few tears while reading it but left the book with feelings of gratitude for these women as well as awe at their bravery show less

"A lush and engrossing novel of one woman’s quest to keep Nazis from stealing priceless art during WWII, perfect for fans of The Rose Code.

Paris, 1939: The Nazis think Éliane can't understand German. They’re wrong. They think she’s merely cataloging art in the Louvre and unaware they’re stealing national treasures for their private collections. They have no idea she’s carefully decoding their notes and smuggling information to the Resistance. But Éliane is playing a dangerous game. Does she dare trust the man she once loved with her secrets, or will he only betray her once again? She has no way to know for certain . . . until a trip to a stunning home on the French Riviera brings a whole new level of peril.

Present Day: show more Wanting to forget the tragedy that has left her life in shambles, Remy Lang heads to a home she’s mysteriously inherited on the Riviera. While working on her vintage fashion business, she discovers a catalog of the artworks stolen during World War II and is shocked to see a painting that hung on her childhood bedroom wall. Who is her family, really? And does the Riviera house hold more secrets than Remy is ready to face?"

The real woman who saved art from the Nazis was Rose Valland. show less

A building, the Jeu de Paume, filled with stolen paintings during the occupation of France during WWII and a mansion on the Riviera in present day is where we meet Eliane and Remy.

WWII…Eliane was summoned to help sort out the stolen paintings and get them prepared to be sent to Hitler and Goring’s private collections.

Eliane didn’t want to do this, but she had no choice. She did have the choice to not let the Germans know she spoke their language so she could spy on them and carry on Resistance work.

PRESENT DAY…Remy is in her mansion, Cap-Ferrat, in France, meets new neighbors, tries to continue to overcome her grief, and finds a painting in a catalog that lists the paintings Goring had taken for his own.

She is shocked to see a show more painting that she has in her home in Sydney.

How can that be? That was 70 years ago.

We move back and forth in time and find out the connection between the two time periods and the two women as well as the men they love and the house one had visited and one was living in now.

When names from the past started to surface in the present-day story and the connection to the house became apparent, the intrigue ramped up.

THE RIVIERA HOUSE pulled me in and didn’t let go. This book is very well written and flows nicely.

Ms. Lester’s research is impeccable.

THE RIVIERA HOUSE is a beautiful read with authentic, mostly likable characters.

And, of course, you can’t have a book set in France without some romance. :)

Historical fiction fans, photography fans, vintage clothing fans, and art fans will not want to miss this book.

Another book that MUST be added to your summer reading list. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

The Riviera House by Natasha Lester!

One house….

Two women……

One from the past
fighting for the future…

The other from the present
wants to find the past…


This was a beautiful story about loss, love, betrayal, bravery, and hope!
Once again, I am amazed at Natasha Lester’s writing. Have you ever read a book where you felt like you could actually taste, smell, and feel everything the characters are experiencing? That is how well this book is written! There are two timelines in this book. Which I know from personal experience can become frustrating, but this book moves seamlessly between the two! This is my 3rd book by Natasha Lester and just like with her other books, you can feel the dedication, time, love, and research she has put show more into her books! That alone can make a book come alive! Happy reading everyone!

Thank you The Book Club Cookbook for sharing another great read with me! show less

Natasha brings such elegance to these WWII novels, and this one is just as good as the others. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. Another dual storyline, with focus of some resistance fighters during WWII, and decades later a mystery of family heritage and a painting needs to be solved, and the two connect once the codes are figured out.

War seems to have appeared overnight in Paris, and Élaine is tasked with helping catalog the art collection at the Jeu de Paume and soon she realizes what is really going on here. The Nazi’s, the cataloguing and the special visitors that they have to occasionally prepare last minute for. She falls into her role as a different Élaine at the museum and waitress at night to then serve and show more listen in on the German conversations. She has her own secrets she is keeping as well, and had to be very careful in playing these roles.

Remy in 2015 has retreated to a house on the Riviera, her adopted mother told her to take some time and get away. She has lost everything and needs to find herself again, although she is not sure that is possible. With her husband and daughter now gone, she doesn’t have anything to live for- how can she just move on. And yet this house, this place is a mystery that is unknown to them. Her adopted mother said paperwork came with Remy that this place was to be given to her when she need it most, and that is now.

Stumbling upon an art catalog she realizes that she has a painting very similar to this one in this book. But how is that possible, if this art is one that was taken by the Nazi’s, how did one very similar end up hanging above her bed for as long as she can remember. That painting has always been in her life, and that artists appears to have done another very similar one, but who are they how does she have a potentially lost piece of stolen Nazi art….

Thank you to Forever Publishing for sending me a copy of this novel, I could not wait to read it. Every time I read one of these novels, I learn something else that happened during the war that I had no idea about. show less