Romance novel set in HERTFORDSHIRE and Cricklewood
Ten great books set in the DORDOGNE
11th May 2025
Ten great books set in the Dordogne. The Dordogne, a river and region in southwest France, offers a tapestry of natural beauty, historical charm, and culinary delights. It’s known for its picturesque villages nestled along the riverbanks, fortified castles that echo centuries past, and the vibrant local culture. The Dordogne is a haven for those seeking a relaxing escape, with opportunities for canoeing, kayaking, and exploring the region’s numerous vineyards.
Here are ten of our favourite books set in the region.
A Very French Wedding by Maeve Haran
For all those who imagine escaping to a château and living the dream . . . to find that even dreams can have their complications.
Steph, Jo and Meredith have been friends since school. Their lives have all taken very different paths across the years, but when Meredith buys a romantic château in an idyllic village in the Dordogne she finds she can’t do it alone – so who better to enlist for help than her two old friends? Together they hope to bring the château back to life and create the most romantic wedding venue in France.
And it seems that the nearby village of Bratenac has much more to offer than sun, wine and delicious French food when a handsome chef and his equally charming son, a vigneron from New Zealand, not to mention the local ladies’ luncheon club and a British bulldog named Nelly all join the party.
Friends and lovers, old and new, come together and fall apart in deepest France, culminating in a very special château wedding. Funny, uplifting and poignant, this is Maeve Haran, bestselling author of The Greek Holiday, at her very best.
Death in the Dordogne by Martin Walker
Crime fiction fans worldwide are talking about the Dordogne Mysteries. In the first book in this beloved series, read and discover why, and what dark secrets are lurking in the idyllic French town of St Denis.
When an old man, head of an immigrant North African family, is found murdered, suspicion falls on the son of the local doctor, discovered playing sex games surrounded by Nazi paraphernalia.
But policeman Bruno isn”t convinced, and suspects the crime has its roots in that most tortured period of French history – World War 2, a time of terror and betrayal that set brother against brother. Now it”s up to him to find the killer – but will the people of St Denis allow him to go digging through a past they long to forget in order to do so?
The Ripening Sun by Patricia Atkinson
For most people giving up the day job and moving to a beautiful area of France and living off the vines is an impossible but delicious dream. In 1990, Patricia Atkinson and her husband decided to sell up in Britain and emigrate to the Dordogne. Their idea was to buy a house with a few vines attached and employ someone to tend to the wine while they earned their living with some financial consultancy work. There followed a series of disasters: the stock market crashed leaving their small holding as their sole source of income; the first red wine harvest turned to vinegar; and Patricia’s husband returned to Britain, unable to cope with the stress. He never returned. Patricia Atkinson, whose only knowledge of wine up to that moment was ‘that it came from a bottle’ and who had not a word of French, was left to salvage their life savings form the vineyards. What follows is a remarkable story of struggle and transformation whereby her tiny 4 hectare plot has become a major estate of 21 hectares, where her Clos d’Yvigne wines have won awards and been adopted by wine merchants throughout the world and where she has been hailed as a superstar by UK wine writers.
The Schoolteacher of Saint-Michel by Sarah Steele
France, 1942. At the end of the day, the schoolteacher releases her pupils. She checks they have their identity passes, and warns them not to stop until the German guards have let them through the barrier that separates occupied France from Free France. As the little ones fly across the border and into their mothers’ arms, she breathes a sigh of relief. No one is safe now. Not even the children.
Berkshire, present day. A letter left to her by her beloved late grandmother Gigi takes Hannah Stone on a journey deep into the heart of the Dordogne landscape. As she begins to unravel a forgotten history of wartime bravery and sacrifice, she discovers the heartrending secret that binds her grandmother to a village schoolteacher, the remarkable Lucie Laval.
The Luckiest Woman Ever by Nell Goddin
Another pastry, another dead body…. Things have started to look up for Molly Sutton. Her new life in the French village of Castillac isn’t as peaceful as she expected it to be, but maybe that could be a good thing. Turns out a little mystery, a little excitement—it gives a girl with imagination something to do besides obsess about croissants. After Molly stumbles on another dead body, our amateur detective wastes no time before eavesdropping and butting into conversations all over town, gathering as much information as she can on everyone. But when Dufort is about to clap handcuffs on the wrong man, she’s got to do more than eavesdrop to save him. Will she have the chops—and the cleverness—to pull it off?
Blackbird Fly by Lise McClendon
When her husband dies suddenly, Merle Bennett and her teenage son decamp to the Dordogne to check out the stone cottage he left them… one they didn’t even know he owned. But a squatter has been living there for many years and is unwilling to leave for some random Americans. Suspense, tragedy, mystery, and a bit of romance ensue for Merle, the middle of five sisters, in this first of the Bennett Sisters Mysteries. “The descriptions of the French village and house make them a character with very much influence on Merle’s experience. Blackbird Fly has love and intrigue, and proof that family bonds are strong enough to reach beyond the grave.
Grape Expectations: A Family’s Vineyard Adventure in France by Caro Feely
Filled with vivid descriptions of delicious wines, great food, and stunning views, this is a unique insight into the world of the winemaker, and a story of passion, dedication, and love
When Caro and Sean find the perfect 10-hectare vineyard in Saussignac, it seems like their dreams of becoming winemakers in the south of France are about to come true. But they arrive in France with their young family (a toddler and a newborn) to be faced with a dilapidated 18th-century farmhouse and an enterprise that may never, ever make them a living. Undeterred by mouse infestations, a leaking roof, treacherous hordes of insects, visits from the local farm “police,” and a nasty accident with an agricultural trimmer, Caro and Sean set about transforming their “beyond eccentric” winery into a successful business as they embark on the biggest adventure of their lives—learning to make wine from the roots up.
Hand on Heart by Sara Downing
Love, laughter, friendship and sunshine…
The second novel in the popular Head Over Heels contemporary romance series.
Six years on and the friends are all older – although not necessarily wiser. Evie’s once devoted husband, James, is going through a mid-life crisis which threatens to tear the family – and their business – apart. Teenage angst from their two daughters only adds to Evie’s dilemma.
Evie puts all her hopes into their upcoming holiday to France, with good friends, Grace and Tom. But when a past love comes back to haunt Tom, with potentially life-changing consequences, he has his own choices to make.
Will the holiday bring Evie and James closer again? Or is two families under the roof of one chateau, for two whole weeks, simply a recipe for disaster?
You Me Everything by Catherine Isaac
Set in the French countryside over one hot summer, You Me Everything is a tender novel about finding joy and love even in the most unexpected places.
Jess and her ten-year-old son William set off to spend the summer at Château de Roussignol, deep in the rich, sunlit hills of the Dordogne. There, Jess’s ex-boyfriend and William’s father, Adam, runs a beautiful hotel in a restored castle. Jess is bowled over by what Adam has accomplished, but she’s in France for a much more urgent reason: to make Adam connect with his own son. Jess can’t allow Adam to let their son down because she is tormented by a secret of her own, one that nobody – especially William – must discover.
By turns life-affirming, heart-wrenching and joyful, You Me Everything is a novel about one woman’s fierce determination to grab hold of the family she has and never let go, and a romantic story as heady as a crisp Sancerre on a summer day.
Late Summer in the Vineyard by Jo Thomas
Escape to south-west France with LATE SUMMER IN THE VINEYARD – the irresistible new novel from the bestselling author of THE OYSTER CATCHER and THE OLIVE BRANCH. Emmy Bridges has landed the opportunity of a lifetime. What could be better than three months working for a winemaker in the rolling vineyards of France? It certainly makes a change from organising office collections to buy gifts for colleagues’ weddings and babies. Especially when there won’t be one for Emmy any time soon. It’s just hard to bring home a man when your sixty-five-year-old dad is up watching Pointless with a Horlicks. But as Emmy copes with ambitious co-workers and amorous advances, she will realise that the very best – and most unexpected – things happen when you trust your instincts. It’s time to let go of the past, and finally start living.
Enjoy our selection of great books set in the Dordogne!
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