The Widows of Champagne

Thank you Harlequin Books for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

𝐀𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝗪𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫!

The Widows of Champagne is an beautifully written, gripping and heartfelt historical fiction novel set in WWII and focusses on the Leblanc widows and the lengths they will go to to protect their vineyard and family secret from the Nazis.

I found myself completely immersed as the chapters cycled through all three women’s points of view. Their dangerous and harrowing acts of self-sacrifice were truly brave and noble. Ryan masterfully wove together all three points of view with her deeply layered characters.

If you are looking for a compelling and nongraphic Christian historical fiction book that takes you through all the emotions, then this book is for you.

Champagne, 1939

Gabrielle Leblanc Dupree is taking her family’s future into her hands. While she should be preparing for a lavish party to celebrate two centuries of champagne making, she secretly hides Chateau Fouché-Leblanc’s most precious vintages behind a fake wall in the cellar in preparation for the looming war. But when she joins the resistance, the coveted champagne isn’t the most dangerous secret her cellar must conceal…

A former Parisian socialite, Gabrielle’s mother, Hélène, lost her husband to another war. Now her home has been requisitioned by the Germans, who pillage vineyards to satisfy the Third Reich’s thirst for the finest champagne. There’s even more at stake than Hélène dares admit. She has kept her heritage a secret…and no one is safe in Nazi-occupied France.

Josephine, the family matriarch, watches as her beloved vineyard faces its most difficult harvest yet. As her daughter-in-law and granddaughters contend with the enemies and unexpected allies in their midst, Josephine’s deep faith leads to her own path of resistance.

Across years and continents, the Leblanc women will draw on their courage and wits, determined against all odds to preserve their lives, their freedom and their legacy…