The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Wood

Set in WWII in Paris and then moving to the present times, the story as is usual in two time lines links what is seemingly inexplicable and a mystery. Juliette has come to France with her husband - it has been a dream of her for so very long to recapture the world of her grandmother's past in France and now that she is actually in Paris she feels a connection that is scoffed at by her husband. Whilst on holiday, Juliette accidentally discovers that her husband has been unfaithful from a message she inadvertently read and that seals her decision to stay on in France and try to find out more about her grandmother and her family history. We then backtrack to occupied France and how the persecution of the Jews saw many French people come out to help to try to save as many people as they could. We see here Jacques the owner of the original bookshop and his wife Mathilde. Mathilde was more active in the Resistance and was interrogated on suspicion. Jacques was hesitant to get involved until his hand was almost forced by the humanitarian problem facing Parisians. Jacques begins leading a double life - holding people facing persecution in a hidden chamber in his house, buying books from Jewish families needing money and then being befriended by a Nazi official who was looking for book treasures but who also helped him by warning him of imminent arrests. The story in present day times was equally good. Juliette finds her dream bookshop decides to stay, become a small businesswoman in Paris, finds love again and gets to the bottom of her grandmothers story. Extremely good reading, wonderfully strong characters and the mix of history, family saga, romance and life was very captivating. Sent by Avon Books UK for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.