Book Review - You Had Me At Chateau by Portia MacIntosh

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Title: You Had Me At Chateau

Author: Portia MacIntosh

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Boldwood Books

Publication Date: 15th September 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

This writer's retreat has a plot twist...

Romantic comedy writer Amber Page is stuck in a rut.

After her editor tells her she needs to "up the spice" in her books (literally Amber's worst nightmare...), she is at a crossroads with what to do with her career.

When the opportunity arises to go on a writer's retreat at an exclusive château in the beautiful French Alps Amber reluctantly agrees, hoping a change of scenery will help with inspiration.

But while she tries and fails to spice up her writing - with the unhelpful guidance of the eccentric romance writers at the château - she meets two leading men who cause her own real-life romantic comedy to unfold...

A laugh-out-loud love triangle, forced proximity romantic comedy from million-copy bestseller Portia MacIntosh.

Utterly hilarious as you have come to expect from Portia MacIntosh. 

So many memorable and funny moments and the whole writer's retreat was certainly different to what I would have thought! Makes me wonder which authors the author was modelling the participants on. 

From moments with lingerie, massage oils, a bathroom and a whole lot more, this is just brilliant.  Especially with Amber being a rom-com writer, who would love to swivel genre slightly, but instead her editor is insisting on spice - and it is very clear that Amber can't write spice, but she does want to include dead bodies! 

That's before you take into account a chapter that I can only imagine was in part modelled on the three Christmas dinner episode of Vicar of Dibley.  Amber loves her food,  but her bottomless pit may have have met its match with all the amazing food mentioned this story. 

With an absolutely stunning backdrop - the French Alps, this a fabulous wintery book, with plenty of com and some rom, that I enjoyed every last second of. 

Already can't wait for the next book from this author (luckily I don't have to wait for too long as she is a writing machine!). 

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.