When a book has two stunning covers for the e-book and hardback like The French House by Jacquie Bloese, how can a reader resist? I’m thrilled that The French House is my latest online My Weekly magazine review.

Published by Hodder and Stoughton on 28th April 2022, The French House is available for purchase through the links here.

The French House

In Nazi-occupied Guernsey, the wrong decision can destroy a life…

Left profoundly deaf after an accident, Émile is no stranger to isolation – or heartbreak. Now, as Nazi planes loom over Guernsey, he senses life is about to change forever.

Trapped in a tense, fearful marriage, Isabelle doesn’t know what has become of Émile and the future she hoped for. But when she glimpses him from the window of the French House, their lives collide once more.

Leutnant Schreiber is more comfortable wielding a paintbrush than a pistol. But he has little choice in the role he is forced to play in the occupying forces – or in his own forbidden desires.

As their paths entwine, loyalties are blurred and dangerous secrets forged. But on an island under occupation, courage can have deadly consequences…

Lyrical, moving and compelling, this is a novel about wanting to hear and learning to listen – to the truths of our own hearts. Perfect for lovers of The Nightingale, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and All the Light We Cannot See.

My Review of The French House

My full review of The French House can be found on the My Weekly website here.

However, here I can say that The French House is an absolute triumph of storytelling, evocative writing and magnificent characters.

Do visit My Weekly to read my full review here.

About Jacquie Bloese

Jacquie Bloese, an alumna of the Curtis Brown Creative course, has a strong personal connection with the subject matter of The French House. She grew up on Guernsey, and is in love with both the island setting and its history. The character of Émile is loosely inspired by her great-grandfather, who suffered permanent hearing loss as a young man. Jacquie has worked as a publisher of English Language Teaching materials for a variety of publishers including Penguin Random House, Scholastic and Oxford University Press. The French House, which was commended in the 2020 Caledonian Novel Award as ‘a brilliantly moving historical novel’ and was a finalist in the 2019 Mslexia First Novel Award, is her debut novel.

For further information, follow Jacquie on Twitter @novelthesecond and visit her website. You’ll also find Jacquie on Facebook and Instagram.