I’m happy to have read and be reviewing Paris Time Capsule from Ella Carey, the author of Beyond the Horizon which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Paris Time Capsule

The parcel arrived on an ordinary morning in the mailbox of her New York apartment, postmarked Paris. It was wrapped in brown paper and tied with a silk ribbon. Little did she know that the old brass key and letter it contained were about to turn her life upside down…

1940, Paris. Life is getting desperate for young Isabelle de Florian. Alone with her best friend in her Paris apartment, Isabelle knows that they must seek safety or die. For months she has been playing a dangerous game of secrets with the Nazis, trying to keep the people she loves safe. At last, she secures passage out of the city, packs her best jewels into a small suitcase and steps into the treacherous night…

New York, 2015. Photographer Cat Jordan is shocked when she receives a letter informing her that she is the sole heir of the estate of Isabelle de Florian. She was a friend of Cat’s enigmatic grandmother, who both lived in France until the Nazi occupation forced them to flee. The letter offers few details but is clear on one point: Cat must come to Paris in person.

When she arrives, Cat is enchanted by Isabelle’s beautiful apartment. But why did she leave it to a stranger? Determined to find the truth, Cat investigates her grandmother and Isabelle’s escape from Paris, and discovers that Isabelle was hunted by the Nazis in 1940. But as Cat searches through the dusty letters in the apartment, will the secret she finds change everything she knows about Isabelle and herself?

From bestselling author Ella Carey comes an utterly spellbinding novel about wartime secrets. Paris Time Capsule shows that pulling on the tiniest thread of a life can unravel everything you thought you knew, and change your world forever.

This book was first published in 2015.  

My Review

The author based this on real life story about a Parisian apartment that had been locked up for 70 years and when it was opened it was found to be surprisingly well preserved and full of artifacts and paintings. Then she spun a beautiful tale of love and discovery around this.

I quickly got swept into the story of Cat flying to Paris to discover that she had inherited an apartment only to find that it actually belonged to Isabelle and should rightfully left to her daughter and children.

When she together with Loic, the grandson, enter the apartment they are surprised beyond measure at how it has been preserved and all the stunning antiques and art work there is there. The author’s descriptions of the apartment are so vivid that I was almost transported there.

Together with Loic, Cat starts on a journey to discover why Isabelle left this apartment to her. As they uncover the mystery piece by piece, they are also drawn to each other. However, Cat is already engaged and fights her feelings. Loic challenges her to be true to herself, not just about her engagement to Christian, but also about settling for a life without passion.

Though the story of the apartment is uncovered gradually, it was so interesting that I just had to keep reading it right through. The book was a lovely mix of mystery, romance, fascinating history, great characters and very vivid descriptions. I found this a captivating read from start to finish.

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Author Bio:

Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over fourteen languages, in twelve countries, and have been shortlisted for ARRA awards. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne with her two children and two Italian greyhounds who are constantly mistaken for whippets.

Ella loves to connect with her readers regularly through her Facebook page and on her website and Twitter.

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I received an ARC of Paris Time Capsule from the publisher, Bookouture, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.