If you’re looking for an escape novel, look no further. The Lantern offers up a setting and story that will transport you to the sensuous south of France with lush descriptions of fragrant lavender fields, idyllic hillside villages, crumbling estates, and a plot that reveals two story lines both taking place in one centuries-old farmhouse. This is a modern-day gothic that weaves romance and mystery.

In alternating narratives, we are introduced to Eve and Dom who have moved to Les Genevriers, “a charming yet decaying hamlet nestled amid the fragrant lavender fields of Provence,” and to Benedict Lincel, the home’s former owner. The old farmhouse is shrouded in history, with former owners whose deaths have remained a mystery for years. Unsettling appearances of glowing lights at night and scents that inexplicably overwhelm rooms hint at the presence of ghosts leaving Eve both anxious and curious. This is a feast for the senses, complete with a plot line involving Benedict’s sister, a famous perfumer in Paris who lost her sight as a young girl. The descriptions of her sensational perfume based on the lavender fields of her home are lush and heady.

I truly enjoyed this provocative novel, and appreciated the armchair trip to the warm, earthy-scented south of France. Pick up this book and take the ride. ~Wendee