The Paris Portrait
Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Paris Portrait by Heidi Eljarbo, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book The Paris Portrait
Title: The Paris Portrait
Series: A Fabiola Bennett Mystery #3
Author: Heidi Eljarbo
Publisher: Independently published
Release Date: November 12, 2024
Genre: Historical Mystery, Dual Timeline, Fiction
Fabiola stumbles upon a clue that indicates a royal portrait went missing almost two hundred years ago. Is this true, or is there substance to the rumor?
Paris, France, 1973.
After an enjoyable but dusty road trip, Fabiola and her friends, Pippa and Cary, arrive in a small village on the outskirts of Paris to spend a few days with Fabiola’s brother Eivind and his family.
On their first evening there, Eivind shows Fabiola an ancient recipe book he bought at an auction. The book is filled with old writing, and he asks Fabiola to decipher the pages. After the others have gone to bed, she spends hours reading and is gripped by the last pages that have nothing to do with recipes for baked goods and stews. Certain the author was a famous portrait artist at the time of the French Revolution, Fabiola and her friends set out on a treacherous investigation, dodging murderers and thieves to learn the truth.
Versailles, France, 1789.
Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun— portraitist and close friend of the extravagant queen of France, Marie Antoinette—has already painted thirty portraits of the queen. Her contemporaries compare her to the old Dutch masters, calling her one of the greatest portrait painters of her time.
But outside on the streets, Paris is becoming more perilous with every day that passes. Madame Le Brun would be a fool to think the rumors of a revolution will pass, and aristocratic life will continue as before.
Amid the turmoil, she paints one final portrait of Marie Antoinette, knowing well her association with the queen could cause her to be arrested or executed. As chaos and riots in Paris turn to violence, Madame Le Brun flees with her young daughter, hoping her royal friend and the portrait will be safe.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
More Books in This Series
About the Author of The Paris Portrait
Heidi Eljarbo grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history.
Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.
Heidi’s favorites are her family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
Connect with Heidi by visiting heidieljarbo.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.
My Thoughts on The Paris Portrait
The Paris Portrait is a wonderful historical fiction novel and also the third in a series of suspenseful mystery novels. I thoroughly enjoyed all three books and have read them as soon as they’re available. Please please read them in order. Don’t try to start with this book. It’s the third in the series and they all build on the other as far as the adventures of the friends. And really, I feel you should read the series about Fabiola’s mother before you dive into Fabiola’s stories.
Her mother is Soli Hansen. She has her own series. This is a spin-off of that. While you could read Fabiola’s stories without reading Soli’s stories I’m a huge proponent of reading more books, not less. So, get to reading and don’t blame me when you surface in a few days after immersing yourself. You won’t blame me because you’ll have loved them all! Your house might be dirty though because you haven’t done anything but read. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.
Okay, the book. The Paris Portrait.
This novel has Fabiola and her two friends Cary and Pippa travelling to visit Fabiola’s brother. It’s just going to be a fun break. A visit to family, nothing more. Except you have to know that Fabiola is going to find a mystery and adventure along the way! And she does!
This mystery is brought to her by her brother Eivind. He doesn’t mean to. But he bought what he thought was a cookbook for his wife. It’s old. And it’s more than a cookbook. It’s also a journal from a painter who happened to do all the royal portraits for Queen Marie Antoinette. And the rumoured missing painting is now a thing because the journal talks about it!
Of course, now Fabiola must find the painting. Along the way, there is going to be a lot of mystery, new friends and enemies, plus some daring escapades and a whole lot of history.
Not to be a spoiler but it might involve poor Pippa getting bound and gagged, again. Pippa always comes across as a bit of an airhead with an addiction to men, but really she’s super smart!
I loved all the history.
Besides reading Hugo and Dickens about the time period I really haven’t spent a lot of time around the French Revolution. I got a good bit of history from this novel. But I also got a ton of fun and adventure to.
I love this author! She gives you just enough information to make you think this person is the bad guy and then this one all the while stringing you along so you don’t suspect that it is the actual person behind it all! It’s a good mystery for people who want to figure out the mystery and learn some history along the way.
I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from JustRead Publicity Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.
Tour Giveaway for The Paris Portrait
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card + a paperback of one Fabiola Bennett Mystery of your choice!
Find the full tour schedule linked below.
The giveaway begins at midnight on November 12, 2024, and will last through 11:59 PM EST on November 19, 2024.
Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of the close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of the prize.
There are no shipping restrictions.
Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
The giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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