Toute Allure: Falling in Love in Rural France (Tout Sweet Book 2)

This is the second in a 3 series book set. The first book Toot Sweet tells of Karens discovery of the need for a drastic change, so she buys a fixer upper in a little French Village while visiting a friend in the Village. This book picks up where Toot Sweet left off . Karen is now settled enough to begin to take part and become part of the group. So what does she do? when and a bunch of British ex-pats form a line dancing club, a country"Boot Scootin' Boogie" line dancing club, cosmopolitan Karen joins in and loves it. Turns out the French country people love it too and soon they are all learning the dancing and enjoying one anothers company. I gotta say, the idea of French people gettin' down with country line dancing made me laugh outloud. Then their is her lttle dog Biff , he steals Karens heart, every corner of it, and becomes a real joy in her life. The rest of the book is about her social interations and a couple of boyfriend loves that go sour, I was not very interested in this part of the book , but when I read book three "Tout Soul" the whole picture of Karen's story comes together and the reader gets to share in the authors life changing way of looking at situations and the future, so all 3 of the books together give the reader an in depth look at what it was like to live the life changing experiences of our authoress, a grand look into the surprises that life hands us and what we do with those surprises. Book one and three are on my kindle and so that is where I have reviewed them, book 2 was not available on Kindle at the time I purchased them thus my review for book 2 is not in the kindle section.

About 1/4 into this book, I thought I probably wouldn't finish it.I had several bjections:1) what initially felt like far too much name-brand mention (Prada, etc) of shoes, makeup, purses, perfumes.2) I'm not a 'dog person,' so for my liking, there was too much DOG in this book3) The author, a Brit, lives in rural France but socializes almost exclusively w the expat community.I kept reading for several reasons:1) There are stretches of really good writing in the book2) I ended up objecting to the dog, Biff, far less than I had expected3) The name brand name-dropping faded just enough about halfway through that I stopped grinding my teeth4) A few native French people began to play more of a role5) Eventually I got drawn into the love storyBut I think what really kept me reading was the frequent and very well-done insertion of French phrases in the book. I speak a teeny, teeny, teeny bit of French...but now I speak more! I can even say 'It doesn't matter' in French. Wheeler tosses these sentences into the English prose in such a way that, even without her occasional interpretation in parentheses, a reader can infer meaning. Toute Allure is a little like a French phrase book buried in a fluffy romance buried in a travel story.Pas mal, pas mal! (Not bad!)

I read the first of this series, "Tout Sweet" and as soon as I learned the author had written two more books, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them to see what happens next. I am only about a third of the way into this book and I am loving every bit of it so far. Laugh out loud funny at times, the author does such a good job describing her characters and scenarios that you feel like you are a fly on the wall. Her true life adventures are so much more entertaining than anything anybody could make up. Having visited rural France several times, I can visualize the scenes and people so easily. She doesn't glamorize the new life but rather tells it like it is which is challenging at times but always worth the adventure. I am such a fan of her writing style, with just enough prose to make it seem like a movie unfolding but direct and uncluttered so you feel like she is your best friend sitting up late with you sharing her heart over a good bottle of red. Truly some of my favorite books of all time. I wish a movie would be made of them. Like all great reads, I can't wait to finish them but never want them to end.

I read Tout Sweet when it was offered for free on my Kindle. Well I could not wait to read more of Ms Wheeler's writing. She brings the French country side to vivid life. I have never traveled outside of the USA but after reading Tout Sweet and Tout Allure, I feel I took a vacation to the village of Villiers! And I was even more happy when I saw that she had also written a third book, Tout Soul. I purchased all three paperbacks and plan to place them on my book shelf to re read as I do all good books. I am reading Tout Soul at present and I am reading it slowly for I hate to end my time with Ms Wheeler.

I am a Francophile and have lived in France. I knew nothing about this book, but it was an Amazon recommendation as I order books about France and life in France. Karen Heller's book is very good, sometimes funny and in my opinion tells a story that and average person (not one with tons of money) can relate to about moving to a foreign country.I am glad that she wrote more books about her life in France.This particular has an interesting twist at the end that I did not expect.

I LOVE all of Karen Wheeler's books! I've read each one - each in one day! Her books are written like a friend who would relay a story to you. I couldn't wait for each new book to come out. It was like catching up with an old friend. I've already emailed Karen to ask about her next book and she emailed me back, immediately. I keep up with her and her friends on her website. She's living my dream and now has given me the courage to start living mine. My life is now "tres bon" - thanks, Karen! :)

I have now read three of the four books and am on the last one now. I have really enjoyed all of the books and at some points have not been able to put it down. The up's and downs of Karen's life have been written very well and I have enjoyed the journey with her.

Always so well written, whether you sympathize with her or not. I love all of Ms. Wheeler's books. And of course, I am a sucker for the moved-to-France/Italy/Greece lit - all of the pleasure with none of the pain.

I’m undecided as to whether or not I liked this book.I like the idea of the adventure but not sure the story or the characters really grabbed me. I think it’s put me off buying a home in France as there are far too many British and they tend to congregate together but come on “line dancing” sounds pretty desperate to me.I’m also not sure that the author’s personal relationship choices are particularly smart. Jon was a jerk and she should have ditched him long before she did. Luis seemed dim and devoid of real personality but everyone sees things differently in relationships. I really like Biff the dog though.

This is the second book about her life in Poitou-Charentes, France, a life that is very different from the glamour of the London fashion world she has left behind. In  Tout Sweet: Hanging Up my High Heels for a New Life in France  we left Karen nicely settled into her new community having almost finished the renovations of her village house and we find her hoping to meet someone special to share her life with. She is finally over the Ex and there are a few friendly faces she has bumped into, so she is in an optimistic mood. Karen takes us into the somewhat bizarre world of the expat in France where stress levels rise at the local quiz night and tempers get frayed in the Entente Cordial line-dancing group (oh yes, London fashionista becomes French line dance addict). She certainly knows how to enjoy herself, but the funniest bits for me are the descriptions of the weird and wonderful members of the community that she now finds herself in. The quiet life she was expecting takes a bit of a detour with the arrival of the Portuguese builders into the house next door, who enjoy late night music and street barbecues, behaviour that doesn't endear them to the neighbours. There is another side to Toute Allure, it is also the story of how two soul mates meet and eventually find a way to be together forever. This is a love story with a difference and was so readable it paralysed me for two days.Living in the same area Karen lives in, I love that some of the places and things she writes about are familiar sounding and since reading her first book I've often thought how nice it would be to meet her for a coffee or a glass of wine. Having now read this, it is Biff (the four legged love of her life) I want to meet! Sorry Karen, but you paint such a beautiful picture of him with your words I want to run and chase deer in the Poitou-Charentes hills with him and our dog Mini.I can honestly say there was nothing I didn't like about this book, except that it ended. If you love memoirs on life in France and if you haven't read it, it should be on your `to read' list, especially if you are a dog lover as well. I'm now looking forward to reading book three,  Tout Soul: The Pursuit of Happiness in Rural France.  before Karen finishes book four  Sweet Encore: A Road Trip from Paris to Portugal  which is due out next year. Tout Sweet: Hanging Up my High Heels for a New Life in FranceTout Soul: The Pursuit of Happiness in Rural France.Sweet Encore: A Road Trip from Paris to Portugal

I can only repeat what so many other reviewers of this book have already said. It is a fantastic read, I started it on a Sunday and kept going until I finished it in early next morning as dawn crept under my curtains - which meant I was not fit for anything at work the next day. The point is you cannot put this book (or her last one) down. It makes me want to rush down to Poitou Charentes to start my own French Adventure - you cannot help but want to be part of that life. I love the way she writes and her descriptions of the life she is living and the characters in her life.It is a wonderful feel-good book and I feel it is an honest account of the life she has made for herself. I am so envious, particulary of her having found the gorgeous Biff. Also, it is refreshing to read an account of the trials & tribulations of someone relocating to France from a singleton's point of view, especially when that singleton is still open to the possibility of romance.My only one small critism is that a decent proof reader should have picked up a couple of things and hopefully they will pick these up in time for the next re-print, but that is a minor gripe and please believe me - it does not detract from the all consuming enjoyment you will get from this book. Go on, treat yourself, you deserve it.

I ordered all three books together, Sweet, Allure and Soul. It took me just a few days to read them. I am not really a big reader, it is only when something catches my eye that I would buy and read it. When I started reading Sweet, I was addicted, I couldnt put it down. I carried it in my handbag so I could read at every opportunity. It was brilliant, then Allure, it was brilliant... with a genuine happy ending. The third book, Soul, was also brilliant even though it took on a different slant... it had a big impact on me due to the sadness of it... probably because all the while while reading it, knowing that the sad events were not just part of a fictional novel, it was actually true life. I wont comment or make judgement on Karen Wheeler or any of the characters in the book, I will leave that up to new readers to form their own views and opinions. I imagine that everyone would gain different things from this book and be affected in different ways especially if they can relate to any of the events in it. Karen Wheeler as a writer - fabulous!

As a man I need to be fair in my review. I have enjoyed numerous aspects of this book and skipped parts. It is obviously written from a female perspective and is enlightening in this respect of itself.It's a well written book but occasionally reveals a middle class smugness. Sometimes I couldn't help feeling the author was angling for a Daily Mail serial! The author on the other hand is quite happy poking fun at herself and her foibles.I felt there was an opportunity to extend the narrative into more than a fluff piece about living abroad. The description of some if the characters pulls the punches and let's these people off lightly. It's as though the author is caught in a manners market me time warp. Take off the gloves and give your writing some oomph.....