Meet Me in Monaco: A Novel of Grace Kelly's Royal Wedding

Hazel Gaynor · Heather Webb

Jul 2019 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

"A fragrant French bonbon of a book: love, glamour, perfume, and paparazzi all circling around the wedding of the century..."--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of THE ALICE NETWORK and THE HUNTRESS.

Named one of InStyle's best books to put in your totebag for the summer!

Named one of Popsugar’s best books to put in your beachbag this summer and one of the best books of July!

Set in the 1950s against the backdrop of Grace Kelly’s whirlwind romance and unforgettable wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb take the reader on an evocative sun-drenched journey along the Côte d’Azur in this page-turning novel of passion, fate and second chances...

Movie stars and paparazzi flock to Cannes for the glamorous film festival, but Grace Kelly, the biggest star of all, wants only to escape from the flash-bulbs. When struggling perfumer Sophie Duval shelters Miss Kelly in her boutique to fend off a persistent British press photographer, James Henderson, a bond is forged between the two women and sets in motion a chain of events that stretches across thirty years of friendship, love, and tragedy.

James Henderson cannot forget his brief encounter with Sophie Duval. Despite his guilt at being away from his daughter, he takes an assignment to cover the wedding of the century, sailing with Grace Kelly’s wedding party on the SS Constitution from New York. In Monaco, as wedding fever soars and passions and tempers escalate, James and Sophie—like Princess Grace—must ultimately decide what they are prepared to give up for love.

Ratings and reviews

I felt like I was reading a Disney script for their next princess cartoon. Simplistic and cliched writing. I knew the middle (surprise? you're kidding) and end by the end of the first part. Maybe if I were a Hollywood groupie...? But no. I never would have bothered if not for the fact that it was our book club pick this month. I don't understand how this book has recieved so many good reviews.

A chance meeting during the Cannes Film Festival puts our narrator, Sophie Duval, parfumeuse of her inherited small boutique firm, Duvalls. When Grace Kelly jumps into their shop, just ahead of a photographer chasing a shot, Sophie’s assistant insists that she hide out in the office, much to Sophie’s chagrin. But from there our story begins, as Sophie and Grace strike up a friendship based on the unique blends of scent in the shop, and Sophie meets James, the British photographer with awful French, keen eyes and a camera that captures that “je ne sais quoi’ in the photographs it takes. Blending the story of Sophie’s fight to keep her firm alive with the moments of lightness and creation of scent for Grace Kelly, and their ongoing friendship is contrasted between her struggles with her alcoholic, verbally abusive and gambling mother and a ‘boyfriend’ who is constantly dismissive of her wants and desires, and conspires with her mother to sell up the shop, the factory in Grasse and her dreams. Contrast these moments with those of James, hired to be a paparazzi and hating every moment, he’s struggling with his own dreams, separation from his daughter and the attraction he finds to Sophie, despite her reluctance to share her heart. While Grace Kelly is the lynchpin to which these characters have come to interact, it is the descriptions and news clips from the days leading to the wedding, Sophie’s explanation of scent and memory capture, her doting on her father while trying to make her own name and line, and the bonds that she’s formed with James, Grace and her assistant Natalie. Again this is a readable novel with moments that spark interest in every person who’s ever imagined a royal wedding, or wondered about the talent and dedication the creation of a scent take, all mixed with a bit of love, some hardships, sacrifices and plenty of memories. Scents, scenes and moments jump off the pages while the need to cheer Sophie on, wonder about Grace, and worry for everyone involved never ends. Engrossing and wholly encompassing, you’ll travel to the south of France, see Monaco and be transported to the fields in Grasse, wondering at the scents and pictures the words evoke. I adored this book for the ease with which the story unfolded, not without its challenges for the characters, but the sweet and bittersweet moments where love stood prominently and primary, even for only short times. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Maybe good for a mindless beach read

About the author

Hazel Gaynor is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author known for her deeply moving historical novels which explore the defining events of the 20th century. A recipient of the 2015 RNA Historical Novel of the Year award, her work has since been shortlisted for multiple awards in the UK and Ireland. Her latest novel, The Last Lifeboat, was a Times of London historical novel of the month, shortlisted for the 2023 Irish Book Awards and recipient of the 2024 Audie Award for Best Fiction Narrator. Hazel’s work has been translated into twenty languages and is published in twenty-seven territories to date. She lives in Ireland with her family.

Heather Webb is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of ten historical novels, including her most recent The Next Ship Home, Queens of London, and Strangers in the Night. To date, her books have been translated to eighteen languages. She lives in Connecticut with her family and two mischievous cats.