The Last Fashion House in Paris

By: Ryan, Renee

Book Overview

In the heart of occupied WWII Paris, an elegant fashion house is the unlikely headquarters of a daring resistance network. Behind closed doors, courageous women vie to save loved ones and strangers alike from the Nazis in this powerful story of survival, friendship and second chances.

France, 1942

Once, Paulette Leblanc spent her days flirting, shopping and drawing elegant dresses in her sketch pad. Then German tanks rolled into France, and a reckless romance turned into deep betrayal. Blaming herself for her mother's arrest by the Gestapo, Paulette is sent away to begin a new life in Paris, working as apprentice to fashion designer Sabine Ballard.

But Maison de Ballard is no ordinary fashion house. While seamstresses create the perfect couture gowns, clandestine deals and secrets take place out of sight. Mademoiselle Ballard is head of a vast network of resistance fighters--including Paulette's coworker and friend Nicolle Cadieux--who help escort downed military men and Jewish families to safety.

Soon Paulette is recruited as a spy. Working as a seamstress by day, gathering information at glamorous parties by night, Paulette at last has a chance to earn the redemption she craves. But as the SS closes in, and Nicolle goes missing, Paulette must make life-and-death decisions about who to trust, who to love and who to leave behind...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1335090436
• ISBN13: 9781335090430
• Release Date: December 2024
• Publisher: Love Inspired Trade
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

An awe inspiring, 5 star book!

Rarely do I close a book, and just sit there in awe, thinking wow, what an incredible story!  This story seeped into my very soul with its characters and storyline.  I was engaged immediately, and felt like I was literally there, walking through it right along with them.  It is set in Paris, France during WWII, and tells the story of three incredible women, who in the midst of darkness and evil, through horrendous mistakes and consequences, through loss and hardship, stand up, and work together to save lives during the Nazi occupation of France, even though it means daily risking their own.  Each one is drawn to the resistance for their own personal reasons, and by working together, they find the courage and strength they each need to continue on after tremendous tragedy, and also find healing, love and grace that leads to strong friendships, even with all the chaos and death that was surrounding them at that time! The story begins with Pauline LeBlanc, a young debutante, whose family produces the infamous Fouché-Leblanc champagne, who has just realized that her love affair with a Nazi officer Friedrich Weber was all a lie, and because of her, her beloved Jewish mother has been arrested, their chateaux is being searched, and she believes it is all her fault.  With the whereabouts of her mother unknown, a guilt-striken Pauline is exiled by her sister to Paris, to stay with her mother's dearest friend, Mademoiselle Sabine Ballard, who is the owner of a famous fashion house in Paris, but who is heavily involved in the resistance.  Paulette goes to Paris with a heavy heart, but faces the reality of her choices, and in searching for the redemption she so desperately desires, she gives all she can to do a good job for Madam Sabine, and soon finds herself not only becoming quite the seamstress, but someone who can turn her own life around by helping rescue those who are just like her mother. Next we meet Nicolle Cadieux, code name: Odette. She is one of Madam Sabine's most trusted staff at the fashion house, but she has become like a daughter to her, and also works as a passeur, escorting English airmen trapped in Nazi territory, get back home.  Before the war, Nicolle had a husband, and a baby boy, but her husband died while in the army defending the Maginot Line, prior to the Nazi occupation, and had to place her son with a couple in the country for his safety.  She found a job with Madam, and began working in the dark to serve the light, as Madam always said. She must do all she can to keep her son safe, and to keep her deepest secret, which if found out, could cost her everything. Mademosielle Sabine Ballard is not all she seems. She has watched her beloved France be conquered, not only the land, but the people, and she decides she will do everything she can, because so many will not.  She becomes involved in the risky game of rescuing Jews and English airmen by providing a network to get them out of France, but at times she must make deals with the devil, and even loses her own daughter Giselle to a Nazi pistol. So now, she has taken in other girls like Nicolle and Pauline, trying to help them while also helping rescue France, one life at a time...all in memory of her beautiful Giselle. This book was an incredible read. I know it is fiction, but knowing some about WWII, I know the situations in this story were true.  It was very well written, realistic, and amazing to read every page!  This story really touched my heart in a way that really few do.  I highly recommend it, and am grateful for the real people like Madam Sabine, Nicolle, and Pauline, who even though they had great tragedy in their lives, they didn't let that stop them from helping others.  They didn't stay quiet, and just look out for themselves, but worked together, and thru love, friendship, and unity, they pushed back the darkness, one rescue at a time. All the reward they wanted was safety and freedom for others.  In our current climate, we should remembe