Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen

Ellie Endicott is stunned when her husband of 30 years tells her he wants a divorce to marry a “smart, pleasant,” much younger colleague. Once she has recovered from her shock and humiliation, she admits – to herself, at least – that she didn’t love him. As Ellie wonders what is next for her, Mavis, her cleaning lady, persuades her to consult a solicitor:

“You’ve put up with a lot for that man. Like a spoiled toddler, he is. Tantrums if he can’t get his own way. Between you and me, I don’t know why you’ve put up with him so long, Mrs. E. If you want me two pennies’ worth, you’re better off without him. It’s about time you got to live your own life, have a bit of fun.”

She plonked a cup of tea down in front of Ellie, who looked up with an incredulous smile on her lips. “A bit of fun? I’m fifty years old, Mavis. A little old for fun, wouldn’t you say?”

“Not at all. Life’s what you make it. That’s what I say.”

Ellie is eager to leave but isn’t sure where she wants to go until she remembers a long-ago holiday in the South of France. It’s 1938 and the news from Europe is not good but she decides to go anyway – and does not wind up going alone. Miss Smith-Humphries, a fearsome elderly lady who supervises the flower arrangements at the church, surprises Ellie by asking if she can accompany her. And Ellie impulsively invites Mavis to come and get away from her abusive husband. At the last minute, she decides to take her husband’s Bentley so they don’t have to worry about trains. Off they go to France!

On the hillsides grew umbrella pines, Italian cypress and herby shrubs whose scent filled the car – sage and rosemary and other smells that Ellie could not identify. She breathed in deeply, letting the scents remind her that she had escaped, that she was now far away and starting a new and different life. I may never go back, she thought, toying with the idea. What if she found a place she liked and stayed there forever?

The adventure is going well until the Bentley dies in a small fishing village. With no alternative but to wait for a local mechanic to fix the car, the ladies, plus a pregnant French girl they rescued along the way, find rooms at a pension and start exploring the town. When Ellie hears about an abandoned villa on the cliffs above the village, she is intrigued and insists on renting it, although it is in disrepair. What makes the story appealing is the way Ellie and her companions create new lives for themselves and make friends from the humblest inhabitant to a selfish viscount who visits occasionally. But war is coming and the Germans who reach the hamlet of Saint Benet will not look kindly on British visitors. Should they stay, or should they go now?!

To my surprise, it turns out that Rhys Bowen is the pen name of Janet Quin-Harkin, who wrote a number of Sweet Dreams romances I enjoyed, probably when I worked at Bantam years ago.  The only one I still have is On Our Own but I particularly remember liking a six-book series called Heartbreak Cafe.

This is my eighteenth book for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge - 5 stars.

Title: Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure
Author: Rhys Bowen
Publication: Lake Union Publishing, hardcover, 2025
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Library