Book blurb found on Amazon for Fat Dogs and French Estates: 

When Beth, her beloved dog, Sam, and grumpy husband, Jack, return to France, disaster strikes. As they battle to restore order to their home, French authorities visit with shocking news.

Obliged to sit examinations in French, coping with furred and feathered babies, and wrangling French tradesmen, there’s no let-up in this action-packed episode of the Haslams’ adventures.

My review:

This is the fourth book I’ve read in this series. By far, this book has touched me deeply in many ways. First, a major storm that left major destruction, devastation, and death in its wake reminded me of a tornado that my boys and I lived through in the summer of 1985. I truly felt the fear and the devastation of the trees and more intensely. For a book to move me intensely is the mark of a quality book. Along the way, one dog and one kitten pass away and I was emotionally thrown by both. The dog, Sam, was old and had lived a long life. It was time for him to rest. My first dog, a Cocker Spaniel, was hit by a car and had to be put down. Beth’s dog had to be put down due his age and disease status. Sam is also the name of my youngest son who died after a horrid cancer battle. However, this book isn’t all tragic, not at all! Awesome British humor is found throughout sprinkled in with generous helpings of how the renovations are going and the damage clean up. Descriptions of the furnishings, solid wood, were tantalizing for me as were the granite counters and tile work. I always wanted a home like this, and never will, but now I have lived it vicariously through Beth’s books. I digress, but truly this is one exceptional book rich in the above and all things French! A solid FIVE stars!