My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley (French Illusions Book 1)

"This is an engaging read, all the more because it is true." - Patricia Sands, award-winning author of The Promise of Provence.

French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley, is the first of two books based on the author's diaries from 1979. Twenty-one-year-old Linda Kovic needs to learn a language fast in order to fulfill her dream of becoming a flight attendant, so she contracts to become an au pair for a wealthy French family in the Loire Valley. In order to secure the nanny position, she lies on her application and pretends to speak the language, confident she'll be forgiven once she arrives at her destination. This book captures her real-life story inside and outside the Château de Montclair, detailing Linda’s challenges and triumphs as she tries to adjust to her new life with the hard-to-please Madame Dubois, her husband and their two incomprehensible children. When Linda attends language classes at a local university, she encounters, Adam, a handsome young student, and her life with the family becomes more complicated, adding fuel to her internal battle for independence. Join Linda on her adventure of discovery and romance in an extraordinary part of the world.