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Branche Olive: Fleur de Lis
Fleur de Lis is Olivia’s journey.
Follow Olivia through the cities of the world and a world of emotions. Her desperate need to be loved throws her into an elite society where traditions are turned on their head. Can the lives she’s touched rescue Olivia from herself?
Follow Olivia through the cities of the world and a world of emotions. Her desperate need to be loved throws her into an elite society where traditions are turned on their head. Can the lives she’s touched rescue Olivia from herself?
390 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
78 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Leung
4 books12 followersTracy Leung was born and raised in New York City. Her mother is a blend of Puerto Rican and Filipino, her father Chinese.
Exposed to a wealth of cultures, Tracy absorbed the influences around her with fervor. She has embraced her love of travel and language to live and work abroad. Tracy’s personal experience has provided a unique perspective on the diversity of traditions around the world.
Her professional life has taken her into the fashion, technology and finance industries. She has worked in senior positions in the private sector and on Wall Street, dealing extensively with international military, diplomatic and executive contacts.
Tracy's passion and skill in cooking reflects her cosmopolitan background and taste. Always eager to find the back street restaurant where only the locals eat, whether in London, Paris, Rome or at home in New York, she interprets menus into her own distinctive recipes.
Using these experiences to full effect, Tracy has created dynamic characters in actual locations to populate "Branche Olive".
Exposed to a wealth of cultures, Tracy absorbed the influences around her with fervor. She has embraced her love of travel and language to live and work abroad. Tracy’s personal experience has provided a unique perspective on the diversity of traditions around the world.
Her professional life has taken her into the fashion, technology and finance industries. She has worked in senior positions in the private sector and on Wall Street, dealing extensively with international military, diplomatic and executive contacts.
Tracy's passion and skill in cooking reflects her cosmopolitan background and taste. Always eager to find the back street restaurant where only the locals eat, whether in London, Paris, Rome or at home in New York, she interprets menus into her own distinctive recipes.
Using these experiences to full effect, Tracy has created dynamic characters in actual locations to populate "Branche Olive".
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 1, 2012
This book pleasantly surprised me on a number of levels. As a man, the idea of Women's Fiction' didn't immediately appeal to me, but upon reading, it didn't take long for me to become drawn to the characters as their personalities and situations developed.
A sign of a good actor is that they can elicit an emotional reaction from you when playing a part. You laugh with them, hurt for them and even if you totally dislike the character they play, you are involved with them.
Tracy Leung does the same with the 'actors' in her novel. I found myself growing more attached to certain characters whilst being wary of others. As with all good stories though, first impressions are not always correct and you, as the reader, find yourself being manipulated along with the characters themselves.
Although the book deals in depth with the sexual side of relationships, both straight and gay, the narrative never descends to being crude or graphic. The intimacies encountered throughout the book are an integral part of the development of the players, serving to illustrate their respective strengths, frailties and changing status.
The descriptions used - of people and places - is always enough to allow you to see the story in your mind's eye, without being so overwhelming as to take away the readers imagination. Sometimes less is more and my image of Olivia will not be the same as yours, but in all cases she will be the Olivia that Ms Leung wanted her to be.
I found the plot development in the story to be intriguing and felt a sense of accomplishment as I began to tie the threads together. This is not a 'mystery' tale, but still requires the reader to be alert and look for clues as events and characters become entwined.
This is book one of a trilogy. I look forward to continuing my journey in the world Ms Leung has created.
In the interest of full disclosure I must point out that I am the husband of the author. HOWEVER, I did not read, either in total or in part, any of this novel until it had reached it's final edits. This review is based solely on my personal impression of the story.
A sign of a good actor is that they can elicit an emotional reaction from you when playing a part. You laugh with them, hurt for them and even if you totally dislike the character they play, you are involved with them.
Tracy Leung does the same with the 'actors' in her novel. I found myself growing more attached to certain characters whilst being wary of others. As with all good stories though, first impressions are not always correct and you, as the reader, find yourself being manipulated along with the characters themselves.
Although the book deals in depth with the sexual side of relationships, both straight and gay, the narrative never descends to being crude or graphic. The intimacies encountered throughout the book are an integral part of the development of the players, serving to illustrate their respective strengths, frailties and changing status.
The descriptions used - of people and places - is always enough to allow you to see the story in your mind's eye, without being so overwhelming as to take away the readers imagination. Sometimes less is more and my image of Olivia will not be the same as yours, but in all cases she will be the Olivia that Ms Leung wanted her to be.
I found the plot development in the story to be intriguing and felt a sense of accomplishment as I began to tie the threads together. This is not a 'mystery' tale, but still requires the reader to be alert and look for clues as events and characters become entwined.
This is book one of a trilogy. I look forward to continuing my journey in the world Ms Leung has created.
In the interest of full disclosure I must point out that I am the husband of the author. HOWEVER, I did not read, either in total or in part, any of this novel until it had reached it's final edits. This review is based solely on my personal impression of the story.
July 10, 2017
With her debut book, new author Tracy Leung has delivered a powerhouse of a novel with just the right amount of bite to stop it being a saccharine sweet tale of love.
Fleur de Lis, the first book in the Branche Olive series, centres around Olivia, a damaged young Frenchwoman who is still reeling from a tragic loss when she bumps into Simon, who appears on the surface to be a wealthy playboy.
However, he also carries his own demons. Simon is in love with Rajesh, he loves Simon but, for propriety's sake, and to keep his family's wealth firmly in his pocket, must put on the traditional appearance of marriage with the beautiful Ayati to appease his strict Indian parents.
This complex tale sweeps the reader through emotional highs and lows as Olivia seeks to find a new place without Henry, opening the flower shop he had bought her in London while employing Nanette to look after things in the Parisian store where she first met her lover.
With excellent narrative the story moves from Paris to London, onto New York and across to the more far flung corners of the world as this foursome seek to establish the boundaries in their complicated relationships.
The sex scenes are exceptionally well done, nothing too graphic but still delivering on emotional connection between the characters, both gay and straight, and the reader can feel the pain of both Simon and Olivia as they try to find a pathway in a marriage which started as a means to an end.
Olivia is a seriously damaged character and Ms Leung does well to prevent her becoming one-dimensional. She creates a heroine who is as complex as she is frustrating, one the reader alternatively wants to shake and then give a big hug to.
The rest of the characters are equally well rounded, there is no-one who appears simply as a means to drive forward the plot, each person has a place which gives an insight into the world of Olivia, Simon, Rajesh and Ayati.
And it is a beautiful and fascinating world to journey in.
Fleur de Lis, the first book in the Branche Olive series, centres around Olivia, a damaged young Frenchwoman who is still reeling from a tragic loss when she bumps into Simon, who appears on the surface to be a wealthy playboy.
However, he also carries his own demons. Simon is in love with Rajesh, he loves Simon but, for propriety's sake, and to keep his family's wealth firmly in his pocket, must put on the traditional appearance of marriage with the beautiful Ayati to appease his strict Indian parents.
This complex tale sweeps the reader through emotional highs and lows as Olivia seeks to find a new place without Henry, opening the flower shop he had bought her in London while employing Nanette to look after things in the Parisian store where she first met her lover.
With excellent narrative the story moves from Paris to London, onto New York and across to the more far flung corners of the world as this foursome seek to establish the boundaries in their complicated relationships.
The sex scenes are exceptionally well done, nothing too graphic but still delivering on emotional connection between the characters, both gay and straight, and the reader can feel the pain of both Simon and Olivia as they try to find a pathway in a marriage which started as a means to an end.
Olivia is a seriously damaged character and Ms Leung does well to prevent her becoming one-dimensional. She creates a heroine who is as complex as she is frustrating, one the reader alternatively wants to shake and then give a big hug to.
The rest of the characters are equally well rounded, there is no-one who appears simply as a means to drive forward the plot, each person has a place which gives an insight into the world of Olivia, Simon, Rajesh and Ayati.
And it is a beautiful and fascinating world to journey in.
May 21, 2012
This book was nothing like what I expected it to be... I started reading it expecting a fairly straight-forward romance story, and instead I found a complex narrative so deeply steeped in love, pain, hope and desperation that it gripped me and wouldn't let go.
It explores the themes of unconventional relationships, lost dreams and how small events can change the course of your life. Olivia's story is by no means a happy one and at times the book really grabs you by the throat. It's a testament to Tracy Leung's story-telling ability that I started out disliking Olivia and by the end of the book I couldn't do anything but feel sorry for this hurt creature. She'd stolen a little spot in my heart.
The book starts off slow, setting a lot of pieces on the board without it being immediately obvious how they fit together. As you get into the story everything starts to slot in place though, and I found myself reading the last quarter of the book in one go as events spiraled to a cascade and I simply had to know how it would end.
I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for a fluffy summer read... but the emotional depth of this book makes it something you absolutely should not miss. It will stick in your mind long after you've finished reading it.
It explores the themes of unconventional relationships, lost dreams and how small events can change the course of your life. Olivia's story is by no means a happy one and at times the book really grabs you by the throat. It's a testament to Tracy Leung's story-telling ability that I started out disliking Olivia and by the end of the book I couldn't do anything but feel sorry for this hurt creature. She'd stolen a little spot in my heart.
The book starts off slow, setting a lot of pieces on the board without it being immediately obvious how they fit together. As you get into the story everything starts to slot in place though, and I found myself reading the last quarter of the book in one go as events spiraled to a cascade and I simply had to know how it would end.
I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for a fluffy summer read... but the emotional depth of this book makes it something you absolutely should not miss. It will stick in your mind long after you've finished reading it.
May 18, 2012
What a great book, I can't wait for the next book in the series. What a fabulous author, she has created characters with such depth!
October 21, 2012
I received the book Branche Olive: Fleur de Lis by winning a Goodreads giveaway and recently finished reading it. I have to say that I will read the other ones as well. When I first started reading it, I thought the story would be about "perfect happy love" but it turns out this book has a good balance of events. It's definitely a good read!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews