The Road to Villa Page: A He Said/She Said Memoir of Buying Our Dream Home in France

Written by Cynthia Royce and William James Royce

Narrated by Jamie Renell and Leanne Woodward

The Road to Villa Page: A He Said/She Said Memoir of Buying Our Dream Home in France is the first in a series of books that captures the experience of living in the Dordogne region of France, as filtered through the eyes of an American family from a “he said, she said” perspective. Our story begins with falling in love with France, specifically the enchanting Dordogne. We weren’t the first and we won’t be the last. The region was an inspiration to prehistoric man, as the earliest known works of art are to be found in the nearby caves of Lascaux. From the 1000 chateaux perched on towering cliffs overhanging the meandering Dordogne River to the countless plus beaux villages (most beautiful villages) dotting the region, it is truly a magical place.

The first book is a roller-coaster ride of the ups and downs of making the dream a reality, beginning with, Oh my God, are we really doing this?! To looking for the home, getting a loan, wading through the red tape of actually moving, and studying French! Finally, the most important part of making “our” dream come true, adopting a baby girl to make the journey complete.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Jun 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781094441160

Cynthia Royce

Mrs. Royce was the Executive Creative Consultant on In the Heat of the Night. Thirty-three episodes later, Mrs. Royce left the show and went on to write for Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis: Murder and Colombo. Mrs. Royce became a full-time travel writer/photographer, contributing to magazines such as Orange Coast Magazine and Wine Spectator. The Road to Villa Page represents Mrs. Royce’s first foray into non-fiction literature.

Reviews for The Road to Villa Page

[Hessah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I rarely enjoy contemporary memoirs, but this book was different. The unpretentious writing style made it a joyful ride as we tagged along the family through a tough year with a grueling adoption process and the risky process of buying and renovating a home in a foreign country. It will be a delight if a follow up can be arranged

[Gen Farr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful I would love to know how the family are now and their daughter

[Anna Tselevich · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

So entitled and out of touch. Can’t believe they thought this was worthy of sharing with the world.

[Carlos Rodriguez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This "travel" book is not like any other book in this genre. First, it was written by two professional writers. Two writers with two unique perspectives on the journey they take you on, discovering the Dordogne, stumbling upon their new home, selling their old home, and actually moving to France! These two writers cover every emotion from laughter to tears. Second, the book almost feels as though it was written to be performed. The combination of Cynthia Royce's writing and Leanne Woodward's performance are what great audiobooks are all about! Can't wait to hear the second book in this series!

[Caitlin Keller · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book is filled with the privileged lives of a former Hollywood couple deciding to move to France on a whim. They don't at any point acknowledge their privilege and act like being able to retire in their early 40s and finding some ridiculous venture to amuse themselves is the norm. Nothing was as bad as them going on and on about wanting to adopt a baby girl, getting a call to pick up a newborn child at a hospital, arriving to see the child in the ICU with complications, and flat out refusing to take the child because "they specified they did not want a child with special needs". Yet a few chapters later, they're exalting themselves for taking in a stray dog with special needs. All of their problems in the book, primarily getting screwed over by French workers who assisted in buying and renovation the home, were mundane and honestly embarrassing that they were so clueless to let it keep happening. Yet it was clear they could afford these mishaps and just pay someone else to fix it. Unless you care about someone else's elite first world problems, this book is worth skipping.