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  • License to Thrill: Lily Bollinger: A Champagne Widows Novel (Champagne Widows Biographical Novels)

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License to Thrill: Lily Bollinger: A Champagne Widows Novel (Champagne Widows Biographical Novels)


The Nazis wanted her champagne. The critics wanted her erased. Lily Bollinger refused to surrender.

1940: In occupied France, the Bollinger cellars are a battlefield. Newly widowed Lily must host the Nazi Weinführer while Resistance fighters hide in the chalk tunnels directly beneath her feet. To protect her legacy, Lily becomes a master of deception—outwitting the Reich by day and defying them by night, bound by a dangerous secret and a mysterious lover known as the Commodore.

1970: Lily reigns as the undisputed "Dame of Champagne," but the new decade brings new enemies. From triumphant tours of America to high-stakes court battles in London, she has conquered the world—yet her own house is under siege. As feuding nephews tear at the empire from within and a venomous critic dismisses her as a relic, Lily makes her move.
In her most audacious gamble, Lily forges an unbreakable bond between Bollinger and the world’s most sophisticated spy: James Bond.

As her seventy-fifth birthday looms, Lily executes one final maneuver to secure her empire. But when her rarest vintage is uncorked, a long-buried truth resurfaces—proving her greatest achievement wasn’t just the wine she saved, but the secrets she kept.

Two eras. One legacy. A woman who proves the finest vintages are impossible to crush.
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From the Publisher

1945 Weinführer at her table and Resistance fighters in her cellars, Lily plays a deadly game.1945 Weinführer at her table and Resistance fighters in her cellars, Lily plays a deadly game.
Lily gambles on  Bollinger R.D. and an alliance with the world’s most famous spy: James Bond.Lily gambles on  Bollinger R.D. and an alliance with the world’s most famous spy: James Bond.
1974 Refusing to be remembered as a "famous widow," Lily defies the critics.1974 Refusing to be remembered as a "famous widow," Lily defies the critics.

"- a vibrant, potent mix of grit and glitz... Fun, intriguing, and packed with historical tidbits.""- a vibrant, potent mix of grit and glitz... Fun, intriguing, and packed with historical tidbits."

"5 star story of survival, resilience, and the thrilling pursuit of preserving a legacy.""5 star story of survival, resilience, and the thrilling pursuit of preserving a legacy."

"Each bubble carries memory of occupation endured, of standards defended, and arguments weathered.""Each bubble carries memory of occupation endured, of standards defended, and arguments weathered."

License to Thrill: Lily Bollinger: A Champagne Widows Novel (Champagne Widows...
Champagne Widows: First Woman of Champagne, Veuve Clicquot (Champagne Widows ...
Madame Pommery: Creator of Brut Champagne (Champagne Widows Biographical Novels)
Heroine Lily Bollinger Barbe‑Nicole Clicquot Jeanne Alexandrine Pommery
Era 1940s–1970s • WWII War 1800s • Napoleonic Wars 1860s • Franco‑Prussian War
Central Conflict A WWII widow outwits German Officers, critics, and family rivals A young widow defies Napoleon to save her winery A visionary widow creates Brut champagne during war
Historical Stakes German occupation, succession battles, global branding Napoleon’s trade blockades, women banned from business Occupation, espionage, champagne revolution
Signature Innovation Lily Goes Global: Bond/U.S. Expansion World’s first champagne empire Invention of Brut champagne
Themes Resilience • Innovation • Ambition • Legacy Love vs. legacy • Courage • Firsts Innovation • Defiance • Survival
Tone Cinematic • Suspenseful • Glamorous • Witty Romantic • Gritty • Defiant Visionary • Atmospheric • Bold
Why Read Uncover the untold story behind a global icon Discover the woman who made champagne famous Learn how Brut champagne was born
Based on a True Story
Standalone Read

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Sparkling with wit, drama, and crackling prose, this book reads more like a historical thriller than an account of a real person."
BookLife Reviews

"The prose is lively, replete with delightful repartee and a smattering of French phrases. (Trying to explain 'recently disgorged' to Cyril Ray feels akin to attempting to teach a cat to waltz.) Rosenberg's Lily is a vibrant, potent mix of grit and glitz, with her love of the land and her amusing fondness for all things James Bond. A secret multi-decade romance adds extra dash to her character. Fun, intriguing, and packed with historical tidbits."
Kirkus Reviews

"What emerges is not merely the history of a champagne house, but the portrait of a woman whose life became inseparable from the fate of the vines she guarded. ... Celebration, we realize, rests upon vigilance. ...
License to Thrill: Lily Bollinger thus transcends the boundaries of corporate biography."
—Five Stars,
This Historical Fiction Company

"A gripping and immersive historical novel,
License to Thrill brings the extraordinary life of Lily Bollinger vividly to life. With meticulous research and lush detail, Rebecca Rosenberg captures the courage, ingenuity, and resilience of a woman who defied war, Occupation, and tradition to protect her family's champagne legacy. Spanning World War II through the glamorous postwar decades, this unputdownable story blends history, intrigue, and unforgettable characters into a triumphant portrait of strength and perseverance."
Patricia Sands, author of The French Effect

"
License to Thrill sparkles with the elegant, immersive prose I've come to expect from Rebecca Rosenberg. With a clever nod to the glamorous world where champagne and fictional espionage intertwine, Rosenberg weaves two timelines into a sweeping historical novel that moves from the shadowed champagne caves of France to the streets of London and an ambitious American tour. Vital and effervescent as the champagnes she protects, Lily Bollinger emerges as a heroine defined by resilience, family, and vision. Rosenberg captures the devastation of war and the fragile promise of rebuilding with emotional depth and grace. This is a beautifully told story of legacy and perseverance, family and loyalty, and the courage to rebuild without compromise."
Renee Ryan, author of The Last Fashion House in Paris

"Another dazzling entry in Rebecca Rosenberg's Champagne Widows series, an intoxicating blend of glamour, grit, and historical intrigue. Moving effortlessly between Nazi-occupied France and the glamour of the 1960s, Rosenberg paints a rich portrait of Lily Bollinger, a visionary widow who defied tyranny, outmaneuvered her enemies, reinvented champagne, and built a legacy against all odds. An irresistible read, made even better with a glass of bubbly in hand."
Eliza Knight, USA Today bestselling author of Confessions of a Grammar Queen

"Could there be something in the bubbles that accounts for the charm, imagination, and sheer guts of the heroines in author Rebecca Rosenberg's exuberant Champagne Widows series? Or is it only Rosenberg's amazing talent for portraying these colorful women with all the wit and flourish that distinguished them in their respective eras? In Rosenberg's latest,
License to Thrill, Lily Bollinger takes her well-earned place in the unforgettable gallery of pioneering women in the champagne trade who, believing in the power of innovation, fought their way through personal loss, financial crises, and war to leave a remarkable and enduring legacy. Terrific book club choice!"
Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, author of the Amazon Kindle #1 bestseller Sisters of Castle Leod

"Like the champagne she devotes her life to perfecting, Lily Bollinger is anything but simple. Beneath her elegance lies structure; beneath restraint, a quiet fire. She understands that success is built layer upon layer of patience, conviction, and resolve. Like her champagne, her effervescence bubbles and glitters with delicate yet demanding principles of knowing when to yield and when to hold fast, enticing the future sip by sip while rooted in past legacies."
Janis Robinson Daly, bestselling author of Under Two Flags

Product details

About the author

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Rebecca Rosenberg
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Follow Rebecca Rosenberg on Amazon: award-winning novelist, champagne geek, and lavender farmer. Rebecca first fell in love with methode champenoise in Sonoma Valley, California. Over decades of delicious research, she has explored the wine cellars of France, Spain, Italy, and California in search of fine champagne. When Rebecca discovered the real-life stories of the Champagne Widows of France, she knew she’d dedicate years to telling the stories of these remarkable women who made champagne the worldwide phenomenon it is today. Rebecca is a champagne historian, tour guide, and champagne cocktail expert for Breathless Wines. Other award-winning novels include The Secret Life of Mrs. London and Gold Digger, the Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.

*****

“This effervescent historical novel paints a richly detailed portrait of the enterprising Veuve Clicquot. The twinned plots of Clicquot and Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise and fall are filled with detail that give life to this far-off time. The prose is light, yet detailed, and peppered with moments of wry humor. Rosenberg’s characterization of Napoleon is well-crafted and give his character new life. Clicquot’s character is charming, and readers will love getting to know her. Rosenberg has a superb eye for blending humor with drama.”

~Publisher’s Weekly BookLife Prize

“For anyone who loves champagne, a must-read novel about Veuve Clicquot.”

~ Judithe Little, best-selling author of The Chanel Sisters

“The sun-drenched vineyards of France, a real-life heroine who against all odds refuses to give up her dreams… and champagne. What’s not to love? And that’s just what Rebecca Rosenberg delivers in Champagne Widows. Barbe-Nicole Clicquot was a woman ahead of her time, a fascinating blend of ingenuity, heart, and sheer tenacity, with a nose for wine and a head for business. A 19th century widow who built an empire as war raged all around her. Note: This richly woven tale is best savored slowly, though with all delicious things, it won’t be easy.” ~ Barbara Davis, best-selling author of The Last of the Moon Girls.

Champagne Widows is a witty, accomplished novel, featuring a tough and charming heroine of the first order. One can’t help but root for Barbe-Nicole, an astute businesswoman who brilliantly holds her own against none other than Napoleon Bonaparte. Although the events unfold two centuries ago, the story feels so modern, the characters could be your friends and neighbors. As easy to love as a glass of Veuve Clicquot, this may be Rebecca Rosenberg’s best book yet. ~Michelle Richmond, best-selling author of The Marriage Pact

Champagne Widows is an inspired story based on the real-life Grande Dame of Champagne, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, who built her famous champagne empire amidst the turbulence of 19th century France. Barbe-Nicole is my kind of heroine: a woman with passion, courage, family loyalty, and a killer business sense. Rebecca Rosenberg’s sensual details make every scene of this intimate novel come alive. A true reading pleasure! ~ Martha Conway, best-selling author of The Underground River and The Physician’s Daughter

“Award-winning author, Rebecca Rosenberg returns with another Historical Fiction jewel in CHAMPAGNE WIDOWS. Meet the women who succeeded in creating world class champagne in a time men ruled business and society. Lovers of history, romance, and French culture will relish the multi-layered plot and cast of characters including the ultimate French icon, Napoleon Bonaparte.” ~Johnnie Bernhard, award-winning author of Sisters of the Undertow

“Champagne Widows takes the reader back in time for an intimate look at the building of the iconic brand Veuve Clicquot. In the aftermath of Napoleon’s rise to power, Barbe-Nicole and her husband Francois share a vision of creating a champagne that will astound the world. Despite war, death, blockades, and failed harvests, Barbe-Nicole ultimately succeeds. An epic story featuring love, family, and the sustaining power of courage. ~ M.K. Tod, author of Paris In Ruins and award-winning blog A Writer of History

“Just as a champagne bottle pops bringing delectable flavors and delicious aromas, Rebecca Rosenberg delights the senses with her engrossing novel. She treats the reader to a perfect blend of history and story – with lots of champagne! Sit back and savor the tale of Veuve Clicquot. Raise a glass to her and all the women, from history to the present, who have broken the mold and overcome obstacles to succeed in what was believed to be all-male professions.” ~ Linda Rosen, author of Sisters of the Vine

“Rebecca Rosenberg has penned a spectacular saga of the first of the “Champagne widows” of France, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot. With her gift, known as Le Nez (the nose), Barbe-Nicole can “smell the stink of a lie or the perfume of a pure heart. Or the heartbreaking smell of what could have been.” Along with her expertise, she possesses courage and vision, overcoming incredible odds during the time of the Napoleonic Code, which left widows without property rights—in Barbe-Nicole’s case, her Champagne business. Seamlessly interwoven with historical letters from Napoleon, the book sweeps the reader into the early nineteenth-century world. But it’s her imaginative tale of Veuve Clicquot’s personal life that captured me and wouldn’t let go until the end, leaving me wanting more!” ~Susan Cushman, author of John and Mary Margaret

With crisp writing, Rebecca Rosenberg serves us the sparkling story of Veuve Clicquot, an independent woman of indomitable strength, determined to find her way in a man’s world. Champagne Widows is vintage storytelling. ~Jean M. Roberts, author of The Heron

“Rebecca Rosenberg transforms history into literary art. Her prose sparkles, bringing centuries-old characters to life with wit, heart and bon mots. Treat yourself to Champagne Widows, and marvel at Rosenberg’s gift for making every sense sing.” ~Carol Van Den Hende, award-winning author of Goodbye, Orchid

“Like the best wines, Rosenberg’s Champagne Widows will entice you with its complexity as it balances the story of a widow’s determination to produce the world’s greatest champagne in the face of Napoleon's path of destruction. If you love France, historical fiction, underdog stories, strong women, or wine, then pop a cork to celebrate this perfect blend of a novel.” ~Mary Helen Sheriff, author of Boop and Eve's Road Trip

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