Review: Paris Ever After by K.S.R. Burns

I didn't like this book very much. This review is sort of regarding both this book and The Paris Effect, who which Paris Ever After is a sequel.

First, lots of respect to the author for writing something so weird and different. When I first saw the book, thought it was another story about a woman who runs off to Paris to escape her dull life and find herself. And it is that, but it's a lot more. The characters are bizarre. The Paris in this story is not the one we're used to seeing or reading about, but rather one of underground clubs and insane English women, and creepy, lying men. No one is what they seem.

As for the main character, she's equally complicated and disturbed. She's married to a man she doesn't love and married only because she was pregnant - but had a miscarriage very early in the pregnancy and has since been miserable in her marriage for years. A big part of the story involves her grieving the loss of her best friend, who was also her lover in college though her confusion about her sexual orientation is never really addressed. (I was kind of hoping the story would end up with her finding an amazing woman in Paris but finally realizing maybe she was never happy in her marriage because she was lesbian, but that didn't happen - big missed opportunity because the actual romance that got tacked on at the end of this book was super boring.)

There are several characters suffering from some fairly serious mental issues and no one seems to be especially concerned about this. The English woman who lies and manipulates people, her daughter who is either a liar or suffered something fairly traumatic that no one is addressing, and then the creepy guy who pretends to be wealthy. Then we have the main character's eating disorder that is only sort of addressed - mostly in the first book, less so in this one.

I didn't really like the characters in this book. Amy, the main character, is selfish and irresponsible. She runs off to Paris while her husband is away on business, thinking she'll be back before he returns. Then she gets sick, loses her phone, ends up being completely dependent on total strangers. That was the first book. And I didn't like it all that much, hadn't planned to read next book - but then I saw in on NetGalley and I was curious as to what happens next because as I said, I was quite impressed with how bizarre the story was.

In this book, Amy has a fight with her husband, takes off to Paris again. She essentially abandons her marriage and then, surprise, realizes she's pregnant. So again, she's expecting these people she barely knows to care for her. And her constant referring to her unborn child by name is so annoying - once in a while, okay, but it's constant, the baby (I don't remember the name) likes this, the baby was doing this, the baby wants this. That kind of made me hate the character.

Also, as I've said in other reviews, many times I'm sure, I despise stories in which the accidental pregnancy is the most wonderful thing ever - the last thing this woman needs is a baby. She doesn't even have a place to live, or any source of income or any real plans at all regarding her future.

Clearly, I didn't like the book very much.

I received a copy via NetGalley.

Pas de Deux by Wynter S. K.

I loved this book so much!

Every time I picked it up to read it, it was nearly impossible to put it down. I'd do the whole, "just one more chapter, then I'll... " whatever it was I needed to do - go to bed, go to work, eat dinner, you know. Maybe I've been in a bit of a book rut, but it's been a while since I had that feeling for a book.

I stayed up well into the early morning hours to read this. The characters are wonderful. Likable and real - not perfect, but interesting and well meaning. They've both been through some very rough experiences, and they're doing their best to move forward, but they're also struggling to deal with their emotions and learning to trust people again.

I loved the way the relationship developed. They became friends first and very carefully moved into something more than a friendship. I never wanted this book to end.

Highly, highly recommend. This is such a beautiful love story.

Review: Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel

The Room on Rue Amélie by Kristin Harmel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to love this book. I very much enjoy stories about the French resistance. And in the beginning, I liked it a lot. But the last part of Ruby's story was a bit too out there and difficult to believe for me.

Overall though, it's a pretty good book. Certainly held my interest. I know it looks like it took me a week to read it, but it was really two sittings, I read one half last weekend, and read the entire half the next time I was able to pick it up. I struggled a bit with the love story. Didn't appeal to me for some reason. That was a little disappointing because I'd really hoped for a good love story. If I go into detail, I'm afraid I'll spoil the book. (view spoiler)[ I think I would have enjoyed this so much more if the love story had been about her and husband, and how he grew to respect her more as she played a role in the resistance. Instead, he's viewed as evil for wanting to shield her from his own involvement and then he's killed off and she takes his place and falls in love with a pilot she's hiding.  (hide spoiler)]

The cover is beautiful, and that's what drew me to the book. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of Paris. I had my iPad out as I was reading, mapping out the streets. I found the stories about the French citizens involved in the resistance to be interesting. I am however, really glad I waited and borrowed this from the library.


View all my reviews

Tempting the Dark by Michele Hauf

Took me a while to get into this - but that was not the book's fault, more along the lines of I had too many other things happening to allow myself to sit and read for a while.

When I did finally have some time to read this, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Michele Hauf's paranormal romances are my go-to escape when I cannot deal with the rest of the world. She creates the most beautiful stories, full of interesting characters dealing with life and love, and the complications caused by the magic they harbor inside.

In this particular story, Savin runs into a friend he believed he'd lost twenty years earlier. As children they fell into Daemonia - a world inhabited by demons. Savin managed to escape, but believed Jett had died there. He returned with a demon trapped inside of him, and now spends his days working with others who have magical abilities to send trouble causing demons back to Daemonia.

He's overjoyed when he sees Jett again, but something has changed inside of her. As much as she wants to return to the human world, she and Savin both have to accept that she's no longer completely human.

This is a story about battling demons - both real and mental. The characters have to face their guilt and the truth about who they are and what happened to them in order to truly find their way back to each other. To make matters more difficult, since Jett's return, Paris has been suffering from an influx of demons. Much to Savin's dismay, he discovers the only way to protect the city may involve a horrible sacrifice.

As always from this author, a very sexy, very fast paced, engrossing story set in the beautifully described city of Paris.

Highly recommend to anyone who enjoys sexy, paranormal romances full of magic.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.