Review: In Paris with You by Clémentine Beauvais

In Paris With You by Clémentine Beauvais
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I didn't like this story much at all. It's written in verse, which is not something I've ever read - except maybe in school. That didn't bother me all that much. It made for a quick read and I thought it flowed well.

What I didn't like were the characters. I didn't think it was much of a love story at all. Eugene's a horrible jerk. He and Tatiana first met when they were teenagers, after being friends for a while, Tatiana told him she had feelings for him. He rejected her, then did something fairly awful, involving her sister and her sister's boyfriend - who was also his best friend - and it's ten years before they see each other again. They run into each other one morning, and Eugene becomes obsessed with Tatiana. Most of the story is all in his head, what he wants, what he assumes. Tatiana seems a little more sensible about the situation, but then the story took a dive when she mentions being interested in someone to her sister. Her sister then goes on about how she must do anything for love. It doesn't make sense at all because ten years earlier, this same sister completely ridiculed her then boyfriend because he was too in love - which is exactly what she's encouraging with Tatiana.

After reading this book, I learned it was a modern take of Pushkin's Eugene Onegin - which in not something with which I am at all familiar, but it's classic Russian literature. That explains why the characters behave the way they do - they follow the original story, even having the same names, but I still didn't enjoy the story. The characters just seemed like jerks. It doesn't work in a modern setting, at least not for me.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.


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Review: Claiming the Wolf by Michele Hauf

Claiming The Wolf by Michele Hauf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished reading This Strange Witchery, in which a character from this book is mentioned. Having read a lot of books set in this same world, I was surprised that I wasn't familiar with the character. But at the end of the book, the authors lists the other books in which characters are mentioned. I looked up this book and for some reason it was marked as "maybe" - I think maybe this character was mentioned in another book that I read a while ago and I didn't like him so I wasn't going to read his book? I'm not sure why I would have marked this as maybe because I read just about anything I can find by this author.

Anyway, I downloaded the book last night to read it. It's a novella, so it's a quick read, but still a really good story. Because of the shorter format, the characters don't waste anytime to getting to know each other. This story is so hot - but still in a way that seems real and convincing. A werewolf gets bitten by a vampire. He's furious that he now craves blood, and goes to confront the vampire. He can't stay angry with her though because he realizes that she's also trapped in a situation in which she never asked to be. There they find common ground and realize it makes more sense to help each other out than remain enemies. It's a really nice love story, as well as being really sexy.

And because of the book I read last night, I sort of know what the future holds for these characters, so that was nice.

I enjoyed this story a lot. Read most of it while at the salon getting my hair highlighted, but it was a great way to pass the time and make the most of a day off work.


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Review: This Strange Witchery by Michele Hauf

This Strange Witchery by Michele Hauf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'd been annoyed with myself for taking so long to read this book, and then once I started, took a while for me to find the time to sit and read - but how appropriate that I finish it just an hour or so before I get ready to go out to watch the lunar eclipse for the super blood wolf moon. Now it almost seems intentional, since in the book, they're having to wait for the blood moon to perform the spell, and there's an eclipse that night.

Wonderful book, loved the characters, loved the story and all the character background. As always, the romance is great, and so sexy. The characters are quirky and funny, and also so noble as they do their best to try to do the right thing, even when it means struggling with their wants and needs and a battle between the heart and mind. I always enjoy the Paris setting, and the descriptions of magic - such beautiful imagery. And it's always nice to see characters from other stories - makes me want to go back and read their books again, but there are still so many books I've not read yet.

I'm sad that this is Michele Hauf's last Nocturne with Harlequin, because this is Harlequin's last Nocturne. I know she's going to be writing some different things for a while, but I do hope she returns to this world of Beautiful Creatures that she's created. It's really one of my favorite worlds to visit in books. I've enjoyed these characters so much.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.


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Review: Goodbye, Paris by Anstey Harris

I didn't like this book much at all. Unfortunately, I was right at the 50% mark when I realized how much I disliked this book - and I'd been reading for an hour or so in the airport, and that's really some of the only quality reading time I get, and I didn't want to waste it by completely abandoning the book. So I kept reading, hoping maybe something would happen to improve my feelings about the story, but, no, that didn't happen.

In this book, we have Grace, a former musician, currently an instrument maker, who is in a long term relationship with a married man in France. She lives near a Eurostar station in the UK, and visits him in Paris often - though he lives with his family in Strasbourg. One night, when they go out, something happens which attracts media attention - and David is upset because he's afraid his children will find out he's in this relationship. Then the wife is upset because everyone now knows her husband has a mistress, even though she's always known and was okay with the arrangement. The huge social media response and the extreme attempt to hide this seems a bit much, and was one of the issues I had with this story. 

Eventually, Grace learns something horrible about David and has a breakdown, and her two friends, a man in his 80s and a teenage girl help her come to terms with what happened. I realize this is supposed to be a story about her finding herself and learning to move on without this man in her life, while also coping with some horrible things in her past, but it didn't feel that way to me. She didn't have much choice. She was, for the most part, dumped. She had to face the reality that the life she thought she had wasn't ever going to happen. I didn't find the story especially empowering, but rather very sad.

I think what really set me off is that this story included items that I consider to be pet peeves of mine, and I know it's something that doesn't bother other people, so maybe take my intense dislike with a grain of salt.

I'm so tired of books in which the main story line is a seemingly intelligent woman deeply involved in a very, very bad relationship with a horrible man. (In this book, we spend about half the book being told he's a really great guy, everyone likes him, he's supportive of her interest and career, attentive and caring, and then all of a sudden we learn he's the worst.) But even more than that, I'm tired of stories in which these same women enter into long-term relationships because of an accidental/unplanned pregnancy. This is becoming a thing, or maybe I just keep selecting the wrong books. Several books I've read in the last few months involve a woman in a bad relationship or in most cases (not in this case) a marriage all because they got pregnant - didn't like the person all that much, or know him all that well, but hey, we have no other option because BABY and that's the most important thing in a woman's life, right? - cringe. Also, in almost all of the cases, the pregnancy ends in miscarriage, but the relationship continues, everyone so very sad and hopeless because there's no baby. In one of the books, the baby died after a year or so, and the woman remained in the marriage even though the pregnancy was the result of break-up sex, and eventually walked in on her husband having sex with his secretary. I long for stories about women who take some sort of control over their lives and realize that getting pregnant doesn't automatically mean having a baby or, even if they do want the baby, realizing marriage isn't necessary.

Spoilers - lots of them, so stop reading if you don't want to know what happens in this book - in this particular book, Grace meets a man, David at a party. His wife is at the party, but leaves early. David goes back to Grace's place, he tells her he's married, and she's perfectly okay with them still having sex, despite knowing this. Then a few weeks later, she realizes she's pregnant by this man she knew only a few hours, but immediately her whole world becomes all about having a baby. She informs David, he's not thrilled about this, as he has two children and a pregnant wife. But we're told he suddenly becomes a wonderful, caring boyfriend. After Grace has a miscarriage, she becomes obsessed with getting pregnant again, and when this doesn't happen, she goes through all kinds of tests, with David right beside her holding her hand - but failing to mention he's had a vasectomy. WTF? Did I mention, he's the worst?

And since I'm providing spoilers anyway, the end of the book, in which we see Grace overcoming some of her teenage traumas, we then learn the teenage friend is pregnant. Grace suddenly knows this because the girl looks fierce and confident, or something absurd like that. (She contrasted the girl whose diary she read with the girl she saw performing earlier and this change in her disposition led Grace to realize the girl what pregnant? Okay.) So yet again, we're celebrating an unplanned pregnancy. This girl has dropped out of school, has been having sex with her friend's boyfriend, and had a bit of a coke habit, but hooray, she's going to have a baby now! We couldn't have instead had her, oh, I don't know, get noticed as being a skilled musician and get accepted into a prestigious school or offered a job with a great symphony? No, babies, always babies.

All that being said, I know a lot of people love books that focus on women having babies, women discovering their true purpose by procreating. I'm sure this book will be wonderful for people like that.

I really, really wish I'd picked a different book to read while traveling over the Thanksgiving holidays.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

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.

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.


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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.

Review: The Paris Secret by Karen Swan

The Paris Secret by Karen Swan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I really could have done without the whole "my sweet, gentle brother who would never hurt a soul is being wrongly accused of rape by a crazy woman who is obsessed with him because their one night stand didn't mean more" story line. Ugh, really? Maybe he shouldn't have put himself in that situation. Maybe he shouldn't be having one night stands. I'm kidding, but isn't that what women get told all the time? I just felt that part of the story was unnecessary - I especially didn't like the way it was built up. For about half the book we know the brother has been wrongly accused of something awful, and it's going to ruin their family and reputation, but we don't know what it is. And then it's really easily resolved after it causes a bunch of problems in Flora's newest relationship. The whole thing felt icky to me.

I found the story interesting - I always enjoy stories that tie back to WWII and art. But that part of the story played such a small role in this book. It was much more about Flora and the men who wanted her and the men she wanted. And the big relationship at the end didn't make much sense because they supposedly hated each other, but turns out that hate was really attraction. Are they ten?

There were too many twists in this story that didn't feel very developed. They were all resolved with hunches or feelings, not much actual explanation. Flora looks at things and suddenly knows the truth.

Did not love this book.

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Review: The Billionaire Werewolf's Princess by Michele Hauf

This book is so fun. I read it on a long school trip, many hours on a bus with a bunch of teenagers, and it helped immensely to pass the time. While others complained about the long ride, I was like, I'm doing just fine. When else do I get to spend all day reading? And such a great, interesting story to dive into.

That evening, after we took the students out to eat, we were sitting at a park, and I was reading again. The students wanted to know what I was reading - so I tried to summarize it. Wealthy, handsome, billionaire werewolf/fairy meets a woman with a mysterious past - one she isn't even aware of until she meets him and something in her stirs. Anyway, it's been a few months since I read it - I am so behind on writing book reviews - so a little fuzzy on details, but I had the students hanging on my every word. The next day, they were all, "What happened next?" And it got me wondering, has Hauf ever considered writing YA fantasy? Some Beautiful Creatures stories geared toward younger readers, with less steam? Of course, in my descriptions to the students, I left out the sexy times - which Hauf always does very, very well.

I loved these characters, all the wonderful magic and the descriptive Paris setting  (when I was in Paris this summer, I walked by a signs and was all, there's the hospital mentioned in Billionaire Werewolf's Princess). The story is fast paced, and seeing the characters learn about their past made for a thoughtful read. Each of them had to deal with coming to terms with their true identities, both growing up thinking they are something they weren't.

Very much enjoyed this book. Would recommend to anyone who wants a fun, sexy read involving werewolves and fairies and saving the world (or at least the children of Paris.)

I received a copy of this via Netgalley.

Review: An American Witch in Paris by Michele Hauf

I have read a lot of books by Michele Hauf, (32 books, counting this one, according to Goodreads) and I've liked them all, loved many of them, but this one, this may be my favorite. It's possible that I say that after every new book by this author, but only because it's true.  This book has everything I always love about her books - great characters, interesting story line, fascinating magic, beautiful imagery and sexy, steamy romance - and then taken up to the next level. Tuesday may be my favorite out of all the wonderful characters in Hauf's Beautiful Creatures world. And have I mentioned, this story is so, so sexy? Reminded me a bit of Hauf's Paris Secrets erotica series that she writes under the name Michele Renae.

The women Hauf creates are always strong and independent, that is a big part of why I enjoy her books. These women can take care of themselves, and they're powerful - literally - but they're able to fall in love, absolutely and completely, while still holding onto their power and that's something that I find very appealing in a romance novel. In this particular book though, I feel like Hauf went a step further, giving us this character of Tuesday, a centuries old witch who has devoted much of her life to helping other women, because as history has shown us, that's what witches did. There's a line in the book that says, "Feminism was her right" and when I read that, I knew immediately that Tuesday was going to be one of my favorite characters. While a lot of romance authors write characters who are clearly feminist in their actions, I feel too often they're afraid to use the word. Not the case with Tuesday.

Another aspect of this story that I really loved was the dynamics of Tuesday and Ethan's sexual relationship. There is something so very sexy about Ethan asking, "May I?" Yes, explicit consent is sexy! There's something very mature and respectful about their relationship. They both know exactly what they're doing. Both of these characters have been around for a long time, they've seen a lot over the centuries and they're a bit jaded about the idea of love, but wonderfully philosophical about sex. "It's about finding yourself in someone else, yet not getting lost there." That quote was one of my favorites, but I highlighted so many lines in this book. The talk of "worlds." Another favorite, "I'll share myself with you, lover. But let's never take ownership."

And the visuals Hauf creates. Her descriptions always make me want to get out my sketchbook and attempt to draw what she'd described. Sometimes it's amazing fairy wings, but in this book, it was Ethan at the window of his Paris apartment, drinking Scotch. I could see that so clearly and it was beautiful.

Besides the romance, there's also a rather tense story line about stolen codes that could bring about the end of the world, and trying to find the demon who took those codes - which is the entire reason Tuesday and Ethan are together. Then there's the appearance of an former spouse and a deadly curse. Pretty much everything you need for a great book.

This book felt very relevant and important in the current landscape. This is the story of a vampire and a witch trying to prevent a demon from destroying the world, but it's also about two very powerful people, who realize they have to look beyond the horrors they've experienced in the world to save each other - because somewhere along the way, they've become a part of each other's world.

I highly recommend this book. If you like hot, sexy vampire/witch stories, you want this book.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.

Review: The Witch's Quest by Michele Hauf

The Witch's Quest by Michele Hauf
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Absolutely loved it! Really beautiful story about sacrifice and doing the right thing even when it hurts. Also, very sweet, sexy love story between a fairy and a witch. Hauf's Beautiful Creatures stories are some of my favorites, and I especially love her descriptions of fairy wings. I never thought much about fairies until I read her books involving them, now I'm a little obsessed.

Will attempt to write a more thorough and thoughtful review later. I know "I loved it and it's amazing" isn't really helpful review-wise, and yet, that's exactly how I feel about this book, moments after finishing it.

If you are a fan of paranormal romance, I highly recommend this book.

I received a copy via Netgalley.


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Review: Christmas in Paris by Anita Hughes

I was really looking forward to reading this because I love Paris, and I ended up not liking this book very much at all.

The descriptions of Paris at Christmas were very nice. While I've spent time in Paris and am familiar with the city, I've never been during Christmas, so it was nice to visualize those areas I knew decorated for the holidays.

I also, for the most part, enjoyed the descriptions of the food. However, I got tired of the use of the word "bowl" - it got to the point where it was really starting to bother me by the end of the book. They had numerous "bowls of soup" as well as a bowl of chocolate mouse, and a bowls of cafe au lait. Couldn't they just have soup, isn't a bowl of soup implied?

As for the things that I didn't like - the characters. They were so shallow and obsessed with name brands. The main character, Isabel, did so much shopping. And her obsession with marrying a French aristocrat? She behaved like a spoiled teenager, not an adult who had a successful career.  And Alec, the man who was supposed to be the hero in the story - I guess - wasn't a pleasant person at all. He was bitter and angry and I'm not sure why anyone would fall for him. Actually, not sure why either of the characters would be considered at all appealing.

The romance in this story was not at all convincing. Most of the story is focused on Isabel trying to persuade a French aristocrat to propose marriage - even though she's known him for about three days. Alec sits in his hotel room and pouts about everything. Another large portion of the story is devoted to the characters' past relationships, especially their sexual activities with those characters - which is odd because there's not any sex between Isabel and Alec.

This was a strange book. I didn't find it romantic or heartwarming or anything like that. Very disappointing. Beautiful cover though.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley. 

Review: This Wicked Magic by Michele Hauf

Another enjoyable read from Michele Hauf. This Wicked Magic is about witches, and dark magic.

After spending some time in the underworld, Certainly Jones returned with demons trapped inside him. This reminded me a lot of the way the demons exist in Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series. I've been suggesting this book to my friends who like that series.

Certainly wants the demons out, and he thinks he's found a way to do that, with the help of Vika. But things get complicated, and Vika's attempts to help end up backfiring. Next thing they know, Vika and her sister are in jeopardy of losing their souls.

Very good, sexy read, filled with dark and light magic, as well as a battle for their souls.

Review: The Confectioner's Tale by Laura Madeleine

I wanted to read this because it was set in Paris and I think the cover is absolutely beautiful.

I like the style of the two time lines - a person in present time learning about a situation that happened in the past. In this case the main character uncovers a letter in her grandfather's things in which he's asking for forgiveness. She then begins to research what he could possibly have done. Her research includes finding a photo of a chocolate shop in Paris and searching for a painting of the same shop.

This summer, I read a a few books written in this same style - all set in Paris, all involving chocolate or art. This may have been my least favorite of those books.

I found the present day story line to be a bit over the top, she's trying to do this research and their is a rival historian trying to steal or sabotage her work. He's this villain, speaking ill of her grandfather in lectures and then stealing her notes in the library. Seemed a bit much.

And the past story line, again, I think it was supposed to be a dramatic love story, but it left me feeling cold. I didn't care all that much about the characters, I felt like the whole falling passionately in love part was sort of glossed over. All the build up seemed to be leading to something much more dramatic than the end result.
Felt a bit anti-climatic.

The book was okay, I didn't by any means hate it, but if I were going to recommend a book set in Paris, with a great love story and some history, I can think of several others I'd mention before this one.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Pancakes in Paris by Craig Carlson

I enjoyed this memoir about an American who decided to start an American diner in Paris. It's well written and entertaining. He explains the process of how he first got the idea and then followed through, as well as the struggles of trying to run a business in Paris. I never knew all the details about their laws, and I found that interesting.

As someone who has been to Paris several times, I can't imagine craving American food while there. I sort of love the idea of a croissant and coffee for breakfast. However, I could imagine wanting to stop by later in the day, because I'm not a big fan of big fancy dinners. In Paris I sort of binge on baguettes and pastries. But maybe I'll visit one of these diners next time I visit Paris.

As someone who has always wanted to move to France, this makes me a bit hesitant of the process. I at least know I don't want to open up my own business.

Anyway, sounds like the author has been quite successful with his business, opening up several locations in the city.

I liked the book, provided an interesting perspective of life in Paris for a business owner.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown

The Light of Paris by Eleanor Brown is what I consider to be the book of the summer. The book provides the perfect escape to Paris at the turn of the century, a bit of romance, and even more so a strong story about a woman discovering who she is and what she needs, rather than what everyone expects her to be.

I liked this book a lot. After having spent a week in Paris, upon returning, I binge read books set in Paris. It's my way of extending the trip, if only in my mind.  Was very happy when I got approved for a review copy of this book and started reading it right away. It did a wonderful job of returning me to the city.

Part of what appealed to me about this story was the importance placed on art, creating art and appreciating art. In the beginning of the story, Madeleine is working as a volunteer at an art museum, and she has a conversation with an art teacher who is there with her students. Full disclosure, I'm an art teacher, so this had me hooked right away. This art teacher said all the right things - all the things an art teacher is supposed to say, because it's what we believe, and why we do our jobs. Madeleine loved art when she was younger, but then she got older and set it aside as if it were a childish hobby. The art teacher tries to encourage her to return to painting if that's what she loved doing. This conversation plants a seed in Madeleine's mind.

She isn't happy with her current life. She came from a wealthy, socially influential family, and married into the same. She did it because it was what was expected of her, not what she wanted. She's never paid any attention to what she wanted.

But shortly after talking to the art teacher, and after another argument with her husband, she's on her way to a planned visit with her mother. And she decided that maybe she'll stay a while, no need to rush back home to a husband that doesn't even seem to want her around.

And while she's at her mother's house, she finds a journal belonging to her grandmother. Through this journal, she discovers a side to her grandmother that she never knew existed. Her grandmother had gone away to Paris and fallen in love with an artist.

The story moves back and forth between Madeleine coping with her current situation, as we also follow along with the adventures of her grandmother in Paris. Her grandmother's story inspires her to try to rewrite her own story, to turn it into something she wants instead of doing what everyone else expects her to do.

I loved the Paris scenes, as well as the inspiring story of Madeleine finally discovering her true passion. It's a great book. It's my current recommendation if anyone says, "I don't know what to read right now." And I know I called it the book of the summer, but it's perfectly suitable for fall or winter or whenever. As a school teacher, I become a little fixated on summer. This is not by any means strictly a beach read. It has a strong story, emotionally satisfying. Would gladly recommend this book to any of my friends.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: One Evening in Paris by Nicolas Barreau

I read this while I was in Paris. The cover is beautiful. The location in the picture on the cover is one of my favorite spots to take photos in Paris.

I really enjoyed the setting. The author described the city well. The story was focused on the areas where I was spending most of my time. That was purely coincidental, but for me, made the story more enjoyable.

The story was okay, but a bit far fetched. Alain owns a cinema in Paris, and every week he notices a woman attending the show. Finally he works up the nerve to ask her out. They go out have a wonderful evening, then she disappears. Around the same time, he's approached by a movie director and an actress, wanting to use his cinema for filming. The actress had fond memories of the place because she used to visit there when she was younger. The director sounds very much like Woody Allen and made me think of the movie Midnight in Paris.

As the movie is being filmed, Alain is becoming obsessed with finding this woman. I'm not going to give away the story, but I felt like there were way too many coincidences. Also part of me thought Alain came off as a really creepy, kind of stalkerish guy. For me, the logical explanation for the woman disappearing would be that she didn't want to see the guy again. And now that he'd asked her out, she didn't really feel comfortable attending the cinema anymore. If that was her place to escape to each week to watch old movies, he sort of ruined it for her by making it about him being interested in her. Of course, that wasn't the case, and this is supposed to be a love story. My theory was completely wrong, but still.

The very detailed Paris setting made the book worth reading, and if you aren't as cynical as me, the love story might be sort of sweet. It's an enjoyable quick read.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley. 

Review: The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan

I liked this book a lot. I read it while I was in Paris, so I was visiting the same area described in the book.

This was one of several books I read this summer that are set in Paris and have two timelines. One set in present time and the other involving events of the past. In this book, following an accident at a candy shop, Anna ends up in the hospital, sharing a room with her former French teacher, Claire. To pass the time, the teacher helps Anna with her French. And when Anna is well enough, Claire helps Anna find a job in Paris at a chocolate shop owned by her former sweetheart, Thierry.

While in Paris, as Anna is getting used to her new job and becoming involved in the lives of those around her, we're also learning about Claire's past, when she was teenager in Paris falling in love with the charismatic young chocolate shop owner forty years earlier.

This was the second book I read in a row that involved couples who were separated from each other for forty years. As both Claire and Thierry's health declines, Anna becomes determined to make arrangements for them to see each other again, after all these years. Theirs is a very sweet, but sad love story.

I felt as if the author worked at minimizing the sad parts in comparison to the happy ones. But in doing so, I felt as though I was emotionally robbed. For some people this may seem like a good thing, but I felt like I wasn't allowed to properly grieve.

Really good book though. The Paris descriptions are wonderful, as are the details about all the delicious sounding chocolate being made.

Would recommend this for an enjoyable, sweet love story set in Paris. Will definitely be reading more by this author.

I'll See You in Paris by Michelle Gable

I enjoyed this book quite a bit.

Despite the title, the story doesn't actually take place in Paris. Most of it takes place in an English village.

There are two story lines, one in the present day, involving Laurel returning with her daughter, Annie, to a place where she spent time when she was younger. As Annie is trying to learn more about her mother's past, readers are also made aware of the events that happened thirty years earlier.

Annie meets a man in a pub who begins to tell her stories, providing her with the information she is seeking. I especially enjoyed the stories that took place in the past. And the the eccentric Duchess of Marlborough is an entertaining character. I like that the author does her research and includes these historical characters. Also having seen a Boldini exhibit last summer, I appreciate the art history. 

Sometimes I'm bothered by absurd coincidences, but that wasn't the case with this story. These seemed to make sense. 

Really good story. The past and present story lines worked well, kept the reading guessing for the most part as to the secretes waiting to be revealed.

My only issue was with the man Annie was planning to marry. He came across as a little too perfect and wonderful. Every time something would happen, Annie would email him for suggestions and then spout his advice as if he were some all-knowing being. For some reason, that really put me off.

Overall though, a really nice story, one I'd readily recommend.

Review: Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

I decided I wanted to read this after spending my morning at an art museum, in particular viewing a Caillebotte exhibit. I wanted to read a book set in France, something that involved art and this seemed like the perfect choice.

But I didn't enjoy this book very much. I never felt any sort of connection with these characters. I knew the story was tragic, and horrible things were happening, but I simply didn't care all that much because I felt like I never got to know or understand the characters. When the characters were plotting to get their revenge, I felt like I should be glad for them, but still, didn't care all that much. I felt very distant from the story, like I was observing from afar, but never emotionally invested in what was happening.

It took much longer than it should have for me to finish this book. At one point, I set it aside and read something else because this wasn't holding my interest.

I thought I'd really enjoy this book based on the description, but in the end I didn't.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.