Review: The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo

I read this books months ago, I decided to hold off on writing a review until closer to publication date and then waited too long. Now I feel compelled to finish the review because I'm seeing this book everywhere. I didn't enjoy this book much at all. I found the love story to be weak and the story line to be very predictable. I was describing the book to someone else, and they kept guessing what happened, and they were right each time.

Sometimes I read a love story, and I find myself thinking I may be missing out in life because it all sounds so wonderful, even if things do end badly. (My favorite love stories are those that end badly - Wuthering Heights, Casablanca, Gone With the Wind, English Patient, you get the idea.) But other times, I read a story in which the primary love story is so unsettling, it gives me a brand new appreciation for my single status. This book falls into the latter category.

I was looking for something romantic and tragic, and hoped this would be it. But for one, while I understood that the events in the story were pretty dreary, I never felt a strong emotional connection to the characters or their situation. The love, which seemed like more of an infatuation, seemed very one-sided.

The main character, the person telling the story, was such a weak character. Throughout the entire story, she continued to allow things to happen to her, never taking control of the situation. She meets Gabe in class, and it's a very intense situation. They share a moment on a day they'll never forget, and she thinks she's met the love of her life. Next time she speaks to him, she learns he's returned to his ex-girlfriend. They eventually do get together, but Gabe leaves her to pursue his career. For the next few years, they're in and out of each other's lives, but their whole history together seems to be about him turning to her when he's alone and can't find anyone better.

This character marries someone she doesn't love because she feels like she's expected to marry him, she has children because it's expected. I was so bothered by the situations in which she became pregnant. Despite being secure financially and loving her job (which her husband wants her to quit), she has a fairly awful life. So of course she continues to think the relationship that ended shortly after her college days is the ideal situation. To me, it didn't seem like a great love affair, but rather a desperate need to escape.

A lot of people seem to like this book. I'm not one of them.

I also don't like the way it's being marketed as "the next Me Before You." Seeing this, you know there must be some sort of tragedy. But other than that, there isn't anything similar.

I received a review copy via NetGalley. 

Review: The Harlot and the Sheikh by Marguerite Kaye

First a disclaimer of sorts: I've been having some trouble reading romance novels lately. Once, they were my perfect escape, but now, what used to work so well does not. I'm finding it more difficult to disconnect from the real world and slip into these fantasy worlds. But I'm trying.

I selected this book because I wanted something indulgent. Something completely unrelated to anything in my real world. I needed a dirty, sexy fairy tale. The title made this sound like what I needed. I was thinking escape to Arabian Nights or something like that.

I found the beginning of the book to be slow. (But see my disclaimer at the beginning, this could be a me problem and not necessarily a book problem.) The book wasn't grabbing my interest. Too much about the horses, not enough about the characters or any sort of development in their relationship. I was beginning to think the book was entirely too tame for what I was wanting.

But then, somewhere around the 40 to 50 % mark, the book became exactly what I needed.

This is the story of a strong, intelligent heroine trying to move beyond her past mistakes, and a sexy prince, looking to redeem his family name and bring honor back to his kingdom.

After a mysterious illness strikes his prized horses, Prince Rafiq sends for an English veterinarian. Stephanie Darvil arrives in her father's place. She views this as a fresh start, and a way to spare her family disgrace. She foolishly fell in love and allowed herself to be seduced by a man who used her, thus earning her the reputation of a harlot. The prince isn't quite sure what to make of her at first, having not expected a woman to appear to tend to his horses, but her skill quickly wins him over. Rafiq though is having trouble seeing her as only his horses' veterinarian, and the attraction is mutual as Stephanie realizes that there are advantages and an element of liberation to her ruined reputation.

What really won me over with these characters was Rafiq's reflections on how women are treated by society. He's furious when he finds out about what happened to Stephanie, certain there must be a way to punish the man who lied to her to get her into his bed. Also, he becomes aware of how she's treated in her profession, and how she has to work harder than a man to earn any sort of respect. At the same time, he's guilt-ridden about his deceased wife, who married him as part of an arrangement and had to give up so much of what she loved to satisfy a deal made by her father. Suffice it to say, Rafiq is understanding and respectful, reflective and willing to change, as well as being an attentive and skilled lover. This, along with being a prince, makes him just about perfect. Strong women and men who love and
appreciate strong women are essential for me to like a romance novel, and this book does well in that area.

While the book may have started out slow for me, in the end, I really liked it. Great, strong, intelligent characters; angsty backgrounds the characters need to overcome, and some very steamy sex scenes.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Playboy on her Christmas List by Carol Marinelli

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Carol Marinelli writes really great characters. I've enjoyed everything I've read by this author.

I liked that the playboy doctor, Daniel wasn't too awful or too perfect. He was a nice guy who was sincerely interested in Holly - a nurse at the hospital where he sometimes worked - and he wasn't quite sure how to handle his feelings for her after a one night stand starts to feel like something much more. Holly isn't really a one night stand sort of person, but she thought she'd never see Daniel again - he kept saying he was going to take off on a year old holiday - and she had a moment in which she decided to take a chance.

The holiday setting worked well as the hospital employees enjoyed their advent calendar chocolates and put together a Secret Santa exchange, all while planning the holiday work schedule and trying to figure out how to fit in time with their families.

Definitely would recommend to anyone in need of a fun, sexy holiday read, with believable, likable characters and an interesting story.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley. 

Review: A Cotswold Christmas by Kate Hewitt

I loved this book. The setup for the story is a bit absurd - in real life you should probably never do what Anna did. The bed and breakfast she booked for Christmas was flooded, so she goes off with Colin, a relative of the owner - thinking he's got a vacation cottage where she can stay. Turns out it's not a vacation rental, but rather an empty, unfurnished house. Colin feels bad about the situation, realizing Anna is alone for the holidays and her plans have been ruined, he does his best to try to make her comfortable in the empty house. The two quickly hit it off, feeling comfortable in each other's company, despite barely knowing each other.

This is a sweet story, very romantic and sexy without being explicit - which seems to work well in this story. This is the perfect, feel good holiday romance. An American attempting to run away from her heartbreak and be alone for the holidays meets the perfect man - who isn't at all what she ever would have considered to be perfect.

I liked this story a lot and would readily recommend it to anyone wanting something sweet and romantic, and quick, as it isn't a very long story. Perfect for an afternoon or evening read when the real life holidays get to be too much.

I believe this is the first in a series of books set in the same village. I'm looking forward to reading more. This is a very nice beginning and introduction to this area and characters.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley. 

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: Suddenly Sorceress by Erica Lucke Dean

I didn't enjoy this book very much. Never felt much of a connection to the main character. I thought the situation was a little too abrupt - there needed to be more of an explanation as to the cause of magical things that were happening. I saw this as someone who reads a lot of paranormal novels - so it takes a lot for me to think something is too out there.

This really just wasn't the type of book I enjoy, a little too light and fluffy for me. The characters were a bit too silly and I found that boring rather than entertaining. That might be more of a problem with me and my usual tastes and expections than the actual book.

I received this via NetGalley. 

Review: Her Halloween Treat by Tiffany Reiz

The sex in this book is very hot and very good and well written. But other than that, there isn't much of a story at all. Main character returns home for brother's wedding, hooks up with brother's friend. And that's the story, which is fine if all you're wanting to read is something hot and sexy.

I was disappointed though that despite the title mentioning Halloween, the holiday had very little significance in the story. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and there aren't a lot of Halloween romances out there. I knew it wasn't a paranormal story, but had thought it would have something more to do with the day. Instead, at the very end they attend a wedding on Halloween and people dress up as characters from 80s movies. Halloween is supposed to be spooky and creepy, not Pretty in Pink.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: The Witches of Cambridge by Menna van Praag

As soon as October begins, I like to read nothing but witch themed books. I make a few exceptions, but I tend to set aside these books until this time of the year.

I started with Menna van Praag's Witches of Cambridge. I'd been looking forward to reading this for a while. I love academic settings. One of my favorite books is about a witch in Oxford. I'd hoped for something similar with this book in regards to intellectual stimulation. Didn't happen.

The book started out well, and I enjoyed the first half. Very light read, focusing on relationships and babies and baking. In the beginning though, it reminded me a bit of Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic, which I loved. But about midway through, I began to lose interest. I thought the beginning was written in the way it was as a way to introduce characters and establish  the setting, but it never moved beyond that style of writing. In fact, about halfway through, it became even more distant and choppy.

There are six different witches in this story, and each of them have their own story lines, with some slight overlap. It was hard to follow their stories though because we would get about four to eight paragraphs about one character, and then it would jump to a completely different story line. This happened for a significant portion of the book. It made it difficult to stick with the book. I think it would have worked much better as a collection of short stories, each character getting her or his own story, with the same characters making a few appearances. Had I not already been about 70% into the book, I would have simply stopped reading because I didn't care about the characters. I never felt any kind of emotional connection to what was happening with their characters. They were suffering with problems in their families, their marriages, problems with their children and lovers, and I simply didn't care because I never felt like we learned enough about the characters to understand what they were feeling.

Also there were a few factual errors that bothered me. One person is a professor of art, another is a student, so in the beginning, there are several mentions of art. As an art lover, I thought this would endear me to the book, but instead, I was just annoyed with the mentions of art. Klimt's The Kiss is not on display at the Fitzwilliam (it's in Vienna), nor is Van Gogh's Starry Night (that's in New York City) or his Church at Auvers (Paris). I know the story is fiction, but if someone is going to mention real works of art, maybe at least explain why they're on display in other places - special exhibition or something. For other people, this might not be a big deal. But I travel to a lot of art museums and have seen these paintings, and I teach art, and when I show students works of art or have them look up information about paintings, I also require that they find out where the painting is currently located. So maybe don't mention specific paintings if the rest of the info about the paintings isn't accurate?

Overall, I didn't enjoy this all that much. Started out well, but by the end, was kind of wishing I hadn't read it.

I received a copy of this via NetGalley.

Review: Mine to Protect by Cynthia Eden

I really love Cynthia Eden's Mine series. She writes romantic suspense very well. This book was no exception. Very enjoyable, action packed, sexy, steamy read. Sometimes these books are exactly what you need.

My only issue with this book was that it has been awhile since I read the last book in this series and while reading this, when ever another character was mentioned I was struggling to remember the details of their situation. I've read another similar series by this same author since then, and was afraid I was getting the stories confused. Not a huge deal, and makes me think I may want to re-read those books - but so many other books that I want to read. Maybe a timeline with some brief descriptions would be helpful.  

Anyway, really liked this book. These are my go-tos when I need a quick escape. I know I'll be sucked into the story right away and it won't let up until the book is over. 

Review: My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

This book is so good. Gloria Steinem is one of my heroes, and reading this was like being able to hang out with her and listen to her stories. That's what this book is, a collection of stories of her life experiences, focusing on travel.

As someone who travels, I was especially looking forward to this book. Her travels though are mostly within the U.S. - mine tend to be outside of the country. She writes about how going to new places, working with different people has taught her about life and influenced her work. She also shares stories about her work for women's rights, as well as some personal stories about her time with her friends.

I was sad when the book was over, I wanted to read more because I'd thoroughly enjoyed what I did read. Hoping Steinem has many more stories to tell.

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 Werewolf's Wife by Michele Hauf

I started reading this book while waiting for my car to be serviced. They took forever with the car, and I didn't even car because I was enjoying this book so much.

This is the story of a werewolf, Ridge, who years ago married a witch in Vegas, but the marriage ended as quickly as it began, and he hasn't seen her in thirteen years. He finds her, wanting a divorce, but learns she needs his help to save her son. After some time together, they aren't so sure a divorce is the right move.

Really good book. There are a few issues regarding timing that bothered me. An editor really should have corrected that. But I decided to over look it because otherwise, I really loved this book.

Another great paranormal romance from Michele Hauf.

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: City of Darkness, City of Light by Marge Piercy

During a recent trip to Paris, I took a French Revolution walking tour. (Paris-walk.com - highly recommend them, great way to learn more about the city's history.) Before this tour, my knowledge of the French Revolution was fairly limited. Oh, I knew all about Marie Antoinette and the guillotine and I'd visited the Conciergerie and Versailles on previous visits and learned a bit then. But to me, I had this grand idea that it was simply about the people of France deciding they wanted to rule themselves, and so they got rid of the royalty and lived happily ever after, or something like that. All very noble and patriotic and Les Mis (and yes, I know Les Miserables is not actually about the French Revolution, but rather an event that happened later.) Anyway, during the tour, we learned a bit about Danton and Condorcet and Marat, saw the cafes places where they met and plotted their moves, as well as where Marat died and was put on display in a bathtub. I learned enough to make me want to know much more.

Lucky me, I was recently sent a copy of Marge Piercy's City of Darkness, City of Light. I'd hoped to read it before my trip to France, but I hadn't gotten around to it. I'd been back from Paris for a week, and missing the city, I was reading only books set in Paris. With Bastille Day approaching, this book seemed like the perfect choice.

This book took over my life. I couldn't stand to put it down. I read it in the morning while on the treadmill and at night before I went to sleep, I carried my kindle with me everywhere, fitting in a chapter or two every chance I had. If I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about it. When I slept, I was dreaming about it. And though I've been trying to ignore the news lately, it's nearly impossible and I kept finding myself comparing and contrasting the current state of politics with what was happening in France after 1789.

This book focuses on several different characters who played important roles in the Revolution. They have different backgrounds, different interests and different reasons for being drawn to the fight. For some it's ideology and for others, survival and practicality. The author does an excellent job of presenting these figures as very real people, people who have friends and family and lovers. Yes, they want to overthrow the monarchy, but they also want to be able to go to a nice home at the end of the day, or meet up with friends for conversation and a few drinks in the evening, and spend some quality time with their loved ones. We see these characters' lives get caught up in the Revolution, affecting their home and work lives, forcing them to make decisions they never thought they'd have to make. They all entered into this with seemingly good intentions, but the Revolution took on a life of its own. Eventually these people who thought they were saving their country find themselves victims of their own creation.

The book is written in such a way that the events are felt at a very personal level. You hurt for these characters as their lives begin to fall apart, heroes become the hunted as political power changes hands and all the things for which they fought and believed ends up being the ruin of many of these people.

What I especially liked about this book was the focus on the women involved in the Revolution. The women, desperate to feed their families, provided much of the initial fuel behind the Revolution. But as the movement gained momentum, as often happens, the men took over and suggested the women stay home and take care of their families. For a while though, they had some power and they created some much needed change - expanding rights for women that they had been previously denied. But revolutions are messy and sacrifices are made, leaving many wondering if their efforts had been in vain.

I liked this book so much. When I finished it though, I felt a bit lost. I'd become so engrossed in it for the past few days and then... over. Done. And my kindle was saying I had a half hour left in the book - but it turned out to just be a list of characters. (Which would be very useful had I realized it was there, probably says so at the beginning, but I wasn't paying attention. Will keep that in mind when I re-read book, which I'm sure I will do eventually.) I'm tempted to seek out other books about these characters, but at the same time, I feel so close to this version of these people, I'm not sure if I'll like reading others authors interpretations of them.

I do feel as if I have a much better understanding of the French Revolution and I have a new respect for the women involved, whose roles are often overlooked in history. Gives me a new perspective on France then and today.

I highly recommend this book to those with an interest in the French Revolution.

I received this book via NetGalley.

Review: The Bookshop on the Corner by Rebecca Raisin

I did not enjoy this book. I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the set up. Everything was much, much too perfect.

Sarah owns a bookshop, and she loves reading romances, but has no real romance life of her own. Then one day, a guy walks in who could be straight out of a romance novel. He's perfect and he's already madly in love with her. He's a writer, but took the assignment just to meet her because he'd glimpsed her at some other event - or something like that. (It's been a while si
nce I read the book - I'm really behind on reviews so details might be fuzzy.)

There was never any conflict. The man had no flaws. He didn't even know her and he was in love with her, ready to re-arrange his life for her.

I like a happily ever after as much as the next person - I love them, I love romance novels. But I need more of a story. These characters were so one-dimensional. They were simply perfect. Oh sure, Sarah, had her doubts about him, but she didn't have any good reason for her doubts, which just seemed silly. At one point the guy even says, this is the part of the romance novel where we're supposed to have conflict or something bizarre like that.

As much as I like the fantasy like happily ever after, I need the character to be a little bit more real.

And yet, having said all that, and not liking this book, I'm still curious about other books by this author. Maybe the problem was that this was a novella, rather than a complete novel?

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.

Review: Last Letter From Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

Very well written, but so sad. Events in this story broke my heart, so many misunderstandings and missed opportunities, like a Thomas Hardy novel. But Hardy is one of my favorite authors. Despite feeling as if my heart were breaking over and over again, I enjoyed the book. Moyes writes stories that make me feel things I didn't think I was capable of feeling - things I never feel in real life.

I do recommend this if you want a good, emotional love story.