By: Anita Hughes
Genres: Romance | Holiday | Women's Fiction
Posted: January 5, 2017
The author clearly wanted to capture the magic of Paris at Christmas (I mean, it's the literal title) and that's fantastic. If someone is looking for a tourist guide to how to "do" Paris at Christmas, than this would perhaps be helpful. All of the highlights are included and the writing is good at communicating that magic. On that front, the story is a lovely diversion from real life.
However, when it comes to the love story, I couldn't track with the heroine, nor could I believe any of the other characters in this work. The tagline says this story is about trust, but I'm not entirely sure how it can be in the time frame the author sets up. Call me a cynic, but I want happily ever afters and those require time and trust and communication and things that take longer than a week to build. I spent the majority of this work rolling my eyes and wondering if "trust" is something that we're allowed to assume can be automatic at the level this work expects.
I'm also someone who enjoys happily ever afters that could work in "real life". I don't usually go for the ones that can only exist in romance novels, so CHRISTMAS IN PARIS just didn't work on me.
Book Summary
Hughes will fill your heart with the sights, sounds, and flavors of new love, glamorous fashion, and decadent holiday cuisine.
Isabel Lawson is standing on the balcony of her suite at the Hotel Crillon as she gazes at the twinkling lights of the Champs Elysee and wonders if she’s made a terrible mistake. She was supposed to be visiting the Christmas tree in the Place de la Concorde, and eating escargots and macaroons with her new husband on their honeymoon. But a week before the wedding, she called it off. Isabel is an ambitious Philadelphia finance woman, and Neil suddenly decided to take over his grandparents’ farm. Isabel wasn’t ready to trade her briefcase for a pair of rubber boots and a saddle.
When Neil suggested she use their honeymoon tickets for herself, she thought it would give her a chance to clear her head. That is until she locks herself out on the balcony in the middle of winter. Thankfully her neighbor Alec, a French children’s illustrator, comes to her rescue. He too is nursing a broken heart at the Crillon for the holidays. With a new friend by her side, Isabel is determined to use her time in the city of lights wisely. After a chance encounter with a fortune teller and a close call with a taxi, she starts to question everything she thought was important.
Christmas in Paris is a moving and heartwarming story about love, trust, and self-discovery. Set during the most magical week of the year, the glorious foods and fashions of the most romantic city in the world are sure to take your breath away.
by: Anita Hughes
St. Martin's Griffin
October 1, 2016
On Sale: October 4, 2016
Featuring: Neil; Isabel Lawson; Alec
288 pages
ISBN: 1250105501
EAN: 9781250105509
Kindle: B01CXO4W3G
Trade Size / e-Book