Flora Sykes, London based, high powered fine art assistant receives an emergency call from her boss, Angus, to fly to Paris for an assignment that will "knock her socks off." An apartment owned by the wealthy, socialite Vermeil family has been discovered, unopened for over seventy years. It is filled with priceless artifacts including a rare Renoir. This story is based on a true story I read and recognized in another novel that made the news recently. Ms. Swan used THE PARIS SECRET for its base and developed the rest. Pretty clever idea, methinks.

The lovely and glamorous locales of London, Paris, Vienna, and Antibes whisk you away to glamor, glitz, and the faint smell of lavender. Flora is a glorious heroine who is beautiful, has the sharp eye of an artist and the clever mind of a detective. She is a no-nonsense girl who works tirelessly and has no time for love. When she is asked by Angus to work on the provenances of the precious paintings so that they can be sold at auction, Flora is sent to live in a gorgeous cottage complete with a swimming pool, on the grounds of the huge mansion belonging to the Vermeils in Antibes. Secrets, deceptions, and surprises evolve as Flora begins digging deeper and deeper into the previous owners and the secrets they have carried for decades. Art theft during the Nazi occupation of France flourished and touched the Vermeil family and many others. We travel a journey involving heartbreak when treasured art was stolen, never to be returned to many Parisians, especially if they were Jewish.

This plot uses the present/past style and I enjoy Ms. Swan's writing style. Her descriptions of food, wine, fashion and luxury homes are mouth watering and her characters are colorful, some you love, others it is easy to dislike. It is filled with family drama, both with the Vermeils as well as the Sykes family, especially her brother, Freddie. Lots of history, especially art history, which is an added plus for a story that is filled with twists and turns heading toward an ending that neatly ties up all the questions. My only question: What happened to Gertie the darling stuffed Ostrich?

I adored Xavier, dark, moody but sexy HOT. The romance with Flora was slow but sure and in the end, the icing on the cake for me. I look forward to the next offering of Karen Swan. I am a devoted fan. I recommend THE PARIS SECRET be enjoyed with an icy glass of wine. It will touch your heart and have you waiting for her next great read. Merci beaucoup!

Book Summary

In this glittering tale of forgotten treasures and long- held secrets, international bestseller Karen Swan explores one woman’s journey to discovering the truth behind an abandoned apartment and a family whose mysteries may be better left undiscovered

When high-powered fine art agent Flora Sykes is called in to assess objets d’art in a Paris apartment that has been abandoned since WWII, she is skeptical at first—until she discovers that under decades of dust the treasure trove of paintings is myriad…and priceless. The powerful Vermeil family to whom they belong is eager to learn more and asks Flora to trace the history of each and every painting.

Despite a shocking announcement that has left her own family reeling, Flora finds herself thrown into the rarified and glamorous world of the Vermeils. But she soon realizes that there is more to this project than first appears and as she researches the provenance of their prize Renoir, she uncovers a scandal surrounding not only the painting, but a secret that goes to the very heart of the family itself. The fallout will place Flora in the eye of a storm that carries her from London to Vienna to the glittering coast of Provence.

Xavier Vermeil, the brusque scion of the family, is determined to separate Flora from his family’s affairs in spite of the powerful attraction that propels them to one another. Just what are the secrets he is desperately trying to hide? And what price is Flora willing to pay to uncover the devastating truth…?

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