Book: Kissed in Paris
Genre: Chick Lit, Romantic Comedy, Action Adventure
Authors: Juliette Sobanet
Cover Critique:
Stunning, dazzling, very stylish cover! I love the collage of bright colours here – orange, yellow, green, red and of course there is the trademark of Paris, Eiffel tower in the background. This is, so far, my favourite cover in 2012.
Book Blurb:
“You are in Paris, the City of Love. You must not be so controlled. Here, have another glass. I promise you, it will not hurt.”
When 29-year-old event planner Chloe Turner wakes up penniless and without a passport in the Plaza Athénée Hotel in Paris, she only has a few fleeting memories of Claude, the suave French man who convinced her to have that extra glass of wine before taking all of her possessions and slipping out the door. As the overly organized, go-to gal for her three drama queen younger sisters, her anxiety-ridden father, and her needy clients, Chloe is normally prepared for every disaster that comes her way. But with her wedding to her straight-laced, lawyer fiancé back in DC only days away and a French con-man on the loose with her engagement ring, this is one catastrophe she never could have planned for. As Chloe tries to figure out a way home, she runs into an even bigger problem—the police are after her due to suspicious activity now tied to her bank account. Chloe's only hope at retrieving her passport and clearing her name lies in the hands of a rugged, undercover agent named Julien who has a few secrets of his own. (Blurb Courtesy: Amazon.com)
Review:
This is the story of an impulsive girl (Chloe), who is robbed by a French conman (Claude). She decides to trust an undercover agent (Julien) who is apparently trying to save our heroine from the clutches of police in the hope to recover her passport so she can fly back to America in time for her wedding (which is in next few days!). Does this sound like a promising premise for a well-written novel? And the answer is, YES!!!
This madcap romantic comedy (I would not call it the usual chick-lit, it is much better than that!), is full of thrills and adventure and the more it progresses, the faster it gets, like a furious car race with more U-turns and twists at every step of the way. With the sensational opening chapter, which perfectly sets the tone, mood and setting of the story, the writer drives the story forward in fifth gear and takes the readers for a “wild ride”.
The book gives a splendid tour of France (not just Paris!) and its beautiful countryside as a backdrop while the French agent (the hero) and the heroine run to get their life in place, but the more they try to solve things, the more they get entangled in bigger mess. While the story is written from first person perspective, it follows the hero to lead them from one situation to another.
The character of Chloe and Julien is brilliantly carved by the writer. She not only gives them signature traits (such as Chloe’s love for chocolate croissants and Julien’s bad habit of smoking) which make the characters memorable, but also gets into the hidden crevices of their minds, to reveal their secret desires (i.e. how Chloe finds Julien smoking hot) and conflicts (as Chloe decides between Paul and Julien) to the readers. There is a certain amount of craziness to their behaviour which adds to the momentum of the story.
What I loved most about the novel is that it does NOT have typical chick lit ingredients like BFFS, whining and sulking by the heroine or the search for a perfect gentleman. On the contrary, this novel has thugs, tattooed badass men, suspicious activities by our hero (Julien) who is street-smart and not really trustworthy. To know how he leads (rather misleads!) our heroine, read the novel!
You can understand how much I enjoyed every bit of the novel, from the fact that it kept me up all night long! I was up till 6 in the morning turning the pages swiftly to finish it. This is the first novel in many years that interrupted my sleep and left me craving for more (the previous one was “Zoya” by Danielle Steel which I would recommend as well). Seriously, I did not want this excellent novel to end. It was so much fun – “pure escapism” and that is why, equally hard to bid farewell to the characters!
Final verdict: Highly recommended for the natural flow in the story, unconventional and gripping writing style of the author, flawless execution of original plot, unforgettable characters, exotic French scenery and laugh-out-loud crazy adventure. A must-read for those who enjoy a little bit of eccentricity to spice up the routine.
Review Girl Rating: 10/10
“I would like to thank Juliette Sobanet for sending me a free copy of this book, for the purpose of reviewing it on my blog. You can buy this book from Amazon, by clicking here.”
Want to read this book free? Then, click here!
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