Book Review: Falling in Montmartre (Encounters, #2) - Fifi Flowers
Synopsis:
For years, bookstore owner, Émile Capet, lived his life simply... carefully guided by a family curse. Happy in his book world. With the request for a certain rare book, he begins to question why someone would be fascinated by paved stones. How could they be considered romantic? To him, they were often dangerous. His conclusion is confirmed when he finds himself rescuing a beautiful woman sprawled out on a cobblestone sidewalk. However, this emotionally guarded hero may change his opinion and his lifestyle once he gets to know the injured woman, Avril Paulson, who just so happens to possess a special edition of the much sought after Romancing the Cobblestone book. Avril, a book collector, owns an online book business which allows her to experience a life as, what she calls, a book gypsy. She hasn’t lived in one location for several years, loving the thrill of new adventures. Staying at a client’s apartment in Paris, she finds herself being rescued by a gorgeous Frenchman after tumbling over cobblestones. Ironically, the two begin an awkward dance of the unknown, contemplating the same question… Cobblestone: dangerous or romantic Could it be that it is a little bit of both?
My Thoughts:
The story revolves around two people that have a passion and love for books. Add in to the mix a mysterious old book that included a journal and some notes. Avril’s love of books led to her becoming a book collector and owning an online book business. Émile grew up with a love of books which led him to become the owner of the family owned book store.
The mysterious book, Romancing the Cobblestone, is said to bring people to their destiny. Émile has a hard time believing this as he feels that his family is cursed and doesn’t want to fall in love or have children. Avril discovers that she has fallen for Émile but he refuses to show her any emotion when it comes to her. After over hearing a conversation between Émile and his father, Avril makes her plans to leave Paris and try to put Émile out of her life.
I thought the premise of the book was unique and the writing was well. I did feel that the beginning of the story was a little slow. There was nothing in the first part of the book that stood out and grabbed my attention; that made me want to keep reading. I pushed through and the book started getting better and ended up being a really good book. The journal and book gave some mystery to the story which kept you wondering who was the book about, how does it affect Émile and his family.
The sexual encounters in the book are well read, not overly erotic but not clean either. It was just the right amount of spicy for the story. I liked how the story tried to show the inner battle that Émile had and why he would push Avril away. Without that inner battle he would have seemed like a real jerk. You could feel the connection between Avril and Émile which had you cheering for them to get together however you wanted to strangle Émile for pushing Avril away and treating her like she was a play thing and not someone you loved.
Overall the story was captivating and a good read. If you are looking for a decent read with a mix of sweetness and intrigue, then you should give this book a chance.
*Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review*