CHRISTMAS IN PARIS by Anita Hughes takes place in the span of about a week. Maybe two, but no more than a month. Our heroine starts the book in love with one man and engaged to another by the end of it. She's either an absolute idiot with no self-awareness nor understanding of how relationships actually work, or she's an exceptionally sheltered fourteen-year-old girl, who dreams of her prince coming but has never stopped to think about what do once he gets there. The language she uses about other people, but particularly men, demonstrates a very sheltered understanding of humans. For example, she's very afraid at one point as some petty theft has happened and she puts all her trust in a man she met approximately 36hrs before. This is not a decision that most women traveling alone would make. Additionally, there's a whole bit with a fortune teller that I found a bit old-fashioned.
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.
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 sheβs 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 grandparentsβ farm. Isabel wasnβt 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
childrenβs 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.
No excerpt available.
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