Review: Lost in Paris by Elizabeth Thompson

Hannah Bond has always been a bookworm, which is why she fled Florida—and her unstable, alcoholic mother—for a quiet life leading Jane Austen-themed tours through the British countryside. But on New Year’s Eve, everything comes crashing down when she arrives back at her London flat to find her mother, Marla, waiting for her.

Marla’s brought two things with her: a black eye from her ex-boyfriend and an envelope. Its contents? The deed to an apartment in Paris, an old key, and newspaper clippings about the death of a famous writer named Andres Armand. Hannah, wary of her mother’s motives, reluctantly agrees to accompany her to Paris, where against all odds, they discover great-grandma Ivy’s apartment frozen in 1940 and covered in dust.

Inside the apartment, Hannah and Marla discover mysterious clues about Ivy’s life—including a diary detailing evenings of drinking and dancing with Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and other iconic expats. Outside, they retrace her steps through the city in an attempt to understand why she went to such great lengths to hide her Paris identity from future generations.

A heartwarming and charming saga set in the City of Lights, Lost in Paris is an unforgettable celebration of family and the love between a mother and a daughter.

 

My Review:

I couldn’t put this book down.

The discovery of a deed to an apartment in Paris reunites Hannah and her mother, Marla.  When Marla suddenly shows up in London, Hannah doesn’t know what to expect.  Marla always put her own life first and even left Hannah to be raised by her grandmother.  But Marla has news to share.  They are now the owners of apartment in Paris that belonged to Marla’s grandmother, Ivy.  Come to find out the apartment was basically a time capsule.  Nothing has been touched since Ivy left before the war.  What they discover inside is life changing.  Ivy lived her life to the fullest and knew some very famous people.  

I enjoyed this book so much.  I had a hard time putting it down.  I liked the writer’s style of telling the story by switching between Ivy’s diary entries and the present day life of Hannah and Marla.  I enjoyed seeing them mend their relationship while they discovered one secret after another.  I wasn’t ready for the book to end.  I became attached to Hannah, Marla and Hannah’s friends.  I hope this story will continue in another book.  I feel there is so much more that can be told. 

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

 

Review: What the Heart Wants by Tiana Laveen

 Can one heart change the lives of many?

Ambitious financial planner Emily Windsor is the golden child of an elite New York family. Proud of her family roots, she disdains those who are different from her and embraces her entitled, wealthy lifestyle. Emily feels her life is perfect until her congenital heart condition is pronounced terminal and she’s given just months to live.

Cameron Davis is an outspoken, mixed-race social activist. His greatest joy is his soulmate, Brooke Coleman, an up-and-coming New York City jazz singer who's as talented as she is kind. But his life and heart are shattered when Brooke is killed. As her heart gives its last beat, it is quickly readied for transplant—her final act of selflessness.

As one life ends, another begins. After Emily receives Brooke’s heart, her worldview begins to change—almost as if Brooke has also given Emily a piece of her soul. As Emily struggles to understand her new thoughts and feelings, she turns to Cameron for guidance. Can love shine its light once more on two broken hearts?

 

My Review:

A life changing, emotional romance.

I was hooked on this book from the very start.  I thought I knew how the story would play out, but I was so wrong.  I found myself intrigued by the story and it took me through so many emotions.  This book is more than just a romance.  It also covers a lot of social issues that people are facing in our country right now.  

When I first started reading, I didn't like Emily because of her sense of entitlement and her less than desirable personality.  But after her heart transplant, she changed drastically.  She was now seeing the good in the people she previously disliked and judged.  She also started taking on some of the traits of her donor.  This all became clearer when Emily met Cameron, Emily's heart donor's boyfriend.  He answered a lot of questions Emily had been wondering about.  I enjoyed seeing Emily and Cameron's friendship grow into a romance.  I also liked how Cameron opened Emily's eyes to what his people were going through. This is my first book from this author and it definitely won't be the last.

 

Review: Montana Cowboy Daddy (Wyatt Brothers of Montana #3) by Jane Porter

 

Professional rodeo cowboy Billy Wyatt is in the prime of his career. He’s having a fantastic year on the circuit, earning big money and leading the standings. Too immersed in his success and enjoying bachelorhood, he's not interested in getting serious. But when a woman he’s never seen before shows up with a baby she claims is his, Billy's world is turned inside out.

Erika Baylor, a PhD grad student, never planned to be a single mom, but when her cousin dies in a car accident, orphaning her infant son, Erika steps forward. She’ll help to care for her 4-month-old nephew until the baby can be reunited with his dad. She doesn’t expect the dad to be cocky, infuriating, and utterly irresistible.

Billy never thought he wanted to be a father, but looking into the eyes of the baby who is supposedly his—and whose blue eyes mirror his own—he’s hooked. But he’s hooked on the woman who’s holding the baby too…

 

My Review:

An emotionally charged romance.

Billy Wyatt's life is turned upside down when Erika Baylor shows up with a baby and informs him that he is the father. The mother was Erika's cousin who died in a car accident leaving Erika to raise her son, Beck.  But being a student, Erika doesn’t have the time or money to raise a baby, so she sets out to find the father.   Billy is willing to raise Beck, but he needs a little help while he recovers from a rodeo injury.

As they spend time at Billy's Utah home, Erika starts to fall for Billy's charm, but she knows it could never work out.  Billy has a woman in every town and she doesn't approve of his reckless rodeo career.  But fate works in mysterious ways and these two opposites soon find themselves having a hard time being just friends. 

I was hooked on this book from the first page. The story felt real from the emotions the characters went through, to the action during the rodeo, a close-knit family that will do anything for each other and the amazing Utah scenery.  It is the perfect addition to the Wyatt Brothers of Montana series.