Review: Christmas in Paris by Anita Hughes

Title: Christmas in Paris
Author: Anita Hughes 
Format: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publish Date: October 4, 2016
Source: Publisher

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "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 she’s 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 grandparents’ farm. Isabel wasn’t 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 children’s 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."

My Two Cents:

"Christmas in Paris" is the story of Isabel and Alec. Both of them are recovering from broken relationships. Both of them are recovering from broken relationships and broken hearts. Both of them end up in the same hotel in the center of Paris in the middle of winter. This book explores finding love after loss and being open for whenever the opportunity arises.

This is a fun romance. Isabel was an okay character. I really liked Alec. He's a children's book writer and illustrator. He has created a dog character called Gus that he writes all sorts of adventurous stories about Gus. He fights his family thinking that even though he is a successful writer that he isn't successful. Even with the doubt he faces, he still moves towards his dream, which I really liked. He's also quick witted and snarky, which I loved.

This is a romance set in the most romantic city ever. I loved how the author incorporated the city as almost another character. The detail there was really good. The writing was okay. There were many points where the author told a lot rather than showed, which took me out of the book. Even so, this is a sweet story.