The Paris Secret by Karen Swan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’m a big, big fan of Karen Swan so was very excited to receive her latest book from NetGalley, particularly considering the title. I love a bit of mystery and j’adore Paris so it seemed like the perfect summer read, and it almost is.
It’s packed full of glitz and glamour, from the clothes and the parties to the exotic locations and rich and handsome men. There’s an exciting story set in the world of art and antiques and a passionate and fiery romance. Just what you need when you’re relaxing on the beach on holiday or like me hiding from another rainy day.
Synopsis
The story begins with the discovery of an apartment in Paris which no one has set foot in for a long, long time. Inside, under a mountain of dust they discover hundreds of works of art. High flying fine art expert Flora is called in by the Vermeil family, who discover they own the apartment, to catalogue the collection and discover it’s history.
As she starts to dig into the history of the pictures and the apartment she has to spend more and more time with the family which would be fine if son Xavier didn’t unsettle her so much. He seems to hate her and wants her prying eyes out of the families lives but what is he hiding and why does he fascinate her so much?
Meanwhile back home Flora’s own family are dealing with a shock that leaves them all reeling and Flora finds herself torn between supporting her family and getting to the bottom of the mystery behind the paintings.
Thoughts
I absolutely loved the story in this book and found the whole thing fascinating. I have to admit I don’t have a huge knowledge of art or provenance but the author gives just enough details for it to be interesting without bombarding you with a lot of facts. It’s almost like a detective story as Flora traces back through the history of the paintings to get to the bottom of the mystery and there are a few shocks and twists along the way which took me completely by surprise.
The other highlight for me were the locations. I absolutely love Paris and France in general and the author creates such a vivid picture that you can almost imagine yourself there in the heat of summer. There’s a real sense of atmosphere particularly when the story moves to the south of France to Antibes. It’s hot, sensual and completely enthralling.
Main character Flora is likeable enough. I didn’t totally take to her as she came across a little bit weak and indecisive (not sure those are the right words but I can’t think of better ones). She clearly loves her job and her family, and is very determined but there just wasn’t a lot of fun in her. She’s not in the easiest situation but there was something about her that just frustrated me a little. I think I just wanted her to let loose a little (and not in the ways she did).
Xavier was also a little bit of a let down. He’s the dark and brooding type, who doesn’t really say much throughout the book. He mostly seems to glare or stare at Flora which is a little on the creepy side and I think this is what made this book a little less than perfect for me. You can feel there is something brewing between Xavier and Flora but it’s difficult to see it as any kind of serious relationship given they never have an actual conversation.
Despite these minor flaws I did enjoy it immensely and would recommend to anyone looking for a great summer beach read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m currently reading 
Things have been very busy at work at the moment so I haven’t managed to read as much as I hoped. Only three books finished, none of which were particularly taxing reads.
Continuing my romance fest (when I’m stressed I turn to trashy novels) I also read 
This week my teaser is from classic romance 
I’ve been very lucky this week and somehow managed to end up reading a lot of really good books.
The second book finished was 
It’s about a group of friends who’ve drifted apart after a tragedy but get back together to get revenge on a bully. It’s too early for me to post a review but I will say that I absolutely loved this book. I was expecting it to be good but I wasn’t expecting it to break my heart a little.
It’s been a slightly manic and emotional week at work, my boss left, my assistant got married and I had a run in with someone and spent the rest of the day crying in the toilets. Needless to say I haven’t managed to read as much or what I planned.
As I was in need of a bit of cheering up after my horrible week (and Time after Time) I reverted to one of my favourite happy books 
I read the first book in this series a while ago and wasn’t too keen but having since read and loved the three books in the Talon series and The Immortal Rules I thought I’d give it another try. While this one is better than the first book it’s still nowhere near as good as the author’s more recent books. For various reasons I don’t like the main character and the plot is a little too obvious and contrived. I’d recommend you give this a pass and read Talon instead.
The first book finished was 
The third and final book finished this week was 
A Bookish Life 