When helping out is the perfect way to escape

Synopsis

Escape to chic and glamorous Paris!

When Poppy Phillipson loses her chocolate-making business in the Blossomwood Bay fire, she’s heart-broken; all her hopes and dreams wiped out in the space of an hour. As if that wasn’t enough, her last three dates were a complete disaster – one two-hour lecture on the intricacies of the off-side rule, one no-show, and an embarrassing abandonment mid-date – and she’s having a hard time not to take it personally.

So, when her brother asks her to come to the rescue of his friend Olivier Bourdain, owner of Pâtisserie Madeliene, following a freak skiing accident, she decides it’s the perfect way to escape the Devonshire drizzle and enjoy a petit sojourn from all-thing romance exploring the boutiques and boulevards of elegant Paris.

However, when she meets handsome French chef Fabien Dumont, with his sexy accent and dark brooding eyes, her determination to take a dating hiatus is severely tested. Should she concentrate on improving her skills as a pâtissière, or should she throw caution to the wind and embrace everything the City of Light has to offer… including the possibility of love?

Join Poppy as she heads to the dazzling city of Paris, and enjoy a story filled with delicious French pâtisserie and a soupçon of heart-warming romance.

My review

After losing her chocolate – making business to her Blossomwood Bay fire, is Poppy a bit lost. Not only did her dream end up in flames, but also on a romantic level things aren’t that great, with one disastrous date after the other.
So when her brother tells her that she could help out his friend Olivier Bourdain after a skiing incident, at first she isn’t sure. But on the other hand, spending some time in Paris and a typical Parisian Pâtisserie could be exactly what she needs together with her dating ban. However, Paris isn’t the City of Light and Love for a reason, and handsome chef Fabien Dumont ignites something in Poppy that she hasn’t felt for a long time. So will Poppy be courageous enough to embrace the Parisian life and enjoy her time there?

Whenever I pick up a book from this author, Eager and Curious Tizi emerges. I cannot wait to read what great adventures the main character will embark to.
And with Poppy going to Paris, a city that I have visited myself several time and have enjoyed the real Parisian Pâtissiers myself, it couldn’t get any better than that! 😊

The book doesn’t start at its happiest, as we know that the fire destroyed Blossomwood Bay, leaving many owners in the dark, not knowing what to do next. Also Poppy is just holding on, thinking what to do with her life now, as her dream truly just went into flames.
While that would be already difficult enough, if you have someone by your side, it can make things easier. Unfortunately, that is not the case for Poppy, as she is just having terrible dates, after being burnt terrible by love before.

Yet it also was sweet to see how she is surrounded by lovely people. Not only the people of Blossomwood Bay itself, but also her brother(s) are still very protective of her. And knowing what she has been through, especially her brothers want her to find happiness again. And while that is very much appreciated, I could also recognize some of Poppy’s frustrations. As I have also an older brother, I see that protective streak back with Poppy’s brothers. We all know that it’s all done with the best intentions, but sometimes they should all just back off a tiny little bit 😊.

I could also absolutely understand Poppy’s initial trepidation to head off on her own to Paris, not speaking French all that well anymore, and also not knowing anyone in this marvellous city.
It can be scary to arrive there on your own…
But of course our Daisy wouldn’t let our main character arrive in a city to let her have a terrible time!

Obviously I had a good laugh at moments, because as Poppy has to get used to the French language again, there may be some misunderstandings 😊. But if there is one thing that truly warmed my heart, was seeing how even in Paris, in a strange place, country, Poppy finds herself surrounded by lovely people.
Hélène is a force to reckon with, even an inspiring character, with each day a new class, one crazier than the previous class. But while being excentric, she is just so lovely! 
There are also the people Poppy meets at her new job, like Camille, Olivier himself, with all their own dreams and hopes.
And I have to admit, the cliché of French people, or at least the cliché that I had in my mind about French people, being arrogant and distant, were never seen in this book. On the contrary! All characters were warm, delightful, welcoming, patient and understanding.

I have talked a lot about everything in this book, with the exception of the romantic bit. Well, I am of course saving the best for last! 🙂
Sometimes you meet people that you instantly connect with, or that make sparks fly around. And that what happens between Poppy and Fabien. I liked to see how their first encounter is one filled with a misunderstanding, but it was great to see how slowly they become friends, and how the attraction starts to grow even bigger. 

Fabien, no matter how great he is (because he absolutely is! 🙂 ) isn’t having an easy time. Someone is after him, wanting to see him fail, and it weighs heavy on Fabien. We see here that no matter how good our intentions or ideas are, they can all come crashing into pieces at the hand of someone else…
But we also see that those that truly care about Fabien are adamant on finding out the truth.

It was a real enjoyment reading this book, even if I had to be patient to discover some truths (like how exactly Poppy got heartbroken in the past, or who the culprit is in the jewelry heist affecting Poppy’s friends back home). But even if patience isn’t my forte, it was definitely worth the wait. Because “meanwhile” I got to read a great story, about having a foreign adventure, that becomes a personal journey. But more important, I got to read a story about great characters, chasing their dreams or finding a way to achieve them. Just amazing!