A Crown of Bitter Oranges is a quiet romance with a comfortably romantic hero. Tristan and Malorie have known each other most of their lives. For most of their lives Tristan has been in love with Malorie, but she has never trusted the ease with which he moves through the world. They have an antagonistic friendship that rather sweetly moves to love. Tristan is open and emotional. Malorie is self-contained and distrustful. She needs to open up and he needs recognize his privilege and empathize […]
Makes me want to go to the South of France
Malorie Monsard returns to the south of France, where she grew up, having left on a hike after finishing high school and made enough money in Paris to put herself through business school. Having felt like an outcast while growing up, due to the legacy of her great-grandfather who betrayed resistance members to the Gestapo, and a narcissistic father who would manipulate her, her mother, her sisters and her grandmother, and charm, lie and steal his way until he finally met an unglamourous end in […]
Nope
I have been previously underwhelmed by Laura Florand, but was heartily encouraged to try, in particular, this and one of her other novels as a better representation of her potential. I’m now very scared I am going to be shunned. Here is the plot summary — it’s basically You’ve Got Mail — in Goodreads’ words: “Welcome to La Maison des Sorcieres. Where the window display is an enchanted forest of sweets, a collection of conical hats delights the eye and the habitues nibble chocolate witches […]
Two new French romances
So I read this series out of order, but I don’t think that really matters. I haven’t been paying attention it seems, as Ms. Florand currently has two books out in her newest series, and I hadn’t realized she started one. I read some of her Amour et Chocolat series last year, which resulted in my loving some (The Chocolate Kiss and The Chocolate Touch) and wanting to burn others to the ground (The Chocolate Heart). So when Mrs. J. and Malin said the second […]