Review: Sweet and Romantic
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2013
There were two reasons I was really excited to read this book. The cover is absolutely beautiful and intriguing. Second I have always been fascinated with Paris and have been dying to go since I was a young girl. At first glance judging by the cover I thought I was getting a book that was dark, gritty and raw. I was surprised to find that it was just a simple story about two people finding love when they least expected it.Winter Deveaux and Cade Savage were two characters with issues that weren't hard to sympathize with. Both were running from their problems hoping that a trip abroad to Paris for a scholarship opportunity would help them forget but as with all life issues their problems followed them. Winter has a secret that has plagued her for years and while it was fairly easy to guess what that secret was it wasn't any less upsetting. She was pretty damaged by what had happened to her and has kept people at arms length because of it even earning her the nickname Ice Queen. I loved that her character was an aspiring writer. After her mentor breaks down everything wrong with her novel and suggests she get more life experience to add to her writing she gets a little disheartened. The nightlife in Paris offers several strange encounters as well as making new friendships. It's not until she meets Cade on this trip that her novel starts to take shape following the path of her actual love life.Cade Savage was such a wonderful character and was exactly what Winter needed in a love interest. He was absolutely sweet, kind, charming and a total southern gentleman. Cade has his own set of issues that plague him throughout this book. A strained relationship with his father and a disabled brother that he is expected to stay behind and take care of of are just two of the reasons Cade has to leave home. He has to follow his heart and his dream of architecture and that is what leads him to Paris and ultimately Winter. He wasn't looking for a relationship but there is something about Winter that captured his attention. He sees who she really is and helps her overcome her fear and protects her from her secret that has followed her to Paris. It was sad to see all the things Cade had to suffer through but at the same time I loved how determined and strong he was. Not just for himself but also for Winter.I enjoyed the love that bloomed slowly between these two characters throughout the story. I was nervous about how things would end up for them because they are only in Paris for a semester. With Cade being from Texas and Winter from New York it was nerve wracking waiting to see how they handled their relationship when their time was over. The romance was well done and the book featured several incredibly sweet moments for these two. The cast of characters were an added bonus especially Winter's friend Jenifer. She was also a damaged girl who hid behind her party girl image and got herself into crazy situations. At first I thought she was a terrible friend to Winter and didn't really like her. She was flighty and a little bit of a slut but once you got to the bottom of her facade you realize she was just as scarred as Winter was. I loved seeing them bond and grow closer once they shared the reasons behind their behavior.Kiss Me In Paris was a wonderful story set in one of the most romantic places in the world. While I enjoyed the love between the main characters I didn't feel like I connected to them while I was reading. I found it a little hard to believe that Winter's character would wait so long to finally get her secret out in the open and that nobody, not even her parents noticed anything strange about their daughter. I don't want to say too much about the events surrounding this secret of hers but I just didn't buy it completely. There were a few times where the book dragged a little bit in between the big moments and I had to put it down occasionally but it didn't turn me off completely. I was happy with the ending and I did like this book and would absolutely recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good character builder with a bit slower pacing in the storyline and character development.