This is the first of Fiona’s book that I have read, and I loved it. This book is a heart-warming love story with lots of drama, romance, and shenanigans thrown in along the way. The story is set in Paris. What better setting for a heart-warming romance. I expected a wonderful Rom-Com set in Paris, but this story is so much more than that.
We are introduced to our protagonist, Sylvie, and her bully of a husband, Henri. Henri is a really nasty piece of work. He is extremely emotionally abusive and controlling. Henri gaslights Sylvie, encouraging her to take a menial job as a cleaner at the Louvre. He hopes her job will distract her from finding out about his years of deception. I really loved the main character and felt for her as she navigated her way through coping with a miserable marriage.
Sylvie has fond memories of her childhood growing up, helping her father in his antique store. Sylvie got her love of art from her father and is thrilled that she will be working alongside some of the world’s most beautiful and famous pieces of artwork.
At her new job, Sylvie meets shy sweet security guard, Philippe. They have an instant connection, but Sylvie is trapped in her unhappy marriage.
The book is set in 2016. The timing of the story is important. That year Paris hosted the European Football Championships. Weeks of rain caused the River Seine to burst its banks, flooding the underground city that lies below the capital. Think ‘The Phantom of the Opera.’
With the city’s flooding getting worse, the Louvre experiences a weather-related power cut. It is here that the story gets interesting. Philippe seizes an opportunity to do something illegal in a moment of sheer madness, believing it will enable him and Sylvie to be able to afford to run away together. Who doesn’t love a mad cap heist wrapped up in a good dose of humour and romance?
Can Phillipe and Sylvie manage to put things right before they get caught and still have the life together they both deserve? Will a certain someone get his just desserts?
From the pigeons watching from above the Notre Dame, to the sewer tunnels beneath the famous streets, to the cultured galleries of the Louvre, this book will not disappoint. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a great romantic adventure. I give it 5 stars.