Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin Published by Boldwood Books Limited on September 17, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Friendship, Fiction / Romance / Holiday
Pages: 328
Format: ARC
Source: NetGalley
Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong? When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to tidy it up and sell it immediately. All she wants is to move on and forget her disaster of a marriage ever happened. But selling it proves impossible, so she has only one option: to make it gorgeous and open by Christmas... when her funds will almost certainly run out. She's not counting on the grumpy American bar-owner next door, Noah, coming and interfering at every moment though. Nor is she expecting to find a mysterious room - which holds the key to a one-hundred-year-old secret - about a woman who chose love against the odds. One thing's for sure... as the fairy lights twinkle all over the city of lights and the first snowflakes start to fall... this will be a Christmas in Paris to remember. A totally gorgeous, escapist romantic comedy, with an unforgettable mystery! A perfect festive read for fans of Emily Henry and Sarah Morgan to curl up with this winter. Praise for Rebecca Raisin: 'Captured my heart... The book had everything. Nobody can do magic to a city as Rebecca Raisin does. And Paris was never more brilliantly portrayed before. A fabulous read.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Will grab your hand and pull you headfirst downs the streets and alleyways of Paris, with a wonderful cast of characters and enough twists and turns to keep you entertained right to the end. I defy you not to want to visit Paris.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Ahhh I absolutely loved this book!... Made me laugh, warmed my heart... Fabulous.' NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I just adoooore books about Paris and this one made me fall in love with it all over again with every page.' Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review
I want to start this review by thanking NetGalley, Boldwood Books, and Rebecca Raisin for giving me a copy of Christmas At The Little Paris Hotel in return for an honest review. Everything that you read here will be my thoughts and opinions of Christmas At The Little Paris Hotel.
In this story, we are following Anais, a famous romance writer who is recently divorced from her cheating husband. Through the divorce, she is stuck with a run-down Paris Hotel that her now ex-husband had planned on fixing up. Between the lawyer fees for the divorce, the mortgage for the run-down hotel, and now the cost of fixing it up to sell, Anais is running short on cash. Not only does she need to fix the hotel so she can sell it, but she also has a deadline for a book hanging over her head that needs to be completed. The problem is Anais is having trouble writing a romance when all she wants to do is kill off her hero. To say that Anais is stressed is an understatement. The good thing about this whole situation is that Manon, her cousin, is staying with her at the hotel while it is getting fixed up, and she is helping. Anais and Manon have big plans for renovating this run-down heap of a hotel and making it a book lovers retreat. I mean, really, what isn’t to love when it comes to a hotel in Paris that caters to bibliophiles? The question is, can Anais and Manon manage to have the work done in time to open it for the Christmas Season?
Noah, the neighbor and owner of the bar across the street, might be good-looking, but it is not long before he starts in with Anais about how terrible the hotel looks from the street. Noah does not stop with just one complaint; he also mentions how loud the construction workers are and that he does not appreciate the dumpster being placed out front rather than down the back alley. Anais does not take kindly to this neighbor, which creates some excellent banter between the two characters. As the characters get to know one another, Anais thinks Noah isn’t quite the pig that she first believed him to be; maybe there is a bit more to this American than meets the eye.
As the renovations continue, Anais and Manon discover two mysterious rooms by accident. One of the rooms is unlocked, allowing the girls to investigate, but the second room is locked with no key in sight. There is also no mention of these rooms in the information that Anais got from the lawyers. Anais does not dare ask about it because she is worried her ex-husband will try to take back the hotel. Anais can not afford to go to court again against him. She has already lost so much. So it is up to Anais and Manon to solve the one-hundred-year-old mysteries of these two rooms. I really enjoyed how they go about solving the mystery and who they include to help them with the case.
Rebecca Raisin did a great job with the descriptions of the hotel, the Christmas market scenes, and just the city itself. Honestly, it makes me want to visit Paris at Christmas. I have to say that I loved reading about Anais and Manon. They have such a fun dynamic and get along great with one another. Not to mention that they are complete opposites, which makes their relationship even more fun. If you are looking for a positive cousin relationship to read about, I believe you will find it in this book. I also enjoyed the side characters in this story as well. I was interested in hearing what the backpackers were getting up to daily, and I loved hearing about their jobs in the city. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and watching them develop throughout the story. If you love books about books, then definitely give this one a go because it is full of mentions about books. I mean, the hotel is for book lovers, so there is that. This is for you if you love enemies to lovers, second-chance romances, and a mystery to solve. If you are looking for all the cozy Christmas vibes for the upcoming season, I believe this could be for you because it does not disappoint. Reader, have you read anything by this author, and if so, what have you read? I am always interested to hear. Until Next Time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Cheating Spouse
- Talk of Spousal Abuse
- Mentions of Losing a Significant Other