Paris in July/Blog Tour: Poppy's Parisian Patisserie by Daisy James

 

Oh no! I've been seduced into reading the fourth sixth book in a series when I haven't read the first three four books. What was it that seduced me?

Picture of Paris on the cover

Paris in the title

Patisseries

Proliferation of alliteration in the title

And it turns out this is my second book in a row that has a main character called Poppy!

Poppy is having a run of bad luck. Her chocolate making business has closed due to a fire, she still hasn't really moved on from her disastrous last relationship, and she has well and truly withdrawn from dating anyone. When she finds herself with a few weeks spare, her brother asks her to pop over to Paris and help out in his friend's patisseries. Olivier has had an unfortunate accident which left him with two broken arms and so he needs all the hands he can get (pun intended) to keep his patisserie running.

Poppy quickly makes friends with her eccentric landlady, with the her co-workers, and the shop owners from the surrounding shops. Soon, Poppy finds  herself seeing Paris through the eyes of her French friends, enjoying events that would be unusual for a normal tourist to experience. And as for romance, well Poppy is now living in the city of love. Of course there's romance in the air.

I normally try not to read books in a series out of order. I do think this is a book where it would have benefitted to have read the earlier books. It feels like there were a lot of loose ends that were tied up in this book, and there were quite a few references to people where I had to wait to try and figure out what was going on. I guess the gauge is whether I would go back and read the earlier books in the series, and I think I would!

I love escapist reads which take you to somewhere else and Daisy James is great at this. There were multiple times where I caught myself thinking either oh my goodness this brings back such great memories from our visit to Paris, or, oh my goodness I wish we had of visited there. I also loved the way that James spoke about food and books! All my favourite things to read about!

So, while I did really notice the reading out of order thing, I did find the rest of the story to be a lot of fun and entertaining.

I am sharing this review with my fellow participants in Paris in July (hosted at Words and Peace) and the New Release Challenge, hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog, and Foodie Reads hosted at Based on a True Story. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy!

I thought I would finish by sharing a photo that I took the night we went to dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant at the Eiffel Tower.

About the book

Poppy’s Parisian Patisserie

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.

Purchase Link - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CX9N1JLL

About the author  –

Daisy James loves writing stories with strong heroines and swift-flowing plotlines. She especially likes to create sunshine-filled settings in exotic locations - the Caribbean, Tuscany, Cornwall, Provence - so she can spend her time envisioning her characters enjoying the fabulous scenery and sampling the local food and drink.

When not scribbling away in her peppermint-and-green summerhouse (garden shed), she spends her time sifting flour and sprinkling sugar and edible glitter. She loves gossiping with friends over a glass of something fizzy or indulging in a spot of afternoon tea - china plates and teacups are a must.

Daisy would love to hear from readers via her website – daisyjames.co.uk, or her Facebook page or you can follow her on Twitter @daisyjamesbooks, or on Instagram @daisyjamesstories.

 

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