Like sexy rom coms, shows like “Friends”, and British chick lit?Enjoy humorous contemporary romance books?Then this fabulous collection is for you!Set around a Paris coffee shop, the 3 romances in this bundle will give you hours of thrills, laughs and steam.THE DEVIL’S OWN CHLOE — Patient and strong, Hugo prides himself on being able to fix anything. Will his love save his high-school crush Chloe … his love save his high-school crush Chloe from herself, or will fixing her leave him broken?
“Few authors possess the ability to make a book both somber and funny the way Alix Nichols has done with this one.” (Up Close and Literal, a book blog)
AMANDA’S GUIDE TO LOVE — Maverick gambler Kes knows he’s in trouble when he falls for It-girl Amanda after a one-night stand. Can he convince the snarky belle they’re right for each other?
AN AUTUMN IN PARIS — For single mom Daniela, passion has come and gone. When she meets handsome vet Thomas, will she dare to love again?
“Ooh-la-la! I loved the Paris backdrop. Fun and entertaining.” (USA Today Bestselling Author Ann Omasta)
Escape to the City of Light and follow 3 handsome Frenchmen as they fall in love!
➜ Get the PARIS, ACTUALLY box set now.
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Paris, Actually is a box set containing three stand-alone yet connected books. Each book is set in the same delightful Parisian cafe but each story is very different. They are all steamy rom-coms with some genuinely funny moments. Good characters, a nice blend of serious and funny and of course the HEAs make all three books a delight to read. Having them altogether in this box set is a bonus. I enjoyed these books and definitely recommend this set.
I originally read all three books prior to their release as Advance Reader Copies (ARC) and what follows were my voluntary and unbiased reviews of each book.
1. Autumn in Paris
Dana and Thomas, two lovely people who are trying to restart their lives but their pasts keep hitting them between their eyes.
Alix Nichols has brought us what I think is her most emotionally stirring story yet and I loved ever second of it.
2. The Devil’s Own Chloe
Well this was certainly a very different story line but most enjoyable even so.
This is the latest in the Bistro La Boheme series and my recommendation is that you read it soon.
Can you imagine going through life convinced that you are the cause of others’ misfortunes and their loss of life and that you were connected to the devil. That must make living extremely difficult.
And poor Chloe lived her life that way…… A very interesting tale which was easy to read.
I won’t spoil the book for you but I will tell you that I really enjoyed it.
3. Amanda’s Guide to Love
This was a LOL funny story and I couldn’t put it down. Such wit and smooth writing that just flowed from scene to scene. It held my interest and attention throughout and I highly recommend it. The best tonic!
And of course it’s a love story in the genre of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and just as brilliant.
I hope you decide to read these and join me in recommending them to others.
Romantic Paris, delicious Paris, romance in Paris – great escape to City of Love!
4.5 stars
Two of these stories were great, one so-so, thus the not full five stars from me. But in general, Alix Nichols’ Paris romances are a great bet. I separately reviewed An Autumn in Paris, my favorite in the trio, and a copy of that full review appears last below. In toto, the collection is a good one.
As to the other two stories, In Amanda’s Guide to Love, Amanda’s rollercoaster life when her career hits the skids and she suddenly finds a handsome Gitan (French Gypsy) in her path is right up there with the Darcy Brothers trio that was my first introduction to Alix Nichols’ romances; good; length, plot and character-wise.
The Devil’s Own Chloe, Chloe’s shorter novella, on the other hand, was too referential, with an awful lot of characters and hints of their lives intersecting at La Boheme, the Paris cafe run by Jeanne and Chloe’s current remodeling project. I did not really appreciate the sneak peaks into other lives technique and though Hugo seemed a sweetie, I really did not relate to Chloe or sympathize with her treatment of Hugo despite the all’s well that ends well conclusion.
An Autumn in Paris had some truly memorable features, not in the ordinary mold of single girl meets hunk, per my October review, shared below.
Lovely paean to autumn, tender romance, and the best bits of La Vie en France!
October 29, 2018
Format: Paperback
What a lovely second chance romance showcasing the best features of French living — the food, the drink, the beautiful gardens and classic architecture, with a culture that values taking time to experience the finer things as an essential part of life. It’s obvious that author Alix Nichols loves Paris and knows how to present its best face while acknowledging, in this case through heroine single mother Daniela’s straightened circumstances as an apartment building concierge, that not all Paris residents live a life of luxury.
The hero and heroine are endearingly likeable people, so loyal to those they love and reluctant to move on. The secondary characters, right down to Baloo, the family dog, are great, too, and include a few who aren’t particularly nice but add to the drama of the main couple’s initial connection and reluctant courtship. I can’t think of anything I did not appreciate in this story, which was a quick read for me and well-written. I have read a number of the author’s works, both contemporary romance and science fiction fantasy romance, and expect a good, obstacles overcome story with heart and passion. This one did not disappoint.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book collection; this is my voluntary and honest review.
I have read all three books in this series, and found them thoroughly entertaining.
The Devil’s Own Chloe: Believing herself to be jinxed, Chloe keeps her distance from those she loves and discourages anyone getting close to her. However, when a one night stand starts to get out of her control, Chloe realises that Hugo, her childhood friend and business partner, is looking more and more attractive. While this story may seem far-fetched, if one has not lived a life believing a lie, it is difficult to understand Chloe’s reasoning. This is a well-written story with dark undertones, that keeps the reader glued to the pages to the end.
Amanda’s Guide to Love: Aloof, hard-hitting, straight-talking Amanda is adrift after losing not only her job but her promising career when she discovers that she has been black-balled in this industry. In an act that goes against everything she believes in, Amanda finds herself at a casino table seated next to Kes Moreno, resulting in an attraction that leads them into the no man’s land between their two cultures. Amanda is plagued by two voices in her head: her mother’s and the book she keeps next to her bed, A Woman’s Guide to Perfection. Kes is driven only by the need to find the next casino and to maintain his freedom, even if he has to sacrifice his Gypsy clan for living out of a suitcase. I found myself being pulled in different directions at first as I really did not like Amanda. However, she definitely grows on one and when she finally comes to recognise Kes’ role in her life, I could only cheer her on. Kes seems like perfection to start with, however, he too has his flaws and I felt so bad for him when he had to go against his family and his culture. I enjoyed this unusual book with it’s laugh out loud moments, and even its more poignant moments.
An Autumn in Paris: I came to the end of this book and very reluctantly closed my Kindle cover. It is one of those stories that jerks at the heartstrings and tugs at one’s emotions. The author brings out the full ambiance of Paris in autumn, the pathos, the nostalgia and the uncertainty of romance. I loved the main characters with their humourous interaction and the slow build-up from friendship to lovers. Dana’s heartache and sorrow stem from past experience, whilst Thomas’ loss is more recent. However, as they approach one another cautiously, they discover in each other not only a deep attraction but also a meeting of their souls. Typical of preteens, Liviu rounds the story off, bringing laugh-out-loud moments and some levity. The book is very well written, emotive and draws the reader’s interest from the opening pages, right through to the end.
I received a copy of this boxset as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Alix Nichols’ Paris, Actually (3 Sizzling Rom-Coms: A Boxset) is quite wonderful, actually. The Devil’s Own Chloe, Amanda’s Guide to Love, and An Autumn in Paris. Each of these is very different and unique, they’re common feature is that all are wonderfully written, and with truly enjoyable and fun plots that are filled with well-crafted characters. Can’t really ask more than that. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. This collection definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the collection is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend.
THE DEVIL’S OWN CHLOE- – I found this book to be different, quirky, charming and unusual. Part of that quirkiness I think comes from the main character, Chloe. She has some really twisted way of looking at things. That definitely keeps everything interesting. It also helps her go through men like they are water. No strings, no attachments, no real relationships. As I read the story I realized that Hugo was the eternal optimist, and Chloe is the master of doom and Murphy’s Law. She’s always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Even with all of that, I still really liked her. A lot. And Hugo? What’s not to like about him? He’s a good guy, in fact he’s a great guy. He’s never given up on Chloe although at times he doesn’t totally understand what makes her tick.
I also have to make mention of there being other interesting secondary people in the story as well.
AMANDA’S GUIDE TO LOVE- A different kind of love story. I liked both of the Main Characters but there was also times when Amanda was such a snot ( I mean snob) that I wanted to smack her in the head. Sometimes she was just trying to protect herself but oh she could be kind of mean. Of course I guess that where the Taming of the Shrew part comes in, right? Kes, was such a great guy, who puts up with all her snide comments and put downs with grace and goodness. To me, he was a “saint” with his ability to deal with her and still come out wanting her. He really “got” her, one of the few people who really did. There were several places in their interactions when I caught myself laughing right out loud. He actually thought a lot of the things she said were pretty funny. He wasn’t looking for a nice, boring, carbon copy of a woman. And she was far from that, the only thing I can say is that he liked the challenge of a complicated woman.
Each chapter starts with a cute numbered Guideline, Rationale, Word of caution, Permissible Exceptions, Damage Control, and Pitfalls to Avoid. All of this is in Amanda’s “Guide to Perfection”. Sounds innocent enough doesn’t it?
It is nice to be being back at LaBoheme again though. I’ve read several, maybe all in the Series and enjoyed them. One thing I will say about this book is that a few times, it did feel like it dragged a bit. But then when it began to pick back up again, things did begin to really move. I was very happy with the ending and it did end. No cliffhangers here.
AN AUTUMN IN PARIS by Alix Nichols
There are three different divided sections in this book. It beginnings with Part 1 Daniela who is often called Dana. Part 2 is the voice of Thomas; his point of view. There is also a Part 3- which is BOTH of them each sharing their P.O.V.’s back and forth. I found that was different but I did like it.
Dana’s son, Liviu had such an unusual name. Well at least to me an American reader. It also caused me to wonder about what the right pronunciation of his name was. And so I went and searched it and came up with several choices. Liviu also has a dog; a fluff ball named Baloo who helps introduce Dana and Thomas originally. Dana left quite the first impression…..*sigh how embarrassing and surprising.
Thomas was quite the guy. He was funny, loyal to a fault and he was a softie when it came to both animals and people. He is a regular “Marshmallow Man”.
The relationship between Thomas and Dana was being slowly built but not in a way that was painfully slow. As a reader, they exposed me to differing cultures, and some slang in languages. It was a fun trip and I also ended up feeling like I had taken a romantic European trip from their adventure. I also felt like the emotional parts of the story was handled well and felt realistic. But not only was there emotions but the story made me smile more than once. Some of that humor was provided by Liviu but Dana was no slouch when it came to witty humor.
I really liked that Liviu was part of this story because he also added so much. His interactions with Dana and Thomas and even his grandmother were an enjoyable, believable thing. So suited to his age and you got a pretty good look into his personality.
Manon, a woman friend of Dana’s adds some color and humor to the story. She was a great friend. She also added a HUGE misunderstanding on the part of Thomas in the beginning. It makes me smile again just remembering it.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dana’s Romanian mother, Ioana, the times that she showed up in the story. She was kind of flamboyant in a good way. I think Thomas put it best. He realized that the way she dressed matched her personality. That was so discerning of him and kind too.
Yes, the main characters do get together for world rocking sex. And of course that is before the past shows up to rock their worlds in an unexpected not quite as good way.
Epilogue anyone? Oh yes, I always want one of those. And Daniela provides a good one from her P.O.V.
It was kind of nostalgic to have some time spent at La Boheme since I have read some of the other books by Alix Nichols that featured it.
I just have to add how attractive I thought the eBook cover is.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
The Devil’s Own Chloe
When I started this journey through Alix Nichols’ Paris, I began with Chloe’s sister Diane’s story. Even though there’s holes in my knowledge, in the form of as yet unread books from the series, I was glad to have made it full circle to Chloe and Hugo. This pair are completely precious together. Friends since childhood, they’ve been fighting their feelings for almost as long until Hugo decides he’s done fighting. This story read really fast, and so I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I wanted to be. I would have enjoyed the opportunity to see this from Hugo’s side. That might be all it would take for me to better feel the connection.
Amanda’s Guide to Love
Having read Rob and Lena’s book, I was interested to see what Amanda’s perspective would be. I anticipated that she would be very difficult to like and her standoffish, aristocratic manner would drive me to distraction. I wasn’t completely wrong, at first. Amanda is a character that took me a while to warm up to. She’s so guarded that she comes across as almost emotionless at times. Once we start to understand the dynamics in her life everything becomes much clearer and I no longer had to question why she felt the need to behave like a calculating, conniving, cold-hearted shrew. Charming Kes was an immediate favorite of mine, but he’s another one who’s hiding behind some pretty thick masks. I loved watching this pair learn the freedom of being vulnerable with one another and discovering the courage to step out from behind those protective masks. There are several unexpectedly funny moments that lighten the atmosphere. My favorites were those that involved Christophe.
An Autumn in Paris
Dana and Thomas are adorable together. Seeing them heal from the traumas of their past relationships was beautiful to witness. And made the stumbling blocks in their way all the more tragic. I found both Dana and Thomas to be selectively blind to the truth about themselves. (But then again, aren’t we all?) Dana could be strong for her son, a lioness protecting Liviu, but she was often reluctant to see or use that strength for her own benefit. Thomas’s marshmallow heart meant that he sometimes gave too much of himself to projects and people that he probably shouldn’t have committed to. This book is sweet and emotional. And a lovely return by the author to contemporary romance. I loved getting this chance to reconnect with the couples of La Bohème.
I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author.