Note to self: don’t sleep with your flatmate after a curry and three bottles of wine… especially if he’s secretly in love with you and wants you to meet his mum.
Cat Parsons is on the run. She doesn’t do relationships. After ten years of singlehood even the hint of the ‘L’ word is enough to get Cat packing her bags and booking herself onto a two-week holiday.
A European bus tour feels like a … onto a two-week holiday.
A European bus tour feels like a stroke of genius to dodge awkward conversations at home. But little does Cat realise that the first stop will be Paris, the city of love itself.
Joined by new friends, Cat has got two weeks, eight countries and a hell of a lot of wine ahead of her. As they discover hidden treasures and the camaraderie of life on the road, will Cat find a new way of looking at love?
Discover the beauty of Europe’s most romantic cities in this uplifting and laugh-out-loud novel for fans of Samantha Parks, Alex Brown and Mandy Baggot
What others are saying about That Night in Paris:
“I feel as if I’ve had a wonderful holiday romance!” Emma Robinson, author of The Undercover Mother
“A mouthwatering slice of Europe with a sexy Frenchman as the cherry on top.” Jenni Keer, author of The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker
‘This book was incredible. The countries they visited, the adventures they went on, all the wine, was a delight to read! What a fantastic read! ❤’ Reader review
“Part ‘deux’ of Sandy Barker’s travel romance series is an absolute delight!” Ella Hayes, author of Her Brooding Scottish Heir (Mills & Boon True Love)
‘Seriously this book was amazing. This book was truly something else. It was simply brilliant.’ Rady Reads
‘This book was hard to put down. I devoured it in two sittings. I love it!’ Reader review
‘A happy read which reduced me to giggles many a time, and left me with a smile on my face’ Grace J Reviewerlady
‘A satisfying escapist read, full of heartfelt and touching moments, and just the kind of thing we all need right now.’ Two Books Blog
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I enjoyed the story. Cat is so quirky. I love her thoughts.
Also Jean Luc – a swoon worthy man worthy of being the best best book boyfriend. He’s pretty perfect. The leaning his forehead against hers. The surprising her.
This book makes me have holiday envy. It made me want to go to Paris and Italy.
Good travel book
Very engaging read
Read the other books with overlapping characters. I enjoyed the travel descriptions as travel is not happening.
Anything that takes place in Paris and other parts of Europe is always a fun read
That Night in Paris is a real escapist read! The main character, Cat, is so much fun. I loved her voice—she’s hilarious and flawed and…real. She is on the run from love but in the process finds herself and…well, you’ll have to read it yourself! I read at night and found myself thinking about Cat and the situations she found herself in throughout the day. Couldn’t wait to get back to the story. If you’ve ever been on a coach tour you will especially connect with this book. (Don’t miss the bus!) Her reaction when they arrive in Lauterbrunnen is priceless. The love story woven in was both refreshing and fun, connecting us with Cat’s past and finding out what she wants for the future. I especially loved the friendships Cat made on the tour and their side stories. Jaelee was my favorite friend. Would love to read spin off books with these characters.
A delightfully escapist romance. Cat Parsons, who doesn’t believe in romantic relationships, goes off on a touring holiday that will take her to Paris, the south of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Holland. Anyone who’s been on a similar holiday will recognise the fun and exhaustion of travelling to so many different countries in just two weeks that Cat experiences. Not everyone, however, may be as fortunate as Cat, who on her first stop-off in Paris, encounters sexy Frenchman, Jean-Luc! I thoroughly enjoyed this romantic read, which kept me guessing as to what would happen to Cat right up to the last chapter.
Do you ever finish a story and think, “I needed that?”
Yay! *mini fist pump* I’m so glad you agree.
*coughs* (into my elbow – times as they are!)
Sorry, got a bit carried away there…
TNIP had me giggling from the first page and Cat’s story really lifted my spirits. Plus, add in one (helluva) sexy French man and what’s not to love? *shrug/snorts* <- that’s multi-tasking right there, peeps. I’m a Sandy Barker newbie, but let me tell you, I was instantly drawn in by her writing style and the eclectic cast of characters that she has created. TNIP is an effortless read which I was happy to get lost in. I felt an immediate kinship with the MC, Cat. She is definitely a sister-from-another-mister thanks to her inner monologue and ‘talking’ lady parts *snorts*. Add in her general aversion to people and I had a bestie for life – whaaa??! Unlike our Cat, the worst that has ever befallen me after a curry and copious quantities of wine is a bad case of the trotskies (TMI?!). I’ve never felt the need to flee from an over amorous flatmate following a night of questionable decisions (read: activities) *winks*. Especially not on a European bus tour *shudders*. As my friends will testify, I am a terrible traveller. And the idea of being stuck on a coach for hours on end is my idea of h-e-l-l, no matter the number of awesome destinations. Ugh, I feel bilious (word of the day, anyone!) just thinking about it, lol. What is it they say? Ah yes, *taps chin* reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are. Never a truer word has been spoken (or written for that matter – especially now). Through the author’s writing I was magically transported to every city Cat and her crew visited. I truly felt I was there with them and was able to share in all their delights as they explored. Repeat after me, Laura; one day, one day! Along with the laughs, I was surprised (others probably not so much) at how emotive I found Cat’s story. There were a few scenes that really ‘got’ to me. This non-romantic romantic was swooning and sighing with the best of them. *whispers* This is our secret, right? But I had to share my favourite quote with you all: “It was as though we’d both been holding our breath and the kiss was letting it go.” Help! I’m gushing... *slaps cheek* Normal service has resumed. Now to catch up with Sarah’s story. Two words: silver fox. Hehe!
After loving “One Summer In Santorini,” decided to travel with its author, Sandy Barker, to France and Europe for her next book “That Night in Paris.” What an adventure!
This story is about Cat, who decides that a bus tour through Europe couldn’t come at a more convenient time. She needs to escape her roommate, who has decided he’s fallen in love with her. She doesn’t want to hurt his feelings by not reciprocating, so she heads for France and begins a bus tour with a group of other people, making close friends with three women who all have their own stories for escaping their worlds for a bus adventure.
The bus trip basically starts in Paris. One night, the four women, who have become close friends, are site seeing around Paris. One of the other women notice a very handsome man on the street, and she decides to flirt with the man and maybe pick him up. But the man recognizes Cat. It turns out that Jean-Luc and Cat know each other from high school (he was a high school exchange student at her school). They became good friends and stayed in touch via letters after high school and during college, until the day she became engaged to another guy. At the insistence of her fiance, Cat discontinued corresponding with Jean-Luc.
Jean-Luc and Cat go out so they can get reacquainted. It goes well, so Jean-Luc decides to meet her at another one of her bus tour stops, since he will be in that Italian city anyway for work.
The more they see each other, the more Cat begins to realize that she still has deep feelings for Jean-Luc. And Jean-Luc confesses that he’s been in love with her since high school.
Yet, despite the strong feelings, Cat isn’t sure the relationship can work. So Jean-Luc decides to meet her (by surprise) at several other stops on her bus tour, so they can spend more time together.
“That Night in Paris” is an interesting book. It gives you a glance into some deeper themes, yet keeps it light. Cat is a bit crazy. I’ll admit that I have mixed feelings for her. Sometimes she comes off as a bit selfish and inconsiderate, especially to people who care for her. Jean-Luc is wonderful — he really tries to romance her by doing all the little things a guy should do. But she doesn’t seem to realize or appreciate it.
She doesn’t feel she can have a relationship with Jean-Luc, and she really hurts him with her words, but then…
(Read the book to find out what happens next!)
Something for almost every interest! Serendipitous jaunt thru Europe
This book has a host of elements (emojis above only skim the edges of the experience!) and you can enjoy them all or focus on your favorites. There are quick but deep friendship bondings built with fellow bus tour travelers, lots of great food experiences, extolling of Europe’s great sites and landscapes, and a serendipitous second chance romance, all built around an Aussie teacher transplant to London named Cat.
While Cat was not an easy character for me to love, the people around her are great, especially Canadian bus seatmate Lou and Jean Luc, the French exchange student bestie of her teens who fate throws back into her life after decades apart. Cat is one messed up woman, romantically speaking, and I found her constant refusal to get over a long past bad break-up annoying. She’s stubborn, over imbibes at almost every opportunity and can be self-centered and callous when it suits her, like in her dealings with Alex, her London flatmate. But she’s usually fun to be around, enthusiastic about life and attracts people to her like bees to honey!
The writing is easy to read and not overly introspective or crammed with cutesy dialogue. Like for Cat and her fellow travelers, the quick tour of Europe left me wanting more time in these gorgeous locations and to deepen the friendships cemented as they suffer so-so accommodations and savor unique experiences together. As to the romance, it’s got mild heat but the backstory, emotions and connection are lovely. Jean Luc is the constant knight you want to win his lady fair and his every move shows his devotion.
Thanks to publisher Harper Collins UK One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.
Part “deux” of Sandy Barker’s travel romance series, That Night in Paris is an absolute delight!
Thirty something teacher, Cat Parsons has been ruined for love, at the hands of her cheating ex, Scott, but she’s okay with being single. Yes indeed! She’s got her career, her friends and her fuckbuddies. She’s completely fine. That is, until an ill-judged night of passion with her flatmate, Alex, leads to an unexpected declaration of love. In such circumstances what’s a girl to do? Tell the lovestruck Alex that it was all a huge mistake, or, board a Ventureseek tour bus for a two-week whistle-stop tour of Europe in the hope that the Alex problem will go away all by itself?
Fortunately for us Cat chooses the bus, and so it begins: two weeks of new friends, new views, appalling campsites and … a chance encounter, in Paris, with her former French exchange friend, Jean Luc Caron. No longer the floppy haired, gauche teenager, Jean Luc, the man, is seriously hot, but he is also still the best friend she loved, the person she wrote to every week for years and years until she stopped…
Has Cat run away from one problem only to land herself smack bang in the middle of a different, more complicated one? (The answer to that is “yes”.)
Sandy Barker does travel romance brilliantly. Writing from her own experience of being a tour bus guide, Barker depicts Cat’s life on the road with skill and humour. The hothouse atmosphere of the bus, and the strong but at times uneasy bonds of the new friendships Cat forms are well portrayed, as is the frenetic pace of the sightseeing, cleverly underlined by Cat’s summary descriptions of what she sees — tick! But this book really comes into its own with the arrival of Jean Luc. In Jean Luc, Barker has created the perfect romantic hero. It would give too much of the plot away to outline his heroic traits and deeds, but his description of grape picking (yes, really!) actually made me swoon. When Jean Luc is on the page the tempo slows, and the descriptions become more evocative. There’s a sense that when Jean Luc is there, Cat becomes her real self; the person she used to be.
I thoroughly enjoyed the deeper themes in this book, the gentle exploration of how time changes us, or doesn’t; the way our perceptions change according to our vantage point. Who hasn’t read an old letter with fresh eyes; who hasn’t examined old lines for new meanings? For those of us who grew up in the days before email, these things will resonate deeply. For me, they certainly did.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended!
Seriously this book was amazing. It was literally a fast speed journey through Europe. No not that book just the trip 😉 Running away from her last mistake Cat makes wonderful new friends and meets her past. That past she still has regrets about, the one and only friendship she worshipped the most. Jean-Luc – French, hot and oh so sweet.
Now it’s time to right the wrongs and maybe just maybe get new insight of love.
Peeps this book was truly something else. I was laughing, I was frowning, I was sad and I was happy.
It was simply brilliant.
Did not finish. Very disappointd.