Well since I have to say something or I can't post just the stars, I will say this, Jennie Goutet is one of my favorite authors. As in all her other books, I enjoyed this one as well. The only thing lacking was a lack of reference of relationship between April and her father. Maybe some flashbacks? But that is my only criticism.

A Friend in Paris: A Sweet French Romance--PG Violence: attempted assault, stalking, fisticuffs Language: no Sex: no I was bored by this book. The heroine is very brave; the Hero is an emotional quagmire. There were some tense moments because of the villain, but not enough to carry the book.

Paris, art students, a handsome hero--what more can a romance reader want? Fulfilling her father's dying wish for her, the heroine goes to Paris to perfect her painting techniques. She has to put up with a sour landlady, her lecherous and off-the-rails son, a jealous fellow student, and the above said handsome Parisian businessman, who somehow is on hand when she gets into trouble. You are taken into the work of struggling art students, the cheap but charming cafes they frequent, and a world of interesting characters. My favorite character is the hero's grandmother, still spunky and a major family force. I've read several of Ms. Goutet's books, and they are all winners.

This romance is a little different than the usual romances today. April, an artist, goes to Paris to attend art school and has goals in mind that she wants to achieve. The story revolves around her time in Paris, the friends she makes, and how she will accomplish her goals in the future. She also falls in love, but there are obstacles. This story is a clean romance, well written, with a satisfying end.

This is a sweet and decent romance between a young, orphaned American artist in Paris - April, and a successful young French businessman, Victor, who has an unsatisfactory romance behind him - or maybe not behind him. Margaux, a woman who previously refused Victor’s proposal comes back into his life - holding a baby (his?), and now wants a wedding - just as Victor is discovering his attraction to April. What particularly charmed me about the story were the episodes that explore the slight differences in “how things are done” in the US, where April comes from, and in France. From greetings to food and menus, baby shops, florists and dinners with friends. Another charming aspect of the story was the character Mishou, Victor’s grandmother. Mishou is kind and wise. She knows what and who is best for Victor. I appreciated that April both struggled to understand and to speak French, and did not magically become fluent in a month. By the time all ended well, I felt I had visited France again.

A Sweetheart in Paris captured my heartstrings! Author Jennie Goutet is a master at developing characters and describing their inner turmoil. We meet, new to Paris, young artist April and her neighbor Victor. As their friendship blossoms, we see their struggle to keep romantic emotions at bay. Captivated by the mystery of which character stole and slashed valued paintings adds to the story's intrigue.

April is alone... truly alone in the world. She lost her mother to cancer when she was 3 yrs. old. She lost her dad right after she got out of college. Now she is taking an art class in Paris and her dad’s paintings are the only real company that she keeps. She wants to prove that she can make it on her own. Victor lost his mom when he was six. Even before she died, his father was a philanderer. Victor has followed in his father’s footsteps, but he is really just trying to find the one that will feel like family. He wants a large family of his own, to be part of a family. I loved April’s story of discovering that no one is an island. She is a character that modeled strength and independence, while learning vulnerability. In Victor you find a person who is ready to be a man, to make sacrifices, and to deal with the consequences of his past. When he finds out that he is a father, he models the determination to do what is right, and the openness to change, even if it isn’t popular. I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Jennie Goutet gives us a delightfully charming story, rich in Parisian culture. I loved the storyline, the characters and the dialogue. It was wonderful watching April and Victor become friends and navigate that relationship as it turned into love. Thank you so much Jennie for the opportunity to read this sweet, sometimes funny and endearing story.

A Friend in Paris caught my imagination early on, and I found myself thinking about it even when I couldn't be reading. Jennie expresses her characters' thoughts and feelings expertly and adds enough action and plot twists to keep me turning pages. This is not a Christian story but it is clean and provides an enjoyable sense of life in Paris for an American. Also nice: very few errors of grammar, punctuation or style to distract. All in all, a lovely book.

This is one of those rare books were the story does not need to be a fast-pace thriller in order for the reader to be unable to put it down. It is so charming, and the Paris setting so lovely, I was immediately hooked on the story, not to mention the lives of its two protagonists and the people around them. I loved April and Victor, they were both good people at a difficult point in their lives that wouldn't let them become anything other than friends, and yet they still supported each other as much as they could. I enjoyed the suspense and the resolution to the conflict, it left me with a smile and the strong desire to go to Paris again. I will definitely read more of this author's books in the future.

A lovely read which I found extra interesting for its authentic French content. The author clearly has personal experience of the locale and understands the French psyche, and so she succeeds beautifully in placing us right in the middle of everyday Paris, showing us the high life of a successful mergers-and-acquisitions specialist, the middle-class social circle of a group of ambitious young professionals, and the modest living conditions of a young aspiring artist. The book is all the richer for this honest immersion into Parisian culture. The love story develops slowly; as the title suggests, it starts as an unlikely friendship between a French man and an American girl with virtually nothing in common, except that they are both dealing with a recent emotional wound and they have both lost their mothers while very young. April (our young heroine) speaks almost no French, but luckily the art course she attends is conducted in English and most of the people she comes across are well educated and willing to speak her language. That part is perhaps a bit of a stretch, in my personal experience, but whatever. The storyline has some original elements, and the narration is captivating. Good character development and enough secondary players to keep things interesting. My favourite is Mishou, Victor’s grandmother, the voice of wisdom and unwavering affection. The romance is squeaky clean, and my only criticism is that it lacks a certain warmth. When a story has a predictable outcome, the journey is important, and I would have liked a little more commitment from the heroine on her way to her HEA.

A lovely sweet, clean romance, set in the beautiful city of Paris. An interesting plot, that keeps your attention from beginning to end. There was a great mix of characters...a young American art student; a villain or two; some selfish, misguided youths; a group of kind faithful friends; a wise older person; a hero... A thoroughly enjoyable read that keep me up!

April Caleigh is an American who has moved to Paris to pursue painting. The daughter of a well-known painter who died some time before, April is determined to become an artist. Carefully managing her limited income, she’s living in a small room in a Paris apartment house while she attends art school. The room and the location fit her needs exactly, except for the boorish and vaguely threatening grandson of her landlord. Victor Deschamps lives in the apartment house. Although young, he’s already a successful investor and merger-and-acquisitions expert. He’s also at something of a loss with his relationships. The woman he thought he loved left him for a short trip to Monaco that turned into a year-long absence. He’s preparing to end the relationship with a current girlfriend. And then he meets April, who brings out all of his protectiveness, which turns out to be helpful when the landlord’s grandson becomes more than vaguely threatening. A romance seems in the offing, until Victor’s old love returns from Monaco, with a baby in tow whom she says is Victor’s. “A Friend in Paris” by Jennie Goutet is the story of April and Victor. It’s a story about love, friendship, romance, art, and, of course, Paris. Most of all, it’s a story about two people who become friends, each of whom is looking for more, but both aware of the complicating factors that make a romantic relationship look impossible.

A Friend In Paris captivated me from the start and held me until the end. It may be partly due to my love of the art world; however, friendship, love and finding oneself are topics that touch us all.

I read a lot of books, probably too many so I don't write a review for all of them. However I enjoyed this book too much to not take the to write a review. I liked the story line, the character development, the dialogue. In short, this is a very well written book. I appreciate the Christian values interwoven in the story also. I will look for other books by this author.