Review #626: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


“A woman's perfume tells more about her than her handwriting. ”

----Christian Dior

Patrick Süskind, a late German writer and screenwriter's internationally, critically acclaimed and an award-winning novel Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders translated into English with the title, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer The German novel set in the backdrop of 18th century France that rocked the whole world with its intensity, level of fantasy and surrealism, historical realism, sensuality and scents surrounding around a young man, with a god-gifted talented to identify the subtle and underlying scents of worldly things as well as of human beings.

Read More

Review #557: The Spy by Paulo Coelho, Zoë Perry (Translator)

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


“Death is nothing, nor life either, for that matter. To die, to sleep, to pass into nothingness, what does it matter? Everything is an illusion.”

----Mata Hari

Paulo Coelho, the international bestselling author, pens a gripping and part fictional tale on the life of a legendary dancer cum falsely accused as a spy, Mata Hari in his new novel, The Spy that opens with the execution of this exotic and talented dancer by the French, but then the author spins a riveting autobiographical account of the dancer's life through a fictional letter penned by the dancer herself addressing to her lawyer. She is an epitome of grace, individuality, extravagant lifestyle, exquisite and unique fashion style, independence and her erotic dance moves in the early 20th century in Paris.

Read More

Review #523: Blood Wedding by Pierre Lemaitre

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“He who searches for evil, must first look at his own reflection.”

----Confucius

Pierre Lemaitre, an award winning French author, has penned a riveting and brain twisting psychological thriller, Blood Wedding that narrates the story of a mid aged recently widowed woman who faces memory lapses and so when, one morning, she finds the child, whom she babysits, murdered in his bed with a shoelace, from her very own shoes, tied around his neck, she cannot even once remember what happened the previous night despite the evidence screams out her name and points towards her, the only way she can escape it by running, leaving the city and finding a new identity and finally finding a new husband to settle down with, and within a year, she finds a random man, whom she met online, to settle down with, but that man too harbors some ugly secrets like her.

Read More

Review #506: The Paris Secret by Karen Swan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.”

----Pablo Picasso

Karen Swan, an English author, pens a heart-touching and intense contemporary romance novel, The Paris Secret which unfolds the story of a family as well as a powerful female art dealer who gets muddled into the family drama as well as the family secrets of a reputed and affluent French family suddenly discovered artworks are needed to be studied by the art dealer to find its origin as well as the reason behind its concealment, but there's more to art drama than this art dealer can ever guess.

Read More

Review #489: Black Water Lilies by Michel Bussi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.”

----Claude Monet

Michel Bussi, a French award-winning author, has penned a gut-wrenching and extremely intriguing crime thriller, Nympheas Noirs that has been translated into English by Shaun Whiteside and the English title is called, Black Water Lilies. The mystery revolves around a rich doctor's murder that occurred near Monet's famous garden in Giverny, that leads the detective to stumble upon the most beautiful woman of the village, while in the background, a little girl is trying to follow on the footsteps on Claude Monet to recreate his famous water lilies painting, and also an old female widow is managing pretty well to unfold the puzzling mystery with the help of her dog.

Read More

Review #455: The Secret Language of Stones: A Novel (The Daughters of La Lune, #2) by M.J. Rose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“I love you as certain dark things are to be loved, in secret, between the shadow and the soul.”

----Pablo Neruda

M.J. Rose, a New York Times bestselling novelist, weaves an enchanting and romantic tale called, The Secret Language of Stones: A Novel that is the second book in The Daughters of La Lune series, that traces the life of young woman with powers to encrypt the messages of those beyond the grave to their loves ones with the help of rare gems that is filled with magic, love, betrayal, war and politics.

Read More

Review #415: Liberty Silk by Kate Beaufoy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”

----George Orwell

Kate Beaufoy, an Irish award winning and a bestselling author, has penned a captivating tale in her book, Liberty Silk that unfolds the story of three women across three generations tied together by the glittery world of the Hollywood industry with a tang of Parisian landscape, centered around a remarkable dress passed down from one generation to another until it becomes a piece of the missing puzzle.

Read More

Review #392: Liberty's Fire by Lydia Syson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“When someone loves you, the way they talk about you is different. You feel safe and comfortable.”

----Jess C. Scott

Lydia Syson, an English author, has penned a heart-touching tale of love set in Paris during the Civil War era, Liberty's Fire that unfolds the story of a young man and woman caught in the cross fire of country's war and politics try to hold on to each other despite their indifferences, the protests and the war.

Read More

Review #340: The Travelers by Chris Pavone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



“Informants can be helpful, but they are never infallible. All tools can break, or be turned into weapons.”

----Raymond E. Feist

Chris Pavone, the New York Times best-selling author, pens yet another heart-gripping thriller, The Travelers, that unfolds the story of a travel journalist who travels to Argentina for his assignment where a beautiful Australian women makes him an undeniable offer that is surely going to change the course of his life by throwing him onto the face of a dangerous global agenda against one's country.

Read More

Review #335: Romancing the Dark in the City of Light by Ann Jacobus

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



“But in the end one needs more courage to live than to kill himself.”

----Albert Camus

Ann Jacobus, an American author, pens her debut YA psychological thriller, Romancing the Dark in the City of Light that unfolds a heart-wrenching and thoroughly riveting tale about a young teenage girl, with a problem of drinking and escaping her issues, who is trying to find love on her stay in Paris, while dealing with her mental tantrums.

Read More

Review #315: The Confectioner's Tale by Laura Madeline

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.”

----Kahlil Gibran

 

Laura Madeleine, an English author, pens her debut novel, The Confectioner's Tale that portrays the story of a young man falling for a famous pastry shop's owner's daughter that blossoms into something forbidden, meanwhile, somewhere 80 years later, a PhD student discovers an old photograph of a pastry shop in Paris in her recently deceased grandfather's treasure, that takes her back in time to solve a beguiling mystery surrounding that forbidden love story of that young man.

Read More

Review #290: The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”

----Winston Churchill

Charles Belfoure, a national bestselling author, has penned a heart-touching as well as enlightening and nostalgic novel, The Paris Architect, that accounts the story of an architect based in Paris during the world war II when German have occupied the city and was ordering the Jews out of the city, when this normal regular, law-abiding architect chances upon a golden opportunity to prove his worth by taking life-threatening risks to be a hero.

Read More

Review #264: After the Crash by Michel Bussi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.”

----Oscar Wilde

Michel Bussi, a French award-winning author, pens his latest crime thriller, Un avion sans elle, that has been translated into English by Sam Taylor and the English title is called, After the Crash. The mystery revolves around the identity of the youngest survivor of a plane crash accident among 169 passengers aboard that happened eighteen years ago, and now in the present, the detective, who was assigned to find out the identity of the girl, is now laying down his pen and have finished jotting down each and every clues of this unraveling mystery from every possible angles, is ready to take his last breath by killing himself, when he stumbles upon the last piece of that mystery which stops him from killing himself.

Read More

Review #179: The Witch of Painted Sorrows (The Daughters of La Lune #1) by M.J.Rose

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“They say a good love is one that sits you down, gives you a drink of water, and pats you on top of the head. But I say a good love is one that casts you into the wind, sets you ablaze, makes you burn through the skies and ignite the night like a phoenix; the kind that cuts you loose like a wildfire and you can't stop running simply because you keep on burning everything that you touch! I say that's a good love; one that burns and flies, and you run with it!”

----C. JoyBell C., an American author

M.J. Rose, a New York Times bestselling novelist, weaves an enchanting and romantic tale called, The Witch of Painted Sorrows which is the first book in The Daughters of La Lune series, that traces the life of a possessed-by-a-witch's-soul young woman's journey through Paris, passion, witchy-drama, revenge and lots of art.

Read More

Review #146: The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



“Remember, even if we can’t see them, those we love are always with us”

----Lucinda Riley

Lucinda Riley, an Irish international best-selling author, have spun a terrific and absolutely stunning saga of six sisters in an all new series of The Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters is the first book and the story of first/eldest sister, Maia. This is her journey to search for her roots after her adoptive father's death.




Synopsis:
Maia D'Apliése and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, 'Atlantis' - a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva - having been told that their beloved father, the elusive billionaire they call Pa Salt, has died. Maia and her sisters were all adopted by him as babies and, discovering he has already been buried at sea, each of them is handed a tantalising clue to their true heritage - a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of where her story began . . .

Read More

Review #139: The Sharp Hook of Love: A Novel of Heloise and Abelard by Sherry Jones

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


God knows I never sought anything in you except yourself. I wanted simply you, nothing of yours.

                                                                     ----Héloïse d'Argenteuil, a 12th-century French nun, writer, scholar, and abbess, best known for her love affair and correspondence with Pierre Abélard

As the author, Sherry Jones, an international best-seller author says in her note at the end of her book, The Sharp Hook of Love that though this is a fictional story but Heloise and Abelard's love affair is not like fictional characters Romeo and Juliet's love affair, instead they were very much real. Inspired by one of the famous love stories of the world- Heloise and Abelard, dating back to the 12th century in France, the author, Sherry Jones, has crafted out a fine historical novel, The Sharp Hook of Love: A Novel of Heloise and Abelard that encompasses Heloise and Abelard's heart-breaking and devastatingly beautiful love-story.

Synopsis:
Among the young women of 12th century Paris, Heloise d’Argenteuil stands apart. Extraordinarily educated and quick-witted, she is being groomed by her uncle to become an abbess in the service of God. But with one encounter, her destiny changes forever.
Pierre Abelard, headmaster at the Nôtre Dame Cloister School, is acclaimed as one of the greatest philosophers in France. His controversial reputation only adds to his allure, yet despite the legions of women swooning over his poetry and dashing looks, he is captivated by the brilliant Heloise alone. As their relationship blossoms from a meeting of the minds to a forbidden love affair, both Heloise and Abelard must choose between love, duty, and ambition.

Read More

Review #63: The Mona Lisa Speaks by Christopher Angel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"If you were the Mona Lisa
You'd be hanging in the Louvre
Everyone would come to see you
You'd be impossible to move
It seems to me is what you are
A rare and priceless work of art
Stay behind your velvet rope
But I will not renounce all hope"

Madonna's song called Masterpiece in which first few lines talks about the unconditional love towards Leonardo Da Vinci's painting, The Mona Lisa. So many people around the world have undoubtedly tried to get their hands on Mona Lisa, because after all these times, still people fall in love with her unconditionally. But, Christopher Angel, an American author-cum-film-maker, has penned down a mystery novel by the name, The Mona Lisa Speaks, during a visit to the Louvre. I was surprised to find that the painting talks, actually she has feelings and unfortunately in the end, despite of all the deserving glory and unconditional love in the world, the Mona Lisa, ends up in the store rooms, or rather say, dungeons of the Louvre. This is a very brilliant and enchanting mystery surrounding Mona Lisa's painting in the Louvre and how her destiny changes forever.

Read More

Review #17: Bon Voyage by Juliet M. Sampson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Travelling around the world does make you a great storyteller, the world has ever seen. I think Juliet M. Sampson, is definitely one of them. Bon Voyage is a personal travelogue of a girl named, Amanda goes for a tour with the Go Hikey tour all over the Europe, starting from Brussels and wrapping up with the finale stop, Paris. This book is not any love story, that will stop your breath for a moment, but it’s just a journey and those words of the author, will make you fall in love with the book, instantly.

Synopsis:
Amanda, an Aussie girl, has planned to escape her bitter heart-break with her long time boyfriend, by signing up with the Go Hikey tour in Europe. Along her tour, she meets different kinds of people from all over the world, who were also a part of GoHikey tour. Amanda befriends with another Aussie girl, Carly. They stick together till the very end. Dave was their tour guide and along with the coach driver Maui. They started their journey from London to Paris, the very last stop.

Juliet's writing is flawless and captivating with an eloquent narrative style and the way she have unfolded the story with great intricacy and vividity, it makes it easier for her readers to get easily lost into the story. The prose is very fast thus offering an engaging storyline. Moreover, she have layered her plot with emotions and heart-touching moments and not to mention about those WOW moments, which left me completely breathless. Yes, I can definitely say that this is a story where self-discovery is the central theme and that which took me on an Euro-tour through Amanda's journey. The landscape and the descriptions of each cities and states are very vividly portrayed through the storyline, that easily transports the readers into the paradise. And yes, I was glued till the very last page of the book. This is a must-read book!

Firstly Juliet has created some kind of magic in this book, starting from London; you'll be filled with complete anticipation. As Go Hikey tour goes from one destination to another, you'll always feel what will happen now, meaning this book will always keep you glued to it’s pages. Although there is not much story to the plot, but those breath-taking descriptions of each city will bound to keep you hooked. Each chapter represent a different new city. Author's words and descriptions about her journey give you a more vivid image of the cities.

In fact there is lot to learn from this book, as Hilarie Belloc says: We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. Similarly, Amanda was trying to escape her bitter past, but this journey had made her found her inner self, her freedom, to see things in a more wide and different perspective, to trust. Indeed it was a journey of a life-time, opening your eyes about so many things.

The climax to the book was perfect just like a fairytale, a day to lose yourself in Paris.

Go ahead, read this book and lose yourself in the beauty of Europe.

Verdict: Do read this and lose yourself in a day-tour in and around in European cities!

Courtesy: A huge heart-felt thanks to the author-cum-dear friend, Juliet M. Sampson for sending me over a copy of her book, in return for an honest review.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Info: 
Juliet M Sampson is the author of best-seller Behind the Mask. Being a teacher she has always loved to share stories. Her second novel is Bon Voyage! Juliet was inspired to write this novel as she travelled the world visiting over twenty-one countries. She is currently writing her third novel.
Visit her here

Book Purchase Links:

• Amazon US
• Amazon India
  

View all my reviews

Read More