Wednesday, September 9, 2015

The Paris Key by Juliet Blackwell

Published September 1, 2015 by NAL


As a girl, Genevieve Martin spent the happiest summer of her life in Paris, learning the delicate art of locksmithing at her uncle’s side. But since then, living back in the States, she has become more private, more subdued. She has been an observer of life rather than an active participant, holding herself back from those around her, including her soon-to-be-ex-husband.

Paris never really left Genevieve, and, as her marriage crumbles, she finds herself faced with an incredible opportunity: return to the magical city of her youth to take over her late uncle’s shop. But as she absorbs all that Parisian culture has to offer, she realizes the city also holds secrets about her family that could change her forever, and that locked doors can protect you or imprison you, depending on which side of them you stand.

My Thoughts…

Start with the cover.    Even though you should not judge a book by its cover, it is still the first thing a reader sees.   The colors, the layout, the entire cover drew me in.  Before I even read what the book was about I knew that this was a book I would not pass up.   

  This could be a book about a woman who runs to Paris when she finds out her husband is cheating on her.  But this is not what this book is.    The cheating happens, the woman runs to Paris but she realizes that it is not because of his cheating that she runs.     The woman, Genevieve Martin, goes back to Paris to run her deceased uncles locksmith business.     This business has had a part of her heart since she visited many years ago.    I did not really connect with Genevieve.    I felt like she had some growing up to do.    She felt lost to me.    I wanted her to connect with people.   I believe that is what she was missing.   She lost her mother young and had no deep connection with her father or brother.   

I loved the secondary characters.  They portrayed to me the different types of people who live in Paris.   There was Sylvie the French baker who was pushed into a life she wasn’t sure she wanted, but was stuck due to it being a family business.   Then Phillipe, the old man who was friends with Genevieve’s uncle for a long time and knew the history of her family was, to me, the top dog of the neighborhood.   He seemed to know everyone and their history.     Killian, the young man who lived across the street, kept Genevieve grounded.    When she got frustrated, lost, or just needed a touch of real life Killian was there for her.  

This is my first book from Juliet Blackwell and I look forward to reading more from her.  

Book Links

“A charming protagonist and a deep well of family secrets, all gorgeously set in the City of Lights. The Paris Key is an absorbing homage to family, friendship, and, of course, the greatest city in the world.”
—Michelle Gable, bestselling author of A Paris Apartment

“Witty, warm, winsome…Blackwell draws back the curtain on Paris’s complex past while celebrating its vibrant present. Her generation-spanning tale combines intrigue and passion with a flawless ear for language and a gift for sensory detail.”
—Sophie Littlefield, bestselling author of Garden of Stones

As of December 1, 2009, According to The Federal Trade Commission (FTC),  product reviewers on blogs must disclose whether they received products for free or received payment for their review.
 The books I review on this site ( A Soccer Mom's Book Blog) are sent to us by publishers, authors or downloaded from Netgalley. .This is a very common practice.  I never take payments for these reviews and all the reviews on this site are our own thoughts and feelings and are not influenced




No comments:

Post a Comment