French Restoration*
Chateau Restoration with Intrigue and Romance
This tale about the restoration of a French chateau has both mystery and romance. Alex, the wealthy American new owner of the chateau, wants it converted into an exclusive luxury hotel. Working with him is a French interior designer, Chantal, who has unique ideas that align with his vision. Both characters have complicated pasts and hopes for the future. But something’s amiss at the chateau. Strange things keep happening that put the project at risk and even in danger, and these incidents escalate as the book goes on. What secrets are in Chantal’s past? Will the chateau renovation actually get completed? Will Alex prove himself to his father and take over the company?
I didn’t like the hero much at first and actually had a hard time getting past that. He comes across as a bit of a chauvinist, which is not my favorite kind of hero in a romance! He tends to make wild, usually sexist assumptions about Chantal. We do find out that this is due to a recent nasty breakup, but he’s still a bit of a jerk at times. Chantal was intriguing, as it was clear there was a bit more to her than what could be seen at the surface.
There were some issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage, but this did not overly detract from the story.
If you like stories with a different setting than is typical, like modern France, and enjoy a little bit of intrigue with your romance, you might find this story enjoyable.
I did receive a free advance copy, but that did not affect my review.