Nate Brightman's Reviews > An Autumn in Paris

** spoiler alert ** This was my first book by Alix Nichols. Because the story is based in France I really couldn't pronounce several of the characters names nor the locations some of the story takes place in. But it was interesting to sort of become immersed in a different culture than the one I'm familiar with. It was a very sweet if predictable little romance. Dana a Romanian immigrant living in Paris was an unwed teenage mother after watching her baby's father Marcus die in a tragic accident before her son Liviu (no idea how to pronounce that name) is born. Now approaching her 30th birthday and her son on the cusp of his teenage years Dana lives out a very modest existance working as what we Americans would call an apartment manager although in Paris its called a concierge. She suffers from self-esteem issues that can be traced back to her impoverished childhood, her father's rejection of her and her son's paternal grandparents criticisms and blame over Marcus's death. So the few romantic relationships she's had since Marcus's death have been with men she should have never even given a second look to because she feels unworthy of having a good man's love and so she's not in any danger of giving her heart to them and dishonoring Marcus's memory. Okay I would guess that a woman worrying about falling in love again and dishonoring her teenage lover who passed away over a dozen years ago only works as part of a romance novel plot. I mean would a woman in real life in the same situation not eventually get past her grief and move on? Why would having mostly sexual relationships with losers not dishonor her late lover's memory more than having a good relationship with a decent guy? There's a new vet in the neighborhood, Thomas and he's a looker who makes Dana's lady parts stand up and take notice the first time she sees him when she takes her son's dog in for a checkup. For Thomas the attraction is mutual as he gets an eyeful Dana's magnificent knockers after her wardrobe malfunction. Until a day or so later in the most comical part of the book Thomas gets the wrong impression (that despite knowing Dana has a son) he believes she's a lesbian in a relationship with Manon who is really just her BFF. Thomas being the great guy he is and still attracted to Dana reaches out to her to make friends with her and her son since they're virtually neighbors and keep bumping into each other. Thomas has his own secret. His fiancee` mysteriously disappeared a year ago. He's convinced she was abducted but the police believe she just made herself vanish. To make matters more complicated his fiancee` sent him a cryptic text a few months ago so he knows she's still alive and believes she's being held captive. Now you might ask yourself if she's being held captive why does she still have her phone and be allowed to send him a lengthly text message that isn't a ransom demand and only tells him she's somewhere in Italy? It's questionable story lines like that which keep me from giving this otherwise enjoyable romance more than 2 stars. Thomas finds himself more and more attracted to Dana but that causes him to feel he is being disloyal to his fiancee`. Despite both Thomas and Dana having their reasons for not getting involved with one another they can't resist the physical attraction and have a one night affair after which they agree it was wrong and they should try to temper their relationship and just be neighbors. Because Dana realizes that even if they try to be just friends the temptation to repeat their night of passion will be too strong to resist. Apparently Dana's heart knows that unlike the other losers she's dated if she gets too close to Thomas she could be in danger of losing her heart. So of course despite Dana's decree that they just be neighbors, not even friends within a couple of weeks Dana and Thomas are meeting up for morning runs, coffee, going to movies and dining together like BFFs. Of course that type of closeness leads to just what Dana feared as they begin to fall in love with each other and end up having sex again. Thomas is forced to admit to himself that he's fallen in love with Dana even though it means he's disloyal to his missing fiancee.` Dana for her part has to admit that she too is falling in love with Thomas and convinces herself it's finally after 13 years, time to put the ghost of Marcus behind her and accept that he'd want her to be happy and loved again. So at this point of course somewhat predictabley Thomas's missing fiancee` shows up on his doorstep ready to take up where they'd left off before her disappearence. Her reappaearence throws an immediate cold shower over his relationship with Dana. I mean, what's a guy to do? Even though he knows he loves Dana and not his fiancee` he can't very well reject her after she returns from her harrowing ordeal. Never mind that she shows no evidence of physical or psychological abuse after a supposed year in captivity. Will Dana and Thomas find their happily ever after or will Thomas's sense of decency and obligation cause him to marry his fiancee` leaving both him and Dana to be miserable? What do you think?