Broken French (Mediterranean, #1) (2024)

now someone tell me why i cried reading this as if it was the fault in our stars???

this was just pure romance, i was swept into the french culture and fell for dauphine, josie, and our tortured but enigmatic hero xavier. the imagery, atmosphere, and world-building in this was insane, i could practically feel myself on this damn boat with them. it made me want to get my ass to France asap but then i remembered we're in the middle of a panny and they're islamophobic 💀💀💀

this did have insta-lust which i normally hate in books, but it actually worked here because the lust may have been there from day one but the journey towards it was a slow burn full of yearning, angst, and heartbreak. this book gave me what Close Quarters couldn't 😞

Nanny trope, I just can't say no to them!
This should have been the perfect escape read for me, all things considered. Really.
The wealthy, widowed —we love a tortured hero—Frenchman trying to resist his urges toward the last minute American au pair. I mean, the blurb made me do it :

He should send the nanny home.
He really should.
But what if he just takes what he wants, just this one time...

Overall this was a cute and sweet story, sadly it didn't win me over for a couple reasons.

First—and this will sound neurotic and trivial to many, I'm aware :

Second, the French did hinder my enjoyment some but what truly bothered me was the lack of connection and chemistry built between Xavier Maxim Pascale (Maxim without an e? Pascal with an e?) and Joséphine Marin, the American architect turned au pair overnight. I had hoped for some angsty tension between them considering how the hero came to meet the heroine for the first time (think failed Zoom meeting and nudity!) and his veiled attraction disguised as animosity toward the heroine but it fell flat. Even the forced proximity premise, the two of them sharing tiny cabins on a yacht, didn't help much.

The character's development wasn't my favorite.
I wasn't receptive to the hero's type of brooding which mostly consisted of being short with heroine and storming off with the same muttered French curse. "Merde". Turns out Xavier Pascale didn't possess an extended French swear words glossary. A pity, we're kinda famous for our colorful cussing. Alright, he was a hot dad but was there anything more to add to his character on paper? Not really, although we're told by his employees he's such a good man.

When she wasn't lost in her thoughts lusting about Xavier Pascale, Joséphine was busy reflecting on her life prospects and playing nanny with his daughter, Dauphine, a ten years old acting as buffer and unsurprising plot device.
Children in romance can make or break a story for me and Dauphine, albeit cute, felt almost like "décor". Background.

What's left of the romance then? Not much, in my opinion, if you consider an already flimsy connection based on sex more than anything else, the way the hero kept rejecting and hurting the heroine was anticlimactic. The heroine stayed one time too many for the sake of Dauphine, while it was clear her feelings for the little girl were genuine—although a little rushed (Josie falls in love with Dauphine in a matter of days), her love for Monsieur Pascale felt just the opposite. Forced.
It's highly possible I looked for something deeper that just wasn't there.

I didn't hate the book but read dispassionately, the beautiful scenery and description of scrumptious food, many baguettes, infinite supply of wine provoked more interest than the characters. I'm sorry it missed the mark.

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Josie + Xavier.

Two days ago Josie was happily living in a little historic apartment in Charleston, South Carolina with her two best friends. She was about to be promoted at her architecture firm and life was about to be even better.
Today, Josie is on her way to the South of France, to be the summer Nanny on a yacht for ten year old Dauphine. The daugher of widowed billionaire businessman Xavier.

Josie is not a Nanny. She forgot almost all of her highschool french. And she hates boats!

LET THE FUN TIMES BEGIN ...

════════════════

ADORABLE!

I just love Nanny & Single Dad romances. And it's even better when the dad is super hot and mega rich! Plus we travel to France, we live on a yacht. Oy. I so wanted to swap places with Josie!
We get to see so many amazing places.
We eat so much amazing food!
Ugh! I felt like I was right there with them.

This was such a beautiful love story.
I was about to say vacation love story. But it's not really a vacation for Josie - she's working as a nanny. But still. It really is a vacation love story. It's all so sunny and beachy and oceany and just beautiful.
We have a great supporting cast - the friends and especially the little girl - they sometimes get on my nerves so much - not this time! Dauphine was super adorable!
Of course we have our troubled moments too.
Xavier is a widower. He also has some business rivals. Bad guys that are after his inventions and money.
Plus Josie's just-lost job in Charleston and her unsecure professional future.
And of course the never-ever-fall-for-your-boss thing! LOL!

The book is pretty long. Which I loved. There was nothing that I would cut - which is something I normally want to do with too long books. But this was all so very readable! I just loved it.

I would not mind seeing this on Netflix one day. With all the sightseeing and eating and sexy hot guys! GIMME!

Oh, a tiny thing that I didn't like. Don't worry, it's just me and my weirdness. The cover is beautiful - super summery and pretty and the colors are so perfect, but I just hate feet. HATE them. I don't want to look at them. I love the nail polish color but the rest. Ugh. I don't do feet. They're disgusting - just like noses! Ew.
OKAY - rant over! No offense to all you feet fetish people out there, but nope - I can't look at feet.

I could write so much more - but it would ruin your reading pleasure! READ THIS BOOK! Read it. See it. Smell it. Taste it. Feel it. Enjoy it!

BROKEN FRENCH was such a beautiful + summery + oceany + foody + travely + emotional + sexy love story. Just what we need in these 'rona times! I absolutely adored everything about it!

💜 💜

“You deserve a whole heart.” His eyes were fixed on mine, begging me to understand.
I laid my hand on his chest. “I’d be content with your broken one,” I whispered.”

“When you smile at me like that, my heart skips a beat.”

**Synopsis:**
Josie had a critical meeting that was to end with her promotion. However, when she attended the meeting and found out the partner’s nephew was promoted instead, she realized she was never going to rise to the top. When the lecherous partner tried to make a move on her, she knew it was time to leave the firm.

Josie’s roommate (who owns a nanny agency) is desperate to fill a six week position. Seeing as Josie needs employment, it seems as though this is the perfect opportunity for her to find a little escape from real life. So off she goes to France where she meets sexy Xavier and his daughter. Although the assignment is only short term, Josie is hoping the love she found will last a lifetime.

~ “This relationship feels like juggling with newly sharpened knives.”

~ “Your heart inside you is the most beautiful thing about you.”

**

* * I have no idea if this would feel authentic to a native, but seeing as I’m not from France I felt like I was in a different country. The sites and flavors of France (and hints of Italy) peppered the story.

* * the “I want you but can’t have you” aspect started to become a little repetitive.

* * I think the story was a little long.

* * how could Xavier even ask the question??? 😡. Ugh!! He really ticked me off for a moment and all I could think is that he better have a major grand gesture on the horizon.

* * 👆 ok…..all I can say is, it must be nice to have millions to spend on a grand gesture 😉

**

- Who is the Hero? Xavier Pascale (age: 35). Billionaire who makes his money in technology and innovation. His wife passed away two years ago. His daughter Dauphine is 10 years old.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Hero: even tempered, complicated, rich, powerful, doesn’t trust easily, broken, impenetrable walls
* H likable? Yes.

- Who is the Heroine? Josephine (aka Josie) Marin (age: 24). Architect.
* The following words/phrases were used to describe Heroine: hates the isolation and claustrophobia of boats, responsible, stressed and tense, passionate about preserving architectural history, a bit lost
* h likable? Yes.

- h virgin? No
- First time they kiss: 58%
- First time they sleep together: 62%
- First time they say I Love You Josie says it at 81%. Xavier says it at 91%
- steamy? Yes. Descriptive bedroom scenes
- OW/OM drama? a little bit. The dead wife plays an important role in the story
- H/h cheat? No
- Time apart? about a month
- Did I skip pages? No
- Big secrets? No
- Did I cry? No
- Did I laugh? No big LOL moments, but the 10 year old daughter brings in the cuteness factor
- Did I swoon🥰? oh yes!! Not only is he swoony in the romance area, but he has a good heart and helps others and his selfless gestures are very heart melting.
- Cliffhanger? No
- HEA? Yes
- Epilogue? No
- Recommend? Yes

**

“Can you wrap your arms around yourself and squeeze? That’s me hugging you.”

“Evan. I know you’re my friend and I tell you a lot of sh*t. But if you don’t stop talking right now, we’re going to have to explain to my mother why your teeth are on the floor.”

“I’m scared of the way you make me feel,”

“You better go and get that work done before I climb you like the jungle gym at my favorite playground.”

“It was one thing knowing the man you were with had walls. Quite another being personally told about their height, their breadth, and their utter impenetrability.”

why does the cover have feet on it-

Broken French is beautiful. Just like the France itself. I never been to France and Miss Boyd took me there with a such tender beautiful story.
This book is entirely dedicated to romance. The lenght is very long and yet I do not get bored.

The chemistry between Josephine and Xavier is just beautiful. Xavier portrays a broken hero which so much heart break. He is not entirely brooding though. He just closed off.

What took me a while to warm up is Josephine. This heroine is just too much at certain point. I was so weary with her back and forth toward Xavier and herself.

Overall this is a very pleasant read.

4 stars

Although I'm not fond of nanny-employer romances, I downloaded this for two reasons: (1) Natasha Boyd is the author of The Indigo Girl, interesting historical fiction that takes place in colonial Charleston, and of Accidental Tryst, a cute romantic comedy set in modern-day Charleston. And (2) the nanny here is (supposedly) not naive and lacking life experience but is instead a career woman recently out of work and doing this as a favor for a friend.

So I thought, great. This heroine won't be a pushover for a hot, rich daddy. Well, I thought wrong. This heroine might as well have been an innocent 19-year-old college freshman for all the emotional smarts she exhibited. OMG, he's so hot. His eyes, so intense and piercing. His body, so perfectly muscly. His voice, so smooth and French. His hair, so...hairy? His money, so abundant.

And what about this hot French hero? Well, he's hot but very, very brooding. I guess we all like brooding heroes? I mean, they are so intense and broody and all, right? And you never know if, at any given moment, they are going to smile and be polite and friendly or if they are going to be all cold and mean and cutting. That makes life so exciting, right?

He's a widower. His wife died two years earlier under some kind of cloud. She was depressed. I suppose he feels guilty and all that. Still, that's no reason to be an ass around this heroine who he feels a sexual attraction to. He behaves like a total jerk around her most of the time, because she has the gall to be sexy and attractive and she gets along well with his 10-year-old daughter. She must be trying to get into his pocketbook as well as his pants.

So if you like a story about people traveling by yacht along the coast of France and eating lots of yummy food and drinking lots of good wine and looking fine in their clothes (which we get too many descriptions of) and visiting lots of lovely touristy spots like St. Tropez, and looking at each other with lusty, yearning glances, this book is for you. It also has lots of lusty sex in it to enjoy in the second half.

I personally found the hero to be a brooding arse. Nothing his employees or his mother said in glowing terms about him impressed me. If it walks like an arse and talks like an arse, well...

Nothing much to the story. It's like one of those glossy European high society glamour magazines. Beautiful people and lots of fluff. No substance. And the book is too darned long at 500 pages. WAR AND PEACE it ain't. More than the French in this book is broken.

5 "All the things I love about romance novels." Stars!

Okay, so that title really says a lot. No time to review right now, but I 100% absolutely loved this book. Sassy, smart, sweet, tender but tough heorine. Broken, sexy, mercurial, tender hearted single dad, not to mention filthy rich and generous hero. Slow burn, angst at its finest. Cute, CUTE kid. Good girlfriends. Travel to France and wonderful food. A complete story in one book! I appreciate that so much. Highly, highly recommend!! Happy reading!

4.5/5⭐️

I’M OBSESSED. GIVE ME A FRENCH BILLIONAIRE RIGHT NOW!!!

Single dad and slow burn will do it for me every.single.time!! Xavier and Jossie were so full of love, tension, passion and chemistry and I couldn’t stop reading about their story. She was so relatable, apart from us having the same name, and I completely adored her. And Xavier OMFG, I couldn’t stop giggling and kicking my feet every time he talked to her in french…”Tu me détruis” I’m sat sir🧎🏽‍♀️

This was such a fun but at the same time emotional love story. I shed tears while reading about Xavier’s past and how come he thinks he doesn’t deserve love, and how Jossie was so heartbroken over it.

Bruh, this was so freaking good and I have nothing bad to say about it. I’m AMAZED, that’s all.

“Je suis complètement amoureux de toi”💞

4.5 stars

Headlines:
Yachting around the coast of France
Nanny-single dad
Chem-is-try
Plot depth

Broken French brought all the French visuals and smells to this pale, English reader. Visuals of turquoise seas, sun, yachts, bread, wine and the most delightful little family that took a second and third glance to get to know. Alongside this, there was a found-family crew that was endearing.

The protagonist, Josephine was not really a nanny but one by circ*mstance. Her quick entry into the lives of this family was both awkward and natural all at once. Josephine had a temper and bite but Xavier came across arrogant and cold. Xavier's dad-skills had a lot to do with my tolerance of him until I got to know him better.

If the nanny trope is not your favourite, I want to tell you that this felt so much more than that. There was a depth to the characters and story, a unexpected turn of events, some suspense and a bucketful of chemisty. I'm still fanning my face over here.

Dauphine was a signficant part of why I enjoyed the story. She wasn't precocious as I imagined and the bond between her and Josephine was pretty gorgeous to observe.

This longer than normal romance was worth every page and the depth to the plot and story in general was refreshing. I am delighted to have read a new Tasha Boyd book after her hiatus and I definitely look forward to more.

Thank you to the author for the early review copy.

Find this review on A Take From Two Cities Blog.

Why, oh why did this story have to end. Talk about being totally enveloped in a story—this one fits that bill for me. I loved every single thing about Josie & Xavier’s love story. All of the angst, tension that was so thick at times it took my breath away. I loved that Xavier was so broken, and because of that brokenness it made him extremely guarded shutting out all emotions except for the love he has for his amazing 10 year old daughter, Dauphine.

I love that part of this story is set in my city, that beautiful city of Charleston SC. It’s like I could visualize myself being at every place mentioned just hanging out with Josie and her stellar besties. I also loved the other parts of the book that was set in France. The sights, smells, foods..it’s like these things truly burst to life in my mind’s eye while I was reading. That’s a phenomenal writer right there.

I love that this story was not predictable. If anything it was everything BUT predictable. I found myself vowing with Josie to help her “peel back that gruff exterior, and understand the man underneath.”

Words are failing me in this review, but if you are looking for a stern brunch Daddy that is closed off from love so that he can focus on his daughter—look no further. The tension. The angst. The slow freakin burn, and then the pounce. Xavier hit Josie like a wrecking ball, and damn did he pull out all the sexy!! There were times I was literally fanning myself. He. Is. Hot.

“I couldn’t look at her. I didn’t want to. Didn’t want her to see something I didn’t want to show.”

‘He stumbled as he caught me. Maybe if I held him tight enough, all those cracks and fissures in his heart would heal back up.’

Wow! This book! We were completely swept up in Tasha Boyd’s enticing, deliciously hypnotic love story. Someone needs to make this into a movie – it screams for its beauty to be brought to the screen!

Broken French is an incredibly beautiful, picturesque slow burn romance. Passionate, emotional, and so seductively addicting in so many ways! The scenery, the characters, the romance, and the writing…oh the writing! It was mesmerising! Everything about this story held us captive.

“The ache and need I have for you is the most delicious and painful thing I’ve ever experienced.”

Tasha Boyd has delivered something so very special in Josie and Xavier’s story. In a time when travel is something we can only wish for; she has managed to satisfy our wanderlust with her stunning imagery. Gosh, we could taste the food (we were salivating, our stomachs were rumbling), smell the sea, and imagine sunning ourselves on the deck of Xavier’s boat with the author making it so easy to visualise the surroundings with her vivid imagery. It’s an incredible talent to elicit such vision through words and Tasha Boyd does it spectacularly.

Josephine (Josie) Marin is a talented Architect, who realises she will never break through the glass ceiling of her firm when her misogynist boss hits on her. On a whim, she quits and is left in a quandary. Her friend Tabatha runs an agency and one of her clients, a ridiculously handsome single dad billionaire client we might add, needs a nanny to look after his 10-year-old daughter on their boat in the South of France. In the heat of the moment, she agrees, as an escape sounds good in her current situation. Little did she know the adventure that lay ahead!

‘It was one thing knowing the man you were with had walls. Quite another being personally told about their height, their breadth, and their utter impenetrability.’

On the surface, Xavier Pascale is a confident, handsome wealthy, and highly successful businessman who needs a nanny for his delightful 10-year-old daughter Dauphine. After losing his wife two years earlier, Dauphine is his reason for living. Meeting Josie is about to turn his world on its axis!

Xavier’s confidence is hiding a multitude of scars, doubts, and vulnerability, a side of himself he’s kept hidden…until Josie. Feeling the emotional attachment and intense desire between Josie and Xavier was potent and heady and hot! However, the sexual tension complimented but never overruled the complex emotion of their connection, a balancing act the author pulled off perfectly.

‘No wonder he had trust issues. This was more than someone lying to you. This was trusting someone with your heart. With your life.’

Josie and Xavier were brilliant characters. The relationship between father and daughter was heartfelt, the friendship between Xavier and his best mate and bodyguard Evan was a fabulous inclusion! We need Evan and a certain ladies’ story, and hope Tasha Boyd explores this! Every supporting character in this book charmed us immensely!

Although the story takes place over a short amount of time, the build-up was never rushed allowing us time to really believe in Xavier and Josie’s love – even if Tasha Boyd did put our hearts through the wringer! Oh wow, did she give our hearts a bit of a beating at times, and of course, we loved it!

“What about me scares you?” he asked
“The way you make me feel,” I uttered finally.

Grab this book! Prepare to be swept away in a story that tantalises all your senses and seduces you with every single word. As we said. What a story! Oh oui, what a story!

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I’ve had this on my bookshelf for a few years and came across it when looking for a light read. This follows Josie who works as an architect who thinks she’s getting a promotion, only it goes to a guy who’s related to her boss.. and when they make sexual comments about her that’s the last straw.. she quits her job. So she calls an emergency girls night with her friends. One of her best-friends who owns a Nanny Agency sets her up temporarily as a nanny for 6-weeks. Josie will be working for a billionaire widower in the south of France on his yacht. She meets him, Xavier, who’s brash right away, is prickly wanting nothing to do with her, but his daughter is a total sweetheart. She gets close with the little girl, makes friends with the staff. On the other hand we have Xavier who is under a lot of stress being the reason behind his bad attitude. There’s sexual tension between Josie + Xavier that finally lets loose. It’s (open door) steamy, and is definitely a trope all in itself. Perfect for romance readers!! 4.5 stars — Pub. 4/26/21

This was perfect. I loved all the characters. Josephine seemed like someone I would be friends with, Xavier was dreamy and broken and a person consciously working to be a good person, and his daughter, Dauphine, was wonderful (I mostly hate kids in romance, they always act in age-inappropriate ways and are annoying in their precocity.) The side characters were great too, both the crew members on the boat where much of this occurs and Josie and X's friends and family. And the places! Boyd clearly knows and loves the South of France, and though I don't have as much experience of the place as does Boyd, from the time I have spent there her writing feels authentic and beautiful. (And in pandemic times who doesn't want to read about the shades of blue in the Mediterranean and market days in Corsica?) I also loved the discussion of Charleston architecture and history. Boyd lives in Atlanta as I did for 16 years. Charleston is a big long weekend destination for many of us here, and like Boyd I find it an easy city to love, warts and all. Perhaps most importantly the writing was really good, the relationships felt right (as long as we remember that this is fantasy), the love story left me weak in the knees, the sex scenes were incredibly hot, and the angst level just enough. Do I recommend this to my romance-loving friends? Oui! Absolument! C'est super! (And that is as far as 9th grade French is going to get me.)

Hot, cold, hold, cold. That's pretty much a summary of the H in this book and in the beginning I didn't mind but it continued on for the whole book to the point the h called him a coward and honestly, she wasn't wrong.

This has the dead spouse trope but from the get go you can tell it wasn't a deep all consuming love match so I could deal with that. It also has the nanny trope which was handled a bit differently which I appreciated but overall I just couldn't feel anything but annoyance and exasperation for how the H handled everything.

Also holy page count this book was long and while I appreciated the details that were given about the places they visited it did slow down an already snail pace romance and it was a bit of a slog in some parts.

I freaking LOVED this! I am a sucker for single Dad romances and this was no different. Natasha Boyd captured me with her flawless writing and great characterisation. However be prepared to be in for the long haul as this is a slow burn romance with a very tortured Hero.

Josie quit her job because the ole boys club hit once again. To help her roommate out she takes on the nanny job in France. To regroup and think about what to do in the future. What she didn't bargain on was being attracted to the Dad and falling in love with Dauphine the adorable daughter.

They travel on a yacht for the summer and the chemistry strengthens with every day they are at sea. It is hard not to act upon.

Xavier Pascale wealthy, broody and widowed doesn't want to feel again and that is exactly what happens when he sees Josie for the first time and it isn't getting better.

Xavier is an utter douchecanoe and he should have smartened up sooner but because of that ending he buys her her hotel he has somewhat redeemed himself. But only somewhat. I am also not happy with the HFN. I want an epilogue so bad.

I really hope we get a book with Meridith and Tabs.

P.S. They should have sent a bag of dicks

When an architect leaves her job in Charleston, South Carolina and become a nanny to a charming little girl, she becomes attracted to her boss.

This contemporary romance takes place on a super yacht on the Mediterranean Sea. I can't get over how brilliant Tasha Boyd's storytelling is. Through close attention to detail, we are instantly drawn into the setting and the plot. And quickly befriend the principle characters. They are so believable and relatable. The love relationship is filled with missteps and gut-wrenching setbacks. But love persists.

One of the best, if not the best, novels I've read this year.

This was unnecessarily long and angsty. Xavier needed one tight chamaat and Josie deserved so much better. Ugh when will we stop writing books in which women are emotional rehabilitation centres for men??? I don’t like this trope one bit. GET A THERAPIST!!! You’re a f*ckin billionaire, you have the resources to sort your sh*t out yourself. Jesus christ.

La amé 🥰😍

Ahora quiero un francés como Xavier Pascale 😏🔥

3.5 stars

Mon dieu, absolument magnifique. Mon cœur ne peut pas y faire face.

A.M.O.
A.M.O.
A.M.O.

Si escribo algo más, lo suelto todo jajajajaja

📖
“We will cure you, Dauphine and I.”
_
“You have given life to a dead heart and soul. You brought me back to life. Hungry and gasping and desperate … for you. My heart beating … for you.
_
“Je suis complètement amoureux de toi”

so beautiful… I loved it so much! Some parts definitely had me at my last straw but the groveling made up for it. 4.5 stars🖤

review and aesthetics to come soon!

tropes: nanny x single dad, age gap, groveling, opposites attract, grumpy sunshine, and forced proximity.

BROKEN FRENCH will sweep you away in the swirling ocean waters of travel, suspense and love!

Josie Marin and Xavier Pascale have an intense chemistry immediately and you’ll share moments of laughter, heartbreak and lots of sighs as you get to know them. All the characters are passionate and captivating – and some downright delightful (Dauphine Pascale, the young daughter of Xavier) in their addition to this book. From the very first page, Boyd gifts readers an appealing, emotional and riveting reading experience with a little suspense included. And, of course, picturesque and exciting vacation escapades aboard a gorgeous yacht with adventures and sea views with visits to the French coast full of charming little towns.

This story reminds us that life isn’t always predictable, and life offers surprises at every turn and sometimes when least expected – but just what we need.

All hands on deck for French-kisses and a happily-ever-after guaranteed!

If you loved the Jack Eversea duet and Deep Blue Eternity, then you will love this new offering from Tasha Boyd! And it's MEATY - don't you just love a fat book? I read fast, so I can get a bit upset when a good story finishes :) Fans of the French Riviera, French food and hot Frenchmen get on board! Oh, and throw an adorable child into the mix. I'm always blown away by Boyd's descriptions of scenery, and in this story, the food (I'm serious, make sure you have snacks). In case you're worried I'm making the romance sound like it takes a back seat, never fear, it does not. Just delicious and steamy, I loved it! Perfect for remembering what a holiday might look like, after being stuck in lockdown forEVER, lol.

3.75⭐️

“Wasn’t love supposed to make you feel invincible? I had never felt so weak.”

It’s a little know fact that I have a slight obsession with a book named Eversea. Okay... maybe HUGE obsession. Okay okay... it’s borderline stalker. Eversea (and Natasha) was discovered at a time I was falling in love with reading and because of that it holds such a special place in my heart. But the writing, oh the writing ... it just kinda speaks to a part of my romance loving heart. Well ... I think because of my low key obsession, I was able to get an arc of the newest book from Natasha Boyd (who is writing as Tasha Boyd in the romance genre). I may have screamed a bit and my inner fan girl fainted. But so thankful for the opportunity. And romance readers... let me tell you, you all are in for a treat. One that brings you across the world, on the Mediterranean with a sexy grumpy Frenchman named Xavier and a sassy independent woman named Josie.

Natasha tells a story that swept me away. She took me to the south of France on an epic journey and showed me a broken widowed single parent desperately trying to be the best father and man.

“I don’t... know where my heart is.”

The slow gradual emotional build up of Xavier and Josie nearly had me throwing my kindle. And when these two finally collided... they SHATTERED and went up in flames.

“Love filled me like a sudden hurricane, as if I’d opened the final window in my soul, swirling through my insides and robbing my breath.”

I think if I were to sum up this book with a quote from the story-
“This wasn’t making love. No, this was fighting it. We were fighting, both of us. Fighting against our hearts being blown apart.”

This is a standalone, contemporary romance. It includes luscious scenes of sparkling blue ocean, tantalizing, seductive food, as well as a smoking hot, dirty-talking Frenchman. If traveling or yachts scare you, or sexy times scare you, then this book is not for you. But if you're looking for a decadent armchair vacation after being stuck in one place for over a year--a story will make you laugh, swoon, fan yourself, and cry--then this one is for you!

Loved this!! It was worth the wait!!!!

3.5 STARS

In that moment, I understood how desire could make people do stupid, thoughtless, insane things.

i have no strong opinions expect I like this cover!!!
the tropes should have worked for me... oh well