FranceBookTours -- The Paris Effect

Today, I'm happy to share with you an action and emotion-filled book that's set in Paris. It's The Paris Effect by K.S.R. Burns.
Amy, the main character of The Paris Effect, has so much going on, it's no wonder that she dreams of escaping to Paris. Her best friend has just died; she has lost her job; she obsesses about losing weight; her marriage is mostly numb.
As her best friend went through rounds of chemotherapy, they came up with a plan, that they would take a trip to Paris. Over the years, they bought everything they needed, tucking them into specially purchased carry-on bags. When her friend died and her husband scheduled a 10-day business trip, Amy was suddenly presented with the possibility of that long-yearned-for trip. So she went.
I loved seeing Paris through Amy's eyes. Because she was sick with a bad cold, she slowly comes aware in Paris, discovering the joys and the difficulties too.

I come to a complete stop in front of the large display window, my jaw dropping.
Tarts. Ruby raspberry, golden lemon, amber apricot, emerald kiwi, garnet plum -- as tempting as unguarded platters of jewels.
And cakes. Tall triple-layered white vanilla cakes and brown chocolate cakes, showcased like favorite children on fluted white porcelain pedestals.
Also light-as-air cream puffs. Flakey layered napoleons. Perfectly piped meringues. Precisely molded madeleines. Plain puff pastries in the shapes of pinwheels and hearts, glistening with sugar. 

I think you get the idea. Lots of details about the scrumptiousness of Paris.
I guarantee that Amy had a trip to Paris like no one else's. As people offer to help her, from those she meets on the plane to those she connects with in cafes, everyone seems to have a slightly sinister agenda. The reader is never sure if Amy is too trusting.
The novel definitely had high-tension and kept me reading quickly through to the end in just a day or so. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.
Make sure you scroll down to enter the giveaway for your copy of The Paris Effect.

France Book Tours features The Paris Effect

on Tour January 9-13 with

The Paris Effect

(women’s fiction) Release date: June 1st, 2016 at Velvet Morning Press ISBN: 978-0692710852 246 pages

Author’s website Goodreads

   

SYNOPSIS

Friendship, loss and a tantalizing trip to Paris in this highly praised #1 Amazon Best Seller! Amy and Kat had planned a secret trip to Paris. Even Amy’s husband wouldn’t know about it. But when Amy loses Kat to cancer, she knows the plan is gone forever. Or is it?

Guided by memories of her friend and dissatisfaction with her own calorie-counting life in Phoenix, Amy sneaks off to Paris while her husband is away on a business trip. Once there, she’s robbed, stalked, arrested and almost kidnapped. Worse, she finds that all her problems have come right along with her. Through her adventures, laced with luscious descriptions of food and Paris, Amy learns that often in life, love and friendship, nothing is exactly as it seems. Grab a croissant and settle in for a decidedly non-touristy trip to the City of Light.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Unlike her character Amy in THE PARIS EFFECT, K. S. R. Burns has never ventured down into the scary and forbidden catacombs. Nor has she run away from home, but she has lived and worked in 22 cities, one of them Paris (because she does definitely share Amy’s passion for Paris). Burns is also the author of THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF WORKING GIRL: REAL-LIFE CAREER ADVICE YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE (Running Press 2009), because while living in 22 cities she racked up a total of 59 jobs, thereby learning a lot about the world of work. She currently writes a weekly career advice column for The Seattle Times. No longer a wanderer, Burns currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and cat. Visit her website. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter Subscribe to her newsletter Buy the book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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You can enter the global giveaway here or on any other book blogs participating in this tour. Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter/Facebook, they are listed in the entry form below.

Enter here

Visit each blogger on the tour: tweeting about the giveaway everyday of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time! [just follow the directions on the entry-form] Global giveaway open to all: 5 winners will receive a digital copy of the book

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CLICK ON THE BANNER TO READ REVIEWS AND EXCERPTS

 

Tuesday Intros -- The Paris Effect

Every Tuesday, Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea posts the first paragraph of her current read. Anyone can join in. Go to Diane's website for the image and share the first paragraph of the current book you are reading.
The cover of this book definitely sucked me in, and I'm so glad I read The Paris Effect by KSR Burns. I'll be reviewing it for FranceBookTours on January 10 so I hope you'll come back to see my review and  have a chance to win a copy.

Amy and her closest friend Kat spent years planning the perfect Paris trip, which they would take place whenever Kat conquered cancer and Amy's husband absented himself on a long business trip. But Kat didn't survive, so Amy finds herself sneaking off to Paris alone.
Here's the intro:

Seven p.m. A Wednesday. Two weeks to the day after the funeral. Kat is dead. I am not.
What I am is hungry.
And majorly pissed off at William. 

I'm also joining in with Teaser Tuesday which is a weekly bookish meme, hosted Ambrosia @ The Purple Booker.

Here's the teaser:

He falls asleep thirty seconds later and I lie next to him, watching his chest rise and fall. I will wait two more days and then I will take the home pregnancy test I have stashed behind the towels in the linen closet.

and

Accordingly, the Sacre Couer painting in the window is not only non-contrite but sassy. It vibrates, quivers, shimmers, twitches with joy. It yearns to jump up and do the cancan.

I love this  interpration of Sacre Couer, the big white church located in Montmartre with a spectacular view of Paris (see my previous post).
Although the cover might make you think this book is chick lit, it deals with some heavy subjects and has a slightly sinister feel, leaving me very anxious throughout as I sped through to find out what happened. You can find it here at Amazon for $4.99 on Kindle or $11.99 in paperback.
I'm excited to see what everyone else is reading too.
Thanks for visiting and commenting.

Dreaming of France -- Books Set in France

Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Christmas is less than a week away and maybe it's time to think about buying some books set in France. I've read a number of fun books set in France and I'd love to share a little bit about them.

I just began The Paris Effect by K.S.R. Burns and I'll be reviewing it for FranceBookTours.
Amy and her friend spent hours planning a someday trip to Paris as the friend suffered through cancer. After her friend dies and she feels numb in her marriage, she decides to take the someday trip while her husband is away on business.
I can't imagine the adventure she'll have. The novel is available on Amazon $4.99 Kindle version and $11.99 paperback.

I recently finished reading The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain, and it was almost as good as the previous book I read by him, The Red Notebook.  In a brasserie in Paris, Daniel has lunch next to President Mitterand. When
Mitterand forgets his hat, Daniel keeps it and finds his life is changing as the hat gives him added confidence. When he loses the hat on the train, a young woman finds it and discovers the hat helps her take control of her life. You can see where this is going, but there's a hook at the end too. A lovely trip inside French life.
The book is available on Amazon Kindle for $8.79 and paperback for $9.71.


Another book set in France that I read was Fa-La-Llama-La by Stephanie Dagg. This romantic comedy follows British Noelle who is down on her luck, having recently lost her fiance and her job. She takes a pet-sitting job in France to care for some llamas. Troubles ensue, here. The book is available on Amazon Kindle for $2.99.
but rewards come in the form of an Australian man who recently bought the property where she is pet sitting. I reviewed the book


Of course, if you're considering a book set in France, I'd love it if you'd check out Paris Runaway by me. When divorced mom Sadie Ford
realizes her 17-year-old daughter Scarlett has run away to Paris all she can imagine are terrorist bombings and sex slaves. After learning her daughter chased a French exchange student home, Sadie hops on the next plane in pursuit. She joins forces with the boy’s father, Auguste, and the two attempt to find the missing teens. The chase takes Sadie and Auguste to the seedier side of Marseille, where their own connection is ignited. It's available on Kindle for $5.99 or paperback for $16. You can find reviews of Paris Runaway on France Books Tours.


Another book on my list is But You Are in France, Madame by Catherine Berry. An Australian family
moves to France and has to learn to adjust. Berry tells the story of her family as they come to love France in spite of the travails they face there.
The book is available on Amazon Kindle for $4.99 or paperback for $19.99.

How bout you? Have you read a good book set in France? Would you recommend it? Please share with us and I wish you a Merry Christmas. I hope you'll join us for Dreaming of France next Monday.

Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Please leave your name and blog address in Mr. Linky below, and leave a comment letting me know what  you think about my love affair with France, or your own passion for the country and its people and cultures. Also consider visiting the blogs of others who play along so we can all share the love.