Frank Phillips's Reviews > The Paris Widow

Goodness, that went by way too quickly! The Paris Widow was such a fast-paced, hugely-engaging thriller of a novel!! Definitely one of Belle's better releases to date, and very deserving of any praise it has and will receive!

This is a novel about Stella and Adam, who are happily married and on a vacation in Paris and enjoying every moment of it. Adam is Stella's second love in life, and a very nice change of pace from her first, as that relationship ended up in a nice month-long stay in a French prison! Their romantic stay in Paris is abruptly halted and Stella's life as she knows it is over when Adam is presumed to have been killed in a horrific explosion in the city square. Why did he have to go back to the hotel for a $6 pair of sunglasses?! As Stella processes losing her love, the French police approach her with insinuations that Adam was not exactly the man she believed him to be, and is in fact the dealer of incredibly valuable, and stolen, antiques. It's implied that Adam may have actually been the target of the explosion that took so many lives. Initially in denial, the more Stella discovers about Adam's secret life the more she realizes the truth, and can't shake the feeling that someone has been following her every move, but why? As Stella navigates the sudden changes in her life she's forced to make impossible and quick decisions and has no choice but to reach out to her first love for help! Will she escape Paris with her life, or will Adam's dealings be her demise?

I've had an off/on relationship with this author's books, but there was zero doubt as I was invested instantly, most likely on account of this novel reading similar to what I imagine a script for a jam-packed summer blockbuster would read! I felt incredibly empathetic for Stella immediately and just had to find out how everything played out for her in the end. Add the fact that there were a couple epic twists along the way that didn't see coming, and I was left with little choice but to give this one a solid 4-Stars! Divulging more details would certainly spoil, so I'll just say that if you're looking for something highly binge-worthy to sink your teeth into, this is the novel for you - merveilleuse, Belle!!