The Viscount of Maisons-Laffitte by Jennie Goutet {Review}

The Viscount of Maisons-Laffitte by Jennie Goutet    

Kindle Edition, 292 pages

Published April 28th 2016

Single moms are not supposed to fall for rich French aristocrats!
There's just no way he will ever choose her.

Is there such a thing as Prince Charming? Chastity didn't take a teaching job in France to find hers, but a woman can dream, n'est-ce pas? If the father of one of her students--the Viscount Charles Jean Anne Monorie de Brase--is the best local example of princes, Charming or Otherwise, Chastity is ready to put aside any thought of falling in love again.

She's had enough of his arrogance and would prefer him to keep his distance, yet it seems there is no avoiding each other. With the ongoing pressure of a repentant ex-boyfriend, a nefarious drug dealer, and an art heist that spans the decades, Chastity and the viscount are thrown together by circumstances she would soon rather forget.

As the intimacy between Charles and Chastity deepens, they must decide if their love is enough to bridge the gap between their disparate worlds, and if happily ever after can exist outside of fairy tales. 

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My Review: 3 Stars

It's interesting to think of there still being titled people in today's world, so this story was fascinating in that regard. Chastity is in France teaching English at a private school and seems like a very caring teacher. Her concern for one of her students puts her in touch with his father, a proud and busy man, who also happens to be a viscount, Charles. I really liked Chastity and her son and thought they were great characters.

I felt like I was bombarded with a lot of characters and different points-of-view and had trouble sorting out who was who. Because I spent so much time trying to figure things out, I feel like I missed out on connecting with the characters. It was a nice story, but I didn't feel invested.

The reader is given several plots to deal with and it's overwhelming, especially the drug use/drug dealer situation, as it was heavier than expected. I felt like there should have been a little more suspense with that angle, but it didn't quite achieve that climax. As for the romance, I wasn't quite sure who it was supposed to be between and at first and it was confusing. Everything ends up converging in the end, but it was a slow process to get there.

I think this author has a lot of potential, but sometimes simpler is better. I would have loved to see fewer characters and events happening, but with more detail and emotion. I haven't ever been to France and the few things that drew me into this setting were fascinating--I would have love to have more of this as well. Overall, it is a good read, but I wanted a little more.

Content: mild romance; drug use, drug dealing, etc; mild violence.

*I received a copy from the author, which didn't influence my thoughts in any way.*

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About the Author:

Jennie Goutet lives just outside of Paris with her husband and three children, and she spends her time writing, cooking, chauffeuring small people about, and despairing over a weedy garden.

She is the author of romance novel, The Viscount of Maisons-Laffitte, the award-winning memoir Stars Upside Down (formerly called A Lady in France), and the children’s book Happy People Everywhere. She is a contributing author to Sunshine After the Storm, and That's Paris - an Anthology of Love, Life and Sarcasm in Paris. She was a BlogHer Voice of the Year pick three times, and her writing has appeared on Huffington Post, Queen Latifah’s website, Mamalode, BonBonBreak and BlogHer.

She blogs at http://aladyinfrance.com about faith, food, and life in Paris with her husband and three children. She also has an author website at jenniegoutet.com, which doesn't get updated as often as it should.