Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Clayborn (The Art of Disappearing) whisks readers to Paris in this steamy slow-burn ideal for armchair travelers. Physician Layla Bailey lives out of a suitcase while subbing for vacationing doctors across the U.S. She likes the work because the weeks-long assignments are a distraction from her recently ended marriage. Then the wedding of her ex-sister-in-law, Emily MacKenzie, brings her to Paris, where Layla spent her own honeymoon. She's determined to be pleasant and mature with her former in-laws, but this proves difficult when her ex shows up with a new girlfriend, and the best man, Griffin, accuses her of encouraging Emily's cold feet. Scarred on the inside and outside by a traumatic fire, Griffin lives like a hermit in Upstate New York and only left his home to support his best friend. He's determined to see the wedding go through and recruits Layla to help fix things between the couple. Clayborn gives both protagonists impressive emotional depth as they work through past heartbreaks and discover unexpected new love. A whirlwind tour through the city of lights--the wedding party cruises down the Seine, explores Montmartre, and takes in Musée Rodin--only enhances the romance. Add in a well-earned happy ending, and this is sure to charm. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Layla Bailey thought that the hardest part of attending her ex-sister-in-law Emily's wedding in Paris would be seeing her ex-husband, Jamie, and his new girlfriend. Over a year after their divorce, Layla had thought that she and Jamie would remain friends and that she'd stay connected to his close-knit family, but her arrival in Paris quickly makes her realize that this might not be the case. When what Layla thought was an innocuous chat causes Emily to rethink the wedding, she is thrown together with the best man, Griffin, who is determined that the wedding goes through. Layla and Griffin, who is harboring secrets of his own, work to bring Emily and her fiancé back together before their looming wedding date, and Layla starts to see that moving on from her own marriage might mean focusing on her own needs and desires for once. Maybe Griffin will be the one to finally help her move forward. VERDICT Clayborn (The Other Side of Disappearing) blends her signature heart and complex character development in this enthralling, introspective novel, perfect for fans of literary romances.--Whitney Kramer
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A physician has to endure her ex-husband's family--and an infuriatingly handsome best man--at her former sister-in-law's destination wedding. To hear Layla Bailey tell it, her divorce was amicable, but now she's regretting her decision to stay friendly with her ex-husband Jamie's family. When Emily, her former sister-in-law, all but begs Layla to attend her wedding in Paris, Layla can't refuse. Then Jamie's new girlfriend tags along, and there's another member of the wedding party who's even more distracting: best man Griffin Testa. He's gruff, antagonistic, incredibly handsome, and visibly scarred in a way that hints at a traumatic past, and he also knows how to get under Layla's skin with little more than a look. After a girls' night out results in Emily getting cold feet, Griffin confronts Layla, demanding to know what she'd said to talk the bride out of the wedding. While Griffin is strangely determined to make sure this event goes off without a hitch, Layla doesn't want to create a disruption for the family she once belonged to, either. The two reluctantly team up to calm any doubts that Emily and Michael--Griffin's best friend--might be having, and as they're increasingly forced into each other's orbit, Griffin offers to be a buffer so Layla doesn't have to face Jamie alone. Clayborn's latest romance takes big swings, both in its approach to character and to some of the genre's most well-trodden tropes--Griffin is likened to a dark fae prince at several turns in a way that feels like a teasing wink at romantasy. The book's leads are both wounded in different ways, but as the story progresses and their chemistry blossoms, they lower the emotional walls they've spent years constructing in favor of embracing more vulnerability and honesty. The result is a tremendous love story that's never overshadowed by its immersive Paris setting but poignantly accentuated by it, proof that Clayborn only gets better with every book. The City of Light provides a beautiful backdrop for this stunning slow-burn romance. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
