This was quite an interesting read, about the chase for stolen art.

The story starts with an insight into Acacia's role as a concierge at an upscale hotel in Paris. She is Brazilian and has a mysterious and dangerous past, but she's put the latter behind her and given her life to the very proper, very discreet role of a professional concierge.

Nicholas Cassirer is an intriguing character. Especially in the hands of narrator Robertson Dean who has a beautiful baritone voice.

This is one of those romances where the man knows what he wants, and that's Acacia. He wins her over, and he goes to every length to keep her safe when she falls into the clutches of her baddy dad. It's like he's met the one and she's the overwhelming, never to be shaken love of his life.

Such simplistic romances can be true to life I'm sure. It's a feel-good extreme but there is something missing, something unrelatable, a little daydreamy. But I don't mean to put anyone off - escapism, from an enticing concoction of romance and adventure is never to be sneezed at.

Thank you for your comments below NW Moors, which I read after I posted - you've put into words what I couldn't put my finger on - I agree with the lot of what you say. ( )

Suspense

I enjoyed this book. Lots of intrigue and suspense with romance mixed in. I would love to read more about Acacia and Nicholas. ( )

Acacia Santos is a concierge working at a prestigious hotel in Paris. The man in the black suit is a highly valued guest Nicholas Cassirer though he's under an assumed name. Nicholas and Acacia clash though he admires her honesty when she turns him into the police because she thinks he has stolen artwork (he doesn't). But this interaction causes her to be drawn into his world of stolen art, gun running, spying, and other international intrigues.
I loved the Gabriel Inferno series as well as the Florentine series by Mr. Reynard, but this one was kind of meh. There's a lot of 'telling' in the story which leads to an emotional distance for the reader as well as a very slow pace, especially in the beginning. Both characters have reason to feel a lot of emotion but both are so self-contained it blunts the relationship between them. Besides all the international intrigue, the book touches on anti-semitism, anti-muslim, and anti-immigration themes. Throw in some personal issues with personal disfigurement and jealousy over the exes. All this creates more of a mess that jumps from issue to issue. I would rather the story concentrated on one of these issues to give a deeper insight into the characters rather than glossing over so many of them.
The locales are great as always in Mr. Reynard's books. I just felt the book was a bit flat. I hoping for more in his next book. ( )