Title: The Brightest Star in Paris
Author: Diana Biller
Series: Moore Family Saga #2
genre-confused, otherwise great!
I would like to thank Diana Biller, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great book, but holy mackerel it was long. *compares to other random romances* Okay, it wasn’t freakishly long, but it definitely FELT long. Probably could have stood to trim a few dozen pages. The ghosts really weren’t necessary. They weren’t really even ghosts, just extensions of Amelie’s psyche, and they didn’t serve much purpose except to distract the reader by pretending to be subplots and providing a somewhat interesting metaphor for pent-up emotions. Camille probably could have been cut as well. And I’m so reluctant to say this, but the Moore family could have been reduced quite a bit. They didn’t serve much purpose other than amusement. God, I loved them, though. They’re so endearing, Biller writes them with such charm and humor. The kitten! The oven! So funny.
Yeah, the biggest issue this novel had was that Biller was trying to have her genre cake and eat it, too. She intended it as a romance, but I figure it was more women’s fiction than anything. Ben was much more a supporting character to Amelie than a second lead. Amelie had way more to do and a lot more development. Biller also seemed to be spoiling to write historical fiction about the Franco-Prussian War; maybe could have cut some of those details, too. Toss in the half-assed ghosts and I’d say this novel was a little genre-confused and unfocused. And because Biller seemed to be including so many different things, some of which were unnecessary, there was more than there needed to be and made the narrative drag.
That’s really my only complaint story-wise. I loved the characters, though I did get frustrated when Amelie refused to marry Ben. I understood her decision and her rationale, and in theory I support her. But her life in Paris was over, she needed security for herself and her sister, and there was Ben, so obviously in love with her, willing to do anything for her. It was like watching a toddler try to fit a puzzle together; they’ve got the right piece at the right spot, but the angle’s off, and your eye’s twitching as you watch them try to force it in sideways. You wanna just grab it and fit it for them, but they need to figure it out on their own. Sigh. Okay, not the most flattering analogy for a grown woman, but apt nevertheless.
Wait, I almost forgot, I did have one more criticism. The sex scene was SUPER jarring. There’s passing emphasis on physical attraction between Ben and Amelie throughout the whole novel, more sweet than sexy. It’s just not that kind of romance. Their connection is established more by emotion. I’m not even sure they kiss before the sex scene, though I might be misremembering. Then bam, suddenly we’re in the red room and talking dirty and throwing around words like “fuck” and “cock” and “testicles” and Amelie’s giving Ben a BJ. I swear I got whiplash.
A couple of other comments: The cover art is unfortunate. It’s amateurish and doesn’t begin to do the quality of the material justice. I admit, despite how much I loved Biller’s first novel, I put off reading and reviewing this book for months because the cover turned me off. Made me afraid the story would be as bad as the cover. But you know what they say about judging book covers . . . Interestingly, the cover of her first novel, Widow of Rose Cottage, also didn’t do the story justice, appearing too modern and light, but at least that one looked professionally rendered. This one, not so much.
Lastly, I have no idea why they aren’t advertising this as the second book in a series. It’s almost the opposite, like they’re trying to keep it secret. Probably to entice readers by allowing them to think it’s a stand alone and they won’t be missing anything if they don’t read Rose Cottage. Or Christmas Spark, for that matter. But I mean, they’re self-contained stories featuring connected characters from the same family. Just like hundreds of other romance series in multiple subgenres. There’s no shame in it. So I’m dubbing this #2 in the Moore Family Saga. I have zero doubts Biller’s next book will center on Maggie and Henry.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next. In fact, I just 1-clicked A Christmas Spark, because somehow I missed that one. *reads it* Bonus review: Very cute! Not sure it saw a copyeditor before publication, but if you love the Moores, you’ll love this short story. More Moore, please!
The Moore Family Saga
0.5 – A Christmas Spark (Winnie and John, prequel)
1 – The Widow of Rose Cottage (Sam and Alva)
2 – The Brightest Star in Paris (Ben and Amelie)
3 – as yet unannounced (presumably Henry and Maggie)
