The Viscount of Maisons-Laffitte by Jennie Goutet

The Viscount of Maisons-Laffitte by Jennie Goutet
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Source: Received eBook to Review
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Book Description:  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.


My thoughts: This is a contemporary romance with a little bit of suspense set in France.

Chastity is an American who is teaching English in a French Private School. She is trouble by one of her students, Louis, who appears to be taking drugs. A meeting with his father sets off a chain of events that lead to suspense, romance, and a possible happily-ever-after.

I enjoyed that there were two imperfect people who are suffering from pain from the past, they are doing their best to be parents to their children. The father of Chastity's child spent time in jail for selling drugs and she has been a single parent. Marc is now out of jail and wants to have some kind of relationship with his son. She has trust issues, and is not sure how to interpret his interest.

Charles wife passed away when his son was a baby. His schedule as a Viscount does not leave a lot of time for him to know his teenage son. He doesn't want to be heavy handed, so he does not know how to deal with the information the teacher is telling him. He lets his relationship with his son slide and not be a priority.

The book is simple and straight forward. There is suspense when the manor is being robbed during a ball. Other than that, it is a book about two people getting to know each other and learning to trust and open their hearts. The relationship progresses slowly, a fact that I enjoyed. At times the pacing of the book was a little slow and drawn out, but overall, it is a fun book to read.

Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository

About the Author: (Taken from Goodreads)  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.