A gripping treatise on grief and memory, The Brightest Star in Paris explores haunting in two different ways: first in the literal ghosts ( so integral to Biller's developed book world ) and the haunting of memory and how it supplants itself on our dreams and desires and choices.


"I'm not an artist, Ben." Amelie said. My mother was. I know the difference. I am a tool for artists. A broken one."

Dr. Benedict Moore is no stranger to the tragedies experienced in his army day but neither is Amelie and while fate intercepted their paths 12 years before the events of this book, it wraps them even more tightly now through echoes of grief and anger. Indeed, The Brightest Star in Paris rocks with emotion as two people clearly meant for each other have to battle their own defences to pursue the love they deserve. And into this intersection, we have Biller's pursuit of passion ---which is authentic and on its own terms.

" An entire world was held un his gaze. Understanding, and love and desire. The kind of desire that lit an echoing flame in her own body and sent it racing through her veins."


Biller's passion for ballet and for the architecture of Paris slowly unfurls into a canvas as beautiful as her rendered love story. Biller captures the art of dance and how Amelie acts out her understanding of her world and its limitations through her refined language-- deft as a brush. " I have seen you dance," Benedict said. ' You think people love you because you're a blank canvas. But I think they love you because the little bit of you that creeps around the edges."


I love that Benedict and Amelie are so fragile and so fallible and yet we are never more than quietly frustrated in their various pursuits back to each other: because their foundations are so strong.

"He'd had a ring in his pocket, that day, bought at a little jumble shop that had surely been demolished. A simple silver band. He still had it, in a little box back in America... Really he needed to stop trying to marry her. That was always where it went wrong."


Indeed, I was most smitten not only by Ben and Amelie's love story but also Biller's love for Paris which here is so lovingly drawn it acts a reflection of the central heart of the story. Sacre-Couer, perhaps, is given the most of the author's descriptive heart.


With just enough European panache to fulfill romantic hearts and enough ghosties to lure those wanting more offerings for their Hallowe'en challenges, The Brightest Star In Paris whets the appetite of us who fell hard for Biller's easy romantic and punctuatingly humourous style in Widow of Rose House but again underscores the light and playful and sensual tying of two personalities with the ghosts of grief, loss and circumstance. It is in this balance and juxtaposition that Biller shines and I cannot wait to see where she takes us next.


With thanks to the publisher for an early copy.


"When you read a book and you loved it, it transformed in your mind. It became a think you possessed that couldn't be taken away. For the last two days, she hadn't thought about anything else. She'd told herself she would think when she finished the book. Now she had."


For those hankering to see the Moore family again after The Widow of Rose House and A Christmas Spark, you will be happily reunited.


( will be hosting Diana on FB live October 19 )

This one was simply bookalicious, I enjoyed every moment of it! ✨

Set in the 19th century era, when France was slowly getting to its feet after the much dramatic and disastrous Siege Of Paris, comes an absolutely magical story involving a famous ballerina dancer, an American doctor on the verge of a medical breakthrough and a series of exasperated yet witty and entertaining ghosts. 👻 Who knew horror and humour could go hand in hand!

I don't have the patience to read through blurb these days. I went for this book seeing the cover art and the mention of 'second chances' beneath the title. It's one of my favourite tropes and I just can't get enough of it! A few pages in, and I was completely hooked! What I loved most about the book was how real the characters felt. It's beautiful, how their back stories have been developed, and their feelings and emotions have been expressed. The ghosts added a special touch and complement the main plot really well. Amelie and Ben won my heart. Theirs is a love story quite unlike anything I have read, especially in the recent past. It's mature, deep and unconditional and the way they understand each other even in silence is simply beautiful! And just when I thought that the story couldn't get any exciting, what with murder, blackmail, past love and all, Ben's family comes along, with their idiosyncrasies and dysfunctionalities, infusing more humour to the read.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for sharing the ARC of this beautiful novel. I'm now headed to read @dcbiller 's other book, "The Widow Of Rose House". Be back with another review soon! 😃🙌🏼💜

Every once in a while I come across a book that needs more than five stars. "The Brightest Star in Paris" is one of those books for me.

When "The Widow of Rose House" was published in late 2019, I immediately fell in love with both the male and female protagonists. But it wasn't just these two that were amazing- it was the male's whole entire family. I wanted to be a family member in the Moore family or at least share the same breathing space as them.

I never expected to go back to that world. "The Brightest Star in Paris" is a stand-alone novel, just like Rose House. While "The Widow of Rose House" does not need to be read in order to enjoy this book, there is some overlap in characters (the Moore family!! Wooo!)

An oversimplified plot summary: Amelie and Ben fell in love with each other in Paris, 12 years before the 'present' part of this novel. Ben is an American, Amelie is French-- and although we don't get all the details for a while, things just didn't work out. Ben finds himself back in Paris, ready to confront his feelings for Amelie and hope that she will feel the same way.

It's romance. It's a bit of history. It's sweet. I read this in about a day and it left me with an "ahh, that was nice" feeling at the end. I really enjoy Diana Biller's writing style and like that she can make me instantly like or dislike someone within a page of meeting them. This book is a wonderful "grab a cup of tea/coffee, sit on a comfy couch and enjoy" book.

Wishing for more Moores! I hope that Biller will return to this world again :). Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced e-copy of this book. This one is definitely one to add to the "must buy" list.

There were things I enjoyed about this one, like the Moore's. Benedict's family are so lovingly chaotic and fun. I adored Benedict. I liked Amelie, but being in her head was a little difficult for me. She didn't want to let Benedict in, didn't want any help, and they were in love, had been in love for years. Nothing important, IMO, was in the way, but still Amelie stop resisting until the very end.

I liked the whole ghost aspect, but I felt it just dropped out of existence here and there. Also, I felt like we should've been able to witness Amelie's plan of action [ against Lavel in a scene after what he put her through. (hide spoiler)]

I do still want to pick up the novella centered around John and Winnifred's romance (the Moore's mother and father), and I hope to get a story for Henry and Maggie in the future.

If you have read "The Widow of Rose House", you will find familiar characters in "The Brightest Star in Paris", as the Moores are featured in the story. However, this book focuses on Benedict (Ben) Moore, Sam's brother, and Amelie St. James. Some of the best moments in the story come after the Moores descend on Paris to assist Ben and Amelie.

Twelve years earlier, Amelie "saved" Ben, who was was depressed and feeling lost. However, after a magical summer, she sent him away. In the intervening years, Amelie had lost her mother and had to make difficult decisions in order to ensure the survival of herself and her young sister, Honorine. Amelie was a ballet dancer and she began dancing on the street to earn money. Paris was struggling at the time, following the Franco-Prussian War and then the insurrection known as the Paris Commune. Amelie's dancing brought hope to people, and the media built a mythology around her -- Saint Amie. She became the prima ballerina in the Paris Opera Ballet and she secured financial security for herself and her sister. However, this required her to maintain the saintly persona that had been bestowed on her, which constrained her actions and her dancing. While her dancing was evocative and majestic, and she could imbue the spirit of the characters in the ballet in her dancing, she was unable to fully express herself. Adding to the pressure of maintaining the image that been built up around her, Amelie also had a failing hip, which she had to hide from everyone, especially the director of the ballet. She needs to dance for two more years in order to save enough money to ensure she can take care of herself and her sister.

While life has been turbulent for Amelie in the intervening twelve years, life has been pretty good for Benedict, who is a doctor and is preparing to open the United States Institute for Brain Research in New York. He is in Paris for a conference of brain scientists and to hopefully recruit some doctors for his institute. Ben is conflicted, both wanting to see and not wanting to see Amelie. His friend and host, Dr. Victor Durand, is an art connoisseur, and immediately upon Ben's arrival in Paris, he whisks him off to meet Andre, an artist for whom Victor is serving as patron. Andre's specialty is paintings of ballerinas, and he needs to see the ballet costumes up close to finish a section of his painting, which involves bribing their way into the Palais Garnier. Amelie is practicing late and so comes face to face with her past, when Andre, Victor, and Ben bust into the room where she is practicing, not realizing that anyone (especially her) is in there. Amelie orders them to leave, which they d0. However, Ben comes back the next night to leave a note of apology, and finds Amelie in her dressing room with a dead man, and talking to herself; actually she is talking to the ghost of Lise, a ballet dancer who had recently died and who had apparently killed the man in the dressing room (dancing him to death). When she tells him that a ghost killed the man, he believes her and he arranges to remove the body from her dressing room, so the death cannot be connected to her. He is also fascinated by the fact that she has a personal haunting and he wants to study how the haunting affects her, as well as help her deal with it.

Amelie does not want to get involved with Ben, because the risks are too great. However, when she finds herself haunted by more ghosts, she realizes she has no choice. The story focuses on Amelie and Ben's efforts to figure out how to stop the hauntings, while keeping her reputation intact. The story alternates between past and present, providing the backstory of Amelie and Ben, as well as what Amelie has gone through in the intervening years. The hauntings have ramifications that force Amelie to rethink her plans for the future and what she wants, and allow her to find herself again. "The Brightest Star in Paris" is well worth reading.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

The Brightest Star In Paris is a historical romance set in Paris {obvi} a decade after the Franco Prussian War. Our MC is a prima ballerina forced into a pious caricature of a proper lady in order to be the city’s hope for the future. Amelie just wants to make enough money to secure her & her sister’s future after being orphaned. But when Amelie starts seeing ghosts and her long lost love returns, who knows what will happen.

Highlights include : second chance love, a ghost story, and dual timeline stories. The dual timeline made sense and definitely added to the overall story. I LOVED the ghost aspect of the story, the idea of mediums and spirits in this time period (and how it is just generally accepted in the book) was fascinating - along with the actual ghosts depicted in the story. It was perfect for an October release. There is also two POV's in this romance, which we love to see.

I really loved being immersed in this book & reading Amelie’s story. It was so atmospheric & easy to read - it just sucked me in and didn’t let go. I appreciated the journey Amelie went on for character growth and how much effort she put into changing her life by the end. There were a lot of themes in this book, tackling prostitution, drug use, death, murder, sexual harassment, and more. There are heavier moments, so beware of that.

**Thank you to St Martins Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was alot of fun. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. Amelie is the prima ballerina at the Paris Opera ballet in 1978. Dr. Benedict Moore was Amelie first love and he is back in Paris to recruit new colleagues but mostly to see Amelie again. They meet again.. although there is a murder and ghosts involved. I was not expecting the ghost aspect and I enjoyed that elements very much.

I have no read The Widow of Rose House yet but I will be reading it right away. I love this authors writing and some of the characters overlap. So I am excited to read more!

This is a lovely work of historical romance with paranormal elements that I absolutely loved. It’s set in late 1870s Paris, still recovering from the Franco-Prussian war and the subsequent Commune revolt that killed many Parisians.
Amelie St. James is the prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet. She is worshipped by the public as St. Aime, a public persona she wears to protect her younger sister Honorine. Their mother, talented but poor, was the mistress to a series of wealthy men, one of whom gave her syphilis, which killed her. Amelie is determined to protect Honorine from the taint of their mother’s death.
In 1866, after the US Civil War, Amelie met a visiting American named Ben, with whom she fell in love. She never knew his last name, and when he went back to the US she was devastated. She thought they’d never meet again, until one day he appeared at the ballet. Just before that, Amelie had somehow acquired 3 ghostly companions. Lise was a dancer, killed by her lover. Violette was an older woman from Amelie’s old Montmartre neighborhood, and Rachel was a childhood friend, shot for allegedly burning buildings. The ghosts talk to her and argue amongst themselves.
Ben and his family study ghosts, and he believes Amelie immediately. There are other issues, she’s having hip problems, and Ben is a doctor and a surgeon. Her hip threatens her dancing career, and she doesn’t know what else she could do instead.
As they spend time together, their deep feelings for each other return. They are both independent and stubborn, and they need to work out their issues, especially that of geography, before they can get their HEA.
The writing is lyrical and the plotting is outstanding. I highly recommend this book, 5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My surprise was immediate when I realized that I had already met and adored a part of the Moore family when I had read The Widow of Rose House. It was an instant five star read for me and I cannot believe I didn’t remember! That being said I’m going to say something appalling in the month of October.. I’m going to reference a Christmas movie because that is simply what this book made me feel. In the movie Elf, when Buddy runs into his father’s office screaming about how in love he is with a girl.. well, that is EXACTLY how I felt when reading this book.

For the past three nights while I should really be sleeping, I’ve been binge reading this book and there have been zero regrets. Amelie & Benedict were the perfect second chance romance characters. Their love spanning two wars, disease, ghosts and so much more leads to the best happily ever after I could have read. But, this book isn’t a quick to happily ever after and you better believe it went through lots of up and downs before getting there as Amelie has got to be one of the most stubborn female characters I’ve read in a while.

Having lost each other when they were young with Amelie having had to grow up way too quickly and Ben going back to America, these two meet again years later when Amelie is the prima ballerina in the Paris Ballet. Having suffered a hip injury, each performance is a trial on Amelie and just when she thinks that life just can’t get any worse, the ghosts start to appear. So who else to help her but the illustrious American surgeon Dr. Benedict Moore of course! These two embark on a mission of figuring out just why Amelie keeps having ghosts pop of everywhere and find themselves starting to fall in love with each other all over again. But.. with Amelie’s stubbornness (so much stubbornness), a man from Amelie’s past who REALLY does not know the meaning of “no”, all the ghosts & even more stubbornness, Amelie & Ben really don’t have a smooth sailing road to happiness.

This was such a wonderful read and such an easy book to love.. with more Moore family shenanigans including a snowball fight, Amelie’s adorable sister Honorine & the simple magic that comes with reading a book set in Paris, this book was simply beyond words.

Following her stellar debut, The Widow of Rose House, Diana Biller returns with The Brightest Star in Paris, a stunning novel of tender emotions amid harsh circumstances. In this gorgeously written romance, Biller provides a fascinating view into the psychological makeup of two haunted lovers.

Full Review: https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/the-brightest-star-in-paris/

The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller was a little different than what I was expecting.

I was looking forward to a historical romance set in Paris in the late 1800s with ballet and art and second chances. I wasn't expecting actual ghosts or paranormal elements...

If you're looking for a historical romance with a bit of a spooky season ghosts thrown this is a perfect seasonal read in October!

Diana Biller does it again! I fell in love with her writing as well as the Moore family in The Widow of Rose House. That book focused on Alva and Sam. In The Brightest Star in Paris, we have Sam's brother, Benedict, reuniting with the girl he fell in love with while in Paris 12 years ago. Those 12 years have been life changing for Amelie. Since last seeing Benedict, she has experienced the siege and bloody week of Paris, lost her mother, been raising a younger sister, and become the prima ballerina for the Paris Opera Ballet. Most recently, she has begun seeing ghosts, so when Ben accidentally pops back into her life - now as a doctor - he is a welcome surprise as his brother has experience with the paranormal.

This book is achingly beautiful. There is so much character growth for both Ben and Amelie. Each has experienced their own trauma and the respect given to these experiences is well done. I adored the friendship between the two and the way that, while they felt they couldn't be more than friends, they would always still be there at a moment's notice, if needed. That loyalty and support portrayed such a deep love that went way beyond the romantic. And yet, the romantic is there. There is pining and chemistry and laughter. I could listen to these two talk all day and didn't want the book to end.

One of my favorite things about the heroes in these books thus far is the loving family they have. The Moores are eccentric for sure but love deeply and loudly and without hesitation. It's refreshing to see in a historical romance. The paranormal aspect is intriguing without being scary which I am grateful for. The writing is lyrical and all-encompassing so you feel as if you are right there in the scene with the characters. It really is such a beautiful book.

I loved Biller's debut and this one only solidifies her as a must-buy author for me. A resounding 5 stars!

Wow, I loved this romance so, so much. I was late reading Diana Biller's debut historical romance, The Widow of Rose House, and I thoroughly enjoyed. I was so excited for the next book in the series and was not disappointed. It it unlike anything I have ever read or expected it to be and it's stunning.

This is a historical romance set in 1870/80s Paris, a time period and place that are noш a very common romance setting and one that I am not very familiar with. The historical details were strongly present in this book, creating an engaging background without taking the focus away from the main story/romance.

It's very much a grief book, the war trauma, the survival trauma, the loss are palpable on every page. It made tough reading at times but it was mostly balanced out by the geeky, fun Moore family and the intense romance.

I loved the heroine, she is amazing. I want to cuddle her and shake her and take care of her and let her figure out her dreams and follow them. This is what the hero tried to do throughout the book though naturally he messed up a time or two. And she is not perfect either. She has her own demons to fight. And I liked how they both felt, two messed up people dealing with life in the best way they could.

I appreciate the glimpse we get of the ballet world of the time behind the fame and glamour. It's beautiful and terrifying, we see supportive and caring fans but also predatory men who abuse the vulnerability of young girls and a world that enables them to do it.

And on top of this realism, we get ghosts. The heroine is haunted not by one but by three of them. I often struggle to reconcile the realism in a story with its paranormal elements but I had no issues with it here. Somehow the ghosts' presence made sense to me, I felt that they fit into the story seamlessly.

There are flashbacks that also worked naturally. And teenage sisters who were not annoying but brought
pure joy on page. And there was positive message re sex work that I didn't expect but that also made sense in the story for me. Put out like that it may appear there are too many things happening but in reality they were well balanced and the author managed to create a rich, life-like world where a touching romance develops.

In short, I absolutely loved that book and can't recommend it high enough!

CWs: loss, grief, war trauma, murder, abuse, slow, painful death of a loved one (in flashback), dance injuries

I absolutely adored the first half of this book. The flashbacks to when Ben and Amelie met are divine and the author's writing style is beautiful. There is quite the twist about 10% of the way in that totally threw me for a loop, but it ends up working out pretty well in the whole scheme of things. I like that Amelie finally figures out how to be herself rather than what everyone else expected her to be. I feel like the 2nd half of this book has a different tone from the first half and I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but overall, a good book!

Content: language, mentions of prostitution, drug use and overdose
Steam: one long scene that's difficult to skip

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for a copy of this book. This was a fun second chance romance with added mystery of ghosts. I enjoyed the back story of Ben and Amelia as well as their present courtship. I felt there was a lot going on with ghost and how to deal with them as well Ben and Amelia’s story and things got sort of lost in the shuffle. I adore Ben’s family and how fun they were.

The Brightest Star in Paris by Diana Biller is a lovely romantic read that is sure to sweep you off your feet. A story with a magical Paris setting, a sweet, second chance romance, and the timely observation of class struggle. The Brightest Star in Paris is a story that is easy to get lost in and will leave you wanting more.

This is such a rich and beautiful novel. The main character, Amelie is a prima ballerina in France who is held to an impossible standard by the populous. When many dancers are often mistresses of the wealthy, she is referred to as a saint and held in high regard. This story blends historical romance with the paranormal.

Amelie begins seeing ghosts on the same day that she runs into her long lost first love again for the first time in many years. Both occurrences could upset the carefully cultivated image she's worked hard to create. If it was only Amelie involved, she wouldn't be as concerned, but she is also responsible for raising her younger sister. Amelie can't afford to lose her position or the love of the ballet community. However, as time goes on, will Amelie find out that other things may be more important?

This story not only tells about Amelia and Benedict, her lost love. It is also the tale of her mother and sister. All of this blends with stories of the ghosts that enter her life. The reader is left wondering how it all ties together. Just be patient with the storyline and let it develop. Eventually, everything will make sense.

This is a thought provoking story about finding yourself in the midst of chaos.and feeling unsure about how to handle it. It's about finding yourself with a second chance to make a choice that can lead to happiness instead of sorrow. It's about choosing family and love first. It was a lovely book that left me feeling warm and content.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

The Brightest Star in Paris
by: Diana Biller
St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin

Set in Paris in 1878, this novel by Diana Biller is historical fiction, about loss, trauma, and second chances. The plot is original and well written. This book will be very appealing to those who like romance, a bit of paranormal, and an interesting historical theme.
Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

The Brightest Star in Paris is the second book by Diana Biller, the first being The Widow of Rose House. I loved that book...I mean truly loved it! This new book is connected to the first via the very eccentric and brilliant Moore family. I thought there was no way the second book could ever come close to the excellence of the first, but I was totally mistaken. I was totally enthralled and didn't want to put it down. I inhaled it. Yes, Diana Biller is a new favorite of mine, and I will never get enough. Yes, I'm gushing. But I can't help myself!

Amelie St. James is a prima ballerina for the Paris Opera Ballet. She is known as "St. Amie" by her admirers and the press; however, it's an act she's perfected over 7 years, in an attempt to protect her young sister Honorine. Her first and only love reappears in Paris, and the new life she's built for herself may be in danger. Twelve years ago Dr. Benedict Moore was there with his family, recovering from almost losing his life in the Civil War; Amelie helped return him to life, but then she sent him away. Now he's once again in Paris to attend conferences and to try to recruit brilliant scientists to work at the new brain institute in New York. He runs into Amelie and finds out she's in trouble, so they disguise their time together with a fake courtship to fool the press. However, it doesn't stay fake. So what happens when Benedict must return to New York and leave Amelia once again?

The above description sounds like a fluffy little romance, doesn't it? However, it's so much more than that! This story takes place in two different periods: Post-Siege of Paris after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, and in 1866 when Benedict and Amelie first meet. Quick note...unless I wasn't paying attention in school, I haven't heard about the Franco-Prussian War until I read about it here. What a horrifying time that was! As in Ms. Biller's previous book, we had ghosts in this one, too. Sounds silly, but it wasn't, not in the least. How this author managed to blend humor, family, death and destruction and ghosts into such an amazing story and it not be a joke is beyond me, but she's done it, and twice now! Both Amelie and Benedict were amazing characters, and simply perfect for each other. Both had horrible events in the past but have overcome. Their romance was sweet, passionate and heartbreaking and oh, so wonderful. Supporting characters were also well drawn, especially Lise, Rachel and Violette, all of whom were ghosts. Honorine was a smart child whom Amelie shielded from the darkest parts of life. However, my favorite parts of this book centered around the Moore family. You could just feel the love rolling off of them; they were also hysterical. The family snowball fight was the highlight of this book to me. It was a much-needed break after all my sobbing at the saddest parts of the story. I just can't say enough good things about this book, and I hope Ms. Biller is busily working on the next Moore story and won't keep me waiting!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.