When author Anais divorced her philandering husband, he got the big apartment, she got the run down hotel in the middle of Paris. Given her circumstances, she's determined to fix it up just enough to sell it and pay off the mortgage. While she and her cousin, Manon, work to fix up the hotel, she needs to contend with severe writers block and a looming deadline, a surly neighbor who owns the bar next door, and a rapidly shrinking budget. Things get interesting when Anais and Manon discover hidden space in the little hotel. Anais becomes invested in solving the mystery of the hidden rooms. And the hotel begins to find its way into her heart.

This is captivating story, perfect for anyone who loves books. Three story lines - the repair of the hotel, the quiet romance both Anais and Manon find, and the mystery behind the hidden rooms - flow seamlessly through the story. And there are references to sites in Paris that the characters see and explore that made me feel as if I was visiting the city. The characters are charming, the mystery is compelling and the romance is sweet. No one storyline overpowering the others.

This story wrapped me up and wove it's way into my heart. Having just returned from a trip to France, it just makes me want to go back and explore.

This festive read is perfect for this time of year. A nice fun read which is good accompanied with a hot drink and a blanket.

If you enjoy festive rom coms then this one may be a perfect choice. I've not read the author before but found it enjoyable and cute.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong? When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to tidy it up and sell it immediately. All she wants is to move on and forget her disaster of a marriage ever happened.

But selling it proves impossible, so she has only one to make it gorgeous and open by Christmas… when her funds will almost certainly run out.

She’s not counting on the grumpy American bar-owner next door, Noah, coming and interfering at every moment though. Nor is she expecting to find a mysterious room – which holds the key to a one-hundred-year-old secret – about a woman who chose love against the odds.

One thing’s for sure… as the fairy lights twinkle all over the city of lights and the first snowflakes start to fall… this will be a Christmas in Paris to remember.

My Opinion

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel was such a delightful read and a welcome escape from reality. Anais has been given a hotel that is in need of some repair, but along the way she learns about all the secrets the hotel has to offer. I really enjoyed following Anais as she discovered more about the past of the hotel and worked on the renovations.

Set in the run up to Christmas this really was a festive book with plenty of hope. Rebecca Raisin has once again written some delightful characters.

Rating 4/5

Oh my! This is a gorgeously romantic book with a delightful story at its core. When our heroine Anais wins a decidedly tumbledown hotel in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, she sets her mind on restoring it to its former glory and selling it on, hopefully for a profit. This simple premise would definitely sell books. However, there is much more to this story, and it had me hooked!
Anais is supported by her slightly ditzy cousin and hampered by her grumpy neighbour, and they add delightful depth and texture to this delicious story. We get sufficient anecdotal information to realise that her divorce was absolutely right for her, and to develop a deep loathing for her ex-husband.
Her husband bought the hotel as yet another passion project because he felt overshadowed by Anais’ success as a romantic fiction author. The references to her writer’s block had me chuckling, as her attempts at writing produced some darker themes, adding light relief from the challenges that the cousins faced.
I was immediately taken with Anais and felt very protective of her. She was beautifully imagined and exuded a gentle nature with a strong determination to excel. More than anything, it was her inquisitiveness and humour that captured my imagination. Her neighbour, Noah, was perfect as he interfered in everything, and the sparks were easily detected as they verbally sparred.
There are cameo appearances from another of Rebecca’s books, a festive helping of all the joy that Christmas delivers. At the same time, the discovery of a mysterious room is a reason to halt my review to avoid revealing any spoilers.
Trust me, this book is a pure delight, and I’m sure that you will love it.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you want an author of romance stories, your heart is always safe in the hands of Rebecca Raisin! I have just finished Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel and with the pacing, the intrigue and the heart, I didn't slow down once and found that I had finished the book the very same day that I started it!

There is something wonderful about an author that truly gets people who love books. I love a good theme too, and to mix them both equals a delightful day of reading. I would adore a visit to this hotel and to explore the theme of literary greats. Named rooms, blind dates with books and a library dedicated to an author, it sounds completely up my alley!

I also appreciate the way that this book was not 100% based on a romance. In fact the relationship side to this book took up not much space on the pages and instead we are shown a story about how working hard pays off, friends and family are amazing support groups and that women have been under appreciated and had their flames extinguished quite a lot in history. This last one tends to be a common theme in the last few books I have read and I feel empowered that women from history are getting to shine their lights, even if it didn't happen during their lifetime. The sub plot about the editor had me fist pumping in excitement for her!

I love the plot about suites 19 and 20. Just the fact that they exist behind a hidden wall made me enthralled but as I read on, I got goose bumps around the historical mystery. Being the catalyst that brought Anais and Noah together made it even more special and I loved that it was theirs before it was shared with many other people.

The characters are fantastic and I really liked that the male lead wasn't dominant in every situation. My favourite had to be Manon for her lovable and quirky ways. I really appreciated the hell out of her 'I would have never guessed I'd be THIS person' trope and the reception of her (hopefully) future in-laws.

All in all, I loved this book and the fact that Rebecca Raisin writes so many books about books that are all so very different. Thank you!

My thanks also to Netgalley and Boldwood books for allowing my a copy to read. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

You know when you are offered a book for a blog tour and you need to go through the decision process. Let me share mine for this book:



Christmas- check!

Paris - check!

A book about books - check!

Rebecca Raisin - check!

Already overcommitted for this week? - Never mind!



In other words, I was never going to say no to this one, and for good reason.

Anais is a successful writer who is going through a rough time at the moment. She has just divorced her cheating husband and somehow he got the apartment that she bankrolled and she has ended up with a crumbling hotel in the 6th arrondisement in Paris. She has also ended up with a chronic case of writer's block and there is a deadline looming. I guess technically she is writing. It's just that when you are a romance writer you can't really kill off your hero in a multitude of colourful ways within the first couple of paragraphs.

On the first day of taking ownership of the hotel, Anais and her cousin Manon meet the owner of the bar next door, Noah. Noah comes across a bit grumpy. He's not happy with the state of the hotel, he isn't happy when the rubbish skip is dumped outside the hotel and he has a weird obsession with needing clean windows.

Anais' plan is to do the bare minimum, refreshing four of the rooms to get paying customers in and sell it as a going concern. Job done! She does, however, want to ensure that the boutique hotel will give their guests something memorable to get the best return possible and so she is giving all the rooms a literary theme. It was really fun to ride along with Anais and Manon as they searched for furniture, accessories and books to complete the rooms.

What Anais doesn't expect is to find two rooms hidden behind a wall. One room is full of personal items, but the other is locked, but ultimately reveals a literary mystery. Who was the author who lived in these rooms, what happened to her, and can Noah and Anais find the final manuscript which will reveal the truth?

I have said it before, and I will probably say it again but I love the way that Rebecca Raisin writes about books and food and about places. In this case, the place is Paris and we are treated to a tour around some of the literary places in the local area, from bars, to parks and more. The spirit of Christmas also shines through. I would love to stay at this hotel the next time I visit Paris. Last time I was there it was just after Christmas and so there were bits and pieces of decorations around, but the idea of being in full Christmas mode is very appealing.

It did take me a while to warm to the characters, but I got there in the end, and I loved that we got a very small cameo from a couple of the characters from A Love Letter to Paris. I also enjoyed it when Margaret, the literary agent appeared, and not just because she has a good name! There was also a nice little secondary romance as well.

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and with the Bookish Books Challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

I really enjoyed this book. It is set in one of my new favorite cities, Paris. I loved recognizing the areas around Paris that the characters were living in and shopping in. Anais is an interesting MFE. She is coming off of a divorce where all she ended up with was a run down boutique hotel. She decides that she has to get it fixed up by Christmas (which is a short amount of time) and finish her rough draft of her next romcom. The hotel is a great distraction as she isn't feeling very romantic at this time due to the divorce and deadbeat ex. Also there is her neighbor, Noah. Highly recommend reading this one to get into the holiday mood.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely.

What a wonderful Christmas story set in Paris. Anais has just gone through a divorce and as part of the divorce settlement instead of her lovely home she was able to have the hotel that they had bought with a hefty mortgage. The only problem is it’s not in a great state however Anais, who is a published writer, decides to renovate as best she can on a limited budget so that she can have some guests for Christmas. During this renovation Anais finds some hidden rooms and finds herself trying to find out more about who lived in them, with help from her neighbour Noah, who although grumpy is also a fellow book lover so is happy to help. I loved the way there was a mix of mystery in regards to who previously lived at the hotel and the characters such as Manon, Anais’ cousin, with her dry sense of humour and the ideas that Anais came up with for her hotel, I would love to stay there!
A lovely warming festive story.
Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for a ch ace to review this book with opinions all my own.

This will possibly sound a bit gushing but I loved this book. In fact, I struggled to put it down. I love when Rebecca sets books in Paris so that was already an easy win but this book has so many different aspects to it and they all work wonderfully together. There’s obviously Paris, Anais and Manon, then you add Noah from next door, the hotel itself, the contractors, the antiques and mysteries, Anais’s ex-husband and that’s just the characters. In addition to all of that you have the overarching story of Anais trying to rebuild/get her life back on track after her divorce from her weasel of an ex (not a spoiler honest!) and not once does it get confusing or muddled or too much to deal with.

The whole combination was just blissful and oddly very cosy. I wouldn’t have thought a story of which a large part is a hotel renovation would be cosy but this one definitely is. I also loved all the literary references. I’ve not read any, I don’t think, of the authors mentioned but I’ve heard of many of them and am now tempted to hunt down a few of their books to expand my reading even further. The descriptions of Paris and all the things we associate with it, like the food, were brilliant and just added even more to the overall feel of the book. I loved watching Anais grow and develop in this fabulous setting. She definitely had some hurdles to overcome and while her struggles were so realistic, her approach was inspiring and I enjoyed all of it.

Books are somewhere we can escape from the world, something that can transport us somewhere else and this book does exactly that. I genuinely felt like I was in Paris in the hotel with Anais, I could hear the noise of the contractors working on the hotel, smell the croissants and feel the excitement at uncovering and rediscovering parts of the hotel. My favourite book of Rebecca’s has, for a long time, been The Little Bookshop on the Seine but it’s now got competition from this book, they might have to share the top spot. I loved this book and it’s a firm re-read for me. If you want cosy, mysterious, frustrating and joyful, plus perfect escapism (and Paris), this is the book for you.

Paris and Christmas in a book....what's not to love!!!

Best selling author Anais has been duped by her conniving ex husband in their divorce settlement and is now the not so proud owner of a very dilapidated Paris hotel. Christmas is approaching and she needs to get it open to guests as quickly as possible to start making money. Her publisher is hounding her for her next book and nearby bar owner Noah only adds to her woes...or does he??

With her cousin Manon, she sets about transforming the hotel and makes discoveries along the way.

A great book which sets the scene for Paris and Christmas lovers.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel was an enchanting read, perfect for book lovers and writers. I absolutely adored the setting of Paris at Christmas and the hotel being renovated into a book lovers escape. I loved learning about all the book related places in Paris and all the authors who wrote about Paris. I was mesmerised by the descriptions and I fell in love with the characters.

Anais was a great character and I loved that she was an author and was finding inspiration for her new novel. It was so entertaining while reading snippets of her writing process and how she had fell out of love with romance books due to her recent divorce. She had the help of her cousin Manon who was a great character, she was so witty and I loved her humour. The other characters like Margaret, Noah and JP were great and I loved reading about them.

The book focused on the hotel renovations and I found the romance part wasn’t overpowering and it went along nicely with the rest of the book. I also liked the Easter egg to the authors previous book, although you don’t need to read that one before this book. I thought the book was written well and it was mesmerising and entertaining to read. I really enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it!

A gorgeous story. A love story to books, to reading, to writers.
The warmth between Anais and Manon was evident from the start - I loved their relationship and the passion and care they invested in restoring the hotel was admirable.
It sounded a wonderful place to stay, and the idea that each suite had a link to books was so inviting. I’d love to stay there.
The mystery of the secret room was a great way to all Anais to find love again - with her writing, her life and herself.

This is quite possibly the most festive gorgeous story i have had the honor of reading so far this year, I adored the setting and lovely descriptions of Paris throughout and really loved Anais as a character and everything she went to trying to get the hotel finished by Christmas. There is a mystery element throughout that kept me coming back for more and I must say he may have been a grump but he was a a contender for a favorite book boyfriend!

I'm reviewing this as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

I've read a few other books by this author and I really enjoyed them, so I was excited to read this. The protagonist is Anais, a romance writer who is still coming to terms with her divorce. I took a liking to Anais from the start, and I thought Manon was an awesome character as well. Both Anaïs and Manon made me chuckle.

I pictured the hotel as somewhere cosy and inviting, and it sparked joy to read about it. The festive atmosphere warmed my heart. The storyline also had a mystery element that I didn't expect, so I enjoyed that as well.

This book was comforting, funny, and full of charm. As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, I think we all need a book like this to curl up with in the evenings.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

I really enjoyed this story by Rebecca Raisin!!
Poor Anaise is very upset with her life. She married a man with a wandering eye. So her divorce has been expensive, and she has been left with a derelict hotel in the middle of Paris. Her cousin Manon is a great support, and always tries to be positive. She then meets her neighbour Noah, who complains a lot about her hotel. She gets cross and all her frustration comes out. He leaves!!!! So it goes on…
Many thanks to Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #TheBoldBookClub, #RebeccaRaisinWrites2.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel is a heartwarming and uplifting festive romance, which kept me happily turning the pages. The likeable and relatable Anais receives a near-derelict hotel in Paris in her divorce settlement. When her plan of tidying it up and selling it fails, she decides to turn it from a rundown Paris hotel into a beautiful bookish boutique retreat. Planning on opening by Christmas and with her funds running out she defiantly does not need Noah, the grumpy American owner of the bar next door interfering. Anais then discovers a mysterious room which holds the key to a centuries old secret, involving a woman who chose love against the odds. Bella is looking forward to her first Christmas in Paris, complete with twinkling fairy lights all over the city and snowflakes falling. An enjoyable and engaging festive romantic comedy with a mystery to solve, which kept me hooked throughout. Perfect to curl up with by the fire on a cold winters evening, and escape to Paris for a Christmas to remember!

CHRISTMAS AT THE LITTLE PARIS HOTEL Rebecca Raisin
A fun, festive read with perhaps surprisingly well developed characters. I will be honest; I didn’t expect the depth of character and plot that this book gave me. Read it in a sitting and thoroughly enjoyed the change of genre. I will read more.

It took a while for me to get invested in this story.

Anais gets an almost derelict hotel in Paris as her divorce settlement. We learn that her ex was not to be trusted and everyone had warned her before they married. Now rueing the day she met him and didn't take everyone's advice she is trying to salvage some money by renovating the hotel to sell.

I didn't really warm to Anais. All her dialogue seemed a little too practised. I understand she is part French and part English, however, throwing in Oui every so often began to grate on me. Noah the owner of the bar next door started out as a bit of a bore, but slowly grew on me. So thank goodness for Manon, the cousin of Anais, and for me the best character in the book closely followed by Margaret the literary agent.

Once the renovations of the hotel began and a little mystery crept in, I was well and truly submerged into the story. I loved the latter part of the book. There's definitely some Christmas magic in the book and some great facts about Paris too.

This took a little time to get into, but once I got started I couldn’t put it down. It’s not often books have two cousins as main characters so I really enjoyed it.

Slightly unnecessary man bashing goes on in this book, put me off really. Which is a shame. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy