Book Review: The Viscount of Maisons-Laffitte by Jennie Goutet

The Viscount of Maisons-Laffitte, by Jennie Goutet
2016, 292p, Clean Contemporary Romance
My Rating=3.5 Stars
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the author, which did not affect my review in any way



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.

Chastity has been a single mother ever since her son, Thomas, was born. Thomas is now 7-years-old and his father, Marc, recently out of prison, has contacted her, wanting to be part of his life. She's hesitant but decides to meet with him and give him the chance to be a father.  Chastity works at a French private school and is nervous about talking to the Viscount (Charles) about some problems his son is having. They get off to a rocky start when the Viscount dismisses her concerns. Through a series of events, they are brought together again and need to figure out if a relationship is worth pursuing.

This book had a mix of things I liked and things I didn't like. What I didn't like is that there were lots of characters and the points of view jumped all over the place. Each time it switched, it took a little bit of time for me to become immersed in the story again since I had to figure out who was speaking and where they fit in. I also thought Charles and Chastity could have had more chemistry.

I loved that this story took place in France! I don't read many contemporary books that take place in other countries so it was fun to experience some French culture. I also loved that there was a mystery. I was able to figure part of it out early on but there were still some surprises at the end. Charles was gruff at first but his decisions made more sense as I got to know him. Charles and Chastity live different lives so it was interesting to see how they were able to cross paths. The second half of the book was more enjoyable than the first half.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed this book! It's a clean romance with a bit of mystery. There is drug use and mild violence (nothing graphic).

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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.