A Second Chance at Paris (Bayou’s End, #1)
by: Cole McCade
Series: Bayou’s End
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 18, 2015
Source: Author
One week in Paris. One chance with her childhood crush. And one lie that could ruin it all.
Before she was Dr. Celeste London, Astrophysicist, she was Mary Celeste Haverford: dork, loser, the geek formerly known as Hairy Mary. But she’d left all that behind—and left Ion Blackwell behind, nothing but an unrequited crush and the memory of a high school field trip, a night in Paris, and the words Celeste had never had the courage to say. She’d never expected to see him again…until a surprise encounter on a Parisian riverboat tour brings him back into her life, and gives her the opportunity to start over as someone new. Someone Ion doesn’t recognize, transformed from a social outcast into a polished, professional woman that Ion doesn’t realize is the girl he’s been longing for since childhood, the ideal he’s dreamed of his entire life.
Suddenly this vivacious (if charmingly awkward) “new” woman is teaching him that real love is better than any dream—but Celeste is hiding more than her identity. Hiding something that makes it hard to trust her increasingly erratic behavior, and her frequent secretive phone calls. When the truth comes out, the deception could shatter them both…unless they can give each other a second chance, and take a risk on love.
REVIEW
A Second Chance at Paris is an incredible read. I LOVED IT. It's become a rare occurrence for me to find myself so consumed by a story, where everything around me ceased to exist, the earth stopped spinning, but the planets were perfectly aligned.
"I've always had a thing for men with large hadron colliders."
I have a girl-crush on Celeste London. Intelligent, funny and endearingly awkward, the lady is just bloody awesome. An Astrophysicist, I want to be her! Oh sod it, to a degree I am her, granted not quite so intelligent. Or an Astrophysicist. From the frizzy haired, bespectacled, badly nicknamed socially awkward girl at school, to the dignified yet somewhat clumsy, professional woman working in a largely male dominated industry, I don't think I've ever sympathised with or related to a female lead so closely and I adored her instantly. Her past has shaped her and the present leads her to the most romantic city in the world and into the path of the man who wasn't just her high-school crush, but the boy who crushed her...albeit unwittingly. Ion Blackwell.
"He was a writer, and writers liked pretty words. Flowery crap she’d be stupid to fall for."
Cue the sighs of appreciation and the swoons that earned me looks of despair from the husband, as Celeste wasn't the only one wooed by Ion. Underneath the justifiable touch of arrogant armour he wears to retain his privacy, he's a persistent thoughtful man who made my heart flutter and ache in the most wonderful of ways. Clueless as to who Celeste is, he's drawn to her like a moth to a flame and their chemistry burns throughout, bringing intimacy, passion, humour, frustration and discoveries.
"If we'd just met tonight and would never see each other again, what would you say?"
"Stay."
Every element of this novel worked for me. From the romance and anticipation to the sexy shenanigans, brilliant humour and deeper true-to-life situations that Celeste and Ion face. Cole McCade has displayed a sublime talent in taking his reader on a captivating journey filled with emotion. His words bewitch, his characters have depth, everything is descriptively visual and he has taken the romance trope and placed his own unique stamp on it. In a short space of time, he's proven himself as a must-read author and one who I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to anyone who'll listen. My first five-star read of 2015, A Second Chance at Paris is deserving of every glittery single one and, having been introduced to some great secondary characters, I can't wait to see what treats lie in store on our next visit to Bayou's End.
"You're like gravity. You pull me in. You hold me down. And I don't want you to let go."
Note: ASCAP also includes Zero Day Exploit (Bayou's End 1.5), featuring Zoraya, Ion's bright, sparky and stubborn younger sister and the perfectly imperfect, Evan James. My full review for this can be seen here.
**Received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest unbiased review.**
Rating: 5
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