“Je te veux.”
C. F. White
“I don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Figure it out.”
French Kiss
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
Can a French kiss persuade an uptight Englishman to leave his city behind and start a new life in rural France?
Clean-cut London businessman Dale Calverley doesn’t do relationships.
Rugged French handyman Valentin Aubrey doesn’t do city men.
When Dale hires Valentin to help him fix up his inherited farmhouse estate in rural France and sell to the highest bidder, sparks fly.
Complete opposites, can they really expect their insta-lust to last beyond the storm that forces them together?
But how can Dale walk away from a man so alluringly rogue as Valentin Aubrey?
And how can Valentin expect a man so money-orientated to throw away his career and stay in the wilderness with him?
Point of view:
3rd person. Alternating perspectives, not by chapter, but clearly defined.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
This is book 1 in the Flying Into Love series.
Fun tropes here: Opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, Insta-love, and little bit of forced proximity vibes. While there’s an age gap, it’s mentioned a few times but not really a central theme. Minus a misunderstanding, I also found this to be fairly low angst. Dale and Valentin start off kind of at odds, but agree to work together. Immediate attraction means an intense physical relationship – personally they’re both hindered by bringing their own past hurts and completely different lives.
I enjoyed how White brought these two together and helped them heal from their pasts. The story takes place over less than a week and felt a little rushed relationship-wise for me, but I enjoyed the ending. Plus a cute epilogue to solidify their HEA.
Narration:
Piers Ryman was enjoyable here. I think this is the first time I’ve heard him do a French accent and it was great. As always, he brings White’s writing up another level. Easy listen.
I received a copy of the audiobook from the author and am leaving an honest review.
About the author:
Brought up in a relatively small town in Hertfordshire, C F White managed to do what most other residents try to do and fail–leave.
Studying at a West London university, she realised there was a whole city out there waiting to be discovered, so, much like Dick Whittington before her, she never made it back home and still endlessly search for the streets paved with gold, slowly coming to the realisation they’re mostly paved with chewing gum. And the odd bit of graffiti. And those little circles of yellow spray paint where the council point out the pot holes to someone who is supposedly meant to fix them instead of staring at them vacantly whilst holding a polystyrene cup of watered-down coffee.
Eventually she moved West to East along that vast District Line and settled for pie and mash, cockles and winkles and a bit of Knees Up Mother Brown to live in the East End of London; securing a job and creating a life, a home and a family.
After her second son was born with a rare disability, C F White’s life changed and it brought pen back to and paper after having written stories as a child but never had the confidence to show them to the world. Now, having embarked on this writing journey, C F White can’t stop. So strap in, it’s going to be a bumpy ride
You can connect with CF White here:
About the narrator:
You can connect with Piers Ryman here:
My Favorite Quotes
Can’t bear cities. Towns are bad enough. Give me the wilderness over skyscrapers. Wildlife over people. – French Kiss by @CFWhiteUK #Audiobook narrated by #PiersRyman
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Dale wondered if he’d ever break free of his reservedness and learn to be…himself. – French Kiss by @CFWhiteUK #Audiobook narrated by #PiersRyman
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“Je te veux.” “I don’t know what you’re saying.” “Figure it out.” – French Kiss by @CFWhiteUK #Audiobook narrated by #PiersRyman
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How was it this man made him feel safe? He was too young for that. – French Kiss by @CFWhiteUK #Audiobook narrated by #PiersRyman
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