Finding books you love doesn’t happen often. Finding romantic novels you love doesn’t happen often either. Finding romantic novels that you love by accident happens even more rarely. With this book, all these things happened with me.
Christmas season was approaching and I was in the mood of curling up in my warm blanket with a mushy romance. Isn’t that the perfect dream of spending Christmas? Well, I had just come out of reading a stereotypical historical romance about which I had heard many praises from Booktubers, and so my expectations from a romance that turned up in my Google search for ‘Christmas romances’ weren’t very high. Never the less, a story set in the World War era (you know I have a soft spot for it) which claimed to be a romance and had Christmas and Paris in the title, convinced me that this book could satisfy my cravings even if I don’t end up falling in love with it.
I was so wrong.
At the beginning, the book shocks you. it is written purely in letters and telegrams exchanged by the characters. So readers of fiction who are used to having narrations and dialogues would take a bit to adjust to the style of writing. However, the letters are so detailed and descriptive that the adjustment isn’t hard.
The book has that ‘grow on you’ quality. You start by knowing the characters. You don’t really know who will fall for whom. You slowly start ruding for some love stories but you still are not sure if they will indeed end up together. And in the end…well…won’t reveal whether it has a tragic or happy ending. But the mystery of whether the people you wanted to be together is dragged till the very end and that’s what makes it so satisfying.
In addition to the main plot, the sub plots, the portrayal of the war from the eyes of people in different positions, and the slight heroic edges to the characters add on to the beauty of the story.
Overall, a good romance. Different from the typical and yet it ticks all the boxes an experienced romance reader looks for. If you are also on the look for a beautiful romance which will give you that mushy feeling without making you roll your eyes, go for this one.
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