What If It's Love by Alix Nichols


What If It's Love? by Alix Nichols

 What If It's Love? by Alix Nichols

Series: Bistro La Boheme
Publication Date: June 2014
No. of Pages: 244 Pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

~Synopsis~


Can a Paris bistro heal a broken heart?

Charm, wit and poignancy abound in this gripping contemporary romance.
Introverted heiress Lena moves to Paris to nurse old wounds reopened by her neglectful boyfriend. Enter Rob, a charismatic and handsome Frenchman who waits tables at La Bohème -- a café on Lena’s street -- and has big dreams.
He makes her laugh and forget her insecurities. She stirs something infinitely tender in his soul. Before they know it, they’ve fallen for each other, even though both had good reasons to fight the budding love.
But their passionate romance is cut short when she discovers his dirty secret...


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~Watch the Trailer~


~Excerpt~


"Can we be friends again?" he asked.
"So you think we were friends?"
He nodded.
She arched her brows. "And you think you can be friends with me and Amanda at the same time?"
"Why not?"
"Can be a health hazard, what with all the sparks that fly."
He grinned. "Never mind Amanda's taunts. She's like that with everyone."
"Nefarious?"
"Spiky. But she's a sweetheart, once you've grown on her."
"I wonder how I could ever accomplish that." Lena smiled, a speck of sadness still lingering in her eyes.
He stared, mesmerized. He could never get enough of that smile.
A cloud hiding the moon must have shifted, because suddenly silver light poured over the terrace turning it into an enchanted place.
Lena gasped. "What happened to your hand?"
He followed her gaze and saw that the knuckles of his right hand were smeared with blood. Shit. He could bet there'd been none after he punched the wall.
He covered the abrasions with his other hand. "It's nothing."
She grabbed his wrist and yanked his hand closer to her face. "Have you disinfected them?"
Rob didn't register her question. He looked at her delicate fingers holding up his hand. Then at her face. She was squinting at his hand, trying to assess the seriousness of his cuts. Her gesture was devoid of any erotic subtext. And yet the contact of her skin scorched him, just like when he held her hand at L'Espace. It stirred an impulse inside him that was both feverishly raw and infinitely gentle. It made his heart bump against his ribcage as if demanding to get out.
He gazed at her hands holding his. The urge to run his fingertips over her skin, from her nails down to her wrist and then inside her palm was too overwhelming to resist. . .
"So have you?" she asked.
Rob blinked and looked up. "Have I what?"
"Disinfected."
"It's just a graze."
"I have a disinfectant in my suitcase," she said. "I can fetch it--"
And release my hand? "Stay," he blurted out. Shit. "I mean, I also brought some, so you don't need to bother. I'll disinfect as soon as I get back to my room. I promise."
"OK," she said softly and let go of him.

Review

Lena is a rich Russian Heiress, an introvert, lonely and in need of a friend.  She moves to Paris to mend a broken heart, in the pretext of finishing her thesis. Even though she is a Russian by birth, she had spent several years in Switzerland. Now she is in Paris hiding her wounds from the world. 

But Life has other plans for her. Her father’s arch rival hires a Rob to spy on her. Rob is a bit reluctant about it, but the cash was handy. Since, it would not be harming anyone, he decided to take up the assignment. 

Even though they had started on a wrong footing, he soon became her friend. They both found they had a lot of common ground to cover. Both of them working on their thesis proved to be a bonding factor between them. But Lena was totally unaware of Rob’s true intention. What would happen when she found out.. Makes a very interesting read.

What I liked

First of all the most attractive thing about this book is its cover. Very cute and tempting. One of those kind, which will make you pick up the book. 

Secondly, the poems in the beginning of each chapter pertaining to the forthcoming emotions of the chapter. 

Drop the ring, if empty of meaning
To begin, every time, from the end.
And to end before the beginning.

That was one of the best lines that resonated with me. So, could not help but quote it.  The protag is a poetry lover and she relates her life with the verses written by her favorite poetess, Marina Tsvetaeva.

The author has beautifully grown the characters of her protags over a period of time. The whole novel is very quiet. Like Lena herself. No sudden moves and curve, but like a still water flowing and taking the reader through the streets of Paris. A road you would want to travel to learn about the love story of Rob and Lena. 

Rating 

Reasoning

While the story is gripping there are many vacuums in the story. Many of them will leave a reader of wanting to know more about the character. Why did Gerhard let Lena go so easily? Why was Lena’s father a loner? He was divorced long enough. But here I must mention the relationship between the father and daughter if not perfect is very touching.

I am in a bit of dilemma about the author’s writing style. Her language is direct and to the point. No mushy business and padding of emotions. She tells as she tells. But her description of the places supersedes the emotional journey of the characters. While I was sitting at a bistro named La Boheme, I wished to learn more about what exactly Rob was thinking. Did his heart beat faster too when he saw Lena. I am told it did. I wanted to feel that emotion. 
If you are expecting a spy thriller in this novel, it isn’t but romance it is.

What I did feel was the bustle of Paris life. The quirks of Parisians.  as described by the Author are all true. Cute, but true ( I am saying it in a good way and not insulting, like I am sure even the Author meant.) 

Will look forward to reading Alix Nichol’s next one. 



~Buying Links~
Amazon.com: Paperback | Kindle Ebook
Amazon.in: Kindle Ebook




~Meet the Author: Alix Nichols~

Alix Nichols is an avid reader of chick lit, romance and fantasy,
caffeine addict and a badge-wearing Mr. Darcy / Colin Firth fan.

She lives and works in Paris, France. When not writing, she reads
romance (what else?) and spends time with her family.





Social media links:

 Alix on Pinterest Alix's Website Alix's FB Page Alix on Goodreads
  



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