‘A heartfelt, funny and romantic caper – a mashup masterpiece!’ – Sandy Barker, author of ‘That Night in Paris’.
Bertrand is King of the Pigeons…
Unofficially. From his perch atop a gargoyle on Notre Dame cathedral, he surveys his kingdom. He sees Sylvie Cloutier, art lover and ex-antiques dealer, making dinner for her bullying husband Henri, trapped in their loveless marriage like a bird in a gilded cage. He sees security guard, hopeless romantic and bookworm Philippe Moreau cycling through the streets of Paris in his crumpled uniform, late (again) for his night shift at the museum.
When Sylvie begs her husband to let her go to work, he gets her a job as an evening cleaner at the Louvre. He thinks such a menial position will dispel any ideas about independence she might have, but his plan backfires when she falls in love with kind, gentle Philippe. They decide to run away together, but there’s a major problem: neither of them has any money.
One stormy night in the Louvre, the answer to their prayers falls into their lap… But is it really the solution, or just another, even bigger problem?
What follows is a romantic, wistful but madcap adventure through (and under) the city of lights, involving a stolen painting, an art heist in reverse, and Eric Cantona. Will love find a way?
Purchase Link – mybook.to/Louvre
What I Loved
Falling in Louvre is a refreshingly unique voice in the romantic comedy genre. The story begins with a more contemporary tale that is very troubling and sets up for the second half of the story. It’s the second half that is laugh-out-loud funny at times and really reflects Sylvie’s feelings of freedom. I love the juxtaposition of the two different aspects of the tale. It ensures the reader knows how serious the issues are but then finds a way to humorously detail Sylvie’s escape from a horrifying situation. I’ve never read a story quite like this, and I found it to be a uniquely deep story in a genre that’s known for its light and fluffy tales.
The addition of Bertrand, King of the Pigeons, is just genius. He was sitting on his perch on Norte Dame and watched the story unfold.
Bertrand adds a bit of whimsy that is needed, especially in the first half, to break up the darker aspects.
I love that Leitch wanted to bring special notice to Notre Dame, whose fire was just such an unfortunate event. Leitch visited the cathedral while it was still open, and even though not a spiritual person, she said even she felt moved. I can second that. I, too, visited the cathedral just five years ago and was awestruck.
Usually, I am not a fan of extramarital affairs, but the way the story unfolds, I quickly put that aside and root for Sylvie and Philippe. The pair is bungling, endearing, and perfectly matched in their imperfect ways. And the second half of the book, as they sought to change things, just had me laughing out loud unabashedly.
Characters
The characters are so well-developed and intricately layered with complexities. As I’ve said, Sylvie and Philippe are just endearing and sympathetic. I can’t say I liked them, but I did empathize with each of them and all that they had been through. Henri, on the other hand – wow – I don’t think I could have disliked a character more. There is nothing redeemable about him. If this had been one of Leitch’s cozy mystery stories, he would have been the character that was murdered.
Reminds Me Of
It is a totally unique voice in the genre, as far as I’m aware.
To Read or Not to Read
If you are looking for a fresh new type of romantic comedy, Falling in Louvre is a book you just must pick up today!
Fiona Leitch is a writer with a chequered past. She’s written for football and motoring magazines, DJ’ed at illegal raves and is a stalwart of the low budget TV commercial, even appearing as the Australasian face of a cleaning product called ‘Sod Off’. After living in London and Cornwall she’s finally settled in sunny New Zealand, where she enjoys scaring her cats by trying out dialogue on them. She spends her days dreaming of retiring to a crumbling Venetian palazzo, walking on the windswept beaches of West Auckland, and writing funny, flawed but awesome female characters. Her debut novel, ‘Dead in Venice’, was published by Audible as one of their Crime Grant scheme finalists, and her bestselling cosy mystery series, The Nosey Parker Mysteries, is published by One More Chapter/HarperCollins.
Social Media Links –
https://www.facebook.com/fionakleitch
https://www.instagram.com/leitchfiona/
Tessa Talks Books 
I’m not a big fan of reading about affairs, either, but this sounds like such a fun one and I love that it’s set in Paris. The gargoyle sounds like a really neat addition, too; certainly not the kind of character I’d expect in a book like this.
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The Paris setting is just divine. And even the names are so French. I think I might have even read it with a French accent. Lol
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Haha, I find myself doing that a lot when I read a book set in Paris!
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I have read author’s cozy mystery series and I enjoyed writing. This sounds interesting and well written. I’m not sure if I’m okay with extramarital affairs or not. It depends on plot and characters for me. great review!
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I think there’s a good chance you’d be okay with this one as the marriage situation is all sorts of wrong. But, yeah, affairs are tricky to use in a story without putting off a bunch of potential readers.
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I’m anti-affair. The husband sounds dreadful, but cheating is a trigger. This one’s not for me.
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❤️🤗❤️🤗
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I just can’t imagine a relationship in which one person has to ask permission. Henri sounds like a leftover from the 1950s when it was seen as a mark of shame that a wife worked, suggesting her husband could not provide adequately.
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The marriage was absolutely horrid. Basically his treatment of her was abusive. That’s why the affair didn’t bother me as long as it gave her the strength she needed to make a change.
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When I read in the blurb about them not having any money, I thought – no, they couldn’t possibly, lol. Sounds like they gave the heist a shot, lol.
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Lol. It was a fun adventure ❤️
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sounds like a fun read!
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It ended up being just that ❤️
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This sounds like a very different kind of romance. Fun setting too!
Great review, Tessa!
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Extremely different. It really took me by surprise.
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Outstanding review, Tessa💜 I was waiting for it and, yes, you’ve convinced me. Off to see if I can find it.
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It’s a Kindle Unlimited book is you have that (which is really nice)
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You convinced me. I’ve been looking for something just a bit different. I just went and downloaded it. Now, if you can help me to find time to read it….
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Lol. You are preaching to the choir, my friend. ❤️
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This sounds really fun and very different. I am also not one who likes reading about infidelity, but it sounds like they move on from their mistakes and the reader has fun watching. Great review Tessa.
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