Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale

*I received this book via the publisher as an ARC*


I was lucky enough to get this book ahead of time. The first reading was a true romp; fun and lighthearted. Then it came time to do my review & I couldn't find my review copy, so I bought the book and read it in one night. And I shouldn't have done that.

Lessons in French is the story of Callista & Trevelyn, childhood friends who haven't seen each other in years. Trev's been in France & Callie is a spinster. Trev's mother is dying and Trev comes home to see her.

That's just the beginning. This story is full of adventures; too many adventures. This book is LONG...very, very long. I think if the story had been half the length it would have been better.


The Good:

Trev: He was such a fun hero. And when he realizes how he feels about Callie, it's a sweet scene

Trev's Mother: She's a hoot. Very French and very...sneaky.



The Bad:

Callie: She got on my nerves in a very short amount of time. She went from being a spinster to being a bit ridiculous. I had a hard time empathizing with her, which makes it hard to root for someone when you don't really care for them. *sigh*

The Plot(s): As I stated above, this story is long and full of basic overall nonsense. Schemes and romances and broken hearts and...well, it got to the point where I just wanted it to end already.


Is the story bad? No, it's actually not bad at all. I liked it overall, I just wish it had been shorter. If the story had focused a bit more on Callie & Trev, it would have been a lot better. The love scenes weren't very erotic and were over quite quickly. The most erotic scene has to do with a pair of stockings, of all things.

All in all, it wasn't a bad story, just not as good the second time around. I will definitely not be rereading it.


Overall Grade: B-