This is the first in a two-book series. I received both books at the same time, which means I knew how this book ended just by reading the description of the second book. Despite the spoilers, I still intended to read this because it sounded interesting. However, it was such a slow burn that I was not enjoying it. I don't know if I would have liked it any better had I not already been spoiled by the ending.

Gary Dickson's An Improbable Pairing explores the love story between Scott Stoddard, a young American student, and the Countess de Rovere, a French divorcee. Set in the glamorous world of 1960s Europe, the novel promises a whirlwind romance challenged by social class differences.
On the surface, the characters are interesting, especially the protagonist, Scott; a male character's sole point of view in a love story is a welcome change. However, the characters are flat and one-dimensional, and the dialogue could be more varied. The simple plot of forbidden lovers needs more tension, and the lack of chemistry between Scott and the Countess makes this a poor excuse for a romance.
If you're looking for a light historical romance focusing on social class, An Improbable Pairing might be worth a try. However, you might want to look elsewhere if you crave in-depth character development or a unique plot.

Gorgeous cover, what a bore. 🙄 I really did not enjoy this. Good for older woman, younger man scenario (she's 29 *gasp*) but I was not interested in this boring plot at all.

I really wanted to like it, but how the writing was made it so...incredible...boring to me.
I don`t know what it was, it was just missing something to make me really like the character.
I enjoyed the romance part fine, but not overly invested or cared for it.

A love story set in the 1960's in Europe was an easy read. Can an American Middle Class guy and a wealthy Countess navigate the problems others bring up, and stay in love? That the premise of the book.

The writing was good and very detailed, but it just ended up being meh to me. Dickson missed the opportunity for drama. In fact, the more I read, the more predictable the book came. Even though it is a love story, I would have liked to have seen more development with it. Basically, all Desiree and Scott did was attend balls, galas, parties and ate. There was no substance to this story.

Of course, this is just my opinion and you may love the book. Everyone reads a different book with the same title. I hope that makes sense.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was my first experience reading something by this author so I did not really have any specific expectations going into it. I found it to be an interesting and entertaining read. Scott was smitten with Desiree the moment he sees her, but she is so out of his league. Nevertheless, he begins to see someone on the cruise she is taking, just to be able to be close to her. When the cruise ends, he doesn't expect to see her again, but fate brings them together. When they do start courting, problems arise and they are faced with challenges. I liked the characters and I thought they were well-defined. The story also flowed nicely and I enjoyed the overall plot. All in all, a nice read.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Thanks NetGalley for providing a copy of this galley. Unfortunately I did not like or connect with these characters. I thought it was going to be a passionate love story filled with suspense but it was kind of ... meh and blah.

Scott Stoddard and Countess de Rovere, or Desiree as Scott get to know her better start an "improbable pairing". He is an American and she an aristocrat, smooth of manners and not usually Scott's type.

The romance between Scott and Desiree is beautiful, full of obstacles, and something you want to cheer and encourage. I love that this book shows so many corners of each country that is visited, corners the average American would never find. I loved that this book felt like a movie on TCM. the background descriptions I could see on a movie set, Like An American in Paris. It is, of course, not a movie but a well-written book.

The characters are lovable, they grow within their love and help each other see different sides of different experiences. Desiree is humorous, and I can see in my mind's eye the beauty that she has inside and out she enlarges Scott's life and he hers. True love is hard to find and they find it in the most "improbable" way.

I give this book 4 stars.

Thanks, Netgalley, Greenleaf Book Press Group, Gary Dickson for the opportunity to read this series in lieu of my honest review.

A big thank you to the author Gary Dickson, the publisher Greenleaf Book Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a story of a young man's journey to Europe in the 1960's to study for his master's in International Business in Geneva. He ends up getting swept into the social scene and dating a beautiful Countess. It is a story of the 1960's in Europe after world war II in the halcyon days of the rich and famous amidst the background of a glittering European setting.

It really spoke to the the era and is a glittering insight into the highest social circles in Geneva, Paris, St. Moritz amoungst others. I really enjoyed it.

This book reads like a Vogue travelogue, heavy on details, light on substance. Dickson’s main character in this coming of age novel is a young Southern graduate student going to Geneva to study International relations. On the ship he meets a Countess, and thus begins a different type of international relations. This romance novel details every person he meets and the couturier they wore, what he ate and what he drank; every place he visited, the architectural details and décor described in depth; and every shiny object that he saw. If you are a fan of light romance, this book is for you. If you need more substance, you need to keep looking. The biggest surprise for me is that I actually read the whole thing, thinking that surely something was going to happen.
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Received this book,An Improbable Pairing by"Gary Dickson". This is the first time I have read this author's work,I think,I will look up more of his writings.. I really did enjoyed this book. It had a little about everything. The characters you could pick out in a crowded room,the description is remarkable and the color of their personalities are so fantastic and it shows in this story. As for their story,what a wonderful,exciting love that they had. Grab some tissues you will so need them. The story line,the travels they went on,it was like you were with them all through the countries. Way beyond belief,you could picture each characters in this story along everything and anything else that they did. In some places,it was me I'm sure,I got a little bored but it picked back up to the tempo it was going for. The story has a story to tell,so grab some tissues and get comfy and enjoy this amazing love story,will it work for them or no? Not telling but you read and you really won't be sorry, this love story is one that will stay with you! Thanks again to the author and Net Gallery for letting me read this amazing story! I was able to listen to able 4 minutes of the audio of This book and what I was allowed to her,I really liked the narrative portion and the narration! Would like to hear the story on audio!

This book was very atmospheric of the 60’s in Europe and was full of rich detail. It was beautifully written but the plot itself did not grab me. I felt that the story lacked emotion and therefore it just did not engage me.
Many thanks to Greenleaf Book Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Romance in 1960"s Europe. Older French Countess and younger American man. The settings and descriptions actually transport you back to that time. An enjoyable story but not one that will stay with me. I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

An Improbable Pairing is an excellent character driven story about living that high society life. This is a classic Cinderella story, or rags to riches, but in reverse, which made for a really interesting perspective from a man's point of view. I loved reading about the fashion, the Paris night life, weekend trips in Europe, fancy hotels, lunches on patio gardens, the white Rolls Royce after the wedding ceremony, and all the in-between details. The love story was captivating and the characters well developed. The abrupt ending was very surprising and almost needed a little more detail, but it ended neatly wrapped up and satisfying. Good read! 3.5 stars

Superficial story. Interesting May September twist lost charm quickly. Good idea, unsatisfactory result.

Joy, respect, love, and humor -this novel highlights these attributes necessary for a compatible pairing of the main characters. Desiree is a Swiss-French countess and Scott is a middle-class student who meet onboard ship to Europe. He is smitten, she is charmed. Everyone assumes she is out of his league. This is a delightful book, an enjoyable read, full of wonderful detail and insight into a world many of us can only imagine. It is perfect for transporting you away from daily cares. Thanks to #netgalley and Gary Dickson for this thoroughly enjoyable first novel #animprobablepairing. I look forward to the sequel being published!

Note: I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
The basic story is about a young graduate student who is going to school in Geneva in 1963. While there, he falls in love with a slightly older countess and the story follows their relationship. I found the story line very interesting and am currently reading the next book to find out what happens to them next. I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 because there were a couple things that I found to be very irritating. One was how their age difference was handled. There was only a 6 year age difference which to me doesn't seem to be an issue at all. Maybe it is because it was the woman who was older and maybe in 1963 that was more of an issue than it would be today? Another thing that got old really quickly was that every time anyone changed clothes, there was a complete detailed description of the outfit. And every time they went to a new place, there was a complete detailed description of the furnishings. Some of that was ok but it felt at times like I was reading a fashion magazine. It didn't stop me from finishing the book or moving to the next book though.

This book was good but not one that I would read again. I generally categories books as great by ones that stick in my mind and that I would not wait more than a second before, once having concluded, flipping the book back to the first page to read again. This book is not one of those. I enjoyed the 'travelogue' and description of time and place. But I found it hard to connect to the characters.

This post is going to take a look at An Improbably Pairing by Gary Dickson. I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was released January 8, 2019–so if you’re into stories about improbable romance, galavanting across Europe and the 1960s, I suggest you find yourself a copy and read on!

It’s been quite a while since I have read a book with a male protagonist so this was a nice change. Our main man is Scott Stoddard, a 21-year-old traveling from America to Switzerland, where he will attend graduate school in 1963. While aboard the ship he meets the Countess of Rovere, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. And not just him–everyone seems to desire her.

They reunite at a social event she is hosting and it becomes quite clear that he is not the only one with a romantic interest. Scott and the Countess soon begin a passionate love affair, going against the advice of all friends and family. He is a student, and she is older, he is an American, she is European, he’s from the upper middle class, while she is aristocratic. The differences between the two are brought up constantly as challenges they likely won’t be able to beat.

Readers will be submerged into a lifestyle most only find in books. I thought it was a decent read, about an era I usually don’t cover. I hope those of you that pick up this book get as sucked into the time period as I did.

Although I love reading about how the wealthy spend their money, this one was a bit disappointing. He’s a student studying abroad and she’s a Countess. Nothing very special.
I kept expecting a twist that never came. I missed it.