I started reading Harlequin category romances in my early teens. They’re not as long as many other books, so there isn’t as much time to get into a lot of complexity, but they’re still a comfort read for me. I like seeing what tropes they use and exploring how the author makes that trope shine.

Christmas Reunion in Paris hits on several I enjoy, especially second chances, one of my favorites. Chloe and James were boarding school sweethearts ten years earlier. We learn this much in the beginning with a blend of the past and present to bring us up to date. The early chapters even begin with news clippings and text conversations, a neat way to bring up what isn’t covered in the scene.

If this were the total of their past’s influence, my initial impression of being rushed would have held. I didn’t know how many critical details both Chloe and James had suppressed as they dealt with the shock of a chance meeting, each in their own way. Instead, we get a sense of who they were and who they are now, both because of their past and despite it. This forms the story’s grounding, while the rest is trickled in when appropriate.

Each time I thought I’d figured out the major obstacle they’d face in getting back together, another fragment, consequence, or influence of the past would add a new twist. At the final confrontation, though, everything came together and made sense. The block wasn’t easy to solve. If anything, it was harder to overcome because of all the pieces building the wall. Nothing felt pointless or drawn out. Each bit we learned either consciously or sub-consciously forms an almost impassable barrier.

I’m writing more about the plot than the characters because they are so tightly integrated that specific character notes would add up to spoilers. I enjoyed when Chloe and James relaxed and explored together, along with how the two of them sparked off each other’s creativity. As people, they had their rough spots, weaknesses they sometimes considered strengths, and so came to life on the page.

The novel develops along with the characters, offered a depth I wasn’t expecting in a quick comfort read, and addressing some weighty topics. Chloe and James are pushed to look within as well as for external sources of their problems. This creates moments of personal growth necessary for them to be ready to brace the future.

There were several open-door intimate scenes, with some level of detail, but nothing particularly graphic. The punctuation, and likely more, follows British English stands for those who care.

As a quick read, this story hit the spot, but there was more to it than a speedy love story. The theme beyond recovering lost love of loving what you do resonates, as does taking ownership of your life. I could list off the tropes used, but it’s what the author does with those that’s important, and I think Liz Fielding did quite well. It makes me curious about the rest of the series. I think I want to see more of James’ twin and their big brother, too.

P.S. I received this Advanced Readers’ Copy from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Fate has a funny way of playing tricks and for Chloe and James fate decided to step in when needed most!

After being torn apart when they were younger chloe and James come face to face for the first time in nearly a decade! Both have changed and both are at a crossroads! As they heal from old wounds they have to decide if fate brought them together for their forever or to just play a cruel joke!

I loved this story. It's a theme this author has done before about two young lovers torn apart by the machinations of the adults in their lives.
Chloe is working as a hotel maid, a long way from her pampered upbringing and exclusive boarding school. But she has plans and is willing to work for them. James has pretty much done everything he planned on and Chloe knows it, being able to follow his high profile career as a chef.
Two things are very clear from the start. Chloe paid a much higher price for their love affair and that for both of them the love is still there.
Yet it's not plain sailing. Chloe still has unfinished business with her family that could be a stumbling block to the future. With so much pain in the past, making a real future is going to take more than a quick tumble and James pulling out all the stops.
I loved that for both of them, their love for each other was the defining relationship of their lives, even if it came with a lot of sadness.
The ending was so sweet and though one little loose end doesn't get tied up, we are left with hope. A lovely emotional read for me.

Christmas Reunion in Paris is achingly beautiful, painfully emotional, and deeply romantic. It's classic Liz Fielding with depth, intensity and feeling.
I'm going to be honest, if I had known this was a second chance romance I would have hesitated because I'm not a fan of the trope. Too much pain. Too much heartache. But this is Liz FIelding so I dove in without knowing what the book was about and I trust her as an author. Still, this book ripped my heart out. Chloe and James's pain was deep and heartfelt, and it cut me like a knife. There were moments when I wondered if I'd make it through the book. There were others when I had to put the book down to catch my breath. It hurt to read this book but I desperately wanted a happy ending for James and Chloe. James, especially since I got a little mad at Chloe at one point.
My heart goes out to Chloe for all that she's suffered at the hands of people who should have loved her, cared for her, and accepted her. Instead she was mistreated and locked away. Chloe's life is in a rut and she's not in a great place. It takes reconnecting with James to jolt her back into the land of the living, to take control of her life, and to explore her dreams and desires. Along the way, I think she was a little unfair towards James even if James was being a little presumptuous. One too eager to recapture what was lost and to move on, the other too locked in the past to see beyond the moment.
I love James. He's got an earnestness to him that I found endearing. He's also a take charge, protective kind of guy who got a little alpha male at points. He did need a good talking to so he could get his head on straight but his heart was in the right place and I hurt for him when things went a little wonky. But being the smart, take charge kind of guy that he is he learned from his mistakes and fixed things though I didn't think much of it was entirely his fault. Chloe was too rooted in the past and it was something she needed to fix for herself before she could move forward. I loved James's battle between being a gentleman, being patient, and wanting to build a life with Chloe.
I gotta say, Ms Fielding is a master at romance. I'm still on a mission to slowly, very slowly mind you, read through her back list. It's a good thing she's got such a wonderful collection of books for me to read. Of course, I'd read anything new that she writes too.

Chloe works at a hotel in Paris. She wanted her life to be private . I really liked Chloe and the descriptions. Cozy read but I don't get hooked