The Widow of Rose House hit a sweet spot for me between romance and truly spooky ghost stuff, but The Brightest Star in Paris unfortunately didn't capture my heart in the same way. The ghosts were more sad than scary and the story itself was a downer most of the time. This one wasn't for me but I'm sure it will find readers that connect to it.

genre-confused, otherwise great!

I would like to thank Diana Biller, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers

This was a great book, but holy mackerel it was long. *compares to other random romances* Okay, it wasn’t freakishly long, but it definitely FELT long. Probably could have stood to trim a few dozen pages. The ghosts really weren’t necessary. They weren’t really even ghosts, just extensions of Amelie’s psyche, and they didn’t serve much purpose except to distract the reader by pretending to be subplots and providing a somewhat interesting metaphor for pent-up emotions. Camille probably could have been cut as well. And I’m so reluctant to say this, but the Moore family could have been reduced quite a bit. They didn’t serve much purpose other than amusement. God, I loved them, though. They’re so endearing, Biller writes them with such charm and humor. The kitten! The oven! So funny.

Yeah, the biggest issue this novel had was that Biller was trying to have her genre cake and eat it, too. She intended it as a romance, but I figure it was more women’s fiction than anything. Ben was much more a supporting character to Amelie than a second lead. Amelie had way more to do and a lot more development. Biller also seemed to be spoiling to write historical fiction about the Franco-Prussian War; maybe could have cut some of those details, too. Toss in the half-assed ghosts and I’d say this novel was a little genre-confused and unfocused. And because Biller seemed to be including so many different things, some of which were unnecessary, there was more than there needed to be and made the narrative drag.

That’s really my only complaint story-wise. I loved the characters, though I did get frustrated when Amelie refused to marry Ben. I understood her decision and her rationale, and in theory I support her. But her life in Paris was over, she needed security for herself and her sister, and there was Ben, so obviously in love with her, willing to do anything for her. It was like watching a toddler try to fit a puzzle together; they’ve got the right piece at the right spot, but the angle’s off, and your eye’s twitching as you watch them try to force it in sideways. You wanna just grab it and fit it for them, but they need to figure it out on their own. Sigh. Okay, not the most flattering analogy for a grown woman, but apt nevertheless.

Wait, I almost forgot, I did have one more criticism. The sex scene was SUPER jarring. There’s passing emphasis on physical attraction between Ben and Amelie throughout the whole novel, more sweet than sexy. It’s just not that kind of romance. Their connection is established more by emotion. I’m not even sure they kiss before the sex scene, though I might be misremembering. Then bam, suddenly we’re in the red room and talking dirty and throwing around words like “fuck” and “cock” and “testicles” and Amelie’s giving Ben a BJ. I swear I got whiplash.

A couple of other comments: The cover art is unfortunate. It’s amateurish and doesn’t begin to do the quality of the material justice. I admit, despite how much I loved Biller’s first novel, I put off reading and reviewing this book for months because the cover turned me off. Made me afraid the story would be as bad as the cover. But you know what they say about judging book covers . . . Interestingly, the cover of her first novel, Widow of Rose Cottage, also didn’t do the story justice, appearing too modern and light, but at least that one looked professionally rendered. This one, not so much.

Lastly, I have no idea why they aren’t advertising this as the second book in a series. It’s almost the opposite, like they’re trying to keep it secret. Probably to entice readers by allowing them to think it’s a stand alone and they won’t be missing anything if they don’t read Rose Cottage. Or Christmas Spark, for that matter. But I mean, they’re self-contained stories featuring connected characters from the same family. Just like hundreds of other romance series in multiple subgenres. There’s no shame in it. So I’m dubbing this #2 in the Moore Family Saga. I have zero doubts Biller’s next book will center on Maggie and Henry.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next. In fact, I just 1-clicked A Christmas Spark, because somehow I missed that one. *reads it* Bonus review: Very cute! Not sure it saw a copyeditor before publication, but if you love the Moores, you’ll love this short story. More Moore, please!

The Moore Family Saga
0.5 – A Christmas Spark (Winnie and John, prequel)
1 – The Widow of Rose Cottage (Sam and Alva)
2 – The Brightest Star in Paris (Ben and Amelie)
3 – as yet unannounced (presumably Henry and Maggie)

A great story with a paranormal twist on typical historical fiction. The middle seemed a little dragged out to me, but overall it was a lovely story that definitely grabbed my attention in the beginning and despite the saggy middle, ended well.

Overall something felt a little off and never clicked with this book. I never felt interested or connected.

DNF- I was so excited for this book. But I started it after having read some non-fic about American slavery and the civil war, so I was disappointed that in the little I read in the beginning that it was not mentioned. The MMC has just arrived in Paris from having been in the states for a while and he doesn't really even mention it. Perhaps it comes up later in the story but I wanted it early on. I may return to this at some point.

A dazzling historical romance, featuring ghosts, mysteries, and the world's wackiest science-inclined family!

In this historical novel, Amelie St. James is a ballerina at the Paris Opera Ballet. She works to improve the reputation of the Ballet, but her past haunts her and creates unexpected challenges. When she crosses paths with her old love Dr. Benedict Moore, new complications occur.

I wanted to read this novel because I love books set in Paris and I also enjoy historical fiction. This was an engrossing, interesting read. The historical details and setting are lovely. I recommend it for other fans of historical fiction.

The Brightest Star in Paris was such a unique book with romance and mystery. I loved the character development and Parisian setting! Overall I thought this was an entertaining read I really enjoyed!

When I blindly picked up this book, I certainly was not expecting a paranormal historical romance - but that is certainly what I got! I also did not know this was a sequel to another novel, oops.

However, I definitely enjoyed The Brightest Star in Paris. I think it was a bit long, as it dragged at certain times - but even with that, I enjoyed the main characters, their individual stories, and their love story. Overall, I don't think I'd go out of my way to read the first book in their duology, but I did enjoy my time spent reading this one.

The Brightest Star in Paris has solidified my love for historical fiction. It is always my favorite genre, but I tend to read less of them because they just simply take me longer to read. This is a historical fiction with supernatural elements thrown in. I’m not usually a fan of ghosts in books, but I was invested in the ghosts’ storylines too.

While it did take me a couple weeks to read this, it was because I was sick for most of that time. Once I felt better, I was able to really dig in and enjoy this novel.

5 big stars for this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great story. I loved Diana's writing style and she definitely has a way with storytelling. It was beautiful. I will definitely read more from her.

I was eagerly anticipating The Brightest Star in Paris and despite my delay in reading it, I can absolutely say it did not disappoint. It was beautifully written, which comes as no surprise given the gorgeous prose of The Widow of Rose House, but it also felt so well-paced. It's very much a slow burn with a lot of character development, which is something I am coming to appreciate so much lately. The cameo of Alva and Sam? Brilliant, fantastic, I loved it. But honestly, the way Biller brought Paris to light, the way she dealt with the trauma of living through something so horrific... It was just absolutely stunning. And Amelie? I mean. My heart. St. Amie. Her characterization was just gorgeously done.

I don't really know how to talk about this book without just repeating myself over and over, but it honestly was just so beautifully written! Benedict was just as much of a sweetheart as Sam, but in his own unique way. And I loved all of the secondary characters we got to meet, even the villainous ones. I had a lot of thoughts, honestly, reading this book and it made me so interested in learning more about the history of France. So... tl;dr, I loved this one and highly, highly recommend!!

CW: ghosts
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This is a second chance romance between Ben Moore (a Doctor) and Amelie (a ballet dancer). I loved their past, I loved the connection they shared. And I absolutely loved the Moore family.
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The plot of this book is discovering why the ghosts of dead women are appearing and talking to our heroine. It's them figuring out how to stop that. Also, it's about Amelia's journey to happiness.
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While I absolutely loved the writing, I found the romance a bit lacking. There were lots of moments where they were together, there was a lot of intimacy and longing between the two, but it was a very very slow burn and the romance felt secondary to the mystery.
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And the mystery left me a little underwhelmed as well as happy (if that makes sense). Overall, not as awesome as The Widow of Rose House, it's definitely worth reading it for the wonderful Moore family.
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Amelie St. James is known as "Saint Amie," the prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet in 1878. She keeps the virtuous and pious facade in place to secure her fragile position as prima ballerina so she can take care of her eleven-year-old sister. Her persona is shaken when she sees Dr. Benedict Moore for the first time in twelve years; their summer romance had been innocent, but the love persists. Amelie is haunted by a ghost and Ben wants to recruit physicians for a specialty clinic he wants to build in New York. Their lives are on completely separate trajectories, aren't they?

Amelie is a hard worker and has to be in order to maintain her prima ballerina status. That fame comes with a price, as it's a punishing and incredibly physically demanding job. She's pushing herself through, convinced that she can endure it for another two years. Seeing Ben again by accident rekindles their old feelings; she had sent him away so he could return to medicine and she could focus on her dancing. We find out later that her faith in love and relationships had been shaken in that period, and she endured hardships all on her own when her mother fell ill, war broke out, and she did whatever she had to do to keep herself and her baby sister fed. Ben had struggled with memories of his duties as a field surgeon in the American Civil War and hadn't felt he could confide in his famous scientific family.

These two had a connection in the past, which we see in flashback chapters, and it was a strong enough one to endure for twelve years of no contact. Amelie is able to negotiate her way through the social layers of Paris, always keeping her sister in mind. I find this admirable, and it's sad that she has no friends to notice when she starts talking to the ghost that haunts her other than Ben. In a time period fascinated with mesmerism, Amelie doesn't question her sanity, at least. She and Ben work together to discover why she's being haunted under the guise of courtship; the proximity forces them to see how well they get along now, and how much they still care about each other.

I really enjoyed this look into 1800's Paris, medicine, and the way traumatic pasts inform their present. Ben and Amelie never take each other to task for the choices they made under duress. They understand it and support the people that they are now; if anything, Amelie is clearly the star of the book and Ben is there to love and support her. She has to make the breakthrough that the past is not a continual predictor of the future, and she has every right to be happy on her own, not just as an aside in someone else's story. I loved seeing the Moores and enjoyed the interactions and how neatly Amelie fit into their family's lives. Together, they know what they're getting into, and work hard to help each other succeed. That's the greatest conclusion for a romance novel.

This was “different” than what I’m used to reading, and while I liked it, I’m not in a hurry to go back and read Sam + Alva’s book. There was a lot going on. There were ghosts and a fake relationship and war trauma and just a lot going on. I also wanted to shake Amelie several times because she wasn’t doing what I wanted. I don’t know - this is a terrible review. I have a lot of mixed feelings.

Thanks to @NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC!

I really enjoyed the author’s first book, The Widow of Rose House, so I was excited to read this one. I was even more delighted when I realized that some of the characters in that first book appear in this one, although this definitely can be read as a standalone. Take historical fiction, add in a second-chance romance and some paranormal activity and you’ve got the basics of The Brightest Star in Paris. I wanted to know what happened next but I also didn’t really want it to end!

The story takes place in Paris in the 1870s, with some flashbacks to the 1860s, and features a prima ballerina with the Paris Opera Ballet, Amelie, known to her “adoring public” as Ste. Amie. That’s how proper and good her public persona is. She hides her real self and her history, in order to make sure she keeps her place in the ballet company and in the public eye - because she must support her much younger sister while nursing a hip injury that she’s sure she won’t be able to hide for much longer. She is dancing through pain somehow. She has started to see ghosts, very particular ghosts. Then Benedict Moore, an American doctor who she fell in love with (and he, her) 12 years earlier, re-enters her life. The romance doesn’t blossom easily, due to both of their past experiences. He was damaged by the American Civil War and she by the Franco-Prussian War, which included the months-long Siege of Paris of 1870-1871, and the short-lived Paris Commune, which came after the siege. I learned a lot about this part of French history and about the transformation of Paris’s streets during this time period, while reading this book.

I so wanted Amelie to just say YES to Benedict and to leave Paris with him and her sister Honorine, but that would not have put her ghosts to rest (to use a turn of phrase literally) and it would not have let her realize how to live as herself, instead of pretending to be ’Ste. Amie’ for other Parisians. She was such a strong character, living in times that really limited her potential.

The Moore family individually and as a whole, always makes me smile.

CW: death of a parent, wartime memories and PTSD, references to drug use and prostitution

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’d been binge-reading thrillers over October when I came across this cute romance story. It was exactly what I needed—the perfect pallet cleanse to all the intense reads I’d endured. If you love a sweet romance that allows you to visit a part of the world that, truthfully, no longer exists this is the book for you!

,Who doesn’t love a story about ballerinas, romance, Paris - and ghosts! This is a second-chance historical romance. When St Amie, the prima ballerina, is visited by ghosts, the book takes a turn into fantasy, but it is presented in a sweet way and makes for a moving story

Title: The Brightest Star in Paris
Author: Diana Biller
Genre: Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5

Amelie St. James, prima ballerina of the Paris Opera Ballet and the people's saint, has spent seven years pretending. In the devastating aftermath of the Siege of Paris, she made a decision to protect her sister: she became the bland, sweet, pious “St. Amie” the ballet needed to restore its scandalous reputation. But when her first love reappears, and the ghosts of her past come back to haunt her, all her hard-fought safety is threatened.

Dr. Benedict Moore has never forgotten the girl who helped him embrace life again after he almost lost his. Now, he's back in Paris after twelve years for a conference. His goals are to recruit promising new scientists, and, maybe, to see Amelie again. When he discovers she's in trouble, he's desperate to help her—after all, he owes her.

When she finally agrees to let him help, they disguise their time together with a fake courtship. But reigniting old feelings is dangerous, especially when their lives are an ocean apart. Will they be able to make it out with their hearts intact?

I ended up loving this read! I didn’t realize this was linked to The Widow of Rose House until about halfway through the novel, but that made me enjoy it even more. I loved the characters the most, although the ballet descriptions were wonderful, too.

Amelia is such a nuanced character, and I loved her voice and personality. I can’t imagine having to live with the façade she put up for the world in her efforts to keep herself and her sister safe. And Ben is lovable, and kind and I liked him a lot. His family is wonderful, and they made the whole book so much fun.

Diana Biller lives in Los Angeles. The Brightest Star in Paris is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

If there is one thing that Diana Biller knows how to bring you into her books. The characters are compelling and likable. The romance is beautiful. And the scenes are stunning. The Brightest Star in Paris is the story of Amelie and Ben. Having met years ago in Paris the two young lovers were separated and some years later are reconnected. Coincidentally Amelie is freiends with Ava (The Widow of Rose House) and Ben is brother to Sam (The Widow of Rose House). Both Amelie and Ben have past traumas that have prevented them from connecting to others and in doing so brought them closer to each other. In the past Ben is the one with ghosts and Amelie helped him find some peace but 12 years later its Amelie that has the ghosts and Ben (good thing his brother is a ghost hunter) is there to help.

Now, I love a good second chance romance so I was in the second I read that’s what this story would be but what I truly love about both The Widow of Rose House and The Brightest Star in Paris is the Moore’s. I love them. I love everything about that family and the insanity that is this family. The parents are filled with such love and brought their children up to believe that they are capable of doing whatever the dream. I love the relationships between the siblings and how close and supportive they are of one another… I also adore how much they like to get involved in each other’s love lives.

Diana Biller brought me to 1870 Paris and showed me the magic and beauty that these characters lived in but she also showed the darker more tragic side of life in Paris before and after the siege.

If you’re a fan of historical romance with just a touch (like the smallest touch but still there) of spice (bc let’s be real… Dr Benedict Moore has got it) then this is a book to add to your TBR.