This was a great book. Lighthearted, humorous, easy clean romance.
I enjoy this author's books alot.
Looking forward to more of her books.
Many thanks to TBC and Netgalley for the copy of this book

Rebecca Raisin's "Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel" perfectly satisfied my weakness for renovation romances!

After finalizing her divorce from her deceitful husband, Anais receives a hotel in the settlement while he walks away with most of her finances. With limited options, Anais initially plans to renovate the property for a quick sale. When those plans collapse and her budget depletes, Anais and her cousin make a bold decision to open the hotel in time for Christmas.

Adjacent to the hotel stands a bar owned by Noah—handsome but decidedly grumpy. Though Anais desperately needs his assistance, their personalities clash like oil and water.

Everything transforms, however, when renovations uncover a mysterious walled-over hidden room in the hotel.

I particularly appreciated how the narrative parallels Anais's personal journey with the hotel's physical transformation. Rebecca Raisin delivers a storytelling style rich with humor and compelling characters. The discovery of the mysterious room adds the perfect unexpected element to an already charming story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an early copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a stunning book cover! As for the story, it made me feel like packing my bags and heading over to France.
I loved the characters and the story melted my heart

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel by Rebecca Raisin is a sweet, festive read set against the magical backdrop of Paris during the holiday season. The story follows young and hopeful Anais as she runs a quaint hotel and tries to bring holiday cheer to her guests while navigating her own personal challenges.
Raisin's description of Paris at Christmastime is enchanting, and the cosy hotel setting adds a lovely sense of warmth. However, while the book captures the magic of the season, the plot feels somewhat predictable, and the pacing can be slow at times. Anais is a likable character, but her journey lacks the depth needed to make the emotional moments truly impactful.
Though not a standout in the holiday romance genre, Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel offers a light, charming escape for fans of feel-good holiday reads, perfect for curling up with on a winter evening.

Such a fun Christmas read. This book could definitely be turned into a Hallmark movie, and it would be fabulous. Highly recommend and thoroughly enjoyed.

It's always a good time for a heartwarming Christmas read.

Anais is left with a rundown hotel in a bitter divorce. Along with her cousin and bestfriend, Manon, she is going to renovate then sell.

Rebecca Raisin brings Paris to life in this fun and energetic enemies to lovers RomCom.
I loved Manon's hijinks and the introduction of Noah as the meddlesome neighbour, and love interest.
The addition of some widely known French words added to the flavour of the story but didn't need me to move over to Google every five minutes.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel is a heartwarming, slow burn romance with a mystery at its heart. The plot is well executed and I enjoyed the literary lean.

A sweet Christmas story perfect reading for any time of the year.

I really have enjoyed Rebecca Raisins previous books and this did not disappoint. It was a lovely storyline, great evolving characters and setting. It really made you route for Anais and the hotel and I really wanted to know how it all turned out. The author writes in a really engaging non-mushy way and portrays relationships so well. I can't wait until the next book.

Anais get a derelict Paris hotel in her divorce. her plan is to tidy it up and sell it. But that proves impossible so she decides to make it beautiful and to open it up by Christmas. Noah, the bar owner next door is always interfering. She unexpectedly finds a mysterious room which holds the answer to a hundred year old secret. Expected conclusion, but that's the beauty of this book.

Turn a tumbledown Paris hotel into a perfect boutique, bookish retreat, and have it open for Christmas? What could possibly go wrong? When Anais receives a near-derelict Paris hotel in her divorce settlement, her first thought is to fix it up just enough to sell it immediately and move on. She is not able to sell it, so she decides to renovate it and open it for Christmas. She recruits her cousin to help her out and that proves to be a smart move. Manon seems to know everyone, including her grumpy neighbour, Noah, who owns the bar next door. The next thing she knows others are there helping to paint and clean up for them. As they work, they discover two hidden rooms, one a secret library. They have their theme, The Secret Library Hotel (L’hôtel de la bibliothèque secrète). With a mystery to solve, who was the reclusive author, renovations to complete, and an ex-husband who shows up and wants to renegotiate their divorce agreement, will they be able to open by Christmas.

I enjoyed this story of new beginnings, friendship, working together, family, mystery, books, authors, and a bit of romance. The mystery of the mysterious author really drew me in. The story of a woman running and hiding from a controlling and abusive husband is not new during that time in history. The various discussions they had about books was very interesting as well. Seeing how Manon manipulated the various men in the story added some humor to the plot. Watching Anais and Noah get to know one another, and learn about each other's past was the sweet part of the story. There is a lot happening in this book that is set in a lovely area of Paris I do enjoy Rebecca Raisin's books and this was another winner for me.

I'm a fan of Rebecca Raisin's. She has an incredible ability to create compelling characters and a charming plot that keeps the pages turning. This is a cozy romance set in a personal dream of mine: renovating and restoring a book-themed hotel. Where the book fell short for me was in the setting and, while I've enjoyed other books for hers set in Paris, this one fell short for me for that very reason.

It's my own fault for knowing to much about French bureaucracy, but there were things that happened in the book that never would, simply for cultural and tradiitonal reasons. Same with the "hidden gems," which every local would know, rendering them not very hidden. It also seemed like French facts were shoehorned in after a quick cut-and-paste from Google. All of these missteps removed me from the story, which I otherwise very much liked.

I kindly received a review copy in exchange for an honest review by the publisher via Netgalley.

Rebecca Raisin has delivered yet another enchanting tale that brims with warmth, romance, and the irresistible charm of Paris in the snow! Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel is a heartfelt story of second chances, transformation, and the magic of love and friendship, all wrapped up in the festive glow of the holiday season.

Anais’s journey begins in the shadow of heartbreak when she inherits a rundown Parisian hotel as part of her divorce settlement. Initially seeing it as a burden, her plans to tidy up and sell quickly fall apart when no buyers are interested. Instead, she embarks on a courageous mission: turning this neglected relic into a cozy, bookish boutique hotel ready to welcome guests by Christmas. But with tight deadlines, dwindling funds, and the ever-present interference of her gruff yet undeniably attractive neighbor Noah, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Raisin masterfully weaves Anais’s personal struggles with the hotel’s fascinating history. A hidden, mysterious room unlocks the story of a woman from a century ago who defied all odds for love, drawing beautiful parallels to Anais’s own journey. As the first snowflakes fall and fairy lights glitter across the City of Light, the blend of modern-day Paris with its timeless romance will have readers utterly captivated.

Noah’s prickly exterior hides a tender heart, and the chemistry between him and Anais sparkles as brightly as the Christmas lights. The supporting cast – from quirky locals to loyal friends – adds depth and joy, making the little hotel come alive as a character in its own right.

Rebecca Raisin’s writing sparkles as brightly as the twinkling Parisian streets she so vividly describes. Having followed Rebecca Raisin’s work for years, I can confidently say that her storytelling has reached new heights since her move to Boldwood Books. The premise of combining the renovation of a charming hotel with a century-old mystery is pure genius, and the execution is flawless.

This book is a perfect blend of holiday cheer, heartfelt emotion, and a dash of mystery. It’s ideal for curling up with on a cold winter’s evening, wrapped in a blanket with a hot chocolate by your side. Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel is more than a story – it’s an invitation to believe in the magic of the season and the power of love.

Rebecca Raisin has truly outdone herself. Five sparkling stars for this sparkling Festive Treat that will warm your heart and leave you dreaming of Christmas in Paris!

An average, but decent read. The premise was intriguing at one point, but was extensively drawn out. There was also an opportunity for significantly more Christmas. Themes and characters were just okay.

Christmas and Paris are two of my absolute favorite things so I was excited to read this book. It was my first book by the author and I really enjoyed it.

A warm hug in a book. This one was lovely with lots of descriptions of Paris life and foods.
Renovation of an old, dilapidated Parisian hotel into a new and modern boutique and bookish retreat had all the bookish feels you can imagine. The book also deals with Anais’s writers block after a divorce from a man just a little too charming with the ladies. There is a mystery attached to the hotel, and we get lots of hotel renovation details.
I was drawn into the Paris life and the many literary references as I read.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

It was a light and easy read and yes, I enjoyed all the literary references and detailed historical context. But other than that, I was quite disappointed. I was expecting a different read. First, I feel as though the marketing is misleading. You get minor Christmas vibes, you basically have to wait until the second half of the book for some festive atmosphere. The other thing that really annoyed me was the characters, especially the cliché French boyfriend who turns out to be arrogant and a cheater. And all the "French flavour" with French words in italics like "oui", "non", "merde", "oh là là", etc, that were repeated so many times that it was beyond caricatural and sometimes French phrases even contained typos (Note to publishers: books written in English are also read by an international audience, so please make the extra effort of having a bilingual reviser check the foreign content!).
The main highlight of the plot was the secret room, an interesting idea, but not riveting. Basically, it was women's fiction marketed as a Christmas romance for the sake of it, and I really don't like it when publishers do that, among other money-grabbing things.

Rebecca really does never felt to disappoint - this was such a cosy and gorgeous festive read which I thoroughly enjoyed being located in Paris. I really loved the mystery within the renovations and how that concluded. It was fun getting to see Anais and her cousin create this beautiful hotel. I wish we had seen more of Anais and Noah, their time together in the book was short but I was happy to see such a sweet happy ending for the two of them.

Lovely festive read Paris beautifully described that I could imagine I was there. Sadly I felt like I had come across a renovation story before so it felt a little to predictable but still a lovey easy going story

A lovely festive read . I always enjoy Rebecca Raisin’s books! I loved the story of renovating a run down hotel into a literary themed hotel. Also following Anais’s struggle with writer’s block after her messy divorce was a great plot. Loved the romance with Noah!

this seemed cute in premise but it just fell sort of flat for me :/ i didn’t vibe with the characters at all :(

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel

by Rebecca Raisin

When Anais discovers her husband and new housekeeper in bed, she divorces him. He is a smarmy leech and a serial adulterer. Using the many lawyers in his family, Francois-Xavier drains Anais’ financial resources leaving her with a decrepit hotel in Paris. As a romance writer, the dissolution of her marriage drains her of her professional motivation as well. She has the dreaded writer’s block, has spent her advance, and has a deadline looming.

Anais’ wild and unpredictable cousin Manon undertakes the rehabilitation of the hotel with her. Together they dedicate themselves to making the boutique hotel profitable so they can sell it. Along the way, there are potential romances and roadblocks in the reconstruction. More importantly, they discover a wall that blocks off two rooms on the top floor. Thus emerges a bookish mystery, and they have to discover why the rooms are sealed and who occupied them.

If you have any interest in Paris, you will enjoy this book. There are French phrases thrown in for flavor along with descriptions of the neighborhoods, foods, and Christmas markets. Manon is French and Anais is of mixed heritage and speaks French with a British accent. She has lived in Paris for 16 years. Friends since childhood, they are very different but get along well. There is a lot of humor that is derived from this pair.

Christmas at the Little Paris Hotel is a very literary book. The hotel will have a library, and the rooms will be named for authors. Anais and Manon seek out bookish items to be part of the decor and are researching bookish places to provide on a map for their guests. They visit many of Paris’ various vintage shops, libraries, and bookshops in their search for decorative items and furniture for the hotel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction

Publication: September 26, 2023—Boldwood Books

Memorable Lines:

“We’re stuck in a time-warp. The seventies called and they want their avocado green drapes back.”

“He has the IQ of an oyster.” “That’s being unkind to oysters.”

I must leave for my own sanity. While he may do his best to besmirch me, he cannot take away the words I am yet to pen. Those words, they are all that matter. I’ll never publish another novel as long as I shall live, thus he cannot profit from me. That will be the best revenge. The man is dangerous. I must tread ever so carefully.