The Art of French Kissing

November 12, 2007
Harmel’s (The Blonde Theory
) formulaic continental romance too often falls short of funny. When media professional Emma Sullivan is dumped by her fiancé the same week she’s laid off from Boy Bandz records, she quickly accepts an offer from Poppy, an old friend from Europe, who hires her to handle press for the English-language launch of Guillaume Riche, a French TV star turned sexy singer. So Emma jets off to Paris, and Poppy is soon giving Emma lessons in dating French men. Meanwhile, Guillaume turns out to be an eccentric pill, causing havoc for Emma by pulling public stunts that run contrary to the saintly do-gooder image Poppy has been carefully crafting. Most of the media accept Emma’s spin on Guillaume’s eccentricities, but one very attractive reporter is annoyingly persistent about finding the real facts and, eventually, romancing Emma. While descriptive passages show Harmel’s knowledge of Paris, the Guillaume conflict feels manufactured, and Emma’s romantic disasters are too predictable to be truly comic.

December 15, 2007
When her fianc' breaks up with her and she loses her job as a publicist for Boy Bandz Records, Emma Sullivan is saved by an old friend who invites her to Paris. Poppy offers Emma a temporary job at her public relations firm promoting the launch of an album by French star Guillaume Riche. She neglects to tell Emma that Guillaume may be certifiably crazy. Soon Emma is covering for his crazy high jinks, such as when he gets caught naked in the locked Eiffel Tower. One handsome reporter sees through her excuses but is smitten anyway. Chick-lit reviewer and author Harmel does not stray from the tried-and-true formula of wronged girl meets Mr. Right in spite ofsilly mishaps along the way. Her latest, therefore, is predictable but fun, and fans will be delighted to travel the streets of Paris with Harmelscharacters, on the lookoutfor love and adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)