Review by Gabrielle

The Paris Match is a deeply emotional romance from Kate Clayborn. 

Favourite Quote:

“Hello,” she said, when she got close, trying to close an imaginary fist around every single one of those pesky butterflies in her belly.

At least one- at least one-still flapped wildly when he turned to look at her.

He did not return her hello, but she felt his roaming eyes like a greeting anyway. Top to open-toe, and then back up, lingering, for the most perfect few seconds.

Book Synopsis:

Physician Layla Bailey has spent over a year telling herself she’s moved on from a painful but amicable divorce from her college sweetheart. Staying friends with her ex seemed like the mature thing to do, but when Layla is invited to her former sister-in-law’s destination wedding in Paris—where Layla once spent her own romantic honeymoon—she knows her commitment to maturity might be her worst enemy…especially since her ex isn’t attending alone.

The only thing that could make the week more difficult is getting through it without the distraction of the wedding…. But when what Layla thought was a harmless conversation about the choices of her younger self leads to the bride getting cold feet, Layla finds herself facing down the groom’s mysterious, taciturn best man, Griffin, who will do anything to make sure this wedding happens.

Since she broke it, Griff demands she help him fix it. Going along with his plan to alleviate the engaged couple’s doubts seems like Layla’s best chance at maintaining a good relationship with a family she once called her own. But as she learns more about the past heartbreak that’s driving Griff to help his friend, she gets closer and closer to confronting the true depth of her own pain…while finding herself more and more willing to risk it all again for Griff.

Review:

I’m a big fan of Kate Clayborn, and I was excited to read her new book, The Paris Match. I know when I pick up one of her books, I am going to get well-developed characters that will tug on my heartstrings. And that is certainly the case in this book. Prepare yourself for an emotional rollercoaster.

Kate isn’t afraid to shy away from darker topics, and they are always handled with care. In this story, both characters are dealing with serious past traumas that are impacting their lives and holding them back. This is especially true for Griff. He comes off as a total jerk for most of the book. We get hints that something deeper is going on for him, but we don’t totally understand what until much later in the story. For me personally, the explanation came a little too late. I had a really hard time liking him for the majority of the book. The little glimpses revealed to the reader were not enough to make the relationship between him and Layla make sense to me. I just couldn’t see what Layla saw in him, and it made the middle of the book a bit of a slog for me. I will say there is redemption near the end when we get the full explanation, and his character shows more growth. By the end, I liked him more.

Layla’s character I liked much more, although I wouldn’t say I loved her. She was just alright. Don’t get me wrong, Kate continues to be a master at character development, and Layla is a fulsome character, but she just didn’t click for me personally.

Because I didn’t really connect with either character, their romance was a little harder to get behind, but what I did like about it was that if ever there were two characters who needed loving, Griff and Layla would be at the top of the list. One of the things I loved most about their relationship, though, is that they didn’t immediately fall into an unhealthy, codependent kind of romance. When they meet, their characters totally could have gone there, but they don’t. Instead, they use their attraction as a catalyst to want more for themselves as individuals, and they (Griff especially) work really hard on themselves first. They both grow a lot over the course of the book, and by the end, you will be cheering for them.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the location of this book. Paris makes a great backdrop for the unfolding of this story, and Kate does a great job of transporting readers there. I loved all the details about the city and the various places the characters visit.

The Paris Match may not have been a total match for this reader, but I did feel it was ultimately worthwhile. If you like a big payoff ending, this is a good book for you.

Thank you, Berkley Romance for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.