I Heart Paris by Lindsey Kelk

So once again we are reunited with our good friend Angela Clark. With best mate Jenny happily settled in LA, our protagonist is dividing her time between her apartment in Manhattan and her boyfriend Alex's place in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn. When Alex's rock group gets a gig to play at a festival in Paris which happens to coincide with his big 30, Angela is all psyched to drop everything for a week to attend and play the ever so adoring rock star girlfriend. However, her bosses at Spencer Media, the publishing group that owns the The Look which is the magazine she writes for have other ideas. They want her to pen an article which is sort of the hipster's guide to Paris for Belle magazine which is basically a snooty publication on par with Vogue. The problem is that Belle magazine have other ideas; as far as they are concerned Angela is not Belle material and make that quite clear to her. However, luck is on Angela's side - the MD of the company likes her so she keeps her gig and with it an expenses paid trip to Paris with Alex. She has it all planned out; the day will be spent checking out all the cool spots in Gay Paris and in the evenings she will be hand in hand with Alex strolling down the Champs de Elysee, along the River Seine and sipping wine at one of the many chic cafes. Alas as we have all come to realise, Angela's life does not run smoothly like that.

For a start Alex's stunning Parisian ex girlfriend turns up. Her group is also playing at the festival and it is clear that she is set on getting Alex back. Meanwhile Alex has gone all moody on Angela and after months hassling her to move in with him he drops a bombshell that he has no desire to get married and have kids. Needless to say Angela is mortified and this mini drama combined with losing all her possessions at the airport when her suitcase is blown up as well as a colleague trying to sabotage her career almost sends Angela over the edge. So the thought of jumping on the Eurostar to London to spend time with her childhood friend, Louisa and her family sounds so tempting.

The I Heart books are always a great read and the latest one about Paris is no exception. It shows how all relationships have their weak spots when insecurity sweeps in. We also get more of an idea of Angela's life in London when Louisa turns up in Paris. Those of you who have been following Angela's adventures since the first book will remember that it was Louisa's wedding that Angela ruined after she discovered that her fiance had been doing the dirty with his tennis partner. Well Louisa is now happily married and expecting her first baby but still on hand to offer Angela a strong shoulder when things go belly up. I found I Heart Paris a bit darker than the other books; less emphasis on shopping and more about the complexity of relationships. You do get a great sense of Parisian culture but instead of doing the obvious and focusing on the high life of designer stores and boutiques, we are taken to the hip and cool side of Paris with funky cafes and eclectic shops. Once again Lindsey Kelk pulls it out of the bag. Which brings me to wonder what is next on the cards for I Heart Series. I know that Lindsey has been commissioned to write two more books but I wonder where they will be set? My guess is Sydney and London. 

I Heart Paris is released on Thursday 8th August and it is available to buy on amazon.