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Reviewed by Justine Reyes for Readers' Favorite
Readers will be swept away by Montmartre Stairs: A Paris Love Story by Douglas Warren. A staircase, two characters, and an accident. The story opens with a meet-cute between John and Michelle during a midsummer night in Paris and from that moment on readers will without question fall in love with both characters. Soon enough our protagonists are split up. John, a Londoner, must return home and deal with his unpleasant parents; Michelle focuses on her life as an up and coming theater actress based in Paris. The odds are stacked against them and, in true romantic fashion, they overcome their odds.
As the story progresses, it is quite evident that the plot is more centered around John. Michelle's character seems to take a bit of a back seat in some parts. Regardless, Douglas Warren did a fantastic job at creating believable chemistry between his lovely characters. Calling Warren's novel strictly a romance does it no justice. Readers will see that despite there being charm and love within its pages, there is much more. I suppose that's why it was appropriate to center a large portion of the narrative on John, because unlike most romance novels, we find that what we have been taught about romance is just fluff and the struggles in between are stepping stones toward love and growth.
I don't often mention dialogue because I've never had a reason to and perhaps it was due in part to Stephanie Campion's excellent narration, but the dialogue between Michelle and John came off as sweet and natural, all thanks to Campion. Montmartre Stairs: A Paris Love Story will sweep hopeless romantics off their feet!
