Title: Forbidden French
R.S. Grey
Genre: Contemporary Romance
About Forbidden French:
Once upon a time, Emmett Mercier was the golden boy of St. John’s Boarding School. The crown prince of his father’s vast business empire, unapologetically attractive…oh, and fluent in French. At school, I kept a picture of him hidden beneath my pillow, a tiny token of my adolescent infatuation, but I might as well have been worshiping a distant demigod. He was hardly aware of my existence. I was far too young, and he was far too consequential—until one day we found ourselves alone together in the dark library and struck up a friendship…of sorts. But in the years since leaving St. John’s, I’ve no longer bothered yearning for Emmett. What a useless dream. I would have gone crazy trying to keep up with his jet-setting life. Which Parisian hotel is he calling home now? Is there some new lithe model draping herself across his lap today? My negligence comes back to bite me. I’m ill-prepared the day he strides into my art gallery. There’s only a mere trace of the boy I once knew. Self-assured, handsome, intoxicating—Emmett is more man than I can handle. There’s no room for him in my gilded cage. My life is planned to a T. From where I go to how I dress, it all depends on the calculated whims of my grandmother. Soon, I’ll even dutifully walk down the aisle toward a man of her choosing. Emmett can’t stand my obedience. Now that we’ve rekindled our friendship, he’s intent on unearthing my heart’s true motives. And therein lies the problem: I was doing just fine without him, but now that he’s rattling the bars of my cage, I’m forced to acknowledge the truth. Once upon a time, Emmett Mercier was all I wanted. The midnight wanderings, the whispered nothings, the unbearable longing—they etched indelible marks on my soul. Even now, after all these years, my heart is only fluent in one language. Forbidden French.Get Your Copy!
About R.S. Grey:
R.S. Grey is the USA Today bestselling author of over twenty novels. She lives in Texas with her husband and daughter, and can be found reading, binge-watching reality TV, or practicing yoga! Visit her at rsgrey.comWebsite | Facebook | R.S. Grey’s Little Reds Facebook Group | Newsletter | Instagram
Forbidden French is a more serious story than I am used to from this author. Usually her writings are light and funny with fantastic wit. This story told over a number of years had beautiful writing but it wasn't as light and had some deep emotions that hurt one's soul.
Lainey knew of Emmett from attending the same boarding school. He was a few years older than her, way more sophisticated and was the guy every girl wanted. His family are the richest of the rich, having made their fortune in the fashion industry. Emmett's parents are unhappily divorced-his mother never got over his father, while his father wasted no time in replacing her with a younger model. His family is French and one gets the feeling he was just born sophisticated and suave.
Lainey is gawky and terribly shy. She is the butt of the school's mean girls all the while she had a burning crush on Emmett. They have a few conversations, some interactions in the library. Emmett is about to graduate and while he has no lusty feelings for Lainey (there is the age difference) she has left a lasting impression on him.
Fast forward quite and few years and they are back in each other's spheres. Lainey has somewhat found herself. She was raised by an overbearing grandmother. Her life has always bene one of privilege but she has wanted to make her own mark, her own way. There are expectations from both Emmett and Lainey's families and those complicate the couple's lives.
I have to say that I liked how Emmett's feelings for Lainey have affected his persona-he who has always been self assured is a mass of emotions and doubts when it comes to her. That's a twist I can get behind. Lainey has molded into a woman who knows her own worth and one who is willing to lose what she most desires if she is not cherished for the wonderful creature that she has become.
I like this more serious side to the author's writings. I enjoy a good rom/com, but this one was very well written.