* * * *
On the surface, Fleur Marceaux has it all. If only the
facade matched reality. With one year left at the International School in
London, Fleur’s struggling to graduate, her love life is a mess, and she can’t
stop thinking about Max, her ex-boyfriend’s best friend. But all that pales
compared to the blackmailer determined to destroy her.
There’s a social hierarchy at the International School
and Max Tucker is outside the velvet ropes. After watching Fleur break his
friend’s heart, Max knows to stay away from trouble, despite the crush he’s had
on her since freshman year. But when they’re partnered on a project, Max learns
there’s more to Fleur than meets the eye, and she just might be worth the wild
ride.
The more time they spend together, the further Max falls.
And when a kiss awakens a passion Fleur never imagined, she’s unable to resist
Max, who she had thought was all wrong for her but might be the only thing
that’s right. But will he stand by her when her secrets are revealed?
Don’t miss the final book in the International School
series. This New Adult romance is recommended for readers 17 and up.
Oh boy, where do I even start? I fell in love with the
International School series recently when I read both I See London and London
Falling. I just couldn’t get enough of Samir and Maggie in both those books and
was sincerely hoping that Cleeton would write another from Samir’s point of view considering the new direction he was undertaking. I didn’t get my wish. However,
Cleeton did gift us with a book that’s all about Fleur.
It never occurred to me that Fleur would have an interesting backstory because I was so engrossed with the other two. Well, joke’s on me because
there’s so much more to Fleur and in the process of getting to her, I’ve found
her to be funny, confident, generous and loyal.
Her funny side is brought out by her increasingly growing
and perplexing attraction to Max, an American and fellow schoolmate. He’s
opposite and unlike anyone she’s ever been attracted to. For his part, Max has
the same feelings too. However, he’s baffled as to how to deal with this.
As far as he has seen, she’s the Ice Queen (a popular moniker he invented for
her years ago), high-maintenance, very French and very much out of his league. He has spent
so much time trying to dislike her while fighting his crush on her. When they’re partnered together for a class
project, the snark and insults are secondary to all the sparks that fly all over the place. They get slightly defensive as they find themselves in the ridiculous position
of being self-conscious around each other. Seeing these two who supposedly hate
each other be so awkward around each other is very comical.
One of the highlights is an incredibly steamy pub scene
involving Max in a well-tailored suit and a comprehensive lesson on the various
bases, American-style. Holy. Hot. Sexual. Tension. Lucky Fleur! No lie – it made
me want to take my husband out to get fitted for a suit!
Sexual tension
aside, both Fleur and Max are contending with their own things. Fleur has been silently
dealing with a blackmailer who won’t leave her alone and Max has to nail down a
job or go back to his parents in Chicago with his tail between his legs. Both
are incredibly defiant and want to take care of their business on their own terms. They may
come from two different worlds but in the end, both of them are defying their
families’ low expectations of what they can achieve for themselves. They have great friends standing by their
sides which means yes, Samir, Maggie, Mya and George make appearances, which
makes me happy!
French Kissed ends this series on a good note. It makes
me slightly sad but having been an international student myself once, I
thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through these characters. They’ve all grown up, discovered their independence and evolved into people
they can be proud of. Along the way, these steadfast friends have become the most loving and supportive of families. If you're looking for something with a bit of international flavour, French Kissed and the entire International School series will do it!
~ Bel
Hey, check Chanel Cleeton's giveaway to celebrate the release of French Kissed!
