Summary

A slow-burn romance filled with wit, angst, and forced betrothals from USA TODAY bestselling author R.S. Grey.

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.

Review

I had high hopes for Forbidden French. There are so many possibilities when writing about “rich people” problems, and unfortunately after I read this book all I feel is disappointment.

It started off strong. I thought Lainey and Emmett’s first real interaction back in high school was interesting and I was excited to see what led them back together. Especially, since Lainey had already loved Emmett from the jump. As the book progressed, there was a shift for me in terms of my enjoyment. Nothing exciting was happening. Lainey and Emmett would have a small moment and then the story would continue. I didn’t feel the chemistry with them, and once Emmett admitted his feelings towards her it felt like it came out of nowhere.

As far as the characters in general, they were fine. Emmett was a jerk towards the major conflict. And both him and Lainey felt underdeveloped. Lainey and her grandmother’s relationship sounded good in theory and had potential to be really intriguing, but her grandmother’s personality switched so quickly that it left me confused on why and how.

Final Thoughts

Forbidden French has the right set up to be a very good romance; however, it falls victim to a bland romance and almost uninteresting main characters.

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