Belle Epoque - Elizabeth  Ross

Oh. My. GOD. I....just....LOVED THIS!!!! *squeals*

Oh my God, this was just splendid. I devoured this book in a matter of hours. The writing! The characters! The setting! It was all so lovely.

The writing is magical, in a way. It was so easy to just sit and read through it. I only took a few breaks to stretch my neck. The writing paints a gorgeous picture of 19th century France. A romantic picture, with pretty dresses and lights and parties, but it also shows the darker side too. It was amazing. I wish I could just jump into the book and experience the wonder of it all.

Maude... She was, at times, unbearable and did some stupid things, but she was a multilayered, complex character, and it didn't irritate me when she made mistakes. I mean, it did, but I'm not going to rant and rave about it. She's not stupid or foolish, she's just human. And this makes her very relatable. I love Isabelle. That girl is cool! I wanna be like her. And the romance between Paul Villette and Maude was simply awesome. It didn't dominate the story, which I appreciate, but it was still there. And it felt real. No insta-love here! 

This was a lovely book, and I ADORED it. I highly recommend.