Book Review – Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger

Perfect Strangers

<— HOLY MOLY PURE FANTASTICNESS ALERT!!!!!!! OMG. You guys were NOT kidding when you told me to read it ASAP so I wouldn’t come across any spoilers and I could experience that jaw-dropping twist blindly. Actually… TWO jaw-dropping twists. I have not been this elated in AGES. Pure steamy book romance at it’s finest, with but then even better. BOOK CLEVERNESS!!!

R. Renee: My readers group is going ballistic over Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger. Thinking of reading it next (whenever I start reading again).

Nay: I’ve got Perfect Strangers primed and ready on my Kindle. Looking forward to seeing what the fuss is all about.

Summer: OMG what did I just read? This book was amazing! What a wild ride! 5 WTF stars from me. Everyone should read this book!!

Donna: One of the BEST books that I’ve read all year! I can’t stop thinking about it!

Maryse: OH MY!!!!!!!!! Yep. I’m thinking this is next!!! 😀

Val: I finished this last week!!!!! I agree. It’s fantastic. I can’t move on. Read it now!

Robyn: This was an amazing book.

Dena: Guys I don´t know if it´s just me but I haven´t read any really good romantic book in a long time. The last good book that I read was The hating game and Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher new books but that´s it. Any recommendations what was good?

Maryse: Dena… people keep going crazy for “Perfect Strangers” that was released a couple of weeks ago. I think that one’s next for me. Supposedly it’s a total jaw-dropper at some point but exhilarating? 😀 !!!

R. Renee: Perfect Strangers is awesome, but if you’re looking for an old school romance, that isn’t it. It’s a romance, but not in the traditional sense. But Maryse, yes, that needs to be next for you! …I would do Perfect Strangers first only because the longer you wait the more chance there is of someone spoiling it for you.

Maryse: I will do Perfect Strangers so I don’t see a spoiler…

Maryse: Okay… I’m halfway through it and into it. Nothing crazy has happened yet, and it’s very steamy (lots and lots of that) but I hated putting it down to go to sleep last night. So I’m totally into it! And still have no clue… though maybe a few guesses. 😉

R. Renee: I did end up skimming a lot of the sex. Because there was a lot… Actually that’s part of what almost made me DNF early on. So glad I didn’t!

Maryse: Yes, I’m skimming those parts too, but the rest has me connected, interestingly enough. 🙂

And then…

OMG!!!! HOW. FREAKING. CLEVER!!!!!!

I couldn’t believe what I was reading… AND THEN!!! I couldn’t believe what I was reading AGAIN!!!!!!

I’ll be honest though. Throughout a good portion of the story, I was wondering what the big deal was? I mean it was good, and the writing was fantastic (deep and poignant and introspective AND fun) and it was HOT!!! But, it didn’t feel like anything I hadn’t read before in one way or another. Right?

• Steamy contemporary romance? Check!
• Dreamy romantic setting? Check!
• Strangers with secrets? Check!!!
• An astounding, almost-soulmate connection? Check!!
• Potential heartache looming? DOUBLE Check!!

Speaking of heart attacks, I’m having one. I can’t think of anything to say, so I simply stare into the endless blue depths of his eyes and hope he can’t see the smoke rising up in curls from my skin.

After a long, blistering moment, he murmurs, “Tell me I’m not the only one standing here feeling like I just stuck my finger into an electrical outlet.”

I say faintly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

My twist-guesses were exciting but not that jaw-dropping.

I thought I had it figured out, and wondered what was going to be so crazy about that? Crazy in real life? Sure, but… in our book world? *shrug* Eh… There HAD to be more to this considering the reactions of my trusty book-buds.

I mean… even though it was exactly what I used to devour and love like crazy, back in my early contemporary romance days (meeting of the eyes from across the room… a sexy stranger, and she’s only in Paris for a short time so the whole “let’s just have steamy-fun while we can” and then of course… the feelings pop in and then leaving is chaos), but…

So what’s it about?

Okay, I have to go slow here. Just a little bit of info, but trust me… there’s so much more to it than this.

So she’s a successful author that’s taking a fairly short stint in Paris to write. She’s divorced from a politician-type that really had no time or much interest in her as his career took off. She’s also still suffering from something devastating. I’ll let you discover that as you go, and at the worst time in her life, he pretty much checked-out altogether.

…the thing people don’t realize is that the past is a living, breathing entity that exists apart from our wishes or best intentions. It’s not gone, and it’s certainly not invisible. Its fingerprints are smeared all over every moment of the present, its weight drags on every second of the future, its consequences echo down every hallway of our lives.

We can no more rid ourselves of the past than we could stop the earth from spinning.

The sexy brooding stranger? Ohhhhh YESSSSS!! Their eyes meet from across the room at a Parisian cafe, and their passionate “no strings attached” affair starts here.

It can’t be. It’s a coincidence. There must be a million handsome artists in Paris named James. It’s not the blue-eyed stallion from the café.

But when I walk into the grand salon that evening, I’m reminded again exactly how much fate loves to prove me wrong.

Though… his secrets run deep,

Suffering is the great equalizer of humankind.

I recall him standing there surrounded by admiring women at the party, looking miserable and alone, and how oblivious he was to all the stares he received walking into the café, and realize with a jolt that this is a man for whom most other people have ceased to exist.

The happy ones, anyway. The normal ones who still have light in their eyes.

It’s only people like me he can see or connect with. People submerged in their own darkness, the way he’s submerged in his.

I say urgently, “Whatever bad thing happened to you, it hasn’t made you less beautiful. There’s beauty in darkness, too. It just takes a different kind of vision to see it.”

…and when she uncovers a few of ’em (unbeknownst to him), she has some soul searching to do. But you know how it goes. If it’s only for a couple of months, what’s the harm?

Three months, Olivia. You’re only in Paris for three months. Keep it light. Let it go.

But those pesky feelings… 😉

And I’m stopping there.

I know… I KNOW. It sounds like it could be emotional fun, and pull at your heartstrings, and the steam sure could do a number on so many of us. But what’s the difference here?

It goes crazy.

Then it goes crazy again.

And… 😉

*my lips are sealed*

ALL OF THE DIFFERENCE.

4.5 STARS!!!! The only reason I’m giving it just a touch less than 5 stars is ’cause for good part of the book, it’s just pure, potentially angsty contemporary romance, and these days I’m looking for more of that crazy oomph right from the start. Just be patient. You’ll get ooooomph in spades here.

Anjanette: Reading it now per your recommendation ❤️❤️❤️it’s pulling me out of my book slump

Chrissy: It really was top for 2019! What a great read!

Maryse: Agreed! It will absolutely be on my “Best Of” list for this year!!

Chrissy: yes and not enough talk about it! Author needs major high fives for this story!!

Anjanette: Omg I finished this book at 11 pm last night . I am shook wtf did I just read. I smiled, cried laughed everything. Totally unexpected and such an awesome read . I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

And now, I will be reading EVERYTHING from this author. When I searched through her backlist of books, I see SO many that many went crazy for right here. So yeah. She’s gonna be my new MUST-READ!!!