The Brightest Star in Paris: A Novel

by Diana Biller

Overview

Diana Biller's The Brightest Star in Paris is a thrilling story of first loves and second chances.

She never expected her first love to return, but is he here to stay?

Amelie St. James is a fraud. After the Siege of Paris, she became “St. Amie,” the sweet, virtuous prima ballerina the Paris Opera Ballet needed to restore its scandalous reputation, all to protect the safe life she has struggled to build for her and her sister. But when her first love reappears looking as devastatingly handsome as ever, and the ghosts of her past quite literally come back to haunt her, her hard-fought safety is thrown into chaos.

Dr. Benedict Moore has never forgotten the girl who helped him embrace life after he almost lost his. Now, years later, he’s back in Paris. His goals are to recruit promising new scientists, and maybe to see Amelie again. When he discovers she’s in trouble, he’s desperate to help her—and hold her in his arms.

When she finally agrees to let him help, they disguise their time together with a fake courtship. Soon, with the help of an ill-advised but steamy kiss, old feelings reignite. Except, their lives are an ocean apart. Will they be able to make it out with their hearts intact?

"I foresee years of excellent storytelling from Diana Biller; the certainty of that excites me." - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250297877
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/12/2021
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	497,015
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

DIANA BILLER is the author of The Widow of Rose House and The Brightest Star in Paris. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys snuggling her animals, taking “research” trips abroad, and attending ballet class. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

07/12/2021

A prima ballerina in 1870s Paris is haunted by the ghosts of wronged women in this atmospheric sequel to Biller’s The Widow of Rose House. Amelie St. James has made herself into a living saint in the eyes of the public in order to cover up her ballet company’s scandals. Exhausted and with an untreated hip injury, she’s grimly enduring the two remaining years until she can retire. Then she starts seeing the ghosts of women she once knew: Lise Martin, a murdered ballerina; Rachel Bonnard, who was executed for arson; and Violette, a cabaret singer and Amelie’s former neighbor. The only person who can help is Dr. Benedict Moore, Amelie’s first love, with whom she shares dark memories of the horrific traumas of the Franco-Prussian War; the Siege of Paris, which ended the war; and the 1871 Paris Commune, an insurrection that followed. The anachronistic-feeling Moore family offer significant mood whiplash, as their 21st-century sitcom antics do not mesh well with an otherwise dark story. Historically minded readers especially will take issue with how these characters speak, think, and act like modern Americans. Still, Biller’s fans will enjoy the feminist romance filtered through familiar gothic tropes. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Diana Biller:

"I foresee years of excellent storytelling from Diana Biller; the certainty of that excites me." - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Praise for The Brightest Star in Paris:

"In the gorgeously written The Brightest Star in Paris, Biller provides a fascinating view into the psychological makeup of two haunted lovers... A stunning novel of tender emotions amid harsh circumstances." - BookPage, starred review

"Atmospheric...Biller's fans will enjoy the feminist romance filtered through familiar gothic tropes." - Publishers Weekly

“Readers will be moved by the story and its handling of grief as well as its magical second-chance romance.” - BookBub

"Diana Biller is a breath of fresh air in the historical romance genre. I can’t wait to see what more she has up her talented sleeves." - The Infinite Limits of Love

"This was such a poignant, emotional, second-chance romance... I am so looking forward to whatever journey this author takes her readers on next." - Smexy Books

Praise for The Widow of Rose House:

"A chemistry-fueled debut with a bit of a ghost story, great for readers of gothic romance." - Booklist

"The Widow of Rose House is close to perfection and any lover of historical romance will adore this debut." - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

"Biller mirrors Wharton's genius for revealing the emotional gold lying beneath the Gilded Age, which motivates the novel's massive romantic turmoil." - Bookpage

"A ghost-hunting adventure and sweeping romance in equal parts, and peppered with moments of breath-holding tension, it amazes me that this Gilded Age gem of a story is a debut effort. It’s a moving, evocative, beautifully told and, at times, chilling read, and even when I desperately wanted to speed ahead to find out what happens in the end, I made myself savour every exquisite last word of it." - Natasha is a Book Junkie

"Biller's complex and intriguing debut, set in 1875 New York City...is part romance, part ghost story, and part period piece with just enough modern sentiment on the topics of feminism, mental illness, and abuse." - Publishers Weekly

"Utterly irresistible. With engaging, original characters and dialogue as crisp as a new apple, Diana Biller’s debut will have you rooting for Alva and Sam through every spooky twist." - Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of the Veronica Speedwell series

“Take a Joanna Shupe Gilded Age romance, stir in a Simone St. James ghost story, add a pinch of Julia Quinn banter, and, voila! Sheer fun with a satisfying emotional conclusion.” - Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author of The English Wife

From the Publisher