French Kissing, Season 1

Harper Bliss has written several novels, novelettes and short stories in the past four years and I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of them. The serial French Kissing is definitely one of my favorites. The French Kissing series is set in Paris and tells the story of four friends and lovers: Juliette, Nadia, Claire, and Stephanie. Following these women through the emotional craziness that is life, was astonishing. Fantastic writing, wonderful characters, and a rollercoaster of emotions. The characters and situations feel real, the pain and love palpable and the book also has nicely placed, tastefully written erotic love scenes. It doesn’t take long to be drawn in to the story and to me that’s the sign of a good book. French Kissing is a series that consists of three seasons and each season contains several installments. The complete first season, contains 6 episodes. Season two is a terrific follow up to season one and contains episodes 7-10 (French Kissing: Season Two). More drama, heartbreak, regret, friendship, atonement and eventually love. The third and final season, episodes 11-14 (French Kissing: Season Three), delivers the answers to all the drama-laden storylines and is the perfect ending for the French Kissing series. A definite re-read for me now the whole series is complete.

It took me so long to read this book, not because it's terrible, far from it. This book is well written, includes very well-put together characters, and finishes out strong with a pleasing cliffhanger. This book does a great job putting things in a order specifically giving the reader each character's point of view of any on going situation. However, because what seems to comprise a lot of these pages is well, your standard college age drama but with professional 40 year old lesbians in Paris, the book can be quite trying on one's patience for the mundane drama that these characters are told to exhibit. However, with that being said, this book is still a solid read with a strong finish.

This book is set in Paris and tells the story of 4 friends. Juliette, Nadia, Claire, and Stephanie. Juliette is best friends with Claire and they own a successful PR firm and their friend Stephanie also works with them. The firm has just taken on their first ever politician as a client, the feisty Dominque Laroche. Nadia and Juliette have been together for 10 years and their relationship which was once great and never lacking passion has slipped into a rut. If you can't fix your own relationship why not play matchmaker for your friend. Nadia introduces Claire to a sexy surgeon, but are they compatible? Stephanie has been tasked to research Dominque Laroche to find out if she has any skeletons in her closet and what she finds is a game changer. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Harper Bliss is a great author who pays incredible attention to the details of each character and story line. I have read the whole series and can not wait for the next season to come out in Feb 2016. The characters are addicting, the drama draws you in and each episode leaves you wanting more.

I just completed a re-read of this somewhat intricate novel (series) and found I enjoyed it more the second time than when I originally read it. Like most of Harper’s works it builds a picture of Lesbian relationships with all the concomitant joy, heartbreak, angst, new love, old love and collegial interactions that occur in real life. She builds characters that you can understand and relate to. In this series ‘season one’ you are introduced to the primary characters; Juliette, Nadia, Steph and Claire as three of them work to develop their public relations firm while one works as the manager of a full service hospital. Later in the series you meet Margot and Dominique who round out the players. Their relationships are tumultuous at times and though there is lots of lesbian drama it flows smoothly. Along with all the other adventures Harper doesn’t forget the sensuous and erotic scenes that we all have learned to expect.

Lesbian drama written by Harper Bliss is something I never get tired of reading; and French Kissing: Season One (FK: S1) is full of it! I have read many of her stories and I always enjoy the way she develops each character. Bliss combines their strengths and weaknesses giving balance to the main plot, while the uniqueness of each character and the intensity of their emotions becomes a story by itself. I re-read FK: S1, because I wanted to remember all the drama surrounding Juliette, Nadia, Claire, Margot, Stephanie and Dominique’s lives before I started Season Two. Unfaithfulness, broken hearts, secret encounters, forbidden love, learning forgiveness, giving second chances are some of the elements they will experience; all circumvented by passionate encounters and amazing friendship. The first time I read this collection, I was enthralled by each couple’s story. Juliette and Nadia had to experience separation, before they could bring back to life their crumbling relationship of 10 years. Claire and Margot found each other and became a couple, but the intensity of old and new feelings were always threatening their relationship. And Stephanie and Dominique discovered each other, but while their connection brought new beginnings, their love was like a minefield. During the second reading, I noticed that while each character experienced the same vicissitudes and issues, their personalities made them dealt with these problems in different ways. Well, except for the alcohol……