The Hotel Riviera [Mass Market Paperback]

Elizabeth Adler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 3, 2004

She thought she was in love...
American Lola Laforet is swept away in a whirlwind wedding to a handsome Frenchman and finds herself the chef/owner of the Hotel Riviera, a gemlike retreat snuggled up against the blue Mediterranean. In their first blissful year as newlyweds, her life seems to be a dream come true. But then charming Patrick Laforet disappears one day with nothing more than a wave goodbye...

...until real romance beckoned on France's Cote d'Azur!
Six months later, Jack Ferrar, an American expatriate living on his boat, drops anchor in Lola's harbor and teaches her the true meaning of attraction. Lola is very attracted yet wary. Is he another rogue, or a man to be trusted? When various shady people-all claiming ownership of the Hotel Riviera-and the police appear, Lola and Jack have to track down the mysterious Patrick. And along the way, they fall in love. With great food, wonderful sensuality, and lush scenery, Elizabeth Adler holds you under her spell and transports you to one of the most romantic places on earth.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Adler is well known for her charming stories of modern romance. In Summer in Tuscany (2002) and The Last Time I Saw Paris (2001), she solidified her reputation as a writer of lovely characters and lovely settings, and her newest novel does not disappoint. Adler even goes one step further in this novel of love and intrigue on the coast of France, writing with great skill about food in the story of Lola and her rapscallion husband, Patrick, who together own a small hotel-restaurant. Patrick has disappeared, turning Lola into a suspect and a target for a nasty woman claiming to be Patrick's lover, and leaving her in danger of losing her hotel. With the help of Miss N, one of Lola's longtime guests, and Jack, a sailor who appears at just the right moment, Lola must figure out what has happened to Patrick to save both her hotel and her own life. An endearing novel that manages to be light and languid in mood yet fast-paced, it should appeal to readers who enjoy Raffaella Baker. Neal Wyatt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Fans of contemporary romance with a touch of suspense will take much delight
with a trip to the Riviera."-Under the Covers

"Adler is well known for her charming stories of modern romance...an endearing novel."
-Booklist

"Adler throws in enough twists and turns to make things interesting and keep the reader turning pages...[she] transports one immediately to the French Riviera and paints an enchanting picture of the Cote d'Azur...If you're looking for a novel to take you away from it all...this is the one for you!" -Bookreporter.com

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312994796
• ISBN-13: 978-0312994792
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 3.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elizabeth Adler is a self-confessed romantic, a travel addict and a foodie, all of which she brings to the reader in her novels, along with a tough thrust of suspense and an unfolding mystery that keeps you on your toes. Elizabeth has lived in many countries and when she's not writing spends time discovering even more places to bring to you, with her husband, Richard - still in love after all these years - as are the characters featured in her past three novels, Mac Reilly the Malibu PI and Sunny Alvarez, his lover and side kick. You have to read about them to know them! Elizabeth lives in California and has the ability to take you to all those romantic places she knows so well, Capri, Venice, Tuscany, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, and of course, Malibu. You will feel you are there, with her, sitting on that Italian terrace, sipping that coffee, smelling the delicious food, savoring the heat and the sunshine and the mystery unfolding for you. Elizabeth is five-three and wishes she were taller, blind as a bat without her glasses that anyway she is too vain to wear, and at 128 lbs till thinking about that diet. She has one daughter, Anabelle who is married to rock musician Eric Avery and two kitties, the Siamese, Sweet Pea who rules the household, and an adorable black cat Sunny.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Characters and settings that enchant!, September 18, 2003

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Hotel Riviera (Hardcover)

Elizabeth Adler has once again created a story that vividly transports its reader to an exotic site allowing one to believe they've actually visited. "The Hotel Riviera", an aging eight room villa, sits nestled on a sandy beach near Saint Tropez. Its proprietor and chef, Lola Laforet, quietly caters to the needs of her small but adoring group of guests while her personal life unravels. Her husband, Patrick, has gone missing and the police suspect her of offing him. Several unscrupulous people have approached her claiming to be owed large sums from her missing husband and seeking ownership of her beloved Hotel Riviera. Just when she thinks things can be no worse help comes in the form of an enigmatic but handsome drifter and sailor who has dropped anchor in her bay. Jack Farrar seems too good to be true but he is always there when Lola needs him, and along with her assorted guests they tackle the problem of finding Patrick and saving the Hotel Riviera.

Adler skillfully develops her plot and characters, slowly revealing small histories and traits until you find you have grown thoroughly attached and entirely too fond of them. It is almost as if you are leaving friends when the story has ended, but the trip is truly worthwhile.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars delightful contemporary romance, September 3, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hotel Riviera (Hardcover)

American expatriate Lola LaForet manages the eight-room HOTEL RIVIERA located near St. Tropez, France. She also cooks for her guests, many of whom are repeat customers. Six years ago she married Patrick before learning he was a womanizer who enjoyed the nightlife. Six months ago, Patrick left to buy Lola a birthday present, but never returned home.

Lola looks out to the sea only to see a naked male with a beautiful woman on his sloop, the Bad Dog. The nude hunk, Jack Farrar realizes that a beautiful voyeur has been ogling him. Unable to resist he comes to the Hotel Riviera to meet his peeping Tomato. From that first encounter, he and Lola quickly find they are very attracted to one an another and begin to fall in love. However, the police find Patrick's abandoned vehicle and believe that Lola killed him.

Though the intrigue involving Patrick is fun to follow, readers visiting the HOTEL RIVIERA will enjoy the romantic relationship between the lead duo told in the first person. The cast is a sound substantial group that provides further insight into the prime pair especially guests at the hotel. Fans of a contemporary romance with a relatively late touch of suspense will take much delight with a trip to the Riviera.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lot of Vacation for Your Buck, March 8, 2004

By 

Mamalinde "mamalinde" (Dallas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hotel Riviera (Hardcover)

Where else but in the wonderful world of books can you escape the wintry world and stay in an intimate hotel on the coast of France, where the sun shines and the moon glows over the cove? The guests might arrive by dinghy, or motorcycle or more conventional transportation. Lola, transplanted American hostess welcomes her guests and treats them to culinary wonders each evening on the terrace over looking the shimmering sea. But all is not well at the Hotel Riveria, Lola's husband Patrick having disappeared without a trace and the police (who were initially reluctant to investigate the missing husband) are now eyeing Lola suspiciously. Add to this a Queenly British guest, a naked man from an anchored sloop, a greedy millionaire on an enormous yacht, and a sleek and sexy "childhood friend" of the missing husband - as well as a couple of loving pets and the formula moves from languid vacation to international intrigue. A delightful escape/fairy tale and an author who knows how to bring a beautiful painting to life.