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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Decadent Sensuality, July 1, 2007
Autumn Maguire is painting Paris red. Well, maybe more a tad blue, since her fiancé jilted her and she's used her honeymoon tickets to get there. Determined to have a good time, she answers an ad for an artist's model and discovers how awakening for the spirit it can be to pose nude, even if the artist is less than inspiring. While exploring his studio though, she discovers the self-portrait of a long dead artist and it awakens in her the passion she thought she lacked. When the clothes come off and a little wicked black magic folds in, Autumn finds herself in a most unusual situation. It's a different Paris she awakens to--the darker, naughtier side. Cue the devilish grin.
In nineteenth century Paris, Paul Borquet, a most scandalous artist at the time, discovers a wondrous Titian-haired beauty in his studio. Never so assured of a masterpiece in his life, he must paint her. And never having found so beautiful and intriguing a woman, he entertains a riveting lust for her as well. When the overwhelming influences of the sensual culture confound her, Autumn flees and entrances the sexy Paul in her wake. Concerned for her safety, he pursues. When she catches the eye of a notorious lord, it will be all he can do to assure she comes to no harm in the unfamiliar world that is the baser side of Paris.
No more than the first two chapters in, I felt the allure of Ms. Bacarr's Paris, the rich language and erotic imagery she evokes too powerful to resist. If this were chocolate, it would be whatever the richest, most decadent piece you've ever consumed is. And that, in a nutshell, is what this book is--decadent. From the studios of the famous artists to the opening days of the Moulin Rouge, Naughty Paris embodies the sexual power that the city thrived on at one time. Autumn discovers a part of herself that she never knew existed and Paul recovers a piece of himself that he'd begun to lose amongst the seedy and disreputable back streets. Bacarr's use of the paranormal element of time travel was cleverly done and the ill will surrounding Autumn and Paul because of it sent chills down my spine. Paul is a sigh-worthy hero, strong and passionate, and certainly ranks in my top ten most memorable. This was a late-night binge reading pleasure that I've since picked up more than once. Glad to see this author keeping me on my reading toes!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
well written erotic historical romance, July 5, 2007
Left at the altar by her fiancé David assumingly because she sucked at BJs and holding a nonrefundable ticket to France, a stunned Autumn Maguire decides to go on her honeymoon alone. In Paris, Autumn loves the city and responds to an artist's ad for a model as she wants to extend her stay longer. The painter asks Autumn to don a beautiful opulent red cloak which she does but cannot stop herself from staring at an old portrait that seems hauntingly familiar.
However, something strange happens as Autumn suddenly feels transformed into a sexy and sensuous goddess followed immediately by lightning. Autumn has traveled back to the late nineteenth century studio of notorious artist Paul Borquet who is willing to work with the eager Autumn, but he insists she allow him to mold her into his muse. His touch sends a fire up and down her body so she accepts all he offers, but also wonders how she traveled to 1889 and why she is hot for her painter when she was one step from being married.
As she did with THE BLONDE GEISHA, Jina Bacarr places someone out of place and time for the prime setting; this time using time travel to bring a twenty-first century female back to a late nineteenth century Left Bank studio. NAUGHTY PARIS is a well written erotic historical romance starring a debauched artist and his sexual inspiration. Paul is a terrific lead male who keeps the plot anchored in 1889 Paris while the displaced heroine "naughty" Autumn makes the tale fun with her contemporary free sex liberating the "enlightened" and bringing out the best in her artist and in Ms. Bacarr.
Harriet Klausner
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sensual Paris, September 28, 2007
I have loved time-travel stories for as long as I've read them. This one also promised erotica and an interesting subplot centered on the film Moulin Rouge. Confession: I have never seen Moulin Rouge, but I will definitely give it a whirl after reading this. Naughty Paris takes you on a sensual and adventurous journey that will keep you riveted from beginning to end, and aside from a few troubled spots (I'll get to those later), this is an awesome read and another great offering from Harlequin Spice. Autumn Maguire is a curvy thirty-four-year-old who travels to Paris after having been jilted by her fiance. After she agrees to pose nude for an artist, she encounters an old sculpture and a painting of a very handsome, well-hung man that sends her over the edge and beyond. And that is how she suddenly finds herself in 1889 Paris, fifteen years younger and much thinner, and at the mercy of Paul Borquet, an artist with an insatiable lust and a mysterious past. Their erotic journey encounters many obstacles as various villains get in their way of reaching happiness.
I enjoyed the author's strong, sassy voice and the backdrop of 1889 Paris. The setting has a campy feel to it -- like the sweeping of Borquet's cape and the over-the-top villains -- and that makes the book fun to read. There are things that must've come straight out of the film Moulin Rouge. As said earlier, I haven't watched the film, so I don't know if this is an erotic retelling of the film or what. The time travel aspect is interesting. Like most time-travel stories, some things are unclear, like *why* did Autumn travel through time, and there are some loose ends that I won't get into due to spoilers. Alas, those are things one encounters when reading this kind of book. There are some things I felt the book lacked. For instance, there isn't enough romantic tension or angst between the protagonists. There is too much emphasis on the things that happen to them that keep them from being together. One of the things I like about erotica, particularly from authors like Emma Holly, is the sexual tension mixed in with the sex scenes. There is little of that here. Autumn is too much of a damsel in distress, which bugs me, because she otherwise seems like a very intelligent, level-headed person. The erotica is more centered on words than on erotic scenes, which I would have liked to read more of. The characters spend more time talking about the things they want to do with each other instead of doing them. I would have liked more of a balance of that and actual explicit encounters. Some notes on aristocratic titles: the Duke of Malmont should not be addressed as Lord Bingman (unless that is his name, which I doubt) or "his lordship." He is the Duke of Malmont, period. And if addressed differently, he is "his grace." A marquis down to a baron are considered lords. Other than that and the loose ends, I enjoyed Naughty Paris. It is riveting, sensual and fun to read. I recommend this fun offering and I look forward to reading The Blonde Geisha.
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