A bag of books was given to me by a neighbour. This is one of them.

This is the first time I have read a DS book since the early 1970s and this time only because it was a freebie! I think Danielle Steele is living in a time warp and is still stuck in that era. She certainly doesn't believe in doing research that's for sure. I can only suppose she used a lot of poetic licence so she could churn out a silly romance for her target audience.

The book was first published in 2015 but I can only assume she must have conjured it up from unpublished archives because none of it rings true. Firstly the female protagonist Ariana (once she has arrived in Paris) is seduced by the cuteness of a puppy for sale in a pet shop and decides to buy it. Is that even legal in this day and age??? Even in France??? And when she travels to England with the male protagonist Marshall Everett (who phones ahead to a Scotland Yard friend, stating they should arrive in London within five hours. Are they kidding???? From Paris???). It takes them "several hours" to reach Coquelles near Calais where Marshall then makes a reservatio to get the shuttle to Folkestone!!!!!! Well that's got to be a minor miracle. Folkestone is no longer a ferry port and hasn't been since the early 1990s!!! And the Sea Cat only ever travelled from Folkestone to Boulogne anyway. The ferry travel from Calais would then take 90 minutes (that's once you've waited an hour at least to get on the boat) and then you would have the arduous journey into the city.

But heh ho, it's only a story. It was all very far fetched and cheesy but I gave it 6 points because the ludicrousness of the plot kept me entertained. Not laughed so much in ages.

Book left on a rock in one of the caves