For Nicole Larson, the Christmas season in Paris is more than just a romantic interlude—it’s also a homecoming. Nic studied abroad in Paris a year ago, and is back in town with her friend Annike to spend Christmas and New Year’s in the City of Light. Of course, now that Nic is there, the chemistry she once had with Parisian hottie Luc instantly reignites. But why fuel a romance that has only three weeks to survive? Nic would rather spend time with her new buddy Mike . . . until it becomes clear that Mike is also interested in being more than just friends. With a backdrop of twinkling lights on the Champs-Elysées and Parisian Christmas carols, it’s going to be difficult for Nic to deny the romance around her. . . .

Nicole is a taking a year off between high school and college to trot the globe. It's Christmastime and she's re-visiting Paris, the place where she stayed for a study-abroad program during high school and had a flirtatious relationship with Parisian native Luc. With the holiday magic in the air and her friends constantly teasing her, it seems difficult for Nicole to decide whether or not she should pursue having a more-than-just-friends relationship with Luc.

This book was at a used book sale I was working, and I ended up not being able to resist the appeal of a book set in my favorite city on Earth, even though I am not the biggest fan of romance novels (to say the least). The description on the book was perhaps not the most revealing nor did I realize when I picked it up that it was part of a series. So I was unawares that the main characters would be 18 and 19 years old, thinking instead it was about people in the early to mid-20s (granted, still younger than me, but at least a little closer within my age range). That already put me at a disadvantage to getting into this book, combined with the (too predictable) saccharine romantic plot.

At least this book did have characters that had a little more to their characterizations than some other romance novels I read, and the characters also worry about other things beyond just romantic relationships - career choices and life goals being a major one (unsurprisingly, given the age of the characters). Because of my own personality type, I found it a bit unsettling that Nicole chooses to turn down the steadfast guy who is interested in her and with whom she has a real shot at having a long-term relationship in favor of the unpredictable and overly flirty (with everyone) fellow who she doesn't know if she'll see again after the holidays are over, but I respect her decision-making process. Also, again given the age of the protagonists, I'm kind of glad the young female lead doesn't look like she's settling down for life but instead is learning to embrace the moment.

The other major plus to this book was all the descriptions of Parisian culture, especially during the holidays. (It made me long to visit Paris at Christmastime!) In addition, because Nicole is meeting up with other study-abroad students from all over the world, there is a great deal of talk about other cultures as well. Readers may actually learn a French phrase or two from reading this book as well as some holiday traditions from places like Sweden and Russia, to name a couple.

The writing style of this book is bit difficult to describe. It is certainly fairly simplistic and even a bit redundant at times. But it's less a redundancy of repeating the same lines over and over again as it is a habit of laying out the whole situation precisely again and again so that there is no guessing room for the reader. It's a bit patronizing, as though the presumably younger audience intended for this book can't connect the dots. Still, it made for an easy read that was perfect for the beach, which was exactly how I read it. ( )

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

FRENCH KISSMAS is another installment of the Students Across the Seven Seas series.

Nicole Larson is going to spend the holiday season in Paris. The previous year she studied in Paris and enjoyed her time there immensely. She had a great host family. She made a wonderful friend. And she had romantic chemistry with Luc. But knowing she wasn't staying in Paris permanently, she made Luc know that they could only ever be friends. They lived too far apart.

Nicole and her friend, Annike, are among a handful of past S.A.S.S. students who have come to Paris to assist in filming a promotional video for the program. They meet some new people, including Mike, who is also from America. The filming keeps them all busy, but they still manage to see some nightlife.

Luc wants to be more than friends, but Nicole is constantly keeping him at a distance. On the other hand, Mike is trying to worm his way into Nicole's heart. Nicole explains to both suitors that she just wants to be friends. Her head is being rationale that she just needs friends, but her heart is trying to tell her something else...about Luc.

This is a sweet, romantic read. Set in a sparkling city during a festive time of the year, readers will fall in love with Paris. They'll also enjoy the misadventures that befall Nicole as she tries to convince herself that she can remain just friends with both of the cute boys. ( )