Little Pink Taxi by Marie Laval
Rosalie Heart is a well-known face in Irlwick – well, if you drive a bright pink taxi and your signature style is a pink anorak, you’re going to draw a bit of attention! But Rosalie’s company Love Taxis is more than just a gimmick – for many people in the remote Scottish village, it’s a lifeline.
Which is something that Marc Petersen will never understand. Marc’s ruthless approach to business doesn’t extend to pink taxi companies running at a loss. When he arrives in Irlwick to see to a new acquisition – Raventhorn, a rundown castle – it’s apparent he poses a threat to Rosalie’s entire existence; not just her business, but her childhood home too.
On the face of it Marc and Rosalie should loathe each other, but what they didn’t count on was somebody playing cupid …
While the adorable cover and title give an obvious clue about what to expect within the narrative, I discovered Little Pink Taxi goes above and beyond what I expected within the pages.
The gentleman Rosalie Heart collects from the airport to drive to Raventhorn is a mystery. He's tall with a French accent and has come to visit Geoff who unfortunately isn't available to greet his guest. It doesn't take long to discover Marc Petersen now owns the only real home she's ever had, along with the taxi company she established and runs. With a threat of not only losing her home but her job, she's not happy to be playing host to the new owner. However, he soon becomes her protector as someone from the past comes back to settle a score and a mystery needs solving too.
Visiting to assess the run-down estate his father bought before his tragic death, Marc Petersen hopes his trip to Irlwick in the frozen North of Scotland is quick and uneventful. Only, as soon as he arrives, his plans have already gone to pot. Collected from the airport by a pretty, chatty young woman who is not only wearing pink but driving a pink coloured taxi, it's the beginning of what turns out to be a life-changing trip full of discovery.
I enjoyed the contrast between Rosalie's effervescent personality and Marc's resolute one. They appear as opposites but as events and presumptions from the past come to the surface, they find a common bond, mutual respect and love. The backdrop is the snowy Highlands with a warm community spirit supplied by an eclectic bunch of small-town folk. They provide a light-hearted contrast to the bumpy road the protagonists' developing relationship travels along.
Ms Laval has written a captivating and engaging novel full of humour. The narrative layered with light-hearted banter between the characters, the depiction of The Highlands, the local "crimes", and the folklore surrounding Raventhorn. The highlight and what I enjoyed the most was the mystery element and how the history of Raventhorn and Marc's Danish heritage are connected. I appreciated this even more because I'm familiar with the area and could easily relate them to descriptions of the places mentioned in Denmark.
The gentleman Rosalie Heart collects from the airport to drive to Raventhorn is a mystery. He's tall with a French accent and has come to visit Geoff who unfortunately isn't available to greet his guest. It doesn't take long to discover Marc Petersen now owns the only real home she's ever had, along with the taxi company she established and runs. With a threat of not only losing her home but her job, she's not happy to be playing host to the new owner. However, he soon becomes her protector as someone from the past comes back to settle a score and a mystery needs solving too.
Visiting to assess the run-down estate his father bought before his tragic death, Marc Petersen hopes his trip to Irlwick in the frozen North of Scotland is quick and uneventful. Only, as soon as he arrives, his plans have already gone to pot. Collected from the airport by a pretty, chatty young woman who is not only wearing pink but driving a pink coloured taxi, it's the beginning of what turns out to be a life-changing trip full of discovery.
I enjoyed the contrast between Rosalie's effervescent personality and Marc's resolute one. They appear as opposites but as events and presumptions from the past come to the surface, they find a common bond, mutual respect and love. The backdrop is the snowy Highlands with a warm community spirit supplied by an eclectic bunch of small-town folk. They provide a light-hearted contrast to the bumpy road the protagonists' developing relationship travels along.
Ms Laval has written a captivating and engaging novel full of humour. The narrative layered with light-hearted banter between the characters, the depiction of The Highlands, the local "crimes", and the folklore surrounding Raventhorn. The highlight and what I enjoyed the most was the mystery element and how the history of Raventhorn and Marc's Danish heritage are connected. I appreciated this even more because I'm familiar with the area and could easily relate them to descriptions of the places mentioned in Denmark.
To sum up, an entertaining novel laced with a hidden charm and an intriguing plot. A fabulous read for any time of the year.
***arc generously received courtesy of Choc Lit via NetGalley***
***arc generously received courtesy of Choc Lit via NetGalley***
Originally from Lyon in France, Marie now lives in Lancashire with her family. She works full-time as a modern languages teacher, and in her spare times loves writing romance and dreaming about romantic heroes. She writes both historical and contemporary romance, and her historical romance The Lion’s Embrace won the Gold Medal at the Global eBook Awards 2015 (category Historical Romance). She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. Her native France, as well as her passion for history and research, very much influences her writing, and all her novels have what she likes to call ‘a French twist’!
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MarieLaval1
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