Set amidst Paris' timeless beauty, I'll Take Paris is a novel about a journalist's journey into self, love and the true meaning of freedom. Chérie gives up her luscious L.A. life to start fresh once again in Paris, the city of her dreams and where, in her early 20s, she once called home. Her tempestuous decision to pack up in search of new horizons iis also in honor of a promise she made herself back in her 20s: If she wasn't married with kids by the time she hit 40, she vowed she would return to the City of Lights and this time really give it her all. With the US economy in shambles and everyone she knows in foreclosure, the late 2000s offer a good excuse for her to honor her vow in search of a new lease on life and gainful employment. Shortly after landing in Paris, Chérie, a film industry veteran and refugee, lands a plum writing assignment for the world-renowned Fodommer's guidebook. Her new declared passions, food, wine and the luxury life, are tailor-made for this kind of writing assignment. Before she knows it, Chérie finds herself wining and dining her way through Paris, one of the gastronomic capitals of the world and the country whose wines have written history. Luckily, for her, it's all on her guidebook writing expense account dime. At the same time she adeptly wrangles a PR consulting job for one of the first boutique hotel chains looking to go green in the city. Chérie is only too pleased to leverage her film industry ties to offer prestigious exposure to the elegant boutique hotels in Western Paris positioning themselves as the pioneer sustainable luxury hotels in Paris. Of course, food and wine aren't the only things that satisfy a woman's hunger. Chérie soon turns her attention with gusto on the assortment of fine men she encounters in this international capital, only too ready to close the chapter on her L.A. ex, the one who was never quite ready to commit. One of the glorious things - besides the intriguing men she encounters - that Chérie learns while exploring Paris through the magnifying glass of travel guidebook writing is that French wines are even better when paired properly with French food. Hence, exquisite food and wine pairings, and by natural selection, exquisite life pairings, become Chérie's guiding principle in her new exciting life adventure that is now Paris, the timeless, enchanting City of Lights.
About the Author: Paige Donner is the Paris Travel Expert for USA Today/ 10BEST. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii, Manoa. After working and living in Los Angeles for 15 years, pursuing a career as a screenwriter and filmmaker, she returned to Paris in 2010. In addition to her travel writing, she has launched two APPs so far, Paris Food And Wine and Bordeaux Food And Wine, with more on the way. Learning about French wines has taught her an immense amount about French culture, French history, the regions of France and French people. So much so that she realizes profoundly that she has only just begun to scratch the surface on these very nuanced subjects. Above everything else in the world, she loves her dog, Idéale, a canine who wholly lives up to her name.