H.L. Day’s With One Kiss is the second book in her Paris Tales series, and the follow up to Never Too Late, which came out earlier this year. That story introduced us to Laurent Dupont, the laconic, witty, big-hearted (although call him that last one to his face and he’d probably kill you) Frenchman who befriended Finn Prescott after Finn fled to Paris to take up a new job and try to mend his broken heart. I said in my review of Never Too Late that I hoped Laurent – who is one of those characters who just leapt off the page and stole most of the scenes he was in! – would get his own book at some point, so I was delighted when the author announced this sequel a few months back. With One Kiss is a charming and funny opposites-attract / bi-awakening romance – and I always enjoy watching someone as suave and self-possessed as Laurent being (metaphorically) knocked on his arse by love.

Laurent has agreed to cat-sit Quasimodo (the stray cat who adopted Finn in the previous book) while Finn and his boyfriend Cillian are on holiday, and he’s just let himself in to the flat on this particular day when alarm bells start ringing. There are things around the place that shouldn’t be there; a towel draped over the sofa, an unwashed plate on the coffee table and the security alarm wasn’t set. His first thought is that perhaps Finn and Cillian have come back early for some reason; then he hears the shower running and makes his way to the bathroom door, slightly annoyed at the thought that they’re back and haven’t bothered to tell him – and thinking that if they’re getting it on in there, they deserve a shock. He goes inside and throws open the shower door – only to get an eyeful of the single occupant, who takes the appearance of a total stranger completely in his stride and doesn’t bat an eyelid as he continues to soap himself up. For one horrifying moment, Laurent thinks he’s staring at Cillian – then sees that despite the similarities – dark hair, blue eyes – this man is younger and leaner, and twigs that this must be the youngest King brother, Cormac. The brother Cillian doesn’t get along with and describes as the black sheep of the family.

Laurent quickly realises that Finn and Cillian don’t know that Cormac is in Paris – and that he doesn’t want them to know. He explains that he’d jumped on the Eurostar intending to make a quick visit and that he’ll be gone before they return from their holiday – and then wants to know what Laurent is doing there. Laurent, still wondering exactly what has prompted Cormac to hide away in his brother’s flat, temporarily shelves his curiosity and explains about the cat-sitting… that he’s no longer needed for. Cormac suggests he should stay anyway – they can watch a movie, have dinner, have a few drinks – and Laurent finds he just can’t say no. Cormac is clearly someone who lives life by the seat of his pants – which explains why he and Cillian don’t get along – and honestly, there’s something refreshingly different about Cormac that intrigues him.

Cormac does have a reason for his unannounced trip to Paris, but it’s not something he wants to share, especially not with someone he just met, no matter how much he likes Laurent’s deadpan humour and take-no-shit attitude. A couple of days after their first meeting, he invegles Laurent into showing him around some of the interesting, non-touristy parts of Paris, then invites himself to dinner, and the pair of them basically spend all Laurent’s free (non-working) time together over the next few days. Laurent is great company and Cormac likes him a great deal; he’s having such a good time, in fact, that he decides to extend his stay, even though it will mean Finn and Cillian finding out he’s been staying in their guest room and that Laurent knew about it and didn’t say anything. When Cillian reams him out for being irresponsible – yet again – Cormac tells his brother that the reason he’s staying in Paris is that he and Laurent are seeing each other and he wants to get to know him better – and hopes like hell that Laurent will be willing to go along with the charade.

Laurent doesn’t know what he’s going to do. There’s no way Finn and Cillian will believe he and Cormac are a couple, and while he can’t deny that he’s attracted to Cormac, the man is straight and that way lies misery. But then Cormac suggests that getting one over on his uptight brother could be fun… and Laurent finds he’s not exactly averse to that idea.

Okay, so most fake-dating scenarios are a bit screwy and this one is no exception, but the author has a lot of fun with it and does a fabulous job of developing a lovely slow(ish) burn romance which gives Cormac the time to realise he’s not as straight as he’d thought and that he is genuinely and very strongly attracted to Laurent. They have fantastic chemistry and their teasing, snarky banter is superb – that they are both delighted at having found someone who can give as good as they get and keep up with them absolutely shines through.

Beneath the sexual tension and verbal sparring, however, are two men with emotional baggage. Laurent’s father started drinking heavily during his mother’s final illness, and became alcohol dependent after she died – which was several years ago now – and Laurent is full of conflicting emotions. He loves his dad (even if he doesn’t like him very much any more) and is scared for him, but also he’s resentful and frustrated – he’s taken out bank loans to pay for rehab that never stuck – and angry at having effectively lost his father as well; he wants to help, but doesn’t know how. Laurent freely admits that his experiences with his dad have changed him, that he’s built an emotional wall around himself and carefully controls which parts of himself he lets people see as a way of protecting himself from being so badly hurt again.

For a long time, Cormac has known his oldest brother doesn’t think much of him because of their very different approaches to life and Cillian’s narrow criteria for what constitutes success. So he’s given up on Cillian ever thinking he’s worthy and seeks out his own version of happiness, doing new things, visiting new places and embracing spontaniety, showing his big brother he doesn’t care what he thinks of him. He’s only twenty-three so I suppose his ‘I’m never going to change’ attitude is understandable, but as the story progresses, he realises that he is changing, that change is natural and necessary and that maybe he doesn’t hate it, especially as it’s brought him something he hadn’t even known he’d been looking for in the form of a handsome, sarcastic Frenchman.

I utterly adored Laurent – I’m a sucker for dry wit and deadpan humour – and I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, although there are a couple of things that didn’t quite work for me. I could have done without Cormac’s obsessive ex, but as she’s the one who sends him running to Paris I suppose it would have been odd had that storyline just been left hanging and unresolved. And I’m not sure if Cormac’s unorthodox way of forcing Laurent and his father to talk to each other is cruel or inspired – even though the outcome is a positive one.

In the end though, this is one of those stories where the characters are so engaging and their romance so delightful that those are minor niggles. With One Kiss is warm and funny and joyous, and has earned a place on my keeper shelf.