Sylvain Reynard is one of my favorite romance authors of all time and it's an automatic read for me whenever he publishes a new book. His romance novels are intricately written and always deliver a passionate, heartfelt and swoon-worthy romance. The Man in the Black Suit was his latest romantic suspense standalone novel and it's one of my highly anticipated releases last year but I didn't have a chance to read it. Once again, he didn't disappoint me but I have little issues with it.
Acacia Santos is a Brazilian concierge at Hotel Victoire in Paris, France. She's beautiful, well-educated, intelligent and hardworking. She's a woman with substance and class who's passionate about art and fluently speaks multiple languages. At work, she gives her best to serve and assist her clients. When her senior concierge was attacked by an unknown assailant and was brought to the hospital, she temporarily filled in his position. One day, she meets a highly valued client in black suit.
Pierre Breckman / Nicholas Cassirer is a rich and mysterious man with multiple connections. He doesn't easily trust people and values his security. He's a man on a mission to avenge his sister's death and retrieve stolen art works owned by his family and others. Supposedly, Marcel is going to assist him. Instead, he meets Acacia and he's intrigued by her beauty and wits. They had misunderstandings and both of them were equally challenged.
Acacia thought Pierre/Nicholas stole art works and tipped her ex-boyfriend who works at a law enforcement about it. Her accusations turned out false and Nicholas was free from charges. As a consequence, her supervisor demoted her. She's walking on a thin line of losing her job but she earned Nicholas's respect. He offers her to become his assistant and explained to her clearly his mission. After a while, she accepted his offer and they worked as a team.
I enjoyed the story and the characters are well developed and likable. Acacia is a strong and respectable heroine. She's headstrong throughout the novel and doesn't take advantage of other people's fortune. She wants to earn through perseverance and she stands with her beliefs and morals. I admire her genuineness and value of humanity. She enlightened Nicholas about obtaining justice in different ways and killing won't solve anything. Nicholas is a selfless, protective and noble man. He promises to bring justice to those who murdered her sister and as long as the suspects are on loose, he's not going to stop until he finds closure and peace. Both characters are complex and impressive on handling their conflicts.
I love Sylvain Reynard took his time building up the plot and romance. The romance between Acacia and Nicholas was passionate, fierce and slow burn. They opened up about their past and work on their differences and slowly earn trust with each other. Acacia's past was a subplot and it made the book more intriguing. I love the setting was incredibly detailed and atmospheric. Simply reading this book, I was taken to places I haven't visited like Paris, Santorini, Dubai, Cologny etc. Hoping one day I'll travel to these beautiful places.
Here are my minor issues with this book: The story was little prolonged and I want more thrill. I don't mind gradual paced books but for a romantic suspense, I was expecting more excitement that will give you the adrenaline rush. If you're going to ask me, this has more romance than suspense. Lackluster ending. Don't get me wrong, I'm okay and satisfied with the closure but it just fell flat. Overall, it's a greatly delivered standalone novel.