Toast of Tokyo

by Heather Hallman

Japan, 1900: As the owner of La France Boutique, Marcelle fights to be one of the finest French dressmakers in Tokyo, yet when Nobuyuki Koide opens his stylish new department store, Marcelle’s sure that behind all his traditional Japanese charm and entrepreneurial skill lurks a design thief who’s playing dirty and intends to unravel everything she’s worked for.

Torn Apart at the Seams

With all her skill at her fingertips, and funded by a secret benefactor, Marcelle Renaud puts everything she owns into a modest French dressmaking boutique in Tokyo. She works hard blending Japanese traditional style with the exotic taste of France, and it's getting her noticed. She needs little by way of support. She enjoys being self-sufficient, and with her shop as her focus, a love interest stands no chance of getting close to her heart.

Nobuyuki Koide returns from London and uses running his stylish new Ginza Boulevard department store to keep his parents from forcing him to marry and become the latest toast of Tokyo’s elite. Having tasted London and beyond, he wants to move with the times, especially when it comes to choosing a wife.

When Marcelle calls him out for attempting to bankrupt her boutique, he thinks he’s met his match in all ways that matter. But first he needs to convince her he’s not a design thief out to threaten her livelihood or her independence.

Except, there's the matter of the brick that was thrown through her boutique window.

Marcelle believes her troubles concern only her and Nobuyuki. But in 1900 Japan, a French woman who's embroiled in both love and business with a Japanese man has far more complications than she can imagine.

5 Star Reviews

An Incredible Read
yes

This novel pulled me right out of myself, and transported me to 1900 Japan - a place and time I never really thought much about before, but am now fascinated by. The prose is gorgeous, the plot riveting, the characters beautifully drawn, and the romance has all the feels, and just the right amount of steam.

The other thing I really loved about this book is the sensuality of Hallman’s writing. The food, the kimono silks, the colors of the autumn leaves, the smells and sounds. You really do feel like you’re there, living this book with the characters.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who reads historical romance, or historical fiction. It’s an incredible read!