Escape To Paris is a deeply conflicted story of ambition and betrayal. Lynn Bentley’s latest novel, captures a remarkable period of time and a love triangle between unforgettable people through the eyes of the lady at the center of the turmoil!
Washington DC 1960’s: Sherri Beauregard is a quiet twenty-eight-year-old who has all but given up on love and happiness—until she meets Mark Wilcox and her life changes forever. Following a whirlwind courtship and wedding, the pair escape to Paris. They rapidly become the golden couple in a lively and volatile group—the fabled “Paris Celebrates”—that includes Bridgette Bardot, Josephine Baker, Coco Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, Grace Kelly, Picasso and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
Though deeply in love, they are ill prepared for the hard-drinking, drug infested and fast-living life of 60’s Paris, which hardly values traditional notions of family and monogamy. Surrounded by beautiful women and competing egos, Mark develops detailed programs to launch his startup tech firm that could lead to fame and riches. Sherri becomes captivated by her career as a CIA operative who gets entangled with the Soviet author she recruited to portray the sinister intentions of Soviet leaders. Her efforts to spread an anti-communist propaganda campaign further erodes the fabric of their relationship. Events during their whirl-wind life in Paris overwhelm all the richness and intensity of his life with Sherri. Readers get the opportunity to visit hot spots in the city and surrounding countries with this flawed couple. His quest for success connects him with Sherri’s first love, Victor Landsdown.
Sherri and Victor reconnect and attempt to save her sense of self as the demands of life with Mark grow costly. Readers see her roles as wife, friend, and muse become more challenging and unsavory. In Bentley’s earlier novels A Bold Experiment and Stranger Within, the story was told as viewed by Victor and now readers will gain Sherri’s perspective. Despite their extraordinary bond, Sherri and Mark eventually find themselves facing the ultimate crisis of their marriage—deception and addiction that will lead to the unraveling of everything they’ve fought so hard to obtain.
The descent into a heartbreaking portrayal of love and torn loyalty, makes Escape To Paris all the more poignant. Sadly, Mark and Victor discover that, in the end, they would rather have done almost anything other than falling in love with Sherri.
