Book review: Cygne Rouge by FV Pires

In Cygne Rouge by F.V. Pires, we follow the exploits of Mimi, a socially clumsy but lovable engineer. She enjoys her job and is well-liked there. She has close friends who love her; Tammy, her best girlfriend, and Tanner, her best gay-guy friend. She’s dating Andy, for whom she feels a vague sort of love. Mimi feels content except for a certain wanderlust longing to visit Brazil.

Pires has rather choppily broken up the story lines into three almost completely separate segments. The first third is a description of Mimi’s job and home situations. The second is an exploration into her love life where she exchanges Andy, whom she feels she “should” love, for Paolo, the exotic, foreign-born Tango instructor, with his impeccable Old World manners. The third story line discusses in depth Mimi’s accidentally falling into a lawsuit over corporate espionage. The nature of the lawsuit and its complexities are explained well by her attorney, Ned. Mimi is the lynch pin in a multi-national suit that could have a cascade effect into big money.

I liked all three plot lines and all the characters, both major and minor. The book’s title, Cygne Rouge, refers to an annual secret Balkan Tango event. Paolo is invited to be someone’s partner, so he cannot choose to take Mimi with him as a partner. During Paolo’s brief absence, Mimi is jealous and feeling abandoned, but she is also in Brazil on business, fulfilling her dream travel destination on the company’s nickel. Although this book is heavy on technical descriptions of visits to manufacturing plants, Tango dance steps, and legal machinations, the author is obviously passionate about and experienced in these things, and they are described with authority.

Amazon US link

Amazon UK link