About the book:The quest for a stolen perfume formula awakens passion, rivalry and family secrets in the fragrant flower fields of the South of France...
Perfumer Zoe Flore travels to Grasse, perfume capital of the world, to collect a formula: her inheritance from the family she never knew existed. The scent matches the one worn by her mother, who passed away when Zoe was a teenager. Zoe, competing to create a new fragrance for a prestigious designer, believes this scent could win the contract—and lead her to the reason her mother fled Grasse for New York City.
Before Zoe can discover the truth, the formula is stolen. And she’s not the only one looking for it. So is Loulou, her rebellious teenage cousin; Philippe, her alluring competitor for the fragrance contract; and a third person who never wanted the formula to slip into the public in the first place.
The pursuit transforms into a journey of self-discovery as each struggles to understand the complexities of love, the force of pride and the meaning of family.
I will be honest and state that this novel took me far longer to finish than it should have. I kept putting it down and picking it up. I don't know if it didn't grasp my attention enough or if it was just where I am in life and what I have going on.
Zoe Flore travels to France when her aunt dies and leaves her the treasured perfume formula of the scent her mother always wore. Knowledge of the inheritance brings Zoe a family she never knew existed. A family who still resents that her mother left France and whose secrets they aren't willing to share. When the formula is stolen, Zoe discovers some answers and more questions as she searches for who took it.
I can't say I really connected with characters here. None of them experience much happiness nor do they find joy in life. Instead there is anger, betrayal and disloyalty. As Zoe attempts to recreate the formula even as she searches for it, I think she eventually finds some closure, but it's not an inherently happy story.
I loved the perfume aspects of the story. So fascinating to read about the process of creating scents, but also the rivalry that can occur between perfume families and manufacturers. This is as much a story about family as it is about perfume.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book. You can learn more about Adria J. Cimino here. You can purchase your own copy here.
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3/5 Stars
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