Author Jan Moran
on Tour March 28-April 16 with
Scent of Triumph:
A Novel of Perfume And Passion
(historical novel)
Release date: March 31, 2015
at St. Martin’s Press
384 pages
ISBN: 9781250048905
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SYNOPSIS
Perfume is the essence of beauty, the heart of illusion, the soul of desire. It is my past, my present, my future. —from the journal of Danielle Bretancourt When French perfumer and aristocrat Danielle Bretancourt steps aboard a luxury ocean liner, leaving her son behind in Poland with his grandmother, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever. The year is 1939, and the declaration of war on the European continent soon threatens her beloved family, scattered across many countries. Traveling through London and Paris into occupied Poland, Danielle searches desperately for the remains of her family, relying on the strength of Jonathan Newell-Grey, a British shipping heir and Royal Navy officer. Finally, in the wake of unspeakable tragedy, she is forced to gather the fragments of her impoverished family and flee to America. There she vows to begin life anew, in 1940s Los Angeles. Amidst the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Danielle works her way up from meager jobs to perfumer and fashion designer. Still, personal happiness eludes her. Can her sheer force of will attract the elusive love she desires, or will it only come at the ultimate cost?
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My Review:
This was one of those books I was a little hesitant to pick up because I knew it was going to be hard to put down! From the first page I was hooked and followed Danielle's journey with a lump in my throat. I really couldn't turn pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next. There's a relax in pace when Danielle is thinking about or working with perfume and that provided a nice interesting break. I'd love to visit her family's perfumery in France with rows of roses and lavender and everything else beautifully scented. Her perfume creations made me want to pay more attention to what perfume I spritz on every morning.
While I enjoyed this book immensely there were a few flaws. Everything is heavily described and sometimes overly so. As well, a lot happens to Danielle to the point of excess. The majority of the book takes place between 1939 and 1941 and it borders on soap opera with everything that happens. Neither of these made the book any less readable or enjoyable. If you're interested in perfume or love books set in wartime this is not one to miss. Just remember, if you have a little one you may want to keep them close while reading this one!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAN MORAN is the author of Fabulous Fragrances I and II,
which earned spots on the Rizzoli Bookstore bestseller list,
and other contemporary novels,
including Flawless, Beauty Mark, and Runway.
A fragrance and beauty industry expert,
she has been featured on CNN, Instyle, and O Magazine,
and has spoken before prestigious organizations,
including The American Society of Perfumers.
She earned her MBA from Harvard Business School
and attended the University of California at Los Angeles Extension Writers’ Program.
Visit her website. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest
Subscribe to her newsletter
Discover her Vintage Perfume Guide
Go deeper with her Reader’s Discussion Guide
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Buy the book: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Apple iBooks
IndieBound | Powell’s | Books A Million | Kobo | eBooks.com | GooglePlay
***
You can enter the global giveaway here
or on any other book blogs participating in this tour.
Be sure to follow each participant on Twitter/Facebook,
they are listed in the entry form below.
Entry-Form
Visit each blogger on the tour: tweeting about the giveaway everyday of the Tour will give you 5 extra entries each time! [just follow the directions on the entry-form] Global giveaway open internationally: 1 winner will receive 1 print copy of Scent of Triumph *
BONUS OFFERED BY THE AUTHOR
– independently from this book tour –
With every purchase of Scent of Triumph,
she is offering a free ebook of Vintage Perfumes,
a nonfiction guide to the finest classic perfumes, for epub and mobi.
Just email her some proof of your purchase
(receipt, email receipt, photo of yourself with the book or ebook on your reader, etc.),
and she will send you the free ebook of Vintage Perfumes.
*
CLICK ON THE BANNER TO READ OTHER REVIEWS, EXCERPTS, GUEST-POST AND INTERVIEW
It sounds like a very interesting book! The art of creating perfume has always interested me, though I don't have the "nose" for it. I'm glad you enjoyed this!
ReplyDeleteI don't have much of a "nose" either but I do love perfume. This was definitely a page turner!
DeleteOOH I love that cover!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it gorgeous!
Deletethanks for your honest review. I like the way you managed to describe the way you could not resist reading the book, while noticing some flaws. Books can indeed be very enjoyable even if they are not perfect. Emma at FBT
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I did really enjoy this and very few books have no flaws!
DeleteThe blurb made it sound like the book could be a soap opera. It might be a fun beach read. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThere is a soap opera feel but it worked so I was happy!
DeleteHope you didn't start it at bed time. I don't know how many times I've made that "mistake". Lol
ReplyDeleteI'm not a perfume buyer/wearer. But that's an interesting subject to focus on. Like you mention, makes you think about how making perfume smells happen.
Happy reading!
Brittany @ This is the Story of My(Reading) Life
Of course it was at bedtime! Who needs sleep!
DeleteI love when a book captures my interest like that and has me paying attention to something I'd usually not give much thought to. :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't that fun! It definite made me want tearn more about perfume and the perfume houses.
DeleteSounds like something I would like. Love the cover!
ReplyDeleteIsn't the cover stunning!
DeleteHi everyone! Thought I'd stop in and say hello on the blog tour :)
ReplyDeleteReally appreciate your honest review, Katherine, and glad to know I kept you up late -- that's actually the best thing an author can hear! (Well, except for Steven Spielberg wants to make your book into a film…) Yvonne and Sheila, I really loved the cover, too, and was so excited when St. Martin's Press unveiled it. By coincidence, the designer's name is Danielle, too. The main character is actually named after a close friend's daughter. As a writer, it's so much fun creating and naming characters, and in this case, assigning fragrances to each one, too.
The perfume and fashion industries were hit so hard during World War II. Perfumer Jacques Guerlain lost a son in battle, and the perfume factory was bombed. It's a real testament to the family that we still have Shalimar, Mitsouko, L'Heure Bleue, and so many other vintage perfumes to enjoy. As I did my research, I was deeply touched and inspired by many stories of survival during WWII, especially those of women and children. I often wondered, what would I do? And from there, the story unfolded.
If anyone has questions, ask away… Happy to answer