What is French for falling in love? When Del leaves small town America to compete in a perfume competition in Paris, she thinks it is just the next step on her five-year-plan. It’s an exciting opportunity. What started out as just a dream for Del and her twin sister is nearly in her grasp. If she wins this competition, they are on their way to opening their very own perfume boutique! Arriving in … boutique!
Arriving in Paris, watching the sun glinting off the Seine and wandering the Champs-Elysees, Del discovers the most perfect perfumery she’s ever seen. Yet, as the competition dawns Del realises that whilst she might have had the best nose in her small village, her competitors seem to know more than she could ever have dreamed. This competition isn’t going to be easy…
Del has the romance of Paris to sweep her away from her worries, but as the competition heats up, so does her desire for that which she cannot have! If only the dashing owner Sébastien didn’t smell so seductive, look so handsome and make her heart flutter like it never has before. They say love smells as sweet as a red rose in bloom, but Del would tell anyone that true love can’t be bottled – it’s beautiful and unique to everyone…even herself. With everything on the line for her future, can Del really let a little attraction get in the way of securing her dreams?
Praise for The Little Perfume Shop Off the Champs-Elysees:
‘I absolutely loved everything to do with this book’ Rachel Gilbey
‘Absolutely fantastic book, had me hooked from the first page. Full of anticipation, a real page turner. Loved it!’ Nerys Minney
‘In short, this is a fabulous book. In reading I was transported somewhere almost magical’ Sandra W
‘The Little Perfume Shop off the Champs-Elysees, was worth waiting for. It’s got magic, sparkle, twinkling lights of Paris and above all, a copious amount of LOVE!’
more
THE LITTLE PERFUME SHOP OFF THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES by Rebecca Raisin made me smile. A lot! Her knowledge (and evident research) of perfume is extraordinary and makes for a delightful read. That, and the romance that pulled me in from the get-go. I highly recommend this book!
My heart is now lost in the clouds of perfume dreams in this little shop off the Champs-Elysee, the lovely disruptive nature of this author leaves you right there wanting to be among the contestants creating their perfumes, the characters add a quirky humor to the story line that keeps you entertained and the link with her Nan made me reminiscent about my own. Rebecca Raisin The Little Perfume Shop off the Champs-Élysées
I could practically plan my next vacation while reading this book! It had me hooked from the descriptions of the contestants, the business end of perfume making, and the vivid scenery and locales. As with most good books, I was so sad to see this one end.
Combine Paris, Romance and Perfume along with a competition and you have a n utterly charming read. I fell in love with this story when Del landed in Paris, literally bumped into a handsome stranger and from there the adventure began. I especially loved Sebastien with his good looks and charm he is a perfect male specimen. Del is on a mission to break away from her small town and be independent form her twin sister Jen. The perfume contest with Paris as a backdrop should be the perfect opportunity but with all of the antics of the other contestants and the complex art of perfume making may just be a bit too much. The sights, the drama of the contest and the budding romance between Del and Sebastien had me hooked and I devoured, practically inhaled this in one sitting. I loved the contest aspect of the book and all of the complexity involved in making perfume had me amazed at how much actually goes into creating a fragrance. Del is an honest, lovable, smart as a whip and sometimes clumsy lead character. The tension between Del and Sebastien had me wanting to just get them together already!
If you enjoy an honest to goodness romance with charm and a beautiful setting then you are in for a treat.
It feels like forever since I read the second book in this delightful Little Paris Collection series from Rebecca Raisin and it practically was – 2016! This is a gorgeous series, so I couldn’t wait to jump back into it, and ‘The Little Perfume Shop off the Champs-Elysees definitely didn’t disappoint!!
I was completely swept up, once again, in the romance of Paris. Rebecca certainly knows her way around the city and it shines off the page. There’s the love story between two people and then there’s the love story between Del and Paris itself. It’s hard not to be drawn into the city lights, quaint cafes and utter passion of Paris. I myself have been before but I never got to experience the city at night, or really appreciate it, which I now feel I need to do.
This is Del’s story. She’s taken a huge leap out of her comfort zone, by leaving her small hometown in America and her twin sister, to take part in a perfume competition run by the mysterious L’eclere family. Del’s worried that she might not have what it takes, especially since losing her Nan has knocked her perfume making off it’s game for a while. She’s determined to give it all she has to make her New York dreams come true. Not only does she learn a lot about herself, her sister and perfume on her Paris adventure, she also meets Sebastien and discovers that maybe her Nan was onto something about bottling a feeling and saying I love you in three different languages.
Firstly, I enjoyed reading about twins in this story and could relate to the conversations and feelings Del and Jen had very well. Of course, with Rebecca Raisin being a twin herself, the dialogue and emotions were spot on. The missing each other but also being slightly mad with each other, the constant need to text and talk to tell each other what was going on in their lives, the being scared to live their own dreams in case it meant leaving each other…story of my life!! Haha, well except the dreams part, Luc and I have always been on the same page there, well the majority of the time anyway! These little twin quirks made the book extra special for me. It was lovely to be able to truly relate to the main character. Being a twin is like nothing else and is often hard to describe, it adds a unique dimension to life, so, for that to be captured in a story i’m reading was wonderful.
I could also relate to Del’s loss and how her Nan’s death made her lose a little of her spark for perfumery. Loss is a huge thing, that never really goes away. The way in which Rebecca kept Del’s Nan alive in spirit and wrote about the feelings of being watched over and guided were heartwarming. It literally wrapped a warm, comforting glow round the whole story and gave it an extremely powerful sense of love. To me, that’s what Grandparents are all about; unconditional love and I could feel that in abundance. If I were to bottle love like Del and her Nan wanted to do, it would smell like my Nanna and Grandad’s house, freshly brewed coffee and Pandoro cake!
From the love story, to the descriptions of Paris, to the competition itself, ‘The Little Perfume Shop off the Champs-Elysee’s,’ had me hooked. I was incredibly impressed with all the perfume concoctions. Reading about the perfume process and what elements go into perfumes was fascinating and reminded me of a Hallmark movie I saw last year – Love Blossoms. I love reading stories that teach me things, even if I don’t remember every detail, I feel happy knowing I could remember at least one thing that would be helpful in a general knowledge quiz!
‘The Little Perfume Shop off the Champs-Elysees,’ was worth waiting for. It’s got magic, sparkle, twinkling lights of Paris and above all, a copious amount of LOVE! Be whisked away on a beautiful adventure and pick up a copy today!
1.5 stars
Once again Rebecca Raisin is tone deaf when it comes to how her characters speak. Del (the main character) is from Michigan yet uses the word torch for flashlight and her sister Jen ends sentences with the Brit/Aussie “yeah.” For example, “Keep the faith, yeah?” No one from Michigan speaks like that. Hell I’d give you “keep the faith, aye?” if you said they were from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan because a lot of those folks sound Canadian but no, your MC sounds like a Brit/Aussie when she is supposedly American. AGAIN.
Dear Lord Rebecca! Please just make your characters British or Australian so they sound natural when they speak! Your editors should catch this even if you don’t, shame on them.
I’m mad now that I bought a few other RR books before I read this and Winter at Cedarwood Lodge (also COMPLETELY TONE DEAF!) but at least I got them on sale.
And lastly we pretty much get the Cliff Notes for The Little Antique Shop Under the Eiffel Tower in one chapter so no need to read that now, yay! Except I already own (see above) it so $ wasted.
I love anything set in Paris and this book references many familiar places. The science of scents and perfumery were quite interesting. The characters were well developed and the ending was satisfactory. An enjoyable read.
Just a fun book for summertime reading.
What a wonderful way to spend a rainy day! Another great book by Rebecca Raisin! If you have not read her other books you are missing out.
Unusual story and very interesting. Well written.
An entertaining read set in Paris. Purely enjoyable!
Not as good as the other books in this series but still enjoyable to read.