From Reviewers’ Choice Book of the Year nominee and bestselling author Laura Florand:
Ruthless. That was what they said about Damien Rosier. Handsome. Wealthy. Powerful. Merciless. No one messed with his family, because to do so they would have to get through him. No one thought he had a heart. Not even the woman he gave his to.
Cynical. That was what they said about Jasmin Bianchi. A top … Bianchi. A top perfumer of her generation, Jess had achieved commercial success by growing a protective shell over a tender heart. The one time she cracked it open to let Damien in, he crushed it—after a night of unbelievable passion.
Lovers. That one magical night couldn’t survive the harsh light of dawn. When Jess woke up to discover the man in bed beside her had stolen her company, she fled.
Enemies. Now she’s come to the south of France with something of his. If he wants to reclaim both his family heritage and the woman who walked away from him, he’s going to have to fight as dirty as only Damien can.
But Jess knows how to fight dirty, too. And these days, she has nothing left to lose.
Certainly not her heart.
Come explore the south of France, a world of heat and fragrance and tales as old as time, through the stories of the five powerful Rosier cousins and the women who win their hearts. A Wish Upon Jasmine, book two in Florand’s addictive new series, La Vie en Roses. “Explosive, sensual, and utterly sweet” (Eloisa James).
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So this book made me really, really want to move to France ASAP. A Wish Upon Jasmine is the second book in the La Vie en Roses series, about a family of perfumers set in Grasse, the Rosiers. A hardy lot, courageous, ambitious, honorable and these are just the grandparents. The five heirs to the kingdom as they say doesn’t fall far from the tree. The qualities that make Laura Florand’s books stand is still there, lyrical prose, the palpable love for the region, that indomitable spirit of her characters. But the flaws of Jess and Damien, the leads of the story, are more apparent so there would be moments that resonate as real. Its a definite must read for both fans and contemporary romance readers.
Reading a Laura Florand novel is like savoring a piece or dark chocolate or sipping a glass of wine slowly. She has a way with words, a build up of sensuality, a seductive dance between the main couple that has me sighing, and always wanting more. So is the case of A Wish Upon Jasmine. The second book in the La Vie en Roses series is delicious, even though perfume is front and center, although succulent dates make their mark. This is Damien’s story, and the suffering he goes through as a woman from his past he has never forgotten shows up and causes him pain, not because she vindictive, but because he fell for her hard and she thought he used her for a one night stand and then stole her company out from under her feet. There’s a lot of miscommunication between Damien and Jasmin, the woman he aches for, but their anger and hurt toward one another makes for a long journey for both as they lick their wounds and try to heal from the pain both has caused one another. The outcome is the ultimate reward because these two are combustible together.
There is a lot of anger and almost hate between these two. Jasmin is still very much attracted to Damien even though she can’t stand him. Damien acts all high and mighty and cold and snooty, but as she gets to know his family and how he was like when he was younger, she sees a different side to him. Damien never meant to use Jasmin so callously. He has to make her believe he never meant to hurt her. He wants her trust again, including the perfume she’s making him so he has some special by her that she created only for him and no other man. Eventually the walls they both placed around their hearts crumble and they find out the truth about their night together and the events that follow. These events give Jasmin and Damien and different opinion about one another and ever so slowly they begin to heal one another with the help of Damien’s cousins and other relatives.
Jasmin and Damien’s attraction is so palatable that you can taste it. Laura purposely take her time with these two before we can get to the sexual fireworks. And when they finally go off, it’s a great payoff. She makes a great case for some outdoor nooky involving a fallen tree trunk. It may sound kinky, but it’s more tastefully erotic and satisfying.