Review: The Book of Lost Fragrances by MJ Rose

The Book of Lost Frgrances by MJ Rose

Publisher: Atria Books

Pages: 384

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  A sweeping and suspenseful tale of secrets, intrigue, and lovers separated by time, all connected through the mystical qualities of a perfume created in the days of Cleopatra—and lost for 2,000 years. 

Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by the past, her memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up surrounded by as the heir to a storied French perfume company. In order to flee the pain of those remembrances—and of her mother’s suicide—she moves to America, leaving the company in the hands of her brother Robbie. But when Robbie hints at an earth-shattering discovery in the family archives and then suddenly goes missing—leaving a dead body in his wake—Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind. 

Back in Paris to investigate her brother’s disappearance, Jac discovers a secret the House of L’Etoile has been hiding since 1799: a scent that unlocks the mysteries of reincarnation. The Book of Lost Fragrances fuses history, passion, and suspense, moving from Cleopatra’s Egypt and the terrors of revolutionary France to Tibet’s battle with China and the glamour of modern-day Paris. Jac’s quest for the ancient perfume someone is willing to kill for becomes the key to understanding her own troubled past.





Kritters Thoughts:  An adventure thriller that was a roller coaster that you didn't want to end.  From the beginning, the reader meets Jac L'Etoile who is the daughter of a long line of professional perfumers.  She has left the family business and her brother is left trying to continue it on without her "nose."  


At the same time as the reader is trying to figure out where this storyline is going, there is another one running at the same time that centers around Tibet and a political fight they are having with China as they are denied their theory of reincarnation.  People are being kidnapped and somehow these two storylines will intersect.


This book takes the reader on a trip through a few countries and there is quite a load of characters, but I was never lost or confused.  The writing was effortless which makes it more than just a piece of fiction.  


I would absolutely recommend this to the readers who love a little challenge to their reading.  It took quite awhile for the roads to intersect, but when they did it was magic.  This author effortlessly twisted this story into one big masterpiece.   






Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Media Muscle.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.