Review: A Wish Upon Jasmine by Laura Florand

A Wish Upon Jasmine (La Vie en Roses #2) by Laura Florand
Publication date: August 1st 2015
My rating: 4.5 stars 
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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 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 a threat to his family heritage. If he wants to reclaim both it 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).

My Thoughts:

Jasmin and Damien met at a party and fell hard.  A perfect, magical, dreamy night, where Jasmin thought her wish for a star came true.  Until the next morning when she figures out exactly who she fell for: Damien Rosier.  Ruthless businessman, and playboy, his reputation precedes him, and Jasmin takes in all the gossip and is shattered. This was at a very difficult time in Jasmin’s life; her father was dying, and she was so overcome by grief.  With that kind of situation, believing she was mistaken about their time together made more sense than to believe in happiness.

It was easier to believe I was an idiot than to believe something that felt so perfect could actually be true.

Jasmin is even more shattered when her perfume company is bought out from under her.  All is lost until Jasmin inherits an old perfume shop in Grasse, France, from her adoptive grandmother: Colette Delatour. A shop that’s been in the Rosier family for generations! Yes, Tante Colette is at it again!! I love all her skillful maneuvering of hearts and lives!

Of course, Damien, the family’s ruthless warrior is sent to get the shop back, and maybe get a chunk of his heart back, as well. Their shared night was earth-shattering until he woke up and Jasmin was gone.

There was so much hurt between Jasmin and Damien, because when you’ve had a taste of something that feels so darn perfect and then have it ripped away, it’s bound to leave a mark.  Or gaping hole, as the case here would be.  While there was a lot of anger, hurt and misconceptions to work through, I appreciated that once Damien and Jasmin met again in Grasse, there was no distance between them.  They fought out the battles and didn’t shut each other out, and I relished every minute!  Best of all, the time spent circling and challenging shed light and insight onto each other’s vulnerabilities and motivations. Their anger morphed into passion, understanding, relief, and hope.  The transition was utterly HOT, vibrating with sexual tension, but it was also very emotional and moving.

Just the right amount of humor balances out these powerful emotions, and I was cracking up several times! And yes, that alien photo does make another appearance!! Tristan serves up some hilarious revenge:

Tristan sighed blistfully. Remember that time all our favorite toys disappeared and we found ransom notes in their place? That’s the beauty of family. Never too late for payback.

Lol!

Laura Florand’s gorgeous writing made me feel part of the jasmine harvest, part of the sights and scents of Grasse, from the fig tree and lavender growing in Tante Colette’s back yard to the feel and smell of old stone paving the streets of the ancient town.   Most important to me, though, is the thoughts and emotions expressed in such a way that I could completely sympathize and put myself into Jasmin and Damien’s shoes.  Rage, shatter, and lust with them.  Feel the hope, love, and joy overwhelm them. I desperately yearned for their HEA; they were so obviously in love!  I reveled in Jasmin and Damien’s story, soaked up their romance, and read the final page with a satisfied smile.  So beautiful!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Laura Florand burst on the contemporary romance scene in 2012 with her award-winning Amour et Chocolat series. Her books have appeared in ten languages, been named among the Best Books of the Year by Romantic Times and Barnes & Noble, received the RT Seal of Excellence and starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist, and been recommended by NPR, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, among others. 

After a Fulbright year in Tahiti and backpacking everywhere from New Zealand to Greece, and several years living in Madrid and Paris, Laura now teaches Romance Studies at Duke University. Contrary to popular opinion, this means she primarily teaches French language and culture and does a great deal of research on French gastronomy, particularly chocolate. For more information, please see her website:

www.lauraflorand.com.   

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