Wednesday 26 August 2015

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 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20957871-return-to-me

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:


Connect with Laura Florand:


17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gosh, this sounds like the perfect kind of romance for me, Rachel. I can imagine how much tension existed between the two of them. I'm happy to hear that their relationship's transition was very well-written. I'm curious about this alien photo now.
Lovely review, Rachel! I'm glad that this author never fails to disappoint you.

Joy said...

Ack. I'm falling miserably behind with these books! I've always looked forward to reading
Damien's story, so I'm glad you enjoyed this one. Love, love Tante Collette! That woman is always up to no good. Lol.

Jenny said...

*sigh* Why haven't I read anything by this author yet Rachel? WHY? I really need to make that a priority this year, I love that her books are so emotional, but they have humor as well which I definitely need if I'm going to get punched in the feels. Lovely review as always!

Keertana said...

I felt the same way about this! I absolutely loved it, despite the layers of hurt, and the humor and sexiness really balanced out the darker aspects. Gorgeous review, Rachel--I can't wait for Tristan's story next! :)

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

This one sounds a bit like You've Got Mail. I must read this!

Rachel said...

I can't wait for Tristian's story as well! I laughed when Jess said that a woman would have to have more hormones than sense to fall for him because he's definitely trouble. Can't wait! And thanks! :)

Rachel said...

Haha! I want to be Tante Colette! She's a sly fox. :)

Faye M. said...

I keep hearing so much from this author and I can't wait to get my hands on her work, too! The chemistry of the two people here sound so sizzling... like wow, who knew that the person you fell for was THAT dude?! And the grandma sounds hilarious, like she's the family's matchmaker ;)

Faye at The Social Potato

brandileigh2003 said...

The perfect and dreamy night leading to their falling hard romance sounds great

Allie @ Little Birdie Books said...

Okay you are killing me with this. Jasmin and Damien's chemistry sounds HOT and also so sweet and GAH. What even is this book?! Just gimme it okay? OKAY

Anonymous said...

I haven't had much luck with a couple of my previous reads when it comes to contemp romance, but this sounds as if it might be a winner. Terrific review, Rachel! :)

Unknown said...

Lovely review, Rachel! This book sounds utterly fantastic. I love a couple who works through their issues and doesn't give one another the cold shoulder! I definitely need to check out this author; this might have to be my first of hers!

Carina Olsen said...

Sounds like a great book :D I'm so glad you liked it so much Rachel. <3 Stunning review, as always :) This isn't for me, but maybe one day ;p I adore your quotes.

The Readdicts said...

I haven't heard of this book, but it does sound interesting. I'm so glad you ended up liking it so much. Great review!

Sarika @ The Readdicts

Nitzan Schwarz said...

I've got to admit, this book lost me (and I haven't even read it!) the moment you said Jasmin just walked out because of the gossip without talking to the guy. These type of plot lines make me so angry because all you need to do is use your mouth to SPEAK and you could save yourself so much grief!

Rachel said...

Yes, that was a little frustrating, but the heroine had extenuating circumstances that made me excuse it. Plus, the antagonistic relationship that follows was all kinds of fun. :)

Nitzan Schwarz said...

I love antagonistic relationships if that's how it starts. Nothing more fun than a couple that starts that way, but less when it happens mid-book because of a misunderstanding :/
But I'm really glad you enjoyed it! :)

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...