A Secret Worth Dying For …
Jac L’Etoile has always been haunted by visions of the past, her earliest memories infused with the exotic scents that she grew up with as the heir to a storied French perfume company. These worsened after her mother’s suicide until she finally found a doctor who helped her, teaching her to explore the mythological symbolism in her visions and thus lessen their painful impact. This ability led Jac to a wildly successful career as a mythologist, television personality and author.
When her brother, Robbie—who’s taken over the House of L’Etoile from their father—contacts Jac about a remarkable discovery in the family archives, she’s skeptical. But when Robbie goes missing before he can share the secret—leaving a dead body in his wake—Jac is plunged into a world she thought she’d left behind.
Traveling back toParisto investigate Robbie’s disappearance, Jac discovers that the secret is a mysterious scent developed in Cleopatra’s time. Could the rumors swirling be true? Can this ancient perfume hold the power to unlock the ability to remember past lives and conclusively prove reincarnation? If this possession has the power to change the world, then it’s not only worth living for . . . it’s worth killing for, too.
It has taken me all day long to write this review, tinkering on it here and there to try to figure out how to say the things I want to say about this book in a way that it deserves…and I still dont think I have done it justice. The Book of Lost Fragrances was my first time ever reading a M.J. Rose book and I can tell you that she has found a captive audience in me.
Let’s start at the beginning. The first chapter in this book is stunning. The description of everything from the surroundings to the smell was genuinely magical. The power that MJ Rose infuses her words with really bring you into the moment and makes you feel every bit of it.
“He struggled to separate out the notes he recognized from the ones he didn’t, searching for the ingredients that gave the blend its promise of hope, of long night and voluptuous dreams, of invitation and embrace. Of an everlasting covenant ripe with possibility. Of lost souls reunited.
Tears sprang to the perfumer’s eyes as he inhaled again. This was the kind of scent he’d always imagined capturing. He was smelling liquid emotion. Giles L’Etoile was smelling love.”
I have never been one to be moved by a passage in a book. The last five words in that quote actually created a lump in my throat.
The Book is Lost Fragrances takes us readers on a fantastic journey through history, between continents, across life times in search of a scent believed to harness the power to reunite soul mates in their next life.
A suspense-filled mystery wrapped in intrigue tied up with a love story, The Book of Lost Fragrances is an incredible work of art that I will surely re-read many times in my life. If you’re into “historical fiction” (i.e. Dan Brown’s ‘Angels & Demons’, ‘The DaVinci Code’ or ‘The Lost Symbol’), The Book of Lost Fragrances could be right up your alley.
Overall, I give this masterfully written mystery a solid 5 stars! Highly recommended!
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