Historical Fiction Book Tours Review: The Book Of Lost Fragrances

65Author: M.J. Rose
Title: The Book Of Lost Fragrances
Publisher: Atria Books
Publish Date: March 13, 2012
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Historical Fiction Book Tours, Net Galley and the publisher
Book Blurb: 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 moved to America. Now, fourteen years later she and her brother have inherited the company along with it's financial problems. 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 becomes haunted by the legend the House of L'Etoile has been espousing since 1799. Is there a scent that can unlock the mystery of reincarnation - or is it just another dream infused perfume?

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.

Review: I love M.J. Rose's Reincarnationist series, so I was excited to read this book. I really loved the story and mystery, but it at times it was a little hard to read. I felt there was a little too much going on at some points, but I also know that's M.J. Rose's writing style. I felt that way a few times during the other books.

The good thing about this story, is it felt a little bit removed from the other books. Maybe that's because the title grew from the simple two words of the previous books. This is definitely a book that someone who isn't familiar with the series can pick up.  It centers around one of the memory devices mentioned in the past books. The Book Of Lost Fragrances was mentioned several times in The Hypnotist.

For those that have read the previous books, it is interesting to see how Rose interweaves the characters and the Phoenix Foundation into the story.  It took about 60 pages in this book before you see some familiar names.

For me this wasn't light reading, but I enjoyed it, and will continue to read what Rose puts out. I wish at times there weren't so many stories within the story, because it would make the novel's flow to be a bit easier on the brain.

I actually think this is the best book in the series, as it really focuses on characters outside the Phoenix Foundation. I also love the concept of a fragrance triggering past life regressions.

Again this book isn't an easy read because M.J. Rose tells the story from many points of view, and that can be confusing at times, and it slows the progression of the story down, but it is still a great read.


Rating: 4 Flowers