The Scent of Rain

She turned in her seat to face Jesse, who looked skeptical. "He really is. But he grew up poor, and he had this deep need to follow the money."

He may have been a brilliant chemist, but there are laws for a reason. He always thought himself above the rules.

Mark was a terrible chemist... He wasn't careful about ratios, not until he understood that ratios and chemistry could make him wealthy.

Daphne Sweeten has left Paris – and a career she loves – in order to marry a man she loves even more. But when he stands her up on their wedding day, Daphne’s left reeling. Trained as a professional “nose” or perfume creator, Daphne soon realizes that her sense of smell has somehow disappeared too.

In the days following she moves to Dayton, Ohio, to take on

Daphne Sweeten has left Paris – and a career she loves – in order to marry a man she loves even more. But when he stands her up on their wedding day, Daphne’s left reeling. Trained as a professional “nose” or perfume creator, Daphne soon realizes that her sense of smell has somehow disappeared too.

In the days following she moves to Dayton, Ohio, to take on a job creating fragrances for household products. Without her sense of smell, she must rely on her chemistry skills, and hope her handsome new boss, Jesse Lightner, doesn’t notice before she can figure out how to get it back.

Despite her desire to return to Paris, she can’t deny the way Jesse makes her feel. But when Daphne approaches former contacts, she learns her missing ex-fiancé has somehow snagged her old job.

As Daphne and Jesse work on a signature scent for their new line, she feels God at work in her life as never before. And the promise of what is possible is as fresh as the scent of rain."

So, we come to my review. I have read many of Kristin Billerbeck's previous novels and have enjoyed them; this one, I wanted to love, but I couldn't.

The one thing that is irritating to the extreme is a major gaffe on the part of the editors: substituting "palette" for "palate." When dealing with taste and smell, the mouth's palate is the part of the body that is involved. This spelling or usage error persisted throughout the novel, and it really took away from the believability of Daphne's condition in the first place.

{Note: I realize I was reading an electronic galley; nevertheless, this is a gaffe that should have been fixed long before a release galley for reviewers.}

I had a tough time believing Daphne as a character, but I did like how she grew. The incident in the Ohio house when she first went there was instrumental in her growth, and that portion of the novel was actually my favorite.

Overall, in my opinion this isn't Billerbeck's best work. I think she's better with first-person narration.

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a review.