Perfume of Paradise [Mass Market Paperback]

Jennifer Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 1997

ON A LUSH CARIBBEAN ISLAND,
LOVE AND MAGIC IGNITE A FIERY PASSION. . . .

Terrified of her impending marriage, beautiful Elene Larpent scents her body with a Haitian voodoo perfume guaranteed to bewitch the wealthy landowner and ensure his devotion. But just moments into the wedding, a violent slave uprising interrupts the consecration.

Elene escapes--only to be captured by a ruthless band of men. On the verge of certain death, she is saved by handsome Captain Ryan Bayard. Then, amid the exotic breezes of St. Dominique, Elene and the captain discover a lust as sultry as the Caribbean air. In her passion, Elene quickly forgets the magic potion she had applied to her delicate skin.

But Elene must wait to see if it is true love or the dizzying aphrodisiac that inflames the captain's desire. For the uninhibited pair have much in store before the perfume's power is fully unleashed. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Only moments before she is to marry a wealthy plantation owner she doesn't love, Elene Larpent's wedding is the scene of a bloody slave uprising. The bride's loyal mulatto maid (and aunt), Devota, whisks her out of danger, then goes to seek help. Alone, Elene finds her life imperiled once again by insurgents (regrettably called "Negroes" here and portrayed in a negative stereotype) who want to rape and kill her. This time, she is rescued by handsome Ryan Bayard, a merchant shipman of questionable loyalty and station, who becomes Elene's lover while under the voodooist spell of her intoxicating homemade perfume. Their adventures together include: three days hiding from rioters in a dark, damp, rat-infested cellar; Elene's "defloration" by Ryan and the subsequent discovery that her groom is alive; escape by Ryan's boat from her island home of Saint-Domingue to New Orleans; and three arsenic murders and two attempted murders, possibly linked to Elene's perfume "Paradise." The lies, deceit and misunderstandings between Elene and Ryan are predictable. Yet, as the perfume death plot thickens and peaks, veteran romance novelist Blake's (Louisiana Dawn) historic tale gives way to more honest and interesting dialogue between the lovers. The first decade of 19th century French Louisiana is the setting for most of the book, and descriptions of fashion, architecture and mores help to illuminate the period.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

ON A LUSH CARIBBEAN ISLAND,
LOVE AND MAGIC IGNITE A FIERY PASSION. . . .

Terrified of her impending marriage, beautiful Elene Larpent scents her body with a Haitian voodoo perfume guaranteed to bewitch the wealthy landowner and ensure his devotion. But just moments into the wedding, a violent slave uprising interrupts the consecration.

Elene escapes--only to be captured by a ruthless band of men. On the verge of certain death, she is saved by handsome Captain Ryan Bayard. Then, amid the exotic breezes of St. Dominique, Elene and the captain discover a lust as sultry as the Caribbean air. In her passion, Elene quickly forgets the magic potion she had applied to her delicate skin.

But Elene must wait to see if it is true love or the dizzying aphrodisiac that inflames the captain's desire. For the uninhibited pair have much in store before the perfume's power is fully unleashed. . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 376 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett; First Edition edition (November 26, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449148211
• ISBN-13: 978-0449148211
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,597,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jennifer Blake has been called "the steel magnolia of women's fiction" for her enduring career as an author. She has also been lauded as a "pioneer of the romance genre" and an "icon of the romance industry." A New York Times and international best selling author from the publication of "Love's Wild Desire" in 1977, she is a charter member of Romance Writers of America, member of the RWA and Affaire de Coeur Halls of Fame, and recipient of the RWA Lifetime Achievement Rita. She holds numerous other honors, including two Maggies, two Holt Medallions, multiple Reviewer's Choice awards, the Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times BookReviews Magazine, and the Frank Waters Award for literary excellence. She has written 65 books with translations in 20 languages and more than 30 million copies in print. Jennifer and her husband live on a lake in northern Louisiana.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, ^^, February 24, 2001

By 

Monica_O (Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfume of Paradise (Hardcover)

This book was great, the idea of a perfume that can drive mad a man for you is something I would like to find in real life ^^, it really keep me awake until I finish it, the only bad thing about it, is that a friend ask me to lend her the book, and she never gave it back, :(, but it only proves that it is a great novel.I'm really thinking on buying it again ^^.