THE COLLECTOR OF DYING BREATHS BLOG TOUR
The Book of Lost Fragrances had Cleopatra. Seduction had iconic novelist Victor Hugo. Now, with The Collector of Dying Breaths, M.J. Rose showcases her most fascinating character yet: Catherine de Medici, who infamously spearheaded the St. Bartolomew' s Day Massacre during her son Henry III' s reign, slaughtering thousands of French rebel Protestants in one fell swoop.
ABOUT THE BOOK
"There are more questions in the world than there are answers."
"There are more questions in the world than there are answers."
In 1533, an Italian orphan with an uncanny knack for creating fragrances is plucked from poverty to become Catherine de Medici' s perfumer. To repay his debt, over the years René le Florentine is occasionally called upon to put his vast knowledge to a darker purpose: the creation of deadly poisons used to dispatch the Queen' s rivals.
But it's René' s other passion - a desire to reanimate a human breath, to bring back the lives of the two people whose deaths have devastated him - that incites a dangerous treasure hunt five centuries later. That's when Jac L'Etoile - a renowned mythologist suffering from a heartache of her own - becomes obsessed with the possibility of unlocking René' s secret to immortality.
Soon Jac' s search reconnects her with Griffin North, a man she's loved her entire life. Together they confront an eccentric heiress whose art collection rivals many museums and who is determined to keep her treasures close at hand, not just in this life but in the next.
REVIEW
Like a sensuously refined blend of narrative scents, The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose captured the seductive and fresh fragrance of a timeless love story, infusing it with the evocative backnotes of an intricate historical setting.
With the smooth consistency of a tidal wave, I was swayed between the modern day Fontainebleau of Jac L'Etoile and the 16th century Paris of maitre parfumeur René le Florentine, swept in a fictional world that the author masterfully suspended between esoteric mysteries, Jungian philosophies, and the historical lore of an age in time where the humanistic approach of the Renaissance mindset was still dabbling in the syntethic nature of science, religion, and magic.
The cultural references, the heady romantic notes, the richly drawn setting and the eccentric characters are the delectable ingredients of Rose's gothic concoction: sophisticated and fragrant like an Eau de Guerlain, The Collector of Dying Breaths will appeal to fans of Anne Rice, Deborah Harkness, and Diana Gabaldon. Enjoyable as a stand-alone as well as a serial novel, I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.
***Advance Reader Copy graciously offered by the publisher in return for an unbiased and honest review.
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THE COLLECTOR OF DYING BREATHS
A Novel Of Suspense
By
M.J. Rose
Atria Books,; April 8, 2014
Paperback, Advanced Reader Copy, 384 pages
Historical Fiction, Contemporary Novel, Thriller, Suspense, Paranormal
Beautifully written review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very interesting and I love that it's set in the 16th century.
Myra
http://imlovingbooks.blogspot.nl/
Thank you so much, Myra! It's an extremely thrilling story and the quality of Rose' s writing is excellent.
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