France Book Tours Review and Giveaway: The Collector of Dying Breaths by M.J. Rose

Title: The Collector of Dying Breaths
Author: M.J. Rose
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Atria
Publish Date: April 8, 2014
Source: France Book Tours

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "A lush and imaginative novel that crisscrosses time as a perfumer and a mythologist search for the fine line between potion and poison, poison and passion…and past and present.

Florence, Italy—1533: An orphan named René le Florentin is plucked from poverty to become Catherine de Medici’s perfumer. Traveling with the young duchessina from Italy to France, René brings with him a cache of secret documents from the monastery where he was trained: recipes for exotic fragrances and potent medicines—and a formula for an alchemic process said to have the potential to reanimate the dead. In France, René becomes not only the greatest perfumer in the country but the most dangerous, creating deadly poisons for his Queen to use against her rivals. But while mixing herbs and essences under the light of flickering candles, Rene doesn’t begin to imagine the tragic and personal consequences for which his lethal potions will be responsible.

Paris, France—The Present: A renowned mythologist, Jac L’Etoile, is trying to recover from personal heartache by throwing herself into her work, learns of the 16th century perfumer who may have been working on an elixir that would unlock the secret to immortality. She becomes obsessed with René le Florentin’s work—particularly when she discovers the dying breathes he had collected during his lifetime. Jac’s efforts put her in the path of her estranged lover, Griffin North, a linguist who has already begun translating René le Florentin’s mysterious formula. Together they confront an eccentric heiress in possession of a world-class art collection. A woman who has her own dark purpose for the elixir… a purpose for which she believes the ends will justify her deadly means. This mesmerizing gothic tale of passion and obsession crisscrosses time, zigzagging from the violent days of Catherine de Medici’s court to twenty-first century France. Fiery and lush, set against deep, wild forests and dimly lit chateaus, The Collector of Dying Breaths illuminates the true path to immortality: the legacies we leave behind."

My Two Cents:

"The Collector of Dying Breaths" marks the return of perfumer and mythologist, Jac L'Etoile, who has a penchant for getting involved in mysteries. This book is the sixth book in the Reincarnationist series but like the other books in this series that I have read, this book can be read as a stand alone book. With a lot of good historical detail, mystery, and a touch of the paranormal, this book will appeal to many different types of readers. I enjoyed this latest installation!

Jac continues to be a stand out part of this series for me. She is such an interesting character. I loved following her through this book as she tries to figure out what happened to her beloved brother. If you're looking for a really sharp character, you're going to love her. I love her role as a perfumer. I'm a huge fan of perfume and found the science of perfuming and how she and her brother work with scents.

The book started out a bit slowly for me but then it picked up and did not let me go until the end of the book. Rose weaves in so many different elements that work really well together. I loved the historical detail. I also loved how Rose was able to weave in some fantastic elements into this story. I'm not sure that I believe in reincarnation but the way that Rose describes this in the book makes it feel like it could be real and you all know how much I love magical realism.

If you're looking for books that are a little off the beaten path, this is a good series for you!  

Giveaway:

This giveaway will be run a little bit differently than other giveaways on my site.

Here's how to enter:

1. You will get 1 entry in the contest if you share about this book on Twitter or Facebook by April 13th (you can share my blog post if you want via the share buttons on this post).
2. You must send me the url of your Twitter or Facebook post via email (my email address is abookishaffair(at)gmail(dot)com). If you don't send me the urls, you will not be entered in the contest.
3. I will then randomly choose one person from all of the entries I receive and send that person's info to the tour organizer to be entered in the larger giveaway.
4. The author will choose two winners out of all of the entries received who will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.
5. The contest is open internationally.

Follow the Rest of the Tour:

Tuesday, March 25
Review + Giveaway at The Most Happy Reader

Wednesday, March 26
Review + Giveaway at A Bookish Affair

Thursday, March 27
Review + Giveaway at
Musings of a Writer and Unabashed Francophile

Friday, March 28
Review + Interview + Giveaway at
Vvb32 Reads

Saturday, March 29
Review + Giveaway at Words And Peace

Sunday, March 30
Review + Giveaway at
Ciska’s Book Chest

Monday, March 31
Review + Giveaway at
Queen of All She Reads

Tuesday, April 1
Review + Giveaway at Books A To Z

Wednesday, April 2
Review + Giveaway at I Am, Indeed

Thursday, April 3
Review at Lisa’s Yarns

Friday, April 4
Review at Blog in France

Saturday, April 5
Review at Doing Dewey

Sunday, April 6
Review at Valli’s Book Den

Monday, April 7
Review + Giveaway at Wildmoo Books

Tuesday, April 8
Interview + Giveaway at Book Nerd

Wednesday, April 9
Review at An Accidental Blog

Thursday, April 10
Review + review video at
Kerrie Ann Salsac / Writing For Life
Friday, April 11
Review at Mystery Playground

Sunday, April 13
Review + Giveaway at Making My Mark