Heaven Scent - Sasha Wagstaff (2011)

When Cat Hayes marries a penniless waiter in France on a whim, she doesn't expect him to die within weeks or find out that he is the heir to a multi-million-dollar perfume empire. However, she soon finds out the truth about her late husband, Oliver, when she is asked to come to the family home to settle some unresolved business. At first, Cat doesn't realise that Oliver was a member of the Ducasse family. She just assumes he is very rich, even though he told her otherwise. But soon she finds out that the entire family is worried about her taking over Oliver's stake in the business and mistrust her for marrying a complete stranger while on vacation. Some members of the family, such as Oliver's grandmother Delphine, will resort to nasty measures to ensure that the inheritance Oliver had is not taken away by some flimsy English girl. As the months go on and Cat finds herself still staying at the Ducasse chateau because her passport has gone missing, she finds that the family need her help more than she realised. For one thing, Oliver's uncle is drowning in grief over his late wife and as a result is abandoning his three children, Xavier, Seraphina and Max. Xavier is also hiding a sorrowful secret that has kept him from living out his passion for creating amazing scents. But, getting the notorious playboy to open to her is an almost impossible task. Can Cat enter a family she doesn't even know and change them all profoundly during the process? It seems as though she is exactly what this family needs, yet none of them want to see her obvious worth. Filled with intriguing characters who almost sizzle with myriad emotions, this novel is one of the best I've read in a while. Cat and the Ducasse family are written with such complexity and warmth that you can't help falling in love with all of them, despite their faults. This is sure to help you forget your everyday worries while you get lost in its wonderful pages. (AS)

Sasha Wagstaff's latest novel Heaven Scent is set in the south of France. The summary says: "When Cat Hayes impulsively marries a handsome, penniless French waiter in St Tropez, she didn't realise she'd be widowed in just a few weeks. Neither did she know that her late husband was actually Oliver Ducasse, heir to the Ducasse perfume empire. Invited by the Ducasse family to their glamorous French mansion, Cat finds a family in chaos. What's more she's regarded her with suspicion and hostility, especially by Olivier's playboy cousin Xavier. Will she run for the hills as fast as her high heels can carry her? Or will she realise that she is exactly what this mixed-up family truly needs?" Heaven Scent is out in March.

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