Scent of Darkness, by Margot Berwin

Evangeline had a special relationship with her grandmother, Louise, a gifted scent-maker.  When Louise dies, she leaves her home to Evangeline, along with a small vial of a scent made specifically for Evangeline.  Louise also leaves a warning that this scent will change Evangeline's life forever, and it does.  Upon touching the scent to her body, she becomes irresistible to all those who smell her.  Evangeline quickly learns how tiring it can be, being desired, and how much that desire can cloud the mind, leading to a place of darkness.

I found this book to be incredible.  There is certainly much more of an emphasis on the story than on the characters, but the characters themselves are also fascinating.  Although Louise, as a physical presence, is only in a small portion of the story, the idea of Louise carries throughout the book, making her the most compelling character.  I never felt as deep a connection to Evangeline as I would have liked, but I think that served a purpose; like everyone else in the story, the only thing I was interested in was her scent.  I think this was an intentional form of development by the author.

The premise of the story is so unique.  I loved the extreme symbolism surrounding the emphases on scent, blood, darkness, and the starkness of the color white.  The portion of the book that takes place in New Orleans has a dreamy, sultry feeling to it.  Overall, I found the book to be extremely erotic, much more than some so called erotica out there.  The book certainly has a romantic quality to it, with a decided love triangle, so fans of that type of story will enjoy that aspect of the book.  I loved the dark, seductive nature of the story, and I think many other readers will enjoy it as well.

I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  See the rest of the tour here.

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