Once Upon a Rose

Laura Florand

Jan 2015 · La Vie en Roses Book 1 · Laura Florand

About this ebook

 

She stole his roses.

Fleeing the spotlight, burnt out rock star Layla—“Belle”—Dubois seeks refuge in the south of France. That old, half-forgotten heritage in a valley of roses seems like a good place to soothe a wounded heart. She certainly doesn’t expect the most dangerous threat to her heart to pounce on her as soon as she sets foot on the land.

He wants them back.

Matt didn’t mean to growl at her quite that loudly. But—his roses! She can’t have his roses. Even if she does have all those curls and green eyes and, and, and…what was he growling about again?

Or maybe he just wants her.

When an enemy invades his valley and threatens his home, heart, and livelihood, Matthieu Rosier really knows only one way to defend himself.

It might involve kissing.

And that might be just the start.

Praise for Laura Florand’s novels

“A poignant, lovely, moving, authentic story.” – Virginia Kantra, NYT bestselling author

“Sweet, sexy, and all around delicious. I’m addicted. I can’t wait for the next book.” – Nalini Singh, NYT bestselling author

“Chocolate, Paris, and a Greek god for a hero; this delectable confection has it all!” – Library Journal Starred Review

 

“(Florand) captures the nature of love, its fierce, soul-warming necessity, in a way that will make you as happy as the finest bonbon could.” – The Barnes & Noble Review, a Best Book of the Year

“Florand outdoes herself with this exquisite confection… painstakingly crafted and decadent as the sweets it portrays, leaving the reader longing for just one little taste.” – Publishers Weekly Starred Review

“Adorable, charming, whimsical.” – Smexy Books 

 

“Romance at its strongest and most powerful.” – Dear Author, Recommended Read

 

“A delectable summer bonbon.” – NPR Books

Ratings and reviews

Five stars are not enough for a beautifully written story like this. People rate the romances with 4 or 5 stars all the time but they don't come close to the beauty of this story. It reminds me of the movie 'Chocolat'. The writing is so fluid and enchanting. I can't wait to read another of her books to see if she can maintain this sumptuousness in all her writing.

I can still smell the fragrance of roses, feel the deep roots of generations of work, and bask in the happiness of a love story with a few complex notes. I love how Laura Florand can blend the elements of the five senses with emotions that breathe life into them. Her Chocolate series smoothly tempts your taste buds and melts your heart at the same time. This new Rose series captures the fragrances in the air and makes the scent a skin signature. Some of the phrases Laura wrote were sheer poetry, “Pure and beautiful, a silent song of stars.” Others made me laugh with amusement when describing Layla’s thought’s of Matt’s hotness, “What the Hell had happened to his other girlfriends, had they just exploded?” And most touching of all for me were her uses of metaphors as Layla muses to herself, “And nearly eleven months more of nurturing, for those five weeks of bloom. Maybe she was really out of balance.” As with her previous works, you can rest assured there will be plenty of humor, growth, fun, and delicious chemistry in this Matt & Layla’s story. I cared about their story so much I cried with joy at the end :)

This is one of the most romantic and beautiful modern old fashioned titles I have read in a very long time. It was toe curling sweet. I'd like to read this again and again it was so good

About the author

Laura Florand burst on the contemporary romance scene in 2012 with her award-winning Amour et Chocolat series. Since then, her international bestselling books have appeared in ten languages, been named among the Best Books of the Year by Romantic Times and Barnes & Noble, received the RT Seal of Excellence and starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist, and been recommended by NPR, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.

After a Fulbright year in Tahiti and backpacking everywhere from New Zealand to Greece, and several years living in Madrid and Paris, Laura now teaches Romance Studies at Duke University. Contrary to what the “Romance Studies” may imply, this means she primarily teaches French language and culture and does a great deal of research on French gastronomy, particularly chocolate.