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Essentially Sweet Romance #1
The Lavender Thief: Essentially Sweet Romance, Book 1
Stephanie Pierce has a system for everything.
Keys go in the bowl. Shoes go in the closet. Lavender goes in the diffuser. Feelings, ideally, go somewhere quiet where they cannot make a mess.
Then she finds her apartment manager murdered in the stairwell.
Now her spotless world has a crime scene in it, her goldendoodle may be in danger, and the detective assigned to the case is the kind of calm, observant man no amount of lavender can fix.
Detective Mark Wellborn notices everything.
The things moved in her apartment, the white van that keeps reappearing. The fear Stephanie tries to organize into something manageable.
And worse, he notices her.
The more Mark tries to protect her, the harder it is to pretend he is only part of the investigation. He is comfort when her world feels unsafe, complication when she needs control, and entirely too good at making her feel seen.
But someone is slipping into the safest corners of her life, and the murder in the stairwell was only the beginning.
The Lavender Thief is a clean romantic comedy suspense with cozy mystery twists, essential oils, murder, mishaps, a lovable goldendoodle, and a detective who sees far more than Stephanie wants him to.
She has spent her whole life getting everything exactly right. The question is whether she is brave enough to let it all go wonderfully, beautifully, sideways.
Keys go in the bowl. Shoes go in the closet. Lavender goes in the diffuser. Feelings, ideally, go somewhere quiet where they cannot make a mess.
Then she finds her apartment manager murdered in the stairwell.
Now her spotless world has a crime scene in it, her goldendoodle may be in danger, and the detective assigned to the case is the kind of calm, observant man no amount of lavender can fix.
Detective Mark Wellborn notices everything.
The things moved in her apartment, the white van that keeps reappearing. The fear Stephanie tries to organize into something manageable.
And worse, he notices her.
The more Mark tries to protect her, the harder it is to pretend he is only part of the investigation. He is comfort when her world feels unsafe, complication when she needs control, and entirely too good at making her feel seen.
But someone is slipping into the safest corners of her life, and the murder in the stairwell was only the beginning.
The Lavender Thief is a clean romantic comedy suspense with cozy mystery twists, essential oils, murder, mishaps, a lovable goldendoodle, and a detective who sees far more than Stephanie wants him to.
She has spent her whole life getting everything exactly right. The question is whether she is brave enough to let it all go wonderfully, beautifully, sideways.
Audible Audio
Published November 8, 2024
About the author
Elysian Hunt
13 books35 followersWriting across multiple pen names, Elysian Hunt has sold more than 1.4 million books, won multiple awards, and been a best seller many times over. With over 35 novels in print, she enjoys many genres as long as they are fast-paced and engaging.
She never wanted to be a writer, but she couldn’t ever find that one book, the perfect one for her. So, she wrote it, and the rest is history. With fresh story ideas churning and a deep love for sharpening her writing skills, Elysian’s work gets better with time.
There are a few things you can count on with her rom com and cozy mystery books: sweet romance, happily ever after’s, and don’t forget the dogs! Fall in love with vivid characters, intriguing settings, and mysteries that will keep you turning the pages.
She never wanted to be a writer, but she couldn’t ever find that one book, the perfect one for her. So, she wrote it, and the rest is history. With fresh story ideas churning and a deep love for sharpening her writing skills, Elysian’s work gets better with time.
There are a few things you can count on with her rom com and cozy mystery books: sweet romance, happily ever after’s, and don’t forget the dogs! Fall in love with vivid characters, intriguing settings, and mysteries that will keep you turning the pages.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
November 23, 2024
The story starts out as one of those books about dog owners who are crazy about their pets and find true love because of something to do with the dog.
The hunk enters the pages and the girl shivers.
Then all of a sudden it’s a commercial for essential oils - or rather some kind of pyramide game.
Next there’s a neck breaking hostage situation, jada jada… and we’re back to the pyramide game.
I finished the book, hoping for it to come together in the end, but no.
I can’t recommend it, unless you have a burning desire to start selling essential oils.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The hunk enters the pages and the girl shivers.
Then all of a sudden it’s a commercial for essential oils - or rather some kind of pyramide game.
Next there’s a neck breaking hostage situation, jada jada… and we’re back to the pyramide game.
I finished the book, hoping for it to come together in the end, but no.
I can’t recommend it, unless you have a burning desire to start selling essential oils.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 23, 2026
Started off cute and hopeful, but i’m now 99% sure this was an AI written advertisement for essential oils and Christianity.
September 19, 2025
The narrator is AWFUL. It’s not narration but just reading out loud. No different voices for different characters. No inflection, no feeling. Just bland ok I’m reading this in front of my class vibe. Bad.
The writer also had some bad moments of describing characters and using g fat phobic terms. She honestly said, my best friend is so beautiful she could be a model even though she’s over weight. Cringey and not ok. She references weight a few times for different characters. I will not read another book by her and absolutely never listen to another audiobook from the “narrator”.
Oh and like other reviewers have said - it’s so essential oil pitch heavy. Pass pass pass.
The writer also had some bad moments of describing characters and using g fat phobic terms. She honestly said, my best friend is so beautiful she could be a model even though she’s over weight. Cringey and not ok. She references weight a few times for different characters. I will not read another book by her and absolutely never listen to another audiobook from the “narrator”.
Oh and like other reviewers have said - it’s so essential oil pitch heavy. Pass pass pass.
July 29, 2025
I listened to the audiobook, the narrator was not my favorite. This felt like one big ad for essential scents. All the essential oil talk took away from what might have been a good mystery. It felt like that was all the FMC was focused on.
September 3, 2026
It was certainly a book. The plot was all over the place and not well written at all. The romance seemed shallow and forced. It seemed like I was having the Young Living MLM pyramid scheme shoved down my throat (How do I know? The relax blend she talks about in the book sounds identical to their stress away blend 😂) and then the, at first, underlining of Christianity that also came shoved into my face by the end was so weird and out of place. The book seemed like AI vomit by the time I was done. Not a 1 star because I did enjoy it enough to finish it, but definitely not recommending it or finishing the series.
July 17, 2026
Why was this book trying to convince me to use/buy/sell essential oils all the way through?
August 30, 2026
Synopsis: One giant Christian MLM scheme.
The audiobook does not match the kindle version.
The audiobook narrator was by far the most boring voice I’ve had to endure.
The audiobook does not match the kindle version.
The audiobook narrator was by far the most boring voice I’ve had to endure.
July 21, 2026
The exact definition of why BookBub books are normally free or on sale.
August 31, 2025
The premise sounded interesting but by the end, the story got lost in all the preaching about the benefits essential oils. While I occasionally use oils and part of the plot resolution pertains to them, there was way more lecture than plot when the essential oils were concerned. The characters were okay and the beginning of the book was quite interesting, but I just can’t get past the rest.
March 29, 2026
What in the MLM advertisement did I just read? Besides being a native essential oils marketing ad, the book was horrible. Plot holes galore, undeveloped characters, and insta love that came with insta hurt when they didn't automatically understand each other after only knowing each other for 3 days.
April 23, 2026
I'm not sure if it was the voiceover for the audio book, but this was such a boring read. I felt like I was listening to elementary girls complain and describe their life and dog. Could not get past the second chapter.
Did Not Finish
December 18, 2024DNF at 20% I felt like I was reading an essential oil infomercial, which was annoying.
April 28, 2025
not impressed with the audio reader.
very little inflection in the reading
very little inflection in the reading
June 16, 2025
Free on chirp. Dumb plot.
February 3, 2026
How about some lite, earthy reading? Here we have lite romance, lite murder mystery, lite dog lover and lite aromatherapist. In other words, nice, cozy reading.
I am not a fan of romance in books. If it's part of the description I move on. I'm not sure what compelled me to put this on my book shelf other than the fact that it has aromatherapy as a central theme. I have worked with essential oils for 30 or more years and it's not a common topic, so my curiosity must have been piqued.
It turned out to be a fun book to read. It wasn't too intense in any direction, but had enough substance to keep me engaged. The main character was a woman who was easy to identify with. She carried the story well, along with her best friend and her little dog. Right off the bat, though, she stumbles over a dead body and then the detective turns out to be pinup quality.
The attraction is mutual and he turns out to be a nice guy and a good cop. The only thing that pushed the plausibility factor was him saying he'd been a cop for years and he had made detective, but he's only 25 years old. Between academy, probation and earning the qualifications to become detective it's a bit hard to swallow. My son is a police officer and he's 26, so of course I compare the two and our fictional detective seems older than his stated years. But that's easy enough to overlook.
I like the cute romantic bits and that they didn't get too heavy or get carried too far. I absolutely hate play by play sex scenes.
There was just enough danger and just enough surprises to keep me interested and turning the pages. For a bit of lite reading to escape the day this is the perfect book.
I am not a fan of romance in books. If it's part of the description I move on. I'm not sure what compelled me to put this on my book shelf other than the fact that it has aromatherapy as a central theme. I have worked with essential oils for 30 or more years and it's not a common topic, so my curiosity must have been piqued.
It turned out to be a fun book to read. It wasn't too intense in any direction, but had enough substance to keep me engaged. The main character was a woman who was easy to identify with. She carried the story well, along with her best friend and her little dog. Right off the bat, though, she stumbles over a dead body and then the detective turns out to be pinup quality.
The attraction is mutual and he turns out to be a nice guy and a good cop. The only thing that pushed the plausibility factor was him saying he'd been a cop for years and he had made detective, but he's only 25 years old. Between academy, probation and earning the qualifications to become detective it's a bit hard to swallow. My son is a police officer and he's 26, so of course I compare the two and our fictional detective seems older than his stated years. But that's easy enough to overlook.
I like the cute romantic bits and that they didn't get too heavy or get carried too far. I absolutely hate play by play sex scenes.
There was just enough danger and just enough surprises to keep me interested and turning the pages. For a bit of lite reading to escape the day this is the perfect book.
April 8, 2025
Stephanie’s life is upended one day as she walks up the stairs to her third-floor apartment and finds a dead body along her route. A kind man with no obvious signs of a homicide, “The Lavender Thief” is the story of a girl and her furry best friend who stumble into a life altering discovery. Coping with her discovery, Stephanie turns to her relaxing Essential Sense oils as the police investigation, and hot responding officer, threaten to further upend her life.
I’ve never read anything quite like author Elysian Hunt’s series opener as the power of oils and the loyalty of woman’s best friend lead the charge. Ever by her side, the furry and loveable Bugle provides Stephanie the perfect protector, unwavering sidekick, and romantic pull to keep this story moving full tilt - even if her heel has other ideas. Housing horrible bosses, hunky law enforcement, and female friendships, “The Lavender Thief” is a suspenseful romance that hits all the right notes.
The Essentially Sweet Romance series promises to showcase more of Hunt’s passion for oils, dive deeper into the loveable characters she’s crafted, and investigate more mysterious crimes along the way. Readers instantly fall for Stephanie, Bugle the Goldendoodle, and the handsome, blue-eyed Mark as this cozy crime mystery ensnares you in its folds.
I’ve never read anything quite like author Elysian Hunt’s series opener as the power of oils and the loyalty of woman’s best friend lead the charge. Ever by her side, the furry and loveable Bugle provides Stephanie the perfect protector, unwavering sidekick, and romantic pull to keep this story moving full tilt - even if her heel has other ideas. Housing horrible bosses, hunky law enforcement, and female friendships, “The Lavender Thief” is a suspenseful romance that hits all the right notes.
The Essentially Sweet Romance series promises to showcase more of Hunt’s passion for oils, dive deeper into the loveable characters she’s crafted, and investigate more mysterious crimes along the way. Readers instantly fall for Stephanie, Bugle the Goldendoodle, and the handsome, blue-eyed Mark as this cozy crime mystery ensnares you in its folds.
November 24, 2024
Have you ever had a day that made you want to curl up with coffee and essential oils? Me too, but all I get is a body in the stairwell, and a handsome detective who makes putting a full sentence together an impossibility.
Someone is after my beloved essential oils. Or are they after me? The real question is, will I survive long enough to make that detective fall for me?
I enjoyed this book very much. It has suspense, thrill, romance, murder, friendship and everything you need in a book. I thought it is going to be a detective romnace but it turned into a murder mystery and then it turned to a suspense thriller with stalker threat, later theiving bombing and what not. You would never expect what is coming for you in the book. I was amused at the turns it took. Also if you love essential oils or want to know about it, it has a lot for you to learn about them 🤩✨
This is a laugh out loud, cozy romance, with an amateur sleuth x hot detective, and a heartwarming HEA ending!
Thank you @booksirens for this eARC copy 🤗
Someone is after my beloved essential oils. Or are they after me? The real question is, will I survive long enough to make that detective fall for me?
I enjoyed this book very much. It has suspense, thrill, romance, murder, friendship and everything you need in a book. I thought it is going to be a detective romnace but it turned into a murder mystery and then it turned to a suspense thriller with stalker threat, later theiving bombing and what not. You would never expect what is coming for you in the book. I was amused at the turns it took. Also if you love essential oils or want to know about it, it has a lot for you to learn about them 🤩✨
This is a laugh out loud, cozy romance, with an amateur sleuth x hot detective, and a heartwarming HEA ending!
Thank you @booksirens for this eARC copy 🤗
June 16, 2025
I listened to this since it was offered for free from Chirp. I was looking for a light story, and this fit the bill. Overall, I would give this book a 3.5*, but have rounded up. Normally, I read mysteries or police procedurals, so it was more noticeable where this story was lacking. For example, when they referred to the Witness Protection program, WITSEC, they kept spelling it out, W-I-T-S-E-C. Due to the series' theme, there was a wealth of information about essential oils. Another reviewer referred to it as a Ponzi scheme that the characters were involved in, related to the essential oil business, and I found it to be a bit too much.
August 5, 2026
It's a cozy and comfortable read without any spice. A 3.5 stars read for me.
It was different from what I usually read and a good In Between Book for a calm moment. Obviously we love Bugle the dog for pulling Stephanie around and always being excited. I loved the little mystery at the end and honestly, didn't expect the thief to be who he was.
It's a very lovable romance even if it felt like someone was doing a commercial for Essential Oils between the romance and mystery. It's a rather short book compared to the three hundred and four hundred pages usually but if you need a good, clean romance for a change, do it!
It was different from what I usually read and a good In Between Book for a calm moment. Obviously we love Bugle the dog for pulling Stephanie around and always being excited. I loved the little mystery at the end and honestly, didn't expect the thief to be who he was.
It's a very lovable romance even if it felt like someone was doing a commercial for Essential Oils between the romance and mystery. It's a rather short book compared to the three hundred and four hundred pages usually but if you need a good, clean romance for a change, do it!
November 2, 2024
The Lavender Thief is Book 1 in the Essentially Sweet Romance by Eylsian Hunt. The Lavender Thief is a cozy mystery and the story is fantastic. I think the characters are interesting and well written. The story is excellent… there is an interesting mystery, excellent characters, and surprising twist and turns. I thought the romance between Stephanie and Mark is romantic and left me wanting more of these characters. Give this new author a try and you will not be disappointed. I received an arc for free and am leaving my review voluntarily.
July 22, 2025
Not a book that I would typically read, but for a change of pace, and something different, I started this one…. To my surprise, it was really good, with many humorous moments. Plus, I now know way more about “essential oils “ than I care to ever admit… (Chapter 8, however, was way too long and the storyline sort of lost its charm… It would have been better to break it into 2-3 chapters and kept the plot going with more quirky and humorous scenes.)
Overall, it’s a pretty good story from a very talented author. RECOMMENDED
Overall, it’s a pretty good story from a very talented author. RECOMMENDED
July 19, 2026
A cute cozy mystery with a clean romance between a young woman, Stephanie, with OCD and the local detective, Mark, who keeps showing up as her life begins to spiral. After finding her apartment manager dead in the stairwell, Stephanie's life begins to unravel in little ways. Her golden doodle, Bugle, steals every scene and her best friend, Beck, is one of those best friends that everyone should have in their lives. Plenty twists, a storyline that moves quickly and resolves dramatically. Enjoyable.
August 13, 2026
The Lavender Thief
by Elysian Hunt
173 pages
8/13 - 8/13
Kindle/Audio Immersive
3.5/5 ⭐️
1/5!🌶️
3/5 🥰
A cute rom-com with essential oils and a dog. There's a cute little drawing at the beginning of each chapter of the dog, and he looks just like my doodle. I loved that! She's a writer with extreme OCD who stumbles upon a dead body. The police officer who comes to help is so handsome to her- she can't think- more or less speak! He protects her from danger while allowing her to make choices about her safety. Cute shortish story.
by Elysian Hunt
173 pages
8/13 - 8/13
Kindle/Audio Immersive
3.5/5 ⭐️
1/5!🌶️
3/5 🥰
A cute rom-com with essential oils and a dog. There's a cute little drawing at the beginning of each chapter of the dog, and he looks just like my doodle. I loved that! She's a writer with extreme OCD who stumbles upon a dead body. The police officer who comes to help is so handsome to her- she can't think- more or less speak! He protects her from danger while allowing her to make choices about her safety. Cute shortish story.
August 24, 2026
Confession: I didn't read the blurb for this book before I started reading it. Based on the cover, I expected it to be a rom-com (and it was!) But it also had a fun element of suspense. I'm not sure if I've read a suspenseful rom-com before, but I am sure impressed!
I loved the unique characters (everyone needs a Beck in their lives) and Mark's protective nature. I connected with Steph's anxiety and loved watching her grow through the book.
The book is written in single, first-person POV and is a sweet romance with Christian themes. It's a quick, enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
I loved the unique characters (everyone needs a Beck in their lives) and Mark's protective nature. I connected with Steph's anxiety and loved watching her grow through the book.
The book is written in single, first-person POV and is a sweet romance with Christian themes. It's a quick, enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
July 29, 2026
I enjoyed The Lavender Thief. It was an unusual approach and different read from many romances. The characters engaging and the pup adorable. I am a Young Living Essential Oils enthusiast (Lemongrass, Tea Tree, Orange and Thieves) so was excited to see the inclusion of this as a business opportunity for the characters. Looking forward to reading The Peppermint Villain and The Lemon Gunman. two other great essential oils.
August 11, 2026
Truly, sincerely, deeply terrible.
Complete idiot of an FMC whose entire personality is her dog and being a doormat, and a copaganda MMC; bad enough, but I draw the line at being fed an AI slop advertisement for a pyramid Ponzi scheme MLM essential oil scam (complete with brand name and product placement) being sold with sheer straight-faced audacity as a romance, or for that matter a novel of any kind.
DNF.
Complete idiot of an FMC whose entire personality is her dog and being a doormat, and a copaganda MMC; bad enough, but I draw the line at being fed an AI slop advertisement for a pyramid Ponzi scheme MLM essential oil scam (complete with brand name and product placement) being sold with sheer straight-faced audacity as a romance, or for that matter a novel of any kind.
DNF.
November 5, 2024
A really great read for a nice Sunday afternoon. Such a wonderful sweet Romance with a little mystery thrown to keep it entertaining. Steph and Bugle are fun and easy to love and Mark is a great cop. Also learn about essential oils which is an added bonus.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 17, 2026
The Lavender Thief is a delightful blend of romance, humor, and mystery. The charming characters, witty dialogue, and cozy atmosphere made it an enjoyable read, while the light suspense kept the story engaging. A fun, feel good rom com that's perfect for fans of sweet romances with a touch of intrigue.
September 1, 2026
Less than 1% of people ever make back their money after joining an MLM.
They are the equivalent of joining a Ponzi scheme but with physical products instead of cash.
Essential oil MLMs will bankrupt you sooner than they will enrich you.
Invest, get a job, get a degree, do literally anything else.
They are the equivalent of joining a Ponzi scheme but with physical products instead of cash.
Essential oil MLMs will bankrupt you sooner than they will enrich you.
Invest, get a job, get a degree, do literally anything else.
September 22, 2026
Cute romance mystery
The only issue I had was eating essential oils. As a home prescriber I am trained to know that it can cause poisoning and upset stomach. Overall enjoyed it. Definitely kept guessing who the bad guy was and definitely surprised. Mark is a sweetie and a gentleman. Bugle is lush 😍
The only issue I had was eating essential oils. As a home prescriber I am trained to know that it can cause poisoning and upset stomach. Overall enjoyed it. Definitely kept guessing who the bad guy was and definitely surprised. Mark is a sweetie and a gentleman. Bugle is lush 😍
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews