Once Upon a Rose

La Vie en Roses #1

by Laura Florand

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.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Adult, Chick Lit, France, Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 26, 2015

About the author

Laura Florand is the international bestselling and award-winning author of fifteen books, including the Vie en Roses series (Once Upon a Rose), the Paris Hearts series (All for You), and the Amour et Chocolat series (The Chocolate Thief). Selected by NPR for their Top 100 Romance list, her books have appeared in ten languages, been nominated for RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book of the Year, received the RT Seal of Excellence and numerous starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, and been recommended by USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.

She was born in Georgia, but the travel bug bit her early. After a Fulbright year in Tahiti, a semester in Spain, and backpacking everywhere from New Zealand to Greece, she ended up living in Paris, where she met and married her own handsome Frenchman, a story told in her first book Blame It on Paris. Now a lecturer at Duke University, she is very dedicated to her research into French chocolate. For a glimpse behind the scenes of some of that research as well as recommendations for US chocolate, make sure to check out her website: www.lauraflorand.com.

Reviews

[Wendy Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swoony and adorable, and MY GOD why am I not living in a rose-covered cottage in the south of France.

Review to come.

[Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"He was her roots. And she was his wings."

Aww hell. It must be one of the most unbelievable, cheesy, predictable and filled with innuendos (deliberate or not, I'm not quite sure yet) romance that I ever read, but I can't bring myself to rate it lower than 3. It would be like kicking a puppy!

Frankly, I had a blast reading it - even if I ADMIT, most of the time I was laughing at the book but I think it was so... TOO MUCH that it reached a special status in my heart >.< You know these B-movies that you watch sometimes when you're sick (don't look at me like this - it must have happened to you too, right?) and that are so ridiculously fluffy that you end cheering up and laughing like a moron? It was like that.

This book is like chick-lit on crack!

✔ You've got this instalovish, OMG-can-I-lick-your-chest kind of couple who are supposed to fight over some part of land the girl inherited while really, they're only waiting to jump on each other, and somehow, IT WORKS. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that they're realistic or understandable because they AREN'T, and yes I laughed at them (A LOT) but they never annoyed me and every complaint I can have towards them is buried under the millions giggles they brought to me. Not to mention that Matthieu is like a Teddy Bear or something - I can't hold a grudge against a Teddy Bear now can I?

"That smile she sometimes had for him made him so confusedly and vulnerably happy, as if he was a teddy-bear she was about to pick up and squeeze. He had never in his life felt very squeezable before."

See what I mean?

✔ If the plot is centered around Matthieu and his responsabilities towards his Roseraie, you spend a great deal of time seeing them taking care of the roses, holding each other (they do that a lot), going to the restaurant and just being cute as hell. Okay, there is also some Resistance stories and what can I do with my liiiiiiiiiife vibes going on.

✔ You've got (a lot of) repetitions but it reached a point where it was actually funny, you know? Basically from 20% I was laughing hard each time one of them would say :

Matthieu : "It is MY valley", "Damn she was cute" (or sweet) - and every time he blushes and beams :P

Layla : "I want to touch his chest", "aww his growl is so sexy"

✔ You've got French language done RIGHT. Yes Mesdames et messieurs! Special mention to the French insults that were really realistic (not that I use them. Who me?!) Putain de bordel de merde would be my favorite :P

Oh, now that I think about it : chérie, used alone, isn't sexy or sweet. AT ALL. If you want to be more charming, you can say "ma/mon chéri(e)" but chérie alone is something guys would say to you while drunk (or if they're naturally cheesy, lucky them!). Picture an old drunk cowboy saying HEY BABE! to you. See? That's how HEY CHERIE! sounds like to a French woman. You've been warned.

And before I forget, the author couldn't know it, but Bouclette (= little curls) is actually a surname highly laughable in France because it was used by a famous one man show, Gad Elmaleh (watch it here), and Bouclette was the (dumb) heroine of some snarky parody of musicals. Oops.

✔ You've got no drama, no angst, because the characters are just so freaking cute that they can't stay mad at each other's more than 2 minutes. Awww.

► NOW ARE YOU READY FOR THE CHEESE? YES? Because I'm nice like that, here are several parts that cracked me up (and really, I don't see how I could have taken them seriously. Oh, I don't care. It was just funnier to me to take them on a sarcastic level)

▨ PART ONE : The shower

"I was just thinking of you," Layla said, burying her hands in her curls to scrunch in the product. (...) "In the shower."
He blinked. A little surge of energy seemed to run through his body, a man getting ready for action.
"Because the water was warm!" Layla tried to explain hastily. "You know, it felt good."
His lips parted. He stared at her.
"Because you fixed the electricity!" she shouted. "I was thinking of you because I was so glad to have warm water again!"

▨ PART TWO : The kiss attack

"Layla smiled, rested her chin on her hand, and blew him a kiss.
He clapped his hand fast over his heart, but it was too late. He was pretty sure that kiss had gotten to him. He could feel it, the little brush of air from it sinking into his heart, tickling out through the rest of his body. That was a really tricky blow."

▨ PART THREE : The gold river

"Making love to you is like... like swimming in gold, or something"

and then -

"When her breasts were revealed, it was like discovering buried treasure. Again."

WANT MORE? READ THE BOOK!

PS : I need to know : is that TRUE?? "a whole aisle of chocolate bars was not something one found in a supermarket in the U.S." YOU REALLY DON'T? I can't believe that! YES, it made me gasp.

For more of my reviews, please visit:

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Once Upon a Rose was a pure delight! I was laughing one minute, and pulled under by a wave of lust the next, but the overall tone was happy, and I just couldn’t keep from smiling the entire time I read. I LOVED Matt and Layla’s romance!

Big, growly and gruff, Matthieu Rosier is the patriarchal heir to the Rosier valley of roses that supply perfume houses with the petals to make their fragrant concoctions. It’s his valley...well most of it is. Matt gets the shock of his life when a small, curly-haired temptress crashes his birthday party and shakes up his world.

Layla Dubois aka rock-star ‘Belle Woods’ is in need of rest and privacy after feeling burned out and unable to write songs for a new album. A letter and an inheritance brings her to Provence, back to her family’s roots, and Layla thinks it’s the perfect place to regenerate incognito. She didn’t realize she’d encounter big and gorgeous Matthieu Rosier and find all his growliness such a turn on.

Layla’s inheritance throws an immediate road block up between her and Matthieu’s immediate attraction, but it’s less of a wedge than you might think. Every time I thought a huge outburst was coming, Layla would surprise and sooth any problem away. Yes, there was plenty of growling on Matt’s part, but mostly he was just a big, cuddly teddy-bear in disguise, one that demanded a good squeeze!

It must take a lot of growling to hide a heart tender enough to make roses.

Their romance was at times antagonistic and so much fun! At others, it was full of sensuality, intense want, and passion! Who knew a rose could be so erotic?! Even though Matt and Layla’s relationship developed over a short period of time it still felt like a slow, steady burn as they got to know each other.

Once Upon a Rose had the least amount of angst or heartache compared to her other books, but Ms. Florand still managed to make me cry at one point with Tante Collette’s stories. They were very moving and I can totally understand her decision in regards to the Rosier land.

I took my time reading Once Upon a Rose. I wanted to savor each passage, revel in the feelings Ms. Florand coaxes out of me every time I read one of her novels. I have so many favorite scenes and passages highlighted, and I especially loved the alien photo scene! “Tata! Did you get out—Tata! Not the alien photo.” Leave it to family to utterly embarrass by sharing old photos! Haha! See, just so much fun!

Once Upon a Rose is the first story in Laura Florand’s newest series, and we have several more cousins in need of some loving. Tristan Rosier’s story is next and I can’t wait!

A copy was kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

This review is also posted at The Readers Den.

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been savoring this one. Once Upon a Rose, the start to a new and all-too-beautiful romance series set in the South of France, nearly begged to be read carefully. Each page a petal, thick and heavy with the perfume of roses; meant to be wafted, not inhaled.

Because I just didn't want this book to end. Florand's Amour et Chocolat series ranks among my favorite, ever, so of course I cracked open the spine of Once Upon a Rose with sky-high expectations. Florand's prose can move me to tears, affect me with emotion of the acutest kind, and render me hopelessly in love. I thought, after five full-length novels, three novellas, and two short stories that I knew the intricate ins-and-outs of Florand's writing style and ability. After all, she had covered such a wide range and scope of characters, love stories, and depth within her debut series. But I was wrong.

What I hadn't known was that Florand's prose has the ability to make me grin like a lovesick fool, giggle like a young schoolgirl, and squeal at the absolute adorable-ness on the page. As an avid reader of Florand's, I'd come across sexy, arrogant chefs; ambitious, motivated, and passionate. But few things delight quite the same way that a strong, rugged, and handsome French countryman who blushes does.

Layla Dubois is a rockstar. After winning a Grammy for her debut album, Layla--known as "Belle" to her fans--has hit a wall. Unable to find the inspiration she needs to write another album, Layla leaves Paris and journeys to the South of France to find the countryside home that has recently become part of her inheritance. It turns out that Layla's cottage is a part of a rose valley owned by Matthieu Rosier. When we first meet Matt, it is his thirtieth birthday party and the adorable man is drunk and absolutely besotted with Layla, who he affectionately calls "Boucles." It's an encounter that will leave Matt utterly embarrassed the next morning, when his shyness takes over and renders him grunting grumpily in contrast to the chatter of the previous night.

But it's all just so cute. I wanted to read and re-read every interaction between Layla and Matt; I wanted to savor it and prolong it and live in their world for as long as I could. Because Matt, despite the tough act, is all gooey on the inside. And I love that. I just have to share one of my favorite scenes because it captures the essence of these two characters so perfectly and it was the precise moment I fell insanely in love with their love:

"What do you want now?” Matt growled at her, tightening his arms around himself.
“I only need directions!” Layla snapped back at him. “I can’t believe how unhelpful you people are being!”
Matt blinked. He slid the oddest glance toward the other men, almost—vulnerable? “They couldn’t give you directions?”
Tristan shook his head woefully. “Even Damien,” he said sadly, “proved unequal to the task.”
Matt stared at them for a moment. And then his sunburn seemed to get worse than ever, and he rubbed his chest, as if it felt strange to him. Clearing his throat, a rough growl of sound, he took her map from her. “Where do you need to go?”
“I’ve been lost enough around here, thank you,” Layla said. “I don’t need you to get me lost some more, just to punish me for inheriting a house.”
Matt scowled at the map. “Where do you need to go?” he growled again.
Tristan coughed a little into his hand. “Ahem, Matt. People skills!” he stage-whispered.
Matt glared at him.
“He’s really a nice guy,” Tristan told her out loud, cheerfully, as if Matt wasn’t even listening. “No, I swear.”
Matt transferred his glare back to the map.
Again, Layla fought the urge to just lay her hand against his chest. It was a really hot chest, that probably explained it. She kept imagining all that growly tension relaxing away from him in surprise. And then what would he be like? That cute, enthusiastic, uncontained man he had been drunk?
“Where?” Matt insisted. He cleared his throat again. And then managed to get words out that were still rough, but considerably quieter. “Where do you need to go?” he repeated, carefully.
“I don’t even know where I am.”
“You’re in the Rosier valley,” Matt said blankly and put a callused finger to her map. “Here.”

[...]

His gruff voice elaborated as he wrote: “A three-story house with blue shutters will be on your left. It has lace curtains. If not, if it’s a house with blue shutters and roses climbing up the walls but no curtains, you’ve taken the wrong exit. There’s a little bar two buildings farther down, with a faded red awning. Be careful, there’s a pale orange tabby cat that likes to lie right in the middle of the road there, and he will not move. You have to stop the car and pick him up and carry him to the garden of the little house with the jasmine climbing up the green gate. That’s where he belongs. Then you—”
Layla watched his square hand around the pen, his big body bent over the hood of her car as he wrote. His bare back curved and she stalwartly fought the need to reach out and see if it was as smooth as it looked. As warm. To see if his voice would grow more or less gruff when he was being petted.
He knew a particular cat might be sleeping in the middle of the road on her route. And he stopped and picked it up. He made sure she stopped and picked it up.
From this angle, his face was in shade and the sunburn didn’t look as bad, his skin less ruddy under the matte tones. Her head tilted.
It wasn’t sunburn, was it? Sunburn didn’t subside like that.
This big, growling man had been blushing.
“You’re way better than a smartphone,” she said wonderingly.
Actually he was more like a…guitar. Someone she wanted to run her fingers over to see what sounds she could pull out.
He made a sound of acknowledgement that was pretty darn close to a grunt.
She grinned. Definitely a bass guitar. “And you have a much better voice. Do you think I could record you giving the directions instead?” Except, of course, she didn’t have a phone to record with. If she wanted to hear that rough bass talking to her again while he blushed, she’d just have to figure out a way to keep getting him to do it.
A musician had to, you know, coax her instruments into making the sounds she wanted sometimes.
She bit back a grin.
He stopped writing and turned his head just enough to look at her. The color started to mount back into his cheeks again.
Her smile started to escape her efforts to restrain it. “Do you need help with your sunscreen?”
That stern upper lip relaxed its pressure on the full lower one. He stared at her, frozen.
Her smile deepened. Whether it was the pure fun of flirting in French—a language that had, after all, been refined for centuries to that purpose—or the vulnerable blush on someone that big and rough and growling, this whole moment was developing a delicious zing.
“You’re pretty cute, you know that?” she tested softly.
The streak over those strong cheekbones turned ruddy bronze. He looked back at her journal, and the pencil lead broke. He stared at it, apparently not having a clue what to do with himself.

See what I mean? An absolute teddy bear if there was one. But Once Upon a Rose is so much more than the developed love story between Matt and Layla. As the inheritor of so much land, Matt is burdened with living in rose valley and caring for her roses constantly. While his cousins travel the world and date gorgeous women, Matt's first love has always been the land he is rightfully heir to. From Matt's perspective, nothing is in black-and-white. Matt recognizes that his cousins yearn for the land Matt owns--and Matt is proud to be the sole inheritor of the Rosier valley and he selfishly loves his roses--but he also envies his cousins for the freedom they possess for, unlike him, they are not tied down to the land of their ancestors. Matt's relationship with his cousins is complex, however, for in brief glimpses we are able to see that his cousins care deeply for Matt and, contrary to what he may believe, they aren't looking for weaknesses in his character to exploit so that they can take his inheritance away from him. We see time and time again that Matt's cousins are there for him and, eventually, Matt, too, comes to realize that there are more options in front of him than he believes, if only he would open himself up to others and allow them to help.

Layla, too, undergoes her own journey of growth over the course of the novel but it is Matt's character who has stuck with me, long after my languid read of Once Upon a Rose. At its core, this is a story of two people who, by finding love, find that they have room in their hearts for so much more than they imagined. It's about finding the courage to be brave enough to accept change, invite help, and alter your entire world-view. In addition to the Rosier cousins, there are a handful of other vibrant secondary characters who make this novel that much more special and, as always, the cameo appearances and mentions of characters who we've met in previous novellas and short stories is such a delight. Once Upon a Rose, though different from the Amour et Chocolat books, still possesses a hero and heroine who are equally matched, who bring out the best in one another, and who share a riveting passion--whether it be for chocolate or roses, believe me, they're both just as romantic, sensual, and swoon-worthy as the other. I am still unable to adequately express just how deeply I feel for this novel; it's soft, sweet, and oh-so-very hug-able. Between Parisian chocolatiers and Southern countrymen, I'm going to have a difficult time deciding where to stop first when I eventually visit France to find my future husband! ;)

[Stacia (the 2010 club) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. If there's one thing Laura Florand does with excellence, it's taking the reader and dropping them down into a magical setting.

Once Upon a Rose had me wishing that I could be the main character in the story, just so I could visit an enchanting valley in France which smelled like Roses.

I don't even care for Roses. That's how good Laura Florand is at her atmospheric crafting.

Rose started out perfectly. It took no time at all for me to settle in to the story. Imagine your car breaking down in the middle of the night. Imagine walking up to a house and being invited in. Imagine a whimsical party happening. Imagine a hot, tipsy guy swooping you up into his arms and holding you close to him while he and his family entertain you with tales of their life.

Wouldn't you want to be there?

And THEN...the next day, you wake up to find yourself staying on the grounds of a rose harvesting farm. Soft breezes carry the scent of flowers while bushes sway back and forth.

Said hot guy is shirtless and picking roses to be sent off and used for the perfume oil.

And you can witness it all from your front porch.

Sign me the hell up.

The second half of the book slowed down a bit but it was still a lovely read, nonetheless.

I missed the ever present humor that was abundant in this author's Chocolate Thief series, but the great atmosphere made up for it.

Good stuff!

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Florand is a new-to-me author and what a fantastic introduction. At least, for me. This story might as well have been written for me, that's how well it hit my sweet-spot.

Most of that is the two main characters, though I was additionally charmed by the setting and secondary characters. Matt is so my cuppa tea I almost stopped reading a couple of times just to savor the story longer. The big growly man with the softest heart and kindest impulses who has care written in his bones is so engaging I wanted to prolong my time with him by putting the story down a while to savor the memory a bit. Only then I got impatient because I wanted more. So I gulped the book down in a two extended sittings, anyway.

Layla was nearly as engaging. I loved her open vulnerability and bravery but when she poked the bear just to hear him growl . . . man that was a lot of fun. I loved that she got Matt so well and that he intrigued her to the extent that she couldn't seem to leave him alone (in the good, non-stalkery way). This is one of the great examples of complimentary personalities where each values the differences in the other so they come together in a whole that is stronger than its parts.

And I have to give Florand credit for building that up by showing the communication fails and how they got past talking across each other the couple of times it happened. You can't expect two so fundamentally different people to get it right every time so showing how they handle things when they are miscommunicating not only illustrated the relationship as it stood at that moment, but gave insight into how it would progress once the narrative wrapped on this story. In other words, I love that I have every confidence that they'll go the distance, even though we only got to share about a week of their getting to know one another. Yeah, it was an intense week, which is why I buy it as possible to establish a loving, lasting relationship, but buried in there is a solid foundation that can last if nurtured and cared for (and since both are invested and caring, well, it's clear this is the start of something solid).

Anyway, I'm glad I took the dive into Laura Florand with this book. An outstanding start, though I can't expect every one of her books to so clearly nail my personal heart-zone.

A note about production: The only sour note with this book was the truly crappy production. I had a physical trade paperback from my library and it was glaringly poor quality. The writing and editing was rock-solid, but the type-setting and printing and matte cover were very poor. Some pages were faded to near illegibility and some were so dark they nearly glowed. It was weird, frankly, and more than a little off-putting.

A note about Steamy: There was one rather extended explicit sex scene and one lead up to sex that pulled curtain pretty early. So this is the low side of my steam tolerance, and very well-done. Frankly, this was another example of hitting my sweet spot because I really didn't feel I needed any more and what we got fit the relationship and characters very well.

[Christina ~ Brunette Reader]

No rating, DNFed at 50% or so, then skimmed to the end

I've tried, but I really couldn't get past all the repetitions and the cutesy-cuteness. I felt like nothing was happening except for the hero and the heroine being sweet, smelling the roses and calling each other cheesy nicknames: bear (around 29 times) and bouclettes (around 73 times).
Not even the abundant use of bad words, both in English and en français, which I don't mind if in moderate amounts (but I don't think that, among others, repeating "merde" 37 times can be accounted as moderate), was able to counterbalance the predominant syrupy atmosphere.
I'm sure it's an infamous case of the "it's not you, it's me" variety. There was some good potential as long as raw materials are concerned, I just haven't been able to overlook the clichéd and sugary style of the processing.

Since a well-loved Contemporary Romance author and being Once Upon a Rose the first book by this author I've read, I'll most likely give another of her titles a chance, maybe it was this particular book not working for me and I might instead enjoy a different one.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one, it just moved a little too slow for me, so all in all 3.5 but rounding up to 4.

Feel Good Buddy Read for March with Anna, Ian & Stacia! :)

[Anna (Bobs Her Hair) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars - Simply Romantic!

Life sang from the old stones, and he couldn't remember the last time it had done that for him. The last time those thousand-year-old walls had played a thousand years of hope to him and not a thousand years of expectations.

Perhaps, this is an emotional rating, but as I was trying to decide on rating this 4 stars or 5 I had a thought. I wondered does a romance have to be complicated. Once Upon a Rose is incredibly romantic and scenic too! It makes one want to book a flight to the south of France, absorb the culture, admire the architecture, and imagine falling in love. Le sigh.

Two people are brought together - one an indie singer and the other a proud man with a huge legacy attached to his broad shoulders. There's almost a magical fated quality to their union, as if their paths, whether fixed or unsteady, are meant to cross. I swallowed their magic as if it was heavenly chocolate; inhaled the rose-scented pages as if I could never get enough. Mmmm.

Once Upon a Rose feels real. One of the hardest and unnerving parts of starting a relationship is making oneself vulnerable. The hero, Matthieu, is a big growly bear who was once burned by a selfish woman. The closer one gets to his heart the more he growls...or blushes! Layla, the heroine, is an insightful woman. She understands Matt from the get-go. She treasures his roses. Matt inspires her!

This story is so gently and gratifyingly nuanced any romantic heart would love it! This is my first Laura Florand book. It won't be my last. I've already read "A Rose in Winter," which can be found in the anthology No Place Like Home. It's Raoul & Allegra's story, who are also secondary characters in Once Upon a Rose. If you read the novella you'll see Tante Collette's role in her nephews' lives and hear her poignant WWII stories about the Résistance.

Other readers have told me that Florand's Chocolate series is even better. Really?!!! This author's love of France is obvious and her other series is set in Paris. Hmm. I can smell the roses and feel the characters hearts beat, so I guess I'll have to try her chocolate too! Oh, and next up is Tristan in the La Vie en Roses. Watching him fall in love will be such a treat! (You can see one of his quotes in a status update. Do it! He's funny!)

Grade: A



Feel Good Buddy read for March!

[Ksenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m such a slow reader. I’m so jealous of my friends who can read a book in one sitting and gush about it in a couple of hours, while I’m still 20 % in. It’s not even that English is not my first language, because I read slowly in Russian too. So you can imagine my horror when I realized (while reading Once Upon a Rose) that my reading pace dropped even more. What’s happened? I blame it all on Laura Florand. Her writing is gorgeous, and I kept rereading sentences and whole paragraphs.

Laura Florand’s writing is sensual and, I don’t know, kinesthetic… When she wrote about a scent, I felt it; when she described a texture, it was like I run my fingers through it. It’s amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where my senses were so involved. I feel so inadequate trying to put it into words; I’ll just give you example of this beauty:

"The scent of roses reached her from his hand, mixed with the apples of her shampoo, and she closed her eyes against a wave of hunger. It didn’t help. Closing her eyes meant that all she could do was feel—his hand shifting in her hair, his breath brushing over her lips, the cool shade of the street after the sun of the fields, and the press of a knocker against her back. The silence of the stone seemed to hold her safe in it. A gentle echo sounded of someone walking down another cobblestone street below. She wanted him to talk again, into her darkness."

I think Laura Florand’s writing is perfect for audiobooks. I want to listen one of her books in audio. Audio format gives readers opportunity to appreciate beautiful words more.

I don’t easily give a spot on my “awesome hero” shelf, but Matt definitely goes there. I fell in love with this big and growling man, who is such a sweetie inside. Aaaaand he is blushing! I have a soft spot for blushing heroes.

"That smile she sometimes had for him made him feel so confusedly and vulnerably happy, as if he was a teddy-bear she was about to pick up and squeeze. He had never in his life felt very squeezable before."

Also it was such a treat to meet Matt’s big family. His grandfather, Tante Colette, aunts and uncles, and of course his cousins (I hope each of them will get his own book in future). To have so many relatives, many of them in the same area and this big heritage. Nowadays people know grandparents, great grandparents, but how many of us can trace their family back to the Renaissance?

I loved Matt’s relationship with his cousins. There were four of them present, each of them with his own distinct personality and story to tell. It’s obvious they all love each other and have each other backs despite competitive nature of their relationship. Their teasing of Matt was so endearing.

The romance… What can I tell? I swooned. It was sensual, beautifully-written and it pleased romantic it me.

I have to mention the setting. Laura Florand pictured Provence so vividly; it was like I was transported there, like I walked with Layla on these old narrow beautiful streets, like I was looking on rose fields. Laura Florand definitely made me want to visit these places.

Why then didn’t I give this book 5 Stars? The same reason – Laura Florand’s writing style. Have you ever been in perfume shop? You want to buy a perfume, you walk in, and there are all these scents around you. And while one perfect scent is a pleasure for your senses, when you are bombarded by all of them at once, you get overloaded. So you need to get out for fresh air, or you’ll have a headache. I’m not sure I make any sense here, but this is how I felt while reading Once Upon Rose. There were actually a couple of times when I had to put the book aside for a while because I was overwhelmed.

Overall Once Upon a Rose was a heartfelt beautiful story, which left me with warm feelings. I was told that this is one of lightest books by Laura Florand and her other novels are more emotional and heavy, which of course don’t stop me at all, I’m looking forward to my next book by this author.

You can find more of my reviews: Ksenia’s Book Blog

[Gaufre · Rating 1 out of 5]

Once upon a time, in this fantasy world named Provence, was a magic valley of roses. The owner of the (extremely expensive) land was Matthieu, a handsome Frenchman considerate enough that he repairs the car and house of a complete stranger. In the middle of the harvest of roses, which I am assuming is the busiest time of year for him. He also used to date a supermodel because, you know, farmers are invited to highfalutin perfume parties to mingle with high society.

The stranger in question is Layla, an rising American rock star. But fame and success has dried up her inspiration and she is bemoaning her carefree past of wandering around and panhandling. She inherited a part of the magical valley.

I am actually ok with all this nonsense and lack of realism. France can be in a distorted alternate reality, as much as regency era England. I could have bought into it Actually, it was too much even for me. But it was compounded by bad imagery, repetitive writing, an unsympathetic female character and no chemistry.

The rose metaphors/analogies are so predictable it is utterly uninteresting. At some point, Layla compares herself to a bush of roses and her creativity to blooms. It lasted for pages and pages. And of course, all of this stuff about her "taking root". This book ruined roses for me. Just for that, it deserves the lowest rating.

[Ian]

I know this is good.
A lot of friends I trust loved it.
But...so much talk it's driving me insane.
It's just one of those things.
You can't love every
Book.

[Bonnie-Anne Carmichael (Love Triangles Are Fucking Stupid.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Thank you to the author for an ARC of this!*

This was absolutely magical and charming as always. Every time you open a Laura Florand book you know you're going to get swept off your feet. The writing is so beautiful that it's as though you can see, hear, touch, smell and even taste everything in the story. The setting always comes alive and you get completely sucked in. I always love her characters. They've always got so many layers and are completely developed. The characters are so loveable but they've also got their flaws but you end loving them even more because of them.

This is the story of Matt & Layla. Layla who is running from her responsibilities and Matt who lives for his responsibilities. Right from their first meeting I was completely smitten with them. She goes into a party to ask for help after her car breaks down and a very merry with drink Matt decides she belongs to him. It is quite honestly one of my absolute favourite meet cutes I've ever read. It was both swoony and hilarious. After their totally brilliant first meeting we soon find out there is a big problem. Layla has inherited the house Matt has been doing up in the belief that it will be going to him. It's right in the middle of his valley that his whole life revolves around. He absolutely has to get the house back, unfortunately for him he is completely and utterly gone for Layla.

This book was just wonderful. I swooned so much. Matt and Layla were absolutely perfect for each other. Matt was this big grumpy bear of a man. Yet he was also vulnerable at the same time. He was confident yet just unsure enough to make him not be a cocky arse. He was delicious. Layla was a total sweetheart and I just wanted to give her a big hug. She was so not your typical singer character. She was down to earth and really appreciated everything around her.

The reason why Laura Florands book are so amazing, and this one is a prime example, is that she lets you get right into her characters heads. You feel all the emotions and you just get swept away. I've honestly never read any other book that has such perfectly developed characters.

Her books are also some the hottest I've read and not because they are totally explicit. The way the love scenes are written really let's you feel all the emotion that is involved. The possessiveness and vulnerability of the characters just makes the chemistry spark off the page. It's completely romantic and completely hot without having to resort to a bunch of swearing and grunting all the time.

"How he could slip himself into her body. How he could take her over, make her his. Get her to melt and yield."

Just so swoony.

I recommend this to anyone who truly loves a romance story because that's exactly what this is. True romance.

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn you, book! The ending was so sweet, dammit, I don't know what to do with myself now!

Laura Florand's works have been so far more miss than hit for me, the last time I got so mad, I swore off her works completely. Yeah, I'm not much of a character in the face of temptation.

"I’ve known some people like that. Who always do what they hate the most. It’s a powerful force, masochism."

Yep, that's me. Anyway, I took a risk with Once Upon a Rose and it paid off. Yay!

You can totally recognize Florand's writing style. Like when you can recognize a singer singing a song you haven't heard before just by the sound of his or her voice. The way this woman has with words, my god! I was impressed in The Chocolate Thief and I still am. Whether she's describing an emotion or a taste or a touch, you are left awed by her, well, mastery is the only word, by her mastery at conveying sensation into words so profoundly that it's almost as if you're feeling it too. I could rave about it for days.

You can also recognize her writing by her characters. They all (or at least in those books I've read) seem to be hung up on some silly issues from their past or present for a long time, too long, so long it just becomes frustrating. Frustrating because it seems these issues are the only thing in the way of those characters and their happiness. Just like with books before, in Once Upon a Rose misunderstandings get cleared up really easily and nicely, stubbornness presents a problem for only a short time (if there's any), characters are mostly open with each other, anything that is a deal breaker in other books because it drags out for too much is handled easily and in a relatively short amount of time. If it only weren't for those hung ups...

I was equally annoyed and thrilled with the hero and the heroine. I liked Layla's playfulness and spunk, I liked how she wasn't a pushover, but oh my god, sometimes she could be sooo oversensitive. And Matt, I liked his strength and his dedication, I liked how he was just a sweet guy getting offended when called so, but all that talk about protecting his heart made me wanna scream from frustration.

So yeah, not perfect, not awful, Once Upon a Rose is a book I still enjoyed reading and it definitely made me more open towards Florand's newest works. Here's to hoping I won't get burned yet again.
Read it, if only to see and feel the peaceful rose valley in Provence. It'll be worth it.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

My love affair with Laura Florand's writing continues. This is such a lovely romance. You will like. You will keep it. You will reread it. Often.

Florand has great talent in creating characters we care about and wish with all our hearts they get a happily ever after. Our hero is heir to a valley filled with roses for the perfume trade. He very much embraces who he is and is burdened by it at the same time. He has had a rough go at love with a former girlfriend who wanted him to be something different than he is. Which is sad because he is an awesome, earthy, blushing, growly, gentle giant who can fix up your 100 year old rose covered cottage and your car. And so very very French.

Our heroine is a singer song writer in the first fame pressured stage of her career. She is losing herself in the spotlight. She needs a break and comes to the French countryside to explore her genealogy and inheritance. She is wry, steeped with music, curly haired, kind, and wistful. American in all the best salad not a melting pot ways.

They fall in love. Its sexy and wonderful

Florand was secret weapons in this book--a thoughtful exploration of the history of French Resistance Fighters (and non Fighters), the setting as a character, the rose trade, and an upside down 1 Bear and a Curly Headed Woman who won't leave his land fairytale which is not to be missed.

There are places where I would have liked less repeating of growly and another where I thought everything might tilt into unneeded drama for a few beats too long but I adored this book and know it will be a comfort read for me when I need to be transported.

I was given this book for my honest review. So, there you have it.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet romance that was! *still floating a world of rose petals*
Made me want to go and get a bottle of Bulgarian rose oil, close equivalent to the French one :)

This full review is also published on my blog - Ellie Reads Ficion

This was a truly beautifully written love story that was a pure pleasure to read. I couldn't put it down and finished in 2 days despite my desire to savour every word, every emotion it brought to life. I almost never reread stories but I'd love to go back to this one at some point. There are so many layers to this story that I'm sure I've missed some the first time round and I’d only be to happy to find them.

I'm a big fan of Laura Florand and her Amour et Chocolat series is one my favourite romances. Once Upon a Rose is the first book in a spin-off series focusing on a dynasty of producers of rose oil in the South of France. It is the most perfect, romantic and tender love story I’ve read lately. Everything in it worked perfectly for me.

Ms Florand has this distinctive rich style of writing, very sensual, very detail oriented. I particularly like how she weaves elements of traditional fairy tales in her romances and they don't feel like an addition but rather are an intrinsic part of the story. She skilfully plays with stereotypes and expectations, with traditional roles.

Layla was a interesting character - she is of mixed origin (French/Lebanese), a free-roaming musician in search of her inspiration back and (more importantly, though she comes to this realisation only gradually in the course of the story) a place to belong to. Matt was her total opposite in many way - he was part of the land, his valley defined him but it was aslo smothering him, just as her non-stop travelling was killing her artistic self.

Matt and Layla's romance swept them off their feet in a matter of days and was at true love at first sight. It's was magical, a story of a princess and her knight, though with a sense of humour and enough dose of reality to keep it grounded and prevent it from being too sweet. Their story was a beautiful journey of self-discovery and of learning who you are and who you can be. The struggle between their heart's desires and their words/actions was very intense, sometimes sad, oftenimes funny and most certainly honest and intimate.

I liked Layla but Matt stole my heart. He was like a big teddy bear (the bear analogy runs strongly throughout the story and I loved it). He hides a tender heart behind his growls and he, can you believe it, he blushes, this big, dark, who scolds and growls all the time, actulally blushes. How cute is that! Layla didn't stand a chance against that just as he didn't have a chance against a petite girl with big eyes and masses of curls who wore her heart on her sleeve for everyone to see.

Ms Florand also gives us a great set of supporting characters set of characters who helped give the story a strong sense of place. There was a lot of focus on the importance of family in all its forms and complexities. I loved the Rosiers cousins, Tante Collette and grandpere Pepe were amazing as well. Can't wait for the next story in the series.

Another element which mades this book stand out is the many layers the author add the love story - subtle presence of history of the French Resistance, the issue of what makes a family, the freedom the be yourself and the need to have someone stand by your side and to be able to share your world with them, the burden of obligations and expectation.

A fantastic read that I can't praise enough. Even this early in the year, I can honestly say that this will be one the Top Reads of 2015 for me!

[Susana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She stole his roses"

While I condemn rose theft _lol _ this actually sounds good!

2nd Re-Read - April 11

I just love this book so much! *.*
I don't even care about the over the top sweetness, because I just want to hug almost everyone.
Not Tante Collete, because she would probably smack me... but hell, the woman is one tough cookie for someone who is 96 years old!
As for Matthieu and Layla?
They're sweet, cute, lovable characters with whom I just want to be best pals with.

[SB*needs low angst books*]

I give up.

I have been trying to read this book several times since I bought it and every single time I end up skimming more than I read. Even though it had some cute things in it, I just wasn't falling in love with it. The story was just one I wasn't truly enjoying due to the internal thoughts of the hero and the heroine and the thoughts seemed so repetitive. I just couldn't get with the flow and couldn't connect to any of the characters at all. I just felt really off with the writing too. Just a bad mash up for me.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review, August 2016: First Laura Florand book I've read, but it won't be the last. I really enjoyed this sweet romance set in gorgeous rural France, on a rose-grower's property. The flirting and seduction between Matthieu and Layla is so charming and romantic as they fall in love. Very little angst, which is just the way I like it. And Matthieu has a whole tribe of hot cousins, each to get their own book, I'm assuming. A fairly short book, but a very enjoyable one. Now, onto Damien's story!

[Isamlq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I alternated between



And

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review originally posted at For What It's Worth on 1/30/15: http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2015/01/re...

You know that question where you have to name what books you would take with you if you were stuck on an island? I can never seem to answer that. I love a lot of books for different reasons but probably not enough to be stuck reading them over and over.

But now I think I have my answer. Anything and everything by Laura Florand. If I had her books I could travel to Paris and the valley's of France, meet world class chefs, savor the best chocolates, run through a field of roses, fall in love.

There is just no other author whose writing captivates the senses and sweeps me away as Laura Florand does.

Once Upon a Rose takes us away from the Amour et Chocolat series and our beloved bossy pastry chefs with their decadent chocolates and whisks us away to the fields in the South of France. While I adore chocolate, I wasn’t sure I would be as invested in the perfume industry – but of course I was.

The La Vie en Rose series has the authors trademark grumpy heroes but I think this series has more of a sense of family to it. Whereas the chefs from the other series are adrift and alone, Matt and the upcoming heroes of this book, are anchored in tradition and family. Even if they don’t realize it yet.

Matt. *sigh* I loved him so so much. We meet him when he’s and tipsy, relaxed and happy at his 30th birthday party. Layla’s car has broken down and she stumbles into the party looking for assistance. He sweeps Layla up in a whirlwind of energy – open and kind. But then the next day he’s embarrassed by his behavior and stumbles trying to apologize and reestablish a connection with her until he finds out she’s an enemy to all that he’s tried to protect.

Layla is another lost soul, at a crossroads with her singing career. The pressure to crank out music and have another hit record has left her feeling empty and unsure of her place in the industry. She inherits a house in the French valley – more specifically - smack dab in Matt’s valley.

Matt and Layla are so different from each other and just shouldn't work. There were a few times I wasn’t sure how Florand could write her way out if it. Matt’s connection to his land and family is so deep – yet Layla needs to wander. It’s in her blood. How they could ever stay together and work out was a mystery to me but it works.

I loved how Matt is all growly and grumpy but also sweet and awkward. He gets mad at Layla – views her as the enemy - yet fixes the pipes and electricity in her (his) house. He tries to show off his buff body – yet gets tangled in his t-shirt and blushes frequently. Oh those blushes….

And I loved how Layla needs that house to restore herself yet realizes Matt might need it more. While most of this author’s heroes are all alpha (in a good way) I felt like it was Layla who was the alpha here. She may not have known Matt long and his family is quite intimidating but she has no problem calling them out when they might do or say things that hurt him. Matt needs that kind of person in his life.

This is just a really sweet, loving exploration of self, duty and family.

OK, I’m rambling now so let me just say SA-WOON. I loved it all! I’m as completely captivated by this series as I was with the the Amour et Chocolat series.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way too quick, and too much of a setup novel.

But the openness is refreshing - every time Layla says the honest thing instead of the expected thing, I want to clap - and the family dynamics are fantastic. Even if everything is too rushed to be completely believable, those moments elevate the entire book.

The ending is stupid, though.

[Mandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Quote: He bent his head to her ear. “Unzip your dress.”

She shivered. “Oh, God, if you growl like that…”

“Unzip it,” he growled.

Oh that growl – I think I could actually hear Matt growling all throughout this book. The start of a new series from Laura Florand, she moves out of the kitchens and into the valley of France. Matt is heir to his family’s extensive rose valley, where they grow roses that the perfume industry uses. Roses are in Matt’s blood. Growing up in this valley with his cousins, Matt is the one that has shouldered the responsiblity. While his cousins all help at harvest and are active in the rose business, they have all done other things in their lives as well. When Matt tries to do other things, he always ends up right back in his valley. Most recently he tried dating a super model and that went very badly. So when a woman shows up, claiming Matt’s 96-year old aunt has given her a house, in his valley – a house he has spent a lot of time working on – Matt gets growly. VERY growly.

“To you?” Definitely he had roared that, he could hear his own voice booming back at him, see the way she braced herself. But – who the hell was she? And what the hell was he supposed to do about this? Fight a girl half his size? Strangle his ninety-sex-year-old aunt? How did he crush his enemies and defend his valley? His enemy was…she was so cute.

Layla had a very successful song that made the charts and pushed her into fame. But now she is burned out. Having no desire to write another album, when she learns that a mysterious woman has left her a house in France, she decides to go see what it’s all about. What she didn’t expect to find was a gorgeous man and an entire clan of cousins who are all interested in who she is and what she is doing in their valley. Layla takes one look at Matt, with his shirt off harvesting roses and wants to know him much, much better. This is one thing I like about Layla – she is never really intimidated by Matt and his cousins. Matt may roar and try to take back her house initially, but Layla always has respect for Matt and his family and tries to do the right thing. She is also very upfront about how sexy Matt is, and her flirtation with him is so cute.

“You’re pretty cute, you know that?” she tested softly.

The streak over those strong cheekbones turned ruddy bronze. He looked back at her journal, and the pencil lead broke. He stared at it, apparently not having a clue what to do with himself.

Which was so empowering. It gave her all kinds of ideas what to do with him.

And poor Matt – his cousins torment him mercilessly – they torment him about his devotion to the valley and nothing else. They torment him about the way he blushes (omg his blush) and when they realize there is something brewing between Matt and Layla, the torment -oh the torment. So delightful.

(Matt’s nickname for Layla is “Bouclettes”)

“Bouclettes, hmmm? Tristan grinned a little at the road. “Like Goldilocks?” Boucles d’Or. “I like it. Are you the three bears?”

His cousins were so annoying. Matt grunted.

Tristan’s grin widened. “Excellent grunt. Great role-playing there. I bet you get the part of the biggest bear.” His expression went innocently wicked. “Wasn’t he the one whose bed fit just right?”

Oh, yeah, Matt would like to see how she fit in his big, white bed, when he…he caught himself and glared at his cousin. “Don’t make me hit you while you’re driving.”

Matt had his heart broke with the failed relationship of his previous girlfriend, so he isn’t looking for romance, but Layla – she is a minx. She flirts with him, teases him and tells him outright how hot he is. For all of his growling and roaring, he blushes and stumbles his way along in this romance. It’s so adorable I could hardly stand it. And while he is blushing, this intense sexual attraction develops.

“I’m not touching you, Bouclettes.”

Damn. Why was that so hot? To not be touched? Why did it make her want to be touched so badly?

“That’s good,” she managed. The deep vibrations of his voice just wrapped her up and caressed her, easing into a tone so gentle it was all she could do not to curl up in it.

“Why is that good, cherie?”

She scrubbed her hands over her face, trying to rub some sense into herself. “Because I don’t know what I’d do if you did,” she confessed.

He drew one hard breath in, his fist clenching on the rag. Their gazes locked and sizzled. “That is a hell of a thing to tell a man while you keep asking him to do nothing.”

The roses are just as important as the protagonists in this book. As with her chocolat series I died because I couldn’t taste the amazing creations through my kindle, now I wanted to smell what this rose valley must smell like. (note: my kindle has no smell. It was disappointing).

“Thanks for the rose.” Her voice was almost a whisper, this husky blend with the softness of dawn.

He flushed a little. Him and his stupid roses. Why he had to go leave on the pillow beside her, he did not know.

“I put it in the vase,” she said.

Had she? Taken care of it just like the others?

Could Matt be anymore adorable??? I dare say no!

Once Upon a Rose is just a lovely, sexy book with two adorable protagonists and a setting that made me smile just as much as being in the kitchen with chocolatiers. I hear Tristan’s book is next (one of Matt’s cousins) and I can’t wait.

Grade: B+

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, did I love this book. Which isn't a surprise - I'm a huge Laura Florand fangirl! I fell in love, hard, with her writing last year. But this is one of my favorites among her books, now, for its pure sweetness. When I finished reading (which I did in less than 24 hours, because I gulped it down like chocolate), I didn't just let out a happy Good Book Sigh. I also felt a little bit teary at how genuinely lovely and moving the ending was.

Layla Dubois is a burned-out singer-songwriter who finds out that she's unexpectedly inherited a beautiful old stone house in Provence, in the middle of rose-growing country - the perfect place to retreat from the world and see if she can learn how to write music again. Matthieu Rosier is the head of the family that owns the whole valley (a position full of pressure and expectations, which he's always desperately trying to live up to), and he's horrified to find out that that house - which was supposed to be kept in his family and passed down to him - was given instead, by his own beloved great-aunt, to an outsider. Of course, despite that conflict, they fall madly in love, and there's wonderful chemistry between them, along with lots of humor and complicated family dynamics. There are also truly breathtaking descriptions of the Provençal scenery. Reading this book, with its rich, intense visuals, made me want quite desperately to visit and be surrounded by fields of roses, myself. And the descriptions of Layla's creative process are just wonderful.

But what really makes this book special is just how good-hearted both the hero and heroine are (even though the hero is locally famous for being grumpy - something he's intentionally cultivated in his attempt to be the macho patriarch he's expected to be by the rest of his domineering and intimidating family). Layla and Matt have deeply conflicting desires for a lot of the book, but not only do they fill deep emotional needs in each other, they also work on their relationship like reasonable people. There's a standard trope in romance novels where, when one character is keeping a secret (even for an excellent reason), the discovery of that secret will send the other character stomping off in the distance, never to return until absolutely forced to by a dramatic, external emergency. Without giving spoilers: that kind of thing just doesn't happen here. Layla and Matt may fight, and they may say angry things to each other and stomp off to the other side of the room to seethe about it for a couple of minutes, but then they come back. They say sorry and they listen to what the other person has to say. And it all really, really worked for me.

This is the first book in a new series, and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series now! (I was lucky enough to get an e-ARC of this one, but it should go on sale within the next few weeks.) If you're a fan of lushly written and emotional romances for adults, I would definitely recommend it.

[Steelwhisper · Rating 1 out of 5]

Welp.



No one drives from Paris to the Provence in ten hours (especially no American not used to France), especially not cross country. No way, no how.

The French are hospitable, they aren't arseholes and you usually get at least a few sober people despite any amount of consumed drink at a party or event.

France follows the partible inheritance system. French people are used to the fact that all children will inherit. They are used to dealing with the consequences of this law. No French family would ever be that unaware of heirs as this story suggests, and above all, they would be equable about the fact. It can't be helped after all.

Too much is not adding up here. There are Southern French men who are curiously the size and width of Jason Statham*. There are people who behave like Americans even though purportedly French, and French people who behave as if they spring from a 1930s movie. There are American female car drivers who manage to make the distance from Paris to the Provence in record time and are still fit enough to drive around the winding county roads in the night, and there are few French farmers who belong to the jet set, and whose French name Matthieu would be shortened to "Matt" instead of "Matis", "Mateo" or "Theo".

The prose is choppy, the people behave like cardboard cutouts, and while the guy is incapable of more than being grouchy and growly, the heroine is too stupid to think clearly about what a grope actually is, and finds it hot instead.

Too much nonsense.


* there's a reason why the Transporter movies coupled the stature of Statham so cunningly with Southern France, mainly because he stood out like a prize bull among all those bantam cockerels.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is one way to sweep a woman off her feet with chocolates and flowers, but a hot man at that is another. I want my own Grumpy Bear who growls a sexy growl and loves his flowers and valley as much as he loves his lady. Serious swoon, folks! (Heart eyes) Laura Florand, where have you been hiding this French beauty?

[Camille Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 gooey and mushy but firm and strong stars!!! This story was just SO lovely and Matt and Layla are like the best kind of book characters you would read but never quite imagined they'd get written and come alive within an amazing book. Did that statement make sense at all to you? I'm trying here lol :) I'm going to post a more coherent review soon. Just know that I freakin' love this book! <3

Full review:

Why did I want to read this book?

So, throw me everything Laura will ever write and I will read it. ONCE UPON A ROSE has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2015 and to say that I was beyond excited to dive into the world of the Rosiers is an understatement of the century.



What worked for me?

I’m just going to go right out and say that this book is now included in my favorite Laura Florand books, right beside The Chocolate Touch, the The Chocolate Temptation, and The Chocolate Rose.

There are so many elements to love about this story and while I might ramble from here on, please know that I love this book to the moon and back and I just wanted to be able to get that across to you guys so you’ll want to read this one too (if you haven’t still) or you’ll join me in fangirling about Matt and Layla (if you’ve also fallen in love with them).

Matthieu and Layla might look like characters you’ve already read about but I dare you to compare them to other characters. lol :) They’re as unique as they come. And I guess I can say that about all of Laura Florand’s characters. You’ll never meet anyone quite like them.

Matthieu Rosier is heir to and ‘lord’ over the family’s valley of roses. And in him are those mixed emotions of pride at the bountiful harvest of flowers that they produce and the burden of responsibility that weighs down on his shoulders. It was so interesting and magical (and admittedly pretty funny) to be inside Matt’s head. His thoughts are just too adorable and too sweet and yes, occasionally heartbreaking, that even though he’s a big guy, you’ll just want to bring your arms around him and wrap him in a big, warm hug. Layla’s arrival into his life, both as an interloper and as somebody he was extremely attracted to, wreaked havoc to his personal life as well as the dynamics among the family. It was such a wonderful journey to just be on.

Layla Dubois thought she’s hit the limit and the blackest of dead-ends of her creativity. She’s burnt out from all the demands in her career and she’s afraid that the right music and the right words would just continue to elude her. The discovery of her sudden and unexpected inheritance was just the perfect break for her to find her voice and her music again, so to speak. But then Matthieu Rosier happened and things did not go the way she expected. It was just amazingly sweet how Layla found herself feeling the most at ease with Matt, not in the beginning of course. But over the course of their ‘acquaintance’, she found that she can be herself the most whenever she’s with him. And I just love that particular part of her relationship with him (among other things, ahem…).

The Rosier cousins were also a sight to behold. I’m sure I’ll just swoon if you put them in front of me all at the same time. They’re such a hoot and a lot of my laugh-out-loud moments while reading this book include their banters, their teasing, and their one-liners. And I can’t wait for the rest of them to get their own stories.

Laura Florand continues to amaze me with her writing. If you haven’t read her books yet or if you haven’t loved her writing yet (why not?), I’m positive that reading this book will turn you into a believer. I think this is one of her best books, especially in terms of her writing. I was so happy that she managed to take parts of her plot that initially felt as if they were going in a predictable direction and turn them into something surprising, something great, and something completely unique. And can I just say how happy I was with these developments.

And last but not the least, I would like to make an announcement. I think Laura Florand is the Queen of Symbolism. I just love how she creates and weaves them into her story, into the very characters that she create, from the Valley and hearts to kites and roots, from the simple act of folding the arms over one’s chest (I’m looking at you, Matthieu) to feeling absolutely free to be yourself and not hide (hello there, Layla). I can’t even… you just have to read the book in order to appreciate the magical way that Laura wrote this one.

These are just some of the many, many beautiful passages in this book.

Her expression softened a little, a rare thing for Tante Colette. “You know, Matthieu, a valley is a very big thing to be. But you’re human. So you’re much more than that.”

She reached across the table and covered his other hand, too. “I don’t want you to take this the wrong way,” she said slowly. “Because I agree with your aunt, that a human is bigger than a valley, and you have feet, and you can walk out of it if you want to. You even have a brain capable of building wings and flying, if you want to be a kite. But I like that about you, the way four hundred years of history and five million tons of earth were put on your shoulders and you said, ‘Yes, I’m strong enough for that.'”

He fell–just this strange, internal trip of his soul right over a rock it hadn’t expected and then, flip, sailing, falling, down toward this great, great space that opened out below.

He didn’t fall really hard, that was the strange thing. So big and so used to the solid harness of the earth–he fell like floating.



What did not work for me?

Not a thing. This was another book-gasm read for me from Laura.



My over-all take on it?

This is another great book from Laura Florand. It’s the beginning of another series and while there are no arrogant and yet charming chocolatiers in here, the Rosiers are definitely giving them a run for their money as swoon-worthy heroes. Matt and Layla’s story will leave you breathless, happy, and a little bit (or a whole lot) in love. I can’t wait for the next books. More, Laura. Just, more! :)



My rating:

5 stars



Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Yes, these are my honest and personal thoughts on this book.

[Rachel Neumeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Words that have seldom if ever passed my lips in real life: Aww. He’s so cute when he’s drunk!

And yet, there it is. Aww. Matthieu Rosier is just so adorable when Layla first meets him, at his birthday party, at midnight, when everybody at the party is a bit smashed, Matthieu more than some. Her car broke down, see, and she walked across the rose fields to ask for help. This is how that goes:

He turned to the door and ran straight into a guest trying to slip inside the house. Her face smashed into his chest, and he looked down at a wild mass of bronze-tipped curls and then at a heart-shaped face tilting back to look up at him as she bounced backward.

“Well, hello,” he exclaimed, delighted, picking her straight up off the floor before she fell. Then he wasn’t quite sure what to do with her – maybe it had been a bit excessive, picking her up completely to stop her from falling? Still, he could hardly drop her now.

And then he can't bring himself to admit he doesn’t know who she is, when he’s supposed to know everybody at his party. Right? And she’s so cute! He sure doesn’t want any of his male cousins making a move on her and cutting him out, so naturally he declares grandly to the first relative who asks that she’s his girlfriend . . .

Okay, now, look. I think this scene works so well because it’s from his point of view, and so we are in no doubt at all about how nice a guy he really is, even with all his inhibitions and most of his sane judgment smashed flat. He is so, so appalled when he wakes up – with a tremendous hangover – and realizes how he acted when this cute girl who was a complete stranger knocked on the door for help. And that’s the start of Laura Florand’s sweetest, warmest romance to date.

Matthieu is genuinely adorable. Layla is genuinely adorable. But there is a problem! For reasons too complicated to go into here, Matt’s great-aunt gave Layla a house that rests smack dab in the middle of the Rosier valley, and since Matt is heir to the Rosier family’s perfume business and responsible for every single thing in the valley, this strikes at the heart of his sense of identity. So there’s that. Especially since Layla accidentally springs this inheritance on him as a total surprise.

And yet . . . every single one of Matt’s cousins instantly sees what a genuinely adorable couple they would make and starts nudging them together. Oh, no, sorry, it’s so complicated to get to the village from here! I’m terrible with directions. You know, you should probably ask Matt.

Okay, stuff you can probably see coming, since this is a Laura Florand romance: Matt and Layla are beautifully suited to each other and it all works out at the end. Also, family is important and the relationships between Matt and his clutter of male cousins are great – competitive and supportive at the same time. Also, everyone’s backstory has historical depth and emotional scope. WWII is getting to be ancient history, hard though that is to believe, but not for the Rosier family.

Also, the scenery! I’ve never particularly wanted to visit France – the African savannah is more my thing – but honestly, now I long to visit Provence. In rose season. Although I must admit, it would be disappointing not to find the Rosier family right there in their valley, just as described in Once Upon A Rose. They feel like they ought to be there, every one of them, from old Jean-Jacques Rosier to Great-Aunt Colette right through the whole bunch of cousins.

Also, the fairy tales. I’m sure you remember that Laura Florand puts fairy tales in her romances, right? I knew there were supposed to be two in this one, and there were, but it took me an embarrassingly long time to get them, because I fell into the story and forgot to keep an eye out. They’re pretty obvious when you remember to look for them, though. It does add charm to have those fairy-tale-echoes worked into the story.

Overall, let me repeat, this is probably the sweetest, warmest story Florand has written to date. The setting supports the sweetness and warmth – the rose harvest is underway – but so does everything else about the story. Matt may blow up when he finds out that Layla owns that little house in the middle of his valley, but he’s just so charmed by her. Layla is shocked at his outrage, but she’s equally charmed by him, not to mention she’s just naturally generous and warm and playful. Their worst misunderstanding only takes a few paragraphs to resolve, because by that time they’ve already built quite a bit of trust into their relationship. This isn’t the kind of thing where, for a hundred pages of misunderstandings and hurt feelings, you shout in your head, But can’t you two just talk to one another? Because they do.

So, yeah, I’m looking forward to the next story in this series. My pick for male lead would be Damian, but fine, fine, I’ll take Tristan (there’s a note at the end that says the next book will focus on Tristan). I expect that one will come out next year, but fortunately Florand has another Chocolate romance coming out this year – Once a Hero – so that’ll be something to tide me over. Good thing she has two series going.

[Gisele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review in English e em Português

I have one word for this book: Exquisite! Really, since the beginning I was enveloped by this beautiful little world of roses created by Laura.

I love all her books and until two days ago, my favorite hero of hers was Gabriel (“The Lion Prince” - of The Chocolate Rose), because he was cozy, grumpy and growly, but then I read this one and found out that Matt was even cozier, grumpier and growlier, a big bear of a man. He blushes, people!!! How on earth I’d be able to resist him???!!!

This book is wonderful because it is not only about Matt and Laura, but it is all about family. It is about growing roots, have someone to count on in times of need and both of them discover that they can be each other’s rock and they have their loved ones taking their backs no matter what.

Matt is the heir of the valley where his family grow roses for generations and he discovers that his aunt Collet gave a part of it to someone, Layla, that was not even “family”. They valley is his and it is supposed to stay in the family. The thing is, Layla is sweet as candy and she is at the valley not only to get her piece of inheritance but also to reconnect with herself and then be able to create music again.

Since the first time they met the connection was there and you know what’s the best part of it? Matt. He is simple adorable. He was hurt by a woman once and now he is all about protecting his heart from hurt, and in order to do that he gets all grumpy and growly. His family knows his a soft heart and Layla gets it right away, she knows he wants affection as much as she wants. He is just a big bear of a man. Sooo cute! One thing I love about Laura’s heros is that they have those little gestures they do in order to protect their feelings, like crossing their arms, putting a hand over their hearts, it’s really sweet.

As the history progresses they learn how to trust each other and their loved ones. They learn that is not things that make them whole, is the people they care about. And if you have your beloveds and a valley in France full of roses everything gets even better, don’t you think?!

Once Upon a Rose is my favorite book of Laura to the date, and I urge you to grab your copy as soon as it is live!

ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

________________________________________________________________________

Eu tenho uma palavra para este livro: Maravilhoso! Sério, desde o início eu fui envolvida por esse belo e pequeno mundo de rosas criado por Laura Florand.

Eu amo todos os seus livros e até dois dias atrás, meu herói favorito dela era Gabriel ("O Príncipe Leão" - do livro The Chocolate Heart), porque ele era aquela junção de mocinho acolhedor, mal-humorado e que gosta de dar grunhidos, mas então eu li este e descobri que Matt era ainda mais aconchegante, irritadiço e rugidor, um belo e grande urso de homem. Ele ruboriza quando fica envergonhado, gente!!! Como é que eu seria capaz de resistir a ele???!!! Nunquinha.

Este livro é maravilhoso, porque ele não é apenas sobre Matt e Layla, mas é sobre família. Trata de se ter raízes, ter alguém para contar em momentos de necessidade e ambos descobrem que podem ser a rocha do outro e eles também têm seus entes queridos ao seu lado, não importa o quê.

Matt é o herdeiro do vale, onde sua família planta rosas or as gerações e ele descobre que sua tia Collet deu uma parte dele para alguém, Layla, que nem sequer era "família". O vale é ele e tem que ficar na família. O problema é que Layla é doce como cocada e ela está no vale não só para obter o seu pedaço de herança, mas também para se reconectar com ela mesma e então, ser capaz de criar música novamente.

Desde a primeira vez que se eles se encontram a conexão estava lá e você sabe qual é a melhor parte? Matt. Ele é simplesmente adorável. Ele foi machucado por uma mulher uma vez e agora só o que ele faz é proteger o seu coração das mágoas, e a fim de fazer isso, ele fica todo irritadinho e começa a grunhir, o lindo. Sua família conhece o seu coração (que mais parece chocolate derretido de tão doce), e Layla percebe isso de imediato, ela sabe que ele quer carinho, tanto quanto ela quer. Ele é apenas um grande urso de um homem. Tããããoo fofo! Uma coisa que eu amo sobre heróis de Laura é que eles têm esses pequenos gestos que fazem a fim de proteger seus sentimentos, como cruzar os braços, colocando a mão sobre o coração, é realmente doce.

À medida que a história avança eles aprendem a confiar um no outro e em seus entes queridos. Eles aprendem que não são coisas que os fazem completos, mas sim as pessoas que se importam com eles. E se você tem seus amados e um vale na França cheio de rosas tudo fica ainda melhor, você não acha?!

Once Upon a Rose é o meu livro preferido de Laura até a data de e eu insisto que você corra para garantir a sua cópia assim que o livro for lançado!

ARC cedido pela autora em troca de uma resenha sincera.

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt is adorable and a hottie with a melting heart.