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Love, California #4
Essence
An old family secret. A handsome Formula 1 race car driver. Can Dahlia handle the dangerous curves ahead when their worlds collide? A fun, circle-of-friends book from a USA Today bestselling author.When indie perfumer Dahlia Dubois steps in to lead the iconic, international perfume house her grandmother founded, she soon discovers that nothing is as it seems—including the intriguing man she met in Cannes, France.Soon, tensions rise in Monaco, where Dahlia juggles a search for her missing mother, a corporate takeover, and a volatile, passionate relationship with Alain, a legendary Formula 1 race car driver—all just days before the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix race. As long-held family secrets emerge and threaten her future, Dahlia must find the courage to face the dangerous truth.Essence is part of the Love, California series of linked, stand-alone novels that can be ready in any order. Set in Southern California with international travel, this fun, heartfelt series features a group of best friends determined to live the lives of their dreams while navigating the turbulences of dating and family life.Tasteful Women's Fiction. Also available in audiobook. Visit JanMoran.com."[Jan Moran] gives fans of romantic sagas a compelling voice to follow." Booklist"An engrossing view into the world of 'beautiful people' with an ending that will leave you wanting more." - New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melissa FosterTHE LOVE, CALIFORNIA SERIESFLAWLESS (Verena and Lance in Beverly Hills and Paris)BEAUTY MARK (Scarlett and Johnny in Beverly Hills and Spain)RUNWAY (Fianna and Niall in Malibu and Ireland)ESSENCE (Dahlia and Alain in Paris and Monaco)STYLE (Penelope and Stefan in New York and Copenhagen)SPARKLE (Elena and Jake in LA and Sydney)
- GenresRomance
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 21, 2016
332 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Jan Moran
75 books4,141 followersHi there, and welcome! If you like fun beach reads or romantic sagas that whisk you off to places like sunny beaches or Italy, Paris, and Napa Valley, then come on in. I write clean and wholesome feel-good novels.
Never miss a sale or new release! Tap "Follow" on Goodreads. Join my Readers Club and get a free read to download now, The Summer Beach Welcome Kit: https://www.janmoran.com/newsletter
If you like to binge read, visit my new online bookshop for special ebook, audiobook, and paperback bundles: https://store.janmoran.com/collection...
Join me in my Facebook Readers Group, too, where we celebrate good books and cheer each other on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/58425.... That's where I share sales, ARCs, and lots of fun times.
Here's where you can find all my books: https://viewauthor.at/JanMoranBooks.
So what's new? Look for the new SEABREEZE GALA, which earned a spot (thanks to readers!) on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, so we've been celebrating. Besides my women's fiction beach series (Summer Beach, Coral Cottage, and Crown Island series), I also write 20th-century historical sagas with a touch of romance. THE WINEMAKERS is my latest re-launch, and HEPBURN'S NECKLACE, set against the Audrey Hepburn film, ROMAN HOLIDAY, is my latest dual timeline historical.
If you enjoy Mary Kay Andrews, Elin Hilderbrand, Brenda Novak, and Mary Alice Monroe's beach reads, then you'll want to start with SEABREEZE INN. If you like to escape to another time with Danielle Steel, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, or Fiona Davis, then check out THE CHOCOLATIER, a sweet read set on the shores of Amalfi, Italy, HEPBURN'S NECKLACE iN Lake Como, Italy, or THE WINEMAKERS, which will whisk you to 1950s Napa Valley and Tuscany.
If you're an audiobook aficionado, you're in luck! Most of my books are available in audio on my store: https://store.janmoran.com/collection..., and on Audible, Apple, and Amazon, read by the super-talented Erin Bennett (Elin Hilderbrand, Debbie Macomber, etc), an award-winning narrator.
My SUNSHINE & SECOND CHANCES series (aka LOVE CALIFORNIA) is also a lot of fun. It's a linked series of six best friends that I based on some of my favorite travel destinations. Each book is a mini-vacay, starting with Paris in FLAWLESS, Spain in BEAUTY MARK, Malibu and Ireland in RUNWAY, and three more fun locales. These are also widely available on audio Audible, Apple, and Amazon, as well as Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
Let's keep in touch! Here's how:
- Follow me on Bookbub to learn of all my sales, new releases, and preorders: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-m...
- Come visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/janmoranbooks to find out more.
- And...get a free read when you join my newsletter group: http://www.janmoran.com/contact-jan.
If you're a library patron and prefer to borrow from a library, simply ask your local library to order copies for you and other patrons. Library ebooks are also available through Libby, Overdrive, and CloudLibrary, so your librarian can purchase ebooks through these services to make them accessible to you. Just ask; many of my books are there.
My books have also been translated into German, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Lithuanian, and other languages. Most titles are also available in audiobook and large print formats.
Thank you all for your support on this amazing writing journey. I love to hear from readers--that's how your beloved Seabreeze Inn has kept growing new books. And thank you for sharing my books with your friends. If you have book club meetings and would like to connect with me by Zoom, please reach out through my website at https://www.janmoran.com/contact.
Happy reading!
Never miss a sale or new release! Tap "Follow" on Goodreads. Join my Readers Club and get a free read to download now, The Summer Beach Welcome Kit: https://www.janmoran.com/newsletter
If you like to binge read, visit my new online bookshop for special ebook, audiobook, and paperback bundles: https://store.janmoran.com/collection...
Join me in my Facebook Readers Group, too, where we celebrate good books and cheer each other on: https://www.facebook.com/groups/58425.... That's where I share sales, ARCs, and lots of fun times.
Here's where you can find all my books: https://viewauthor.at/JanMoranBooks.
So what's new? Look for the new SEABREEZE GALA, which earned a spot (thanks to readers!) on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists, so we've been celebrating. Besides my women's fiction beach series (Summer Beach, Coral Cottage, and Crown Island series), I also write 20th-century historical sagas with a touch of romance. THE WINEMAKERS is my latest re-launch, and HEPBURN'S NECKLACE, set against the Audrey Hepburn film, ROMAN HOLIDAY, is my latest dual timeline historical.
If you enjoy Mary Kay Andrews, Elin Hilderbrand, Brenda Novak, and Mary Alice Monroe's beach reads, then you'll want to start with SEABREEZE INN. If you like to escape to another time with Danielle Steel, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, or Fiona Davis, then check out THE CHOCOLATIER, a sweet read set on the shores of Amalfi, Italy, HEPBURN'S NECKLACE iN Lake Como, Italy, or THE WINEMAKERS, which will whisk you to 1950s Napa Valley and Tuscany.
If you're an audiobook aficionado, you're in luck! Most of my books are available in audio on my store: https://store.janmoran.com/collection..., and on Audible, Apple, and Amazon, read by the super-talented Erin Bennett (Elin Hilderbrand, Debbie Macomber, etc), an award-winning narrator.
My SUNSHINE & SECOND CHANCES series (aka LOVE CALIFORNIA) is also a lot of fun. It's a linked series of six best friends that I based on some of my favorite travel destinations. Each book is a mini-vacay, starting with Paris in FLAWLESS, Spain in BEAUTY MARK, Malibu and Ireland in RUNWAY, and three more fun locales. These are also widely available on audio Audible, Apple, and Amazon, as well as Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.
Let's keep in touch! Here's how:
- Follow me on Bookbub to learn of all my sales, new releases, and preorders: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jan-m...
- Come visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/janmoranbooks to find out more.
- And...get a free read when you join my newsletter group: http://www.janmoran.com/contact-jan.
If you're a library patron and prefer to borrow from a library, simply ask your local library to order copies for you and other patrons. Library ebooks are also available through Libby, Overdrive, and CloudLibrary, so your librarian can purchase ebooks through these services to make them accessible to you. Just ask; many of my books are there.
My books have also been translated into German, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, Lithuanian, and other languages. Most titles are also available in audiobook and large print formats.
Thank you all for your support on this amazing writing journey. I love to hear from readers--that's how your beloved Seabreeze Inn has kept growing new books. And thank you for sharing my books with your friends. If you have book club meetings and would like to connect with me by Zoom, please reach out through my website at https://www.janmoran.com/contact.
Happy reading!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 6, 2019
I was so torn for Dahlia as she was just getting her own brand off the ground and then tragedy strikes not one but twice although thankfully one was for the greater good! But now she has to face Alain and deal with him as well as try and work out whats happening to Camilla's business as well as delve into her past no matter how much it might hurt once she knows the truth. There is plenty of sass, steamy, funny, suspicious, twists, surprises and a happy ever after.
May 1, 2019
I’ve enjoyed the whole series. This one has been my favorite so far - enjoyed the storyline and location. The series has been fun for me - a great escape. I love the friendships between the women and how their careers intermingle.
May 11, 2019
Loved it!
I just have one question...If you have so many beta readers then why were there still so many glaring errors??
I just have one question...If you have so many beta readers then why were there still so many glaring errors??
September 29, 2019
Dahlia
A great book about a perfumer who has to step in for her grandmother when she has a stroke. I really like this author and the twists she puts in a story.
A great book about a perfumer who has to step in for her grandmother when she has a stroke. I really like this author and the twists she puts in a story.
May 3, 2022
Great series.
August 9, 2025
ESSENCE
I enjoyed this so much. Jan Moran writes books I Love and recommend. I have read four books in the series and liked them all.
I enjoyed this so much. Jan Moran writes books I Love and recommend. I have read four books in the series and liked them all.
October 7, 2016
Essense: A Love, California Series Novel, Book 4 is by Jan Moran. This continues the story of four friends in California. Scarlett is a lawyer, Verena makes skincare products, Fianna is a designer, and Dahlia is a perfumer. They are all working to grow their businesses but have time for love.
Dahlia is in Cannes but not for the Film Festival which is going on. She is here to elope with Kevin. She has lived in the headlines all her life with her Grandmother, Camille Dubois. Camille is the owner and the perfumer behind Dubois Perfumes and is quite wealthy now. Dahlia has lived in her shadow all her life. Her Mother left shortly after Dahlia was born and had never been heard of since. Camille has never had her declared dead as she continues to hope. Dahlia has set out to develop a company of her own- Dahlia D. She is making her own perfumes. One, Runway, is doing quite well. She developed it for her friend Fianna’s clothing line. She is working on a few more that she needs Fianna to try before they go any further down the line to production. Now, however, she is putting her business on the back burner to marry Kevin and hopefully have children soon. Camille doesn’t like Kevin and wants Dahlia to look up Alain Delamare, a Formula 1 driver who has a home in Cannes. Of course, she knows nothing about the elopement. Dahlia is waiting for Kevin for lunch and talks to her grandmother on the phone. She mentions Alain’s name and he is sitting at the next table and hears his name. Unashamedly he eavesdrops. Dahlia tells her Grandmother she doesn’t want to meet him. She leaves the restaurant and heads upstairs to meet with Kevin. Kevin meets her and rushes her out to shop for a wedding dress for the next day. That evening, she gets up at midnight and Kevin isn’t there. She goes looking for him and finds him locked in the arms of another lady. She breaks her engagement and throws him out of the hotel room. She then gets a phone call telling her Camille has had a stroke and is in the hospital. She rushes downstairs to find a taxi but one isn’t available. A car pulls up and a couple gets out. It is Alain and when he sees Dahlia in tears, he offers to get her to the airport to catch a plane. When he realizes she doesn’t have a ticket, he tries to get her one; but all planes out of Cannes to the US have gone. She can catch one in Paris and she can get to Paris in the company plane he is using. Once she gets on the plane, she realizes that she never thanked him nor did she ever get his name. Whomever he is, she is certain their paths will never cross again. Or will they ?
Don’t worry, this is not spoiling the book. This is just the first two chapters! The rest is even better.
Dahlia is in Cannes but not for the Film Festival which is going on. She is here to elope with Kevin. She has lived in the headlines all her life with her Grandmother, Camille Dubois. Camille is the owner and the perfumer behind Dubois Perfumes and is quite wealthy now. Dahlia has lived in her shadow all her life. Her Mother left shortly after Dahlia was born and had never been heard of since. Camille has never had her declared dead as she continues to hope. Dahlia has set out to develop a company of her own- Dahlia D. She is making her own perfumes. One, Runway, is doing quite well. She developed it for her friend Fianna’s clothing line. She is working on a few more that she needs Fianna to try before they go any further down the line to production. Now, however, she is putting her business on the back burner to marry Kevin and hopefully have children soon. Camille doesn’t like Kevin and wants Dahlia to look up Alain Delamare, a Formula 1 driver who has a home in Cannes. Of course, she knows nothing about the elopement. Dahlia is waiting for Kevin for lunch and talks to her grandmother on the phone. She mentions Alain’s name and he is sitting at the next table and hears his name. Unashamedly he eavesdrops. Dahlia tells her Grandmother she doesn’t want to meet him. She leaves the restaurant and heads upstairs to meet with Kevin. Kevin meets her and rushes her out to shop for a wedding dress for the next day. That evening, she gets up at midnight and Kevin isn’t there. She goes looking for him and finds him locked in the arms of another lady. She breaks her engagement and throws him out of the hotel room. She then gets a phone call telling her Camille has had a stroke and is in the hospital. She rushes downstairs to find a taxi but one isn’t available. A car pulls up and a couple gets out. It is Alain and when he sees Dahlia in tears, he offers to get her to the airport to catch a plane. When he realizes she doesn’t have a ticket, he tries to get her one; but all planes out of Cannes to the US have gone. She can catch one in Paris and she can get to Paris in the company plane he is using. Once she gets on the plane, she realizes that she never thanked him nor did she ever get his name. Whomever he is, she is certain their paths will never cross again. Or will they ?
Don’t worry, this is not spoiling the book. This is just the first two chapters! The rest is even better.
July 29, 2016
This was a delightful read. I have not read any of the first three books in this series and I still had no difficulty in following the story. But now that I have read this one I definitely want to read the others.
Dahlia Dubois is a perfumer and works with her grandmother Camille. When Camille suffers a stroke Dahlia steps in to complete an ad campaign in Monaco with Formula 1 racer Alain Delamare. The story now becomes intriguing as an attempt is made to overthrow the company and take it from Camille. Dahlia will do whatever it takes to save the company her grandmother built. But Dahlia also hopes to discover the mystery behind why her mother disappeared when Dahlia was only two years old and who is Dahlia’s father?
This is a light read but does grab your attention. Romance, perfume, fashion, cars, intrigue…a mix guaranteed to please.
Dahlia Dubois is a perfumer and works with her grandmother Camille. When Camille suffers a stroke Dahlia steps in to complete an ad campaign in Monaco with Formula 1 racer Alain Delamare. The story now becomes intriguing as an attempt is made to overthrow the company and take it from Camille. Dahlia will do whatever it takes to save the company her grandmother built. But Dahlia also hopes to discover the mystery behind why her mother disappeared when Dahlia was only two years old and who is Dahlia’s father?
This is a light read but does grab your attention. Romance, perfume, fashion, cars, intrigue…a mix guaranteed to please.
Read
January 1, 2026What an exciting book to read! We traveled to such interesting places as Monaco and experienced close up, behind the scenes thrills of the Grand Prix race. We were also privy to corporate secrets and people who tried to undermine companies from within. Not to mention the ties to European Mafia that some characters had . . . Never a dull moment in this story.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews