Scent of Triumph by Jan Moran

Set during the World War II era, the story follows the life of Danielle Bretancourt. As pregnant Danielle and her husband travels from New York to England after business trip, the Nazis threaten to sink their ship as England declares war on the Germans. That’s just the beginning. Finding herself alone and helpless during the war, Danielle taps into her inherent talent of perfumery. She creates her own perfume that leaves Hollywood in a wowed daze. All the while she also tries her best to do anything and everything in her power to reunite with her husband and son.

The character of Danielle is all about strength, perseverance and resilience. I really liked her because being pregnant and away from family without any news during the war times cannot be easy on a person. Yet she simply rolls up her sleeves and gets to work in order to survive and to reunite her family. She is like phoenix, toiling against most difficult situations and rising from it victorious. While there are various other characters in this novel, playing different parts to give a formation to the storyline and taking it forward - to me, they all seemed a bit pale in comparison to Danielle. Jonathan, a rich businessman from the shipping industry, plays an important role in the story as he is attracted to Danielle. He is a good man.

The plot is pretty much straightforward and predictable. But that didn’t stop me from reading the book as Jan Moran already had me through Danielle and her style of writing. While I cannot label the author’s style and language as exotic, there is something very charming about it - especially at the times when she is narrates about different scents.

Overall, it’s a great historical fiction with romance, drama and adventure in it. Whats not to like?