Daphne Sweeten has been Paris-trained to be a professional "nose," someone who can recognize over 5,000 different scents. Dreaming of a job in the French perfume industry, and with ambitions to create her own fragrances, she instead finds herself left at the altar and heading to Dayton, Ohio to work in a failing household goods department. As if that doesn't seem drastic enough of a change, she now finds herself without the one thing she prides herself on - her sense of smell is completely gone. How will she find herself and her true worth without being able to do what she does best?
The Scent of Rain had an intriguing premise - who are we if we lose our most identifying feature? Daphne had to deal with unexpected turn after unexpected turn, and she couldn't even rely on the self she knew. While I enjoyed the idea of the story, and I cheered for the Daphne who kept trying to make the most of the situation, this book fell a little flat for me. There was the letter from the ex-fiance, Mark, which Daphne never found time to read, and nobody explained to her. Wouldn't it be natural to read it immediately? Or have someone leak the information in it if it's that juicy? It just felt like a plot hole to me.
Also, the relationship between Daphne and her boss, Jesse, didn't ring true. (Possible spoilers here!) While it seemed natural for them to be drawn together, and I actually enjoyed the idea of them falling for each other, it happened too quickly to feel real. There was just no transition between them both saying they needed time, or refusing the idea of the relationship, to being committed to each other.
I liked the idea of the story, and I liked most of the characters, but I really feel this story could have been done better. So, I feel that I can only give this book 2 stars. I have read other books by Kristen Billerbeck and have enjoyed them more, so I can still recommend this author!
I received a copy of this book from Thomas Nelson, in exchange for my honest review.
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