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Reviewed by Natasha Jackson for Readers' Favorite
Scent of Roses is the story of two people, Dante and Zoe, who end up in a dating documentary thanks to their stubborn friends, Connor and Sarah. Unfortunately, Zoe thinks she’s at Hotel Carpathia to meet a blind date, which she is, just not along with more than a dozen other women. Outraged that her friend would do such a thing, Zoe plainly tells Dante she doesn’t want to be there…fully anticipating that he’ll eliminate her first. Unfortunately for Zoe, Dante has found a kindred spirit and plans to keep his new friend with him until the very end. Clarissa Cartharn does a truly fantastic job of illustrating the conflict between Zoe and Dante’s friendship as well as their hidden but burgeoning feelings for one another. How do you help a man you are starting to love, and pick the right woman for him when you’re no longer in the running?
Of course the idea of a reluctant bachelorette isn't a new one, but Clarissa Cartharn puts Zoe tentatively in the friendship zone, giving Scent of Roses just the thing to make it interesting. I love that everything from her looks to her intelligence is in marked contrast to Dante’s usual conquests; and his attraction to her is causing him to rethink what he really wants. Because of the nature of reality show dating, there are plenty of interactions between them so you get to see the chemistry between them rather than just read about it. Zoe was a great character; both a little too romantic and a little too cynical all at once, which made her interesting and easy to empathize with. And Dante, well, Dante is handsome, ridiculously wealthy, and a pretty good guy so it is easy to see how it would be virtually impossible not to fall in love with him. Clarissa Cartharn did a fantastic job with this story. It is both engaging and endearing.
