Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb ~ Book Review

Sophie Duval got her love of the perfume business from her father.  She learned everything she knows from him.  But now that her father has passed away, she is struggling to carry on the family business.  Her mother, who never understood the passion of the business, and Sophie's wealthy boyfriend want her to sell the business and move on but Sophie cannot bear the thought.  She believes in what her father created, not in phony chemically derived scents that are becoming more popular as they are cheaper to make and sell.  All she needs is a breakthrough fragrance.  When one of the world's biggest stars, Grace Kelly,  steps into her shop to avoid paparazzi during the Cannes film festival, little does Sophie realize the unexpected encounter and her willingness to hide Grace from James Henderson, the persistent photographer, will change her business and her life in more ways than one.

I really enjoyed this story.  The history of Grace Kelly's whirlwind romance and wedding to Prince Rainer is a great backdrop the main love story.  Though that was a huge part of the story, I thought the authors were able to make Sophie's own story stand out well and not get lost in the midst of Grace Kelly's history and the two were merged well.  Through Sophie's story you learn more of the perfume industry and through the story of James Henderson the reader gets a glimpse into the life of the early paparazzi.  James, on assignment from England,  was the one  who sent Grace fleeing into the perfume shop in the first place.  His side of the story brings an interesting perspective of the life of those trying to take pictures of the rich and famous.  The setting is lovely and story is sweet and this would make a great summer beach read.

I gave it a 9.5/10