As historical fiction novels go, this one is an absolute belter!

Author Jina Bacarr delivers a tale of the horrors of World War Two and Nazi-occupied Paris in an unique way by retelling Tiena/ Angeline’s story as an agreed interview with aspiring journalist Emma, who has her own motives for wanting to uncover the truth.

Adding another fascinating perspective to the narrative is the inclusion of Tiena’s Roma heritage and how this group was also targeted by the Nazis.

The worlds of Angeline and Emma are more intricately woven together than it first appears and, while the connection can be gleaned quite early on, the way in which the context is revealed is truly captivating.

Another distinctive element is the inclusion of perfume notes at the start of each chapter. Angeline is a perfumer, while Emma also has a hidden talent as a ‘nose’. Perfume, and in particular, Le Courage, a fragrance developed during the war to encourage women to stay strong, plays a key role in the narrative and is summed up, striking a poignant chord towards the end of the book by this:

“The art of perfume parallels life. The top note is the present…fleeting. The heart note is the past… your memories enriching your soul. And the base note is your future… ever enduring”.

Brilliantly written; at times heart-breaking and emotional and uplifting at others, this is a novel not to be missed!

With thanks to the author, Boldwood Books and Rachel at Random Resources for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

A great story of the battle for life of a Roma girl in WW2 and the the long lasting scars. Beautifully written and working well in the two timelines although each time I couldn't wait to get back to the past. For lovers of this period of fiction it has it all and is definitely a story that stays with you long after you have finished reading it

My, oh my! What a book!!

Split between 1940’s Paris and New York in 2003, this tells the powerful story of how two women are so far apart, yet their lives are intricately woven together.

I love how the story split between Tiena’s story in WW2 to Emma’s in 2003, both women’s pasts and present entwine beautifully with the others, the secrets which have been hidden for so long are hard to hear when they do come to light, secrets which have and will change both women’s lives. I really enjoyed how each woman is connected and watching them discover the truth, the writing is exceptionally good, I was hooked it’s the kind of book which compels you to keep reading.

1940’s Paris, follows the story of a young Roma girl called Tiena who must flee after the Nazi’s roll in, after an altercation with an officer she knows she will never be safe as herself so with the help of the resistance she reinvents herself as Angelina Cadiex, the famous perfumer, a move which will change her life in its entirety forever.

2003, New York journalist Emma has a question, there is something she is seeking from the past, from WW2 when she gets the opportunity to interview the world-famous perfumer Madame De Cadieux, a woman who never does interviews, a woman who never speaks about the past but something about Emma makes her say yes if the young woman flies over to Paris.

As Angeline tells her story to both Emma and us the readers there is a crackle of suspense and heartbreak which hangs in the air with every word, what happened to her and what she experienced is dramatic, engrossing and shocking. Once Emma starts hearing what Angeline has to say you can easily see where the story is heading, but the secrets and the truths aren’t revealed until pretty late on in the book which will keep you reading wondering if your assumptions of what is going to happen are right or not.

There are parts of the story which are hard to read, especially on how the Roma’s were treated by the Nazi’s, everyone knows of the atrocities and unspeakable horror of what happened to the Jewish but people tend to either forget or genuinely don’t realise that others were persecuted by the Nazi’s too such as the Roma. It’s not an easy book at times, it’s heartbreaking, shocking and hugely emotional but it tells us a story that needs to be shared with the world.

The Lost Girls of Paris explores some series and sensitive issues which are told in a relatable, compassionate and knowledgable way. It’s completely gripping, it’s a story of love, regrets, secrets, harsh realities, vengeance and survival. It is a beautifully written, heartbreaking, emotional, sensitive and compelling story of family secrets and the fight for survival. I cannot recommend this enough, it’s unforgettable and leaves a mark on the soul.

The Lost Girl in Paris is a detailed well thought out story that hooks the reader into the story from the first page...
I like how Bacarr has created an engaging plot with a great amount of research into the 1940s and what it would have been like in France occupied by the Nazi army.
The character development of The Lost Girl in Paris is good. The characters are realistic and relatable. Each character leaves a mark of their own as you learn about the trials they faced!
I would recommend reading The Lost Girl in Paris to lovers of Historical Fiction, as it is an compelling character driven story that is filled with emotional scenes, heartbreak and secrets as the reader follows Angéline De Cadieux story of survival and sacrifice!

Nazis, perfume, babies, long lost family, world war 2, concentration camps, gypsies, love, spies, friendship and more. This book has it all! I found every word gripping. The book goes back and forth between 2003 (present) and 1940s (the past) and I found myself eagerly awaiting the past so much to find out what happens next in her story. I felt deeply with Madame’s character, story and strength even though she is fictional. I had tears in my eyes with some of the descriptions and loved how the lives of these characters intertwined.

This book is beautifully written capturing details and emotions. This was my first book by Jina Bacarr and I’ve already added another one to my kindle. Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for my first ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. I will be recommending this book to family and friends!

As always when reading historical fiction centered around world war 2 and the Nazi occupation. I read the narrative with a heavy heart, knowing that the fiction I am reading is definitely far from fiction, and the majority of the story is based on something wholly real.

When reading these types of books I find myself learning new bits of information all the time. And in The Lost Girl In Paris I found myself learning about the Roma community and how they were treated at the brutal hands of the Nazis. Tiena our main character finds herself alone and lost in Paris. And from here we embark on a heart stopping journey with her. I adored her courage.

Stories like this need to be read. We must never forget what people suffered, but we can learn from their courage and strength.

Many thanks to Boldwood Books for my gifted digital copy in exchange of an honest review.

Believably crafted characters and vivid historical details bring this story to life for the reader. This story explores occupied France from the viewpoint of a young girl. The author captures the sense of danger and menacing ethos brilliantly. The vibrant descriptions and violent emotions are immersive.

The woman she becomes is a famous perfumer, and again the details give the character authenticity and depth. Her story is retold years later to a young journalist seeking answers about her ancestry. The secrets are devastating, the tragedy of war, and the evil of the occupying regime resonates.

This story balances action and introspection in an addictive way making this an absorbing and heartbreaking read but so worth the angst.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

A beautiful story, emotional and touching (have tissues at the ready!).

Jina Bacarr succeeds in conveying, through an excellent style and dual timeline, the dreadful and grim atmosphere of the war and concentration camps, with their horrendous practices. At the same time the story can be strangely uplifting. Definitely recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had the joy of reading an advanced copy of the book "The Lost Girl in Paris" by Jina Bacarr and absolutely loved it! The book tells the heartbreaking store of perfumer Angeline as she tells and simultaneously relives the story of her life as she transforms from young Roma girl to Spy to World famous 'nose', finding love and heartbreak, joy and sadness, and utter devastation and hardship as she learns to survive during WW2 and later imprisoned in two concentration camps. Following along as Angeline tells her life story to the young American Emma, I felt the pain, loss and love at every twist and turn, unable to put the book down until the very end. I highly recommend reading this book; it is an emotional experience that shouldn’t be missed.

This is an amazing story - it is a gripping tale which hooks the reader from the very start.

'The Lost Girl in Paris' is about Tiena Cordova who is born into the Roma Community in France. When the Nazis take control in Paris in 1940, Tiena is a young woman with all her life ahead of her. But her life is changed forever after an encounter with a high ranking SS officer. To survive she goes on the run to the Paris and the people and the places she once knew.

But the real genius of this story is the parallel stories told through the eyes of Angéline De Cadieux to Emma Keane, an American journalist in 2003. As Angéline tells her life as it happened to her, she doesn't hold back any details from Emma. It is an overwhelming tale of friendship, love, respect, resistance, good triumphing in the midst of evil, courage and heroism. It is a story of survival. A story of war. A story of resistance and a story of life.

Once you pick up this book, you will never want to put it down until you have read it all. Through the joys and the horrors of this woman's life we share the thoughts, experiences along with the smells of perfume, of good, of war, of resistance and death. If you read ONE book about this era this should be it. It will overwhelm you and allow you insight into the mind of a woman seeking to survive in the face of danger.

Don't forget your box of hankies, you will need them.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Publishing for allowing me to read this book - it will live with me for a long time.

The Scent of Danger

In 1940 Nazi occupied Paris, a Roma girl running for her life from both the Nazi's and her evil stepfather, a group of resistance fighters in Paris and an ambitious American reporter all blend together in a story of danger, evil, romance, family and new beginnings.

Entering into the intriguing world of the perfumer and the perfume industry, the story follows from a Roma girl from an nearby Gypsy camp running from a Nazi general to the famous Angelina Cadieux world famous perfumer.

Hiding in plain sight, working among the Nazi's and assisting the resistance Tiena Cordova becomes another person until she once again comes face to face with her greatest enemy and her secret is revealed.

In Paris 2003, an ambitious American reporter Emma Keane has the opportunity to interview the famous perfumer Angelina Cadieus about her years during WWII . She eagerly accepts the assignment not knowing that what she learns will change her life
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A story of heartbreak during the war, a secret held close to the heart and a young woman that releases that secret so the holder can find peace. The horrific war years spelled out in all the evil unleashed by the Nazi's on the world , the Roma's, the Jewish, and anyone that disfavors them.
I was much interested in the history of how the Roma's were treated by the Nazi's and the Dachau sub camps of which I had never hear before. I knew the Nazi's persecuted the Jewish and put them in camps, I was not aware that they treated the Roma's in the same way, even to the point of a special spot just for them in the camp.

It was a very interesting and sad book, but uplifting in many spots. I loved how the smell of the La Courage perfume inspired so many women in the story.
It was a good read and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Jina Bacarr for writing a great story , to Boldwood books for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

A well-written novel that will delight all Jina fans. She certainly knows how create a central character who will blow you away as she takes readers on a breathtaking journey with full of drama and glamour !

I love it when WWII books show a different aspect of the war. And I hadn't read a book before where the main character was Roma so that part was very interesting and heartbreaking..

What bothered me in this book was the writing style. I don't mind a dual time book, but when it switches constantly it makes it hard to get into a story, because I got pulled out of the tragic story and then had to read about Emma infatuation with Ryder. I would have given this book 4 stars if the story had a better flow.

A heartbreaking and heartwarming book set in dual timeline - during World War II and in 2003/4. This was a lovely read, from an author new to me. A well written and composed storyline with all the threads meeting up nicely. I did find it a little slow in the middle but all in all a riveting historical romance/saga. Very descriptive, particularly around the perfumes and the smells a ‘nose’ could identify, both good and bad.

Briefly, Roma girl Tiena is living in Nazi occupied France when she fall foul of a German officer who kills her mother. Although she gets away she lives in fear of him finding her again. Changing her name, as Angelina, she becomes a ‘nose’ at the House of Doujan and a member of the French Resistance. Moving on, now in her 80’s, she agrees to ‘tell her story’ to journalist Emma. However Emma has her own reasons for wanting to interview Angelina, Madame de Cadieux.

From hate to love, deprivation to riches, imprisonment to freedom the book takes you through the whole gamut of situations and emotions. We see those who collaborated with the Nazi’s and those who fought against the occupation. There are a few unexpected twists and turns and some heartbreakingly sad descriptions of life in the concentration camps. Although it was clear where the story was going, the author gave plenty of hints, that didn’t matter. What was important was the journey to get there. I would definitely read this author again. 4.5⭐️

Bacarr has written a terrific story. It blends all my favorite genres: the Holocaust, WWII, and family history. I loved the switching back from 2003 and WWII. I read feverishly because the plot and narrative were very engaging. I can’t gush enough about this book; it’s that good.

I loved this book, it really tugged at the emotions needed a tissue handy with this one. All the horrors of WW2 and the concentration camps, awful but needs to be told. A wonderful story and I’m so glad I read it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Jina Bacarr knows we already understand that war is hell, so, instead, she takes us on a five-star, historical adventure to discover what war smells like. Yes, you read that correctly. You’re probably imagining acrid smoke and the stench of death, right? What about the scent of a red rose or white gardenia blowing in the breeze? Not what you were imagining? Bacarr writes to remind us that “they co-exist, even in war.”

To carry her message, she crafts a narrative featuring a young French woman, a “nose,” who created a beautiful perfume that gave women courage during the war. Ironically, she’s sent to a concentration camp where she’s forced to endure the foulest smells while testing her own courage.

What sets this account apart, is that Bacarr chose to focus on Roma rather than Jewish prisoners. The story of the Romani people and their Holocaust experience is eye-opening! You’ll read about a gypsy girl on the run from the Nazis who has to change her identity to survive. A chance comes on the streets of Paris and she grabs the opportunity to join the resistance and become a perfumer. Told in dual timeline by a journalist in 2003, this book will keep you riveted and flipping pages. For those leery of reading a ‘concentration camp book,’ I’d encourage you to pick this one up as 90% of this book leads up to the days spent in imprisonment and it’s such a fantastically written, ‘meaty’ book that will hold your interest and capture your heart. If I told you that this will take second place in my 2021 reads, would it convince you?

“The art of perfume parallels life. The top note is the present….fleeting. The heart note is the past….your memories enriching your soul. And the base note is the future…ever enduring.”

Publishes November 30, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Jina Bacarr, Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I love historical fiction, especially WWII historical. This is the story of a journalist in 2003 getting the interview of her life with a legendary perfume maker who lived through WWII.

I was quickly drawn into the book by the wonderful writing. The dual timeline along with the location, Paris, made the book. I also loved how the story was told to the journalist and the reader at the same time. The perfume maker is a strong woman and it shows many times in the book. I loved her strength.

What a wonderfully engaging dual timeline historical fiction read.
This book will stay with you long after you have finished it.
Set across WW11 with Tiena (Angeline) who is fighting for France and her family and the present day with journalist Emma tracing her family’s heritage through an interview with Madame Angeline de Cadieux who was in Dachau with her grandmother.
We learn about the horrors of the war, the bravery of the people and the sacrifices made. A must read for historical fiction fans.

aRoma girl, a brave woman and a fantastic perfumer. She has only one way to save her life, is to get lost in Paris.

I was shocked by reading Tiena's story, her life in the Roma camp, the Roma traditions. This information was new for me, thanks to the Author for brining that, and it was so great to know about that life.

After those awful events in Tiena's life she had no the other choice but escape. And it surprised me, I was so worried for her, and curious how she could do that. What would happen with that Roma girl?

Another amazing thing in the novel is the Emma's interview, that made me hardly to put down the book. Her feelings and worries echoed in me, making me worried too.

The Lost Girl in Paris has many unpredictable plot twists and unexpected ending. This book is worth its reading. It is so romantic but heartbreaking, emotional and made me crying.

I enjoyed reading this book, liked the main characters and was so intrigued during the reading.

I would recommend this book to everyone who is interested in romance and historical fiction.

Thanks to Jina Bacarr, BoldWood Books and NetGalley for the ARC and an opportunity to read this book!