Madam Mirabou's School of Love by Barbara Samuel

Fiction: Paperback from Ballantine Books. Published in 2006. 307 pages. On loan from The Kent District Library.

I found this book via Nikki's World. (I don't know Nikki, I just like blogs that talk about books.) This is not my genre, but I thought I'd give it a try - after all, the book started with a house blowing up! Unfortunately, while the story is a good example of a woman not giving up on herself after an unexpected divorce, I really did not enjoy it. For a start, I suppose my insecurities made me feel sick to my stomach thinking about being clueless then presented with divorce papers. (That's the type of stuff bad dreams are made of in my world.) Then I would have preferred her to make her way forward without immediately attaching herself to another guy - and hopping into bed with him fairly soon thereafter. (Even if he was an ex-Londoner!)

Publisher's summary:
Sometimes real passion means living the life you’ve always wanted.

Nicole Bridges still can’t believe she’s taken up residence in a Colorado apartment complex nicknamed “Splitsville.” She’s still reeling from her husband’s affair, a divorce she never saw coming, and having to leave the upscale, comfortable world she helped make for her ex and their teenage daughter. With little money, even less work experience, and no idea what to do next, she takes tentative steps -– if only to keep her head above water.

Along the way, Nikki unexpectedly finds herself falling in with eccentric new neighbors -– and being seduced out of her funk by a charming, elusive ex-Londoner. And through her delight in the sensual elements of perfume, she will discover the courage to form bonds she never imagined. When friends provide the spark of inspiration, Nikki dares to blend the fragments of her life into a fragrance that’s uniquely and passionately her own.

Online book shopping:
Powell's: Madame Mirabou's School of Love
amazon.co.uk: Madame Mirabou's School of Love
amazon.com: Madame Mirabou's School of Love
Audible.com: Madame Mirabou's School of Love