Review: The Scent of a Romance by T. Atkins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

A short, sweet, and uplifting read! The Scent of a Romance delivers a heartwarming story of rediscovery and resilience. After being betrayed by her ex, the main character finds herself at a crossroads—and the journey that follows is both relatable and empowering.

The characters are instantly likeable, and the writing is light yet emotionally grounded, making it easy to fly through in one sitting. If you're in the mood for a feel-good romance with a strong touch of personal growth, this one’s for you.

A great pick for fans of quick reads with heart!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book — all thoughts in my review are my own.

this was a really short read that was great as it was but i actually liked it so much i think it wouldve been perfect s a longer novel.
we have two really likeable characters. both are fine just as they are thanks. but their family dont see it that way and are on their backs to meet someone and get married already. errrmm no tah. what follows is a plan that will serve both of them. right? right? nope. because when real feelings become involved what then?
Alex is a witty and smart soul. i really enjoyed her as a character. she was strong and held her own agency well. and Callum was the perfect swoon character. yes please we shall have a bit of him for Alex.
Alex is the owner of a candle shop which happens to be the candle shop Callum walks into with his sister to pick wedding gifts. but on meeting these two feel something. the chemistry is written so well. instead of getting together because of course this pair dont want that. they come up with a better plan that will be what both of them need right now. and that is their family off their backs. and so they device a fake dating plan. all so easy breezy. wrong on every level because these two cant get enough of eachother.
but behind it all they have their own issues to heal or move on from. they have their own fears. so can they take a chance on love. and does how close they are becoming only feel possible because they both know their is an easy end point? but then then ending doesnt seem so easy now at all.

i really enjoyed this book, it was definitely something different than what i have read in romance book which was why i really enjoyed. As a candle maker myself it really caught my attention since the beginning of the chapter because its true you barely have time for yourself and to find love. won't spoil it for others that haven't read this book but there's a part we think something, and it turns out to be something else hahaha. i read this in one seating which i loved.

Every is where she wants to be, she has her candle shop and after her ex cheated on her she has no real interest in love no matter what her mum things.

Caleb has no interest in love, and is sick of his mum trying to set him up with her friends daughters.

So when his sister decides for bespoke candles for her wedding announcement Avery and Csleb meet and they try to ignore the dparks, but then they realise that a fake relationship woul solve their problems but what happens when the fake starts to become real.

A fabulous short story, great characters and plenty depth in the story. Definitely worth a read

Rating: 3.25 stars

If you want a quick, adorable romance with the fake dating trope, this book is for you! The Scent of a Romance follows our small business owner Alexa falling into a fake dating scheme with Caleb, who stumbles into her store one day as a customer. The pacing was fast, the banter was adorable, and the side characters are fun (especially Megan!!)

I docked a few stars off my rating for a few reasons. Firstly, the fake dating trope hinges on either one or both parties being actively unwilling to date for whatever reason, and I did not feel like their reasons came across clearly enough to have me convinced that they needed to fake a relationship rather than actually try one. Second, there was a microtrope used that I really don't like in my romance novels, but to be fair it was resolved quickly enough that it wasn't too much of an issue.

Overall, I would recommend this if you're looking for a quick, silly, cute romance story with the fake dating trope!

I received an eARC of this book by Netgalley and it was so heartwarming and cozy, and very enjoyable to read, it also happens to be the fastest read of the year at only 83 pages!
I love the chemistry. I love the tension, the main characters were charming, and absolutely lovely, it was cute, quirky, and enjoyable.
The author had such a unique writing style, that showed just how talented she is, I definitely recommend this book!

The Scent of a Romance is a sweet, no spice novella. It is funny and charming, with a witty fake dating trope that turns into the real deal. Both MC’s are approachable and kind and are really good people. I love the minor characters and would have loved to have learned more about them. They were funny and adorable. Protective yet also supportive and the FMC’s biggest cheerleaders. Would love to see books following their stories.

I received an ARC of #thescentofaromance from #netgalley in lieu of my honest review of the book.

3⭐️ - I liked it

This feel good and fake dating novel started out so good! The candle store and the sweet characters felt like a warm bath which I couldn’t get enough of. The second part was really quick which resulted in a very short ending. I would have loved this novel even more if we had a longer ending and less miscommunication. Fun and feel-good short read!

A nice light easy read. I know it is a short story however I would have enjoyed a bit more build up as the main characters just seemed like complete strangers to friends within one meeting.

A sweet little candle shop romance about love at first sight.
The book was perfectly long; it couldn't have needed any more pages.

Absolutely adored this little gem.
It’s a short, fast-paced story that gently pulls you in. A boy meets a girl, finds himself intrigued, and starts looking for reasons to be around her. She feels the same, though neither of them fully realizes it at first. With their parents nudging them toward marriage, they agree to fake date—just to buy some time.

But as they spend more time together, what starts as pretend slowly turns into something real.

This one’s a tender, feel-good read that’s sure to warm your heart. Perfect for when you need something sweet and comforting.

3⭐️ 0🌶️

This was a cute fake dating novella. I found myself wanting this to be longer, a novella just isn’t long enough to portray the feelings and emotions a fake dating trope should include. Overall found myself wanting more, but still enjoyed the quick read.

They main character's name isn't consistent....she is referred to as Alexa, but a few pages in it's Andrea? Then back to Alexa? Major editing needs to be done to make this readable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

This was a quick and sweet read, with characters that I felt I had not yet encountered in other romance books - which at this point, is a feat in itself! The flirting is absolutely adorable, filled with witty banter and weighted words. Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes (right after enemies to lovers - not sure what that says about me 😅), and I appreciate how satisfying this book was. If you're looking for something light-hearted to fill up a small window of time, or need a breather between heftier reads, this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Victory Editing for an e-arc of this book!

full honestly, I can't tell if I liked this book or not. I defiantly think it needs more detail and just needs to be a bit longer. I personally wasn't able to connect with the characters. I thought the concept of the book was really good however it needed to be more. i personally thought it needed just more in a way. however, it's a cute little book that would be great for a younger kid who is just getting in to romance books or someone who just needs a quick short read.

Super cute quick romance. I liked the setup and storyline. But I just felt like it could’ve been longer. I wanted a little more from the characters but overall very cute easy read.

The book was such lovely, i loved the way megan threw that kessel thingy to chase i laughed so much. And also Caleb and Alexa i loved their chemistry so much such a 5/5 rating i love it
Great story and funny on top.

The perfect feel good short story. Fake dating with some brief reference to family dynamics and grief. Characters were loveable and easy to follow. The FMC was strong and successful which I love to see. It would be perfect for teens/ YA. Would’ve loved this to be expanded upon to a full sized novel. The book is easy to consume in one sitting. I could not fault the book, writing style was great and easy to folllow. Loved the banter between the main characters, would’ve liked more of it.

Overall this is a cute little palette cleanser. I really enjoyed the beginning of the story, but I did find that too many tropes were thrown into such a short novella. Also the main characters were were acting weirdly juvenile for their ages which was a bit off-putting.
For a short, fun, and sweet story it's a good read.

Alexa and Caleb decide to fake date to get their parents off their backs about love. Alexa is a candle store owner and the store is the setting for a lot of this novella which I really enjoyed.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, quick read! I do think I would’ve connected with the story a bit better had it been written in first person. I loved the premise of the story, but it didn’t seem to progress as quickly as it needed to for me to really be invested in the characters together.