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.

This was so sweet! I’ve never read a romance where a main character ran a candle shop, so I really liked the originality of that! Caleb and Alexis were fun to read about. It was such a fun story and I enjoyed the fake dating. Honestly if the author were to write a continuation of this I’d for sure read it. It was fun read with a cute setting.

I loved this book! Super cute and short romance! This book had misunderstood at the beginning and then turned into fake dating which is one of my favorites!!!

This story was short with no real conflict or event that takes place. It’s pretty much an 86-page long meet-cute where the protagonists go on 5-6 dates. Not sure what I expected but I at least expected a bit more of a story.

The Scent of a Romance delivers an adorable fake dating setup with plenty of charm. The story follows a candle shop maker and a businessman who agree to pretend to be a couple to keep their meddling parents at bay. It’s a fun premise with plenty of potential, and while the concept itself was enjoyable, the execution left me wanting more.

One of the highlights of the book was Caleb’s humor—his attempts at making jokes added a lighthearted touch and made the story more memorable. However, the chemistry between the main characters felt a bit off, and the romance seemed rushed, making it difficult to fully invest in their relationship. With a little more development, their connection could have been much more engaging.

Overall, The Scent of a Romance is a quick and sweet read, perfect for those who enjoy a lighthearted novella with a fun setup. While the romance didn’t fully deliver for me, Caleb’s humor and the charming premise made it an entertaining escape.

In The Scent of a Romance, T. Atkins delivers a heartwarming novella filled with love, and the undeniable power of fate. Alexa, a dedicated small business owner, has her reservations about love after past heartbreak, while Callum has never met a woman who makes him consider settling down. Their paths cross in the cozy atmosphere of Alexa’s candle shop when Callum helps his sister prepare for her wedding.
Atkins weaves a delightful romance with charming twists—an ex stirring up old wounds, a meddling mother with arranged date plans, and a slow-burning connection that refuses to be ignored. The chemistry between Alexa and Callum is authentic and endearing, making for an enjoyable read that will leave readers swooning.
A short but sweet romance with all the warm and fuzzy feels, The Scent of a Romance is perfect for readers who enjoy tender love stories with just the right amount of tension. Highly recommend!

DNF. Star rating chosen because Netgalley forced me I'd rather leave none.

It threw me when the FMC was talking about how a bit of hot wax falling on her hand was going to leave a scar - having done that myself with many different candles and types of wax I can confirm it will not. Then I just really didn't gel with it from there. I can't quite put my finger on why but I couldn't connect with the story or the narrator voice. It's by no means a bad book and there's clearly potential there with the romance arc it's just not for me.

No Goodreads review as I felt like this was very much personal preference and I don't think this review would help fellow readers in any meaningful way.

Such a cute short story! Loved the chemistry with the two main characters. I only wish it was longer, it was over too soon.

The Scent of a Romance

Let me start off by saying.. this story certainly gave me the sudden urge to open my own candle shop. What a cool idea?!

The story opens up in a way that had me questioning what kind of book I’d picked up - was it going to be a “the other woman?” kind of story? I almost felt kinda silly when I realised what I was missing, it was extremely well written to mislead the reader. I’m not one to fall for things like this, but I sure did.

Megan was a fun and easy character to read about, and probably my favourite in the story. She is so very much so me in any situation ever; wanting to be useful but stumbling my way through everything clumsily.

I do appreciate this was a very short and punchy story, but I did walk away feeling like we were missing some key scenes to initially build up some tension between the two main characters, especially given that it was a fake dating story. It seemed like they escalated from fake dating to real dating without much of a pause in the story whatsoever.

Overall, the story was extremely relatable, both the main characters were similar in age to myself so I could easily empathise with the pressures their families were putting them under. When you reach a certain age, there’s suddenly all this pressure to hit milestones at the same rate as the people around you, whether it be settling down, your career or living situation, and this book showcased this perfectly.

I received an ARC of this novella and am willingly providing a review.

This is a very cute, cozy romance that follows Caleb and Alexis, who meet in Alexis's candle shop. This story is very cute and involves a particular trope that I'm not a huge fan of and seems a bit unnecessary as it does not begin until halfway through the story. Overall, this story is a light-hearted read that can be finished in one sitting, but I believe the story would have been improved if told as a full-length novel.

The story was fun and lighthearted and I had a good time reading it.
This was a wonderfully written story.
I absolutely loved these characters and really enjoyed getting to know them.
A sweet, funny and heartwarming read!

This is a novella that I really wish was a full length novel because I want to read more about Alexa and Caleb! This story is love-at-first-sight/insta-love, and even though it's not usually a trope I like, I liked it in this book. This story is very sweet and I recommend it if you're looking for something light hearted. This story ends with "The End...For Now", and I really hope there's more one day!

I loved that this started out making me think she was going to fall in love with the groom! Overall, a very cute romance. This was a novella, but I think it would have been better as a novel. The author created two characters that were very like-able, but they hardly interacted. It was mentioned that they hung out and talked, but we never got to experience it.

There were also some parts that didn’t make sense. If they were fake dating then why did she confess to her mom she wanted him to kiss her? That didn’t make sense.

Overall, charming story, like-able characters, and adorable setting.