Description: Praise for Scent of Darkness "Anyone with a nose can tell you that pheromones are dangerous. But in this Louisiana-based novel, Scent of Darkness, Evangeline learns that lesson the hard way. When her grandmother dies, she leaves behind a perfume, created from Evangeline''s own scent, that makes this plain girl so irresistible that strangers bury their faces in her hair. Soon she''s torn between Gabriel, a quiet student, and Michael, a fiery artist. Berwin captures New Orleans' mystical juju perfectly." - Entertainment Weekly "Elegant, introspective . . . [A] sumptuous faux memoir-a story of first love, obsession, youthful sexuality and coming of age. . . . Buy this pungent romance for your niece's graduation, then try to look innocent when she elopes with the postman." -Carolyn See, The Washington Post "Profound thoughts are deeply explored by the protagonist Evangeline (aka Eva) in Scent of Darkness. . . . Fascinating . . . Which path will Eva choose and with what outcome? Will the powerful scent be used for evil or good? To answer this question would be to give away the twists and turns in Scent of Darkness -and that would certainly be unfair, for Scent of Darkness is thoroughly engrossing." -Laura Schultz, New York Journal of Books "Berwin follows Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire with a tale about the mysterious and luscious world of the aromata , professional perfume makers. . . . Berwin's prose is poetic and measured, and her enchanting novel will leave readers searching for a scent of their own." - Amber Peckham, Booklist "Berwin's Creole-flavored romance . . . will provide plenty of pleasure to readers who enjoy a touch of magical realism in their fiction. Fans of such atmospheric writers as Alice Hoffman will find much to enjoy here." -Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal "In Scent of Darkness , Berwin has created a compelling story surrounded by the mysterious and exotic world of New Orleans, where tarot cards foretell what's yet to be, and fragrance is viewed as an ethereal, mystical creation capable of changing one's life forever. . . . Can a person truly be only of darkness, or of light? Or is it possible that we''re all a little bit of both?" -Amber Castens, The News-Gazette Praise for Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire "The great escapist novel . . . [A] shameless guilty pleasure of a romp that involves black panthers, poisonous snakes, scorpions, and the Adonis-like son of a Huichol Indian shaman . . . [A] sultry, psychedelic summer souffl of a read."- Elle "Sensual, voluptuous . . . Berwin vividly evokes the mosquito-loud, velvety blackness of a rain forest night." - National Geographic Traveler "Berwin makes a clever imaginative leap in her first novel, creating her own horticultural myth and then fashioning a lively novel around it." - The Boston Globe "Take two parts Carlos Castaeda, one part Sunset garden book, and top with a splash of Indiana Jones . . . Shameless, sweet, and deceptively potent." - Santa Fe New Mexican "Seductive interludes and exotic adventures define Hothouse Flower and the Nine Plants of Desire . . . A guide on plant mythology, spirit animals, curanderos (healers) and the mystery that can guide us to spiritual discovery, if only we open up to it." -Austin American-Statesman "A psychedelic adventure." - The Wall Street Journal "[A] grown-up fairy tale full of mysticism, shamans, and animal spirits. Light and breezy, it's also full of romance." -Fort Worth Star-Telegram From the Hardcover edition.

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