Books like Nectar by Lily Prior

Ramona Drottoveo, an albino chambermaid working on a grand Italian estate, is noted for the captivating scent she wears. Her fragrance brings her both scorn from the other women in the household and adoration from the estate’s men, who are drawn to her. Ramona’s life takes a dramatic turn when her husband dies on their wedding night after discovering him with another man. Blamed for the death, she is exiled with her lover to Naples. While there, the birth of their daughter Blandina—a child who nuzzles and steals her mother’s scent—changes everything, stripping Ramona of her seductive power. The story follows Ramona’s return to the estate, where she finds an unexpected welcome and an opportunity for revenge. Through lush descriptions of Italian villages and the powerful role of scent, the novel humorously examines sexual attraction, humor, and the whims of fate.

First publish date: 2002