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Book Review: Sense and Scent Ability, by Renee George

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I initially picked up a copy of Renee George‘s Sense and Scent Ability as an Amazon freebie. But then I ended up borrowing an audio copy of it from Hoopla instead, so that I could listen to it as I did chores. 

sense and scent ability

My name is Nora Black, and I’m fifty-one-years young. At least that’s what I tell myself, when I’m not having hot flashes, my knees don’t hurt, and I can find my reading glasses.

I’m also the proud owner of a salon called Scents & Scentsability in the small resort town of Garden Cove, where I make a cozy living selling handmade bath and beauty products. All in all, my life is pretty good.

Except for one little glitch…

Since my recent hysterectomy, where I died on the operating table, I’ve been experiencing what some might call paranormal activity. No, I don’t see dead people, but quite suddenly I’m triggered by scents that, in their wake, leave behind these vividly intense memories. Sometimes they’re unfocused and hazy, but there’s no doubt, they are very, very real.
Know what else? They’re not my memories. It seems I’ve lost a uterus and gained a psychic gift.

When my best friend’s abusive boyfriend ends up dead after a fire, and she becomes the prime suspect, I end up a babysitter to her two teenagers while she’s locked up in the clink. Add to that the handsome detective determined to stand in my way, my super sniffer’s newly acquired abilities and a rash of memories connected to the real criminal, and I find myself in a race to catch a killer before my best friend is tried for murder.

my review

I thought this was a fine, middle of the road story and the narrator did a fine (if inconsistent) job with the audio. I liked Nora. I liked the decisions to let her be a 50+ year old woman who decided not to have children and that not be a point of contention in the novel. I liked the younger potential romantic partner. I liked the female friendships and that there isn’t any jealous among them.

I did think Nora (who’s 51) feels too infirm for the age. Sure, as the body gets older, there’s the occasional ache or pain. But she sounds like she’s far older, if her failing body is anything to go by. Sometimes I feel like aches, pains, and a leaky bladder are the only things authors can think of to signal a middle-aged or above woman. And as Nora hasn’t had children the bladder is off the table as an option. So, I guess George had no other option than to focus on her achy knees…or something.

All in all, the book did the job of keeping me distracted and I’d read another one.

sense and scent ability renee george

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Book Review: Suddenly Psychic, by Elizabeth Hunter

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I borrowed a copy of Elizabeth Hunter‘s Suddenly Psychic through Amazon Prime.

suddenly psychic elizabeth hunter

Every woman goes through changes in their forties.
Just not… these changes.

Robin Brannon was a normal wife, mom, and antique shop owner until a brush with death turned her day-to-day life upside down. Now she and her two best friends are seeing things that belong in a fantasy novel. Ghosts. Visions. Omens of doom. Nothing that belongs in the peaceful mountain town they call home.

Added to that, Robin’s marriage is on the rocks, her grandmother’s health is failing, her mother is driving away the customers at her shop, her teenage daughter refuses to get her drivers’ license, and her left knee aches every darn morning.

Robin doesn’t have the time, energy, or knees to unearth the secrets buried at the bottom of Glimmer Lake, but fate doesn’t seem to care. Some secrets are just dying to be exposed.

my review

Paranormal Women’s Fiction has become one of my favorite genres. But I fully admit that, of those I’ve read, some authors are more successful writing 40+ year old heroines than others. A lot of them feel 20 but the reader is told they’re 40 and that’s about that. But Hunter hit a home run here.

I related to so much of Robin’s character. She wasn’t overly cutesy in some warped attempt to be relevant. Her age-related struggles felt real, not just painted on or cliched. Aching knees or twitchy bladder alone does not a middle aged women make. Robin and her best friends feel like real women in their mid-40s. And I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that.

Similarly, her romantic struggles were a departure from the norm. I swear something like 85% of PWF books start with a divorce. (I made that number up, but it’s a lot.) That Robin is trying to save the marriage that is wounded but so clearly not dead was a breath of fresh air. Her husband was marvelous, but not a Gary Stu.

I also liked that the women’s sudden exposure to the psychic wasn’t over the top and was, therefore, a lot easier to swallow. I did think they discovered, discussed and accepted the situation a little too easily. But a story does need to move along. Lastly, with all the parents, siblings, spouses, ex-spouses, children and towns people, I did lose track of who was who on occasion.

Despite those few complaints I’m hoping to get my hands on book 2 and continue the series.

suddenly psychic

one poison pie lynn cahoon

Book Review: One Poison Pie, by Lynn Cahoon

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I borrowed a copy of Lynn Cahoon‘s One Poison Pie from the local library.

one poison pie lynn cahoon

What’s a kitchen witch to do when her almost-fiancé leaves her suddenly single and unemployed? For Mia Malone, the answer’s simple: move to her grandmother’s quirky Idaho hometown, where magic is an open secret and witches and warlocks are (mostly) welcome. With a new gourmet dinner delivery business—and a touch of magic in her recipes—Mia’s hopes are high. Even when her ex’s little sister, Christina, arrives looking for a place to stay, Mia takes it in stride.

But her first catering job takes a distasteful turn when her client’s body is found, stabbed and stuffed under the head table. Mia’s shocked to learn that she’s a suspect—and even more so when she realizes she’s next on a killer’s list. With Christina, along with Mia’s meddling grandma, in the mix, she’ll have to find out which of the town’s eccentric residents has an appetite for murder…before this fresh start comes to a sticky end. . .

my review

I think this has a really fun cover and the story is really sweet. But I was super disappointed by how little magic is actually in it (practically none), the romance is basically instant relationship (so no satisfying getting to know one another or romantic tension AT ALL), and turns out you really need to have read the prequel that I didn’t even know existed when I picked the book up at the library. Ok, you don’t need to. I was able to follow the plot, but there was a lot I felt I was missing, having not read it, and that always effects my enjoyment of a book. (I strongly feel book one of a series is where you should be able to pick up a series, without feeling like you’re missing anything. If you can’t the numbering needs to be changed, IMO.) But the writing is clear and editing clean. I’d read another Cahoon book.

one poison pie