My name is Nora Black. I'm over fifty and enjoying my life to the fullest. That is, when I'm not worried about graying hair, low back pain, allergies, and a psychic gift that sometimes stinks.
After solving a murder with the help of my new scent-induced psychic ability, I’m thrilled to report that everything is finally getting back to normal. Better than normal, actually. My BFFs work with me at my Scents & Scentsability shop, I’m dating a young, hot detective, and the upcoming Memorial Day weekend promises to bring in lots of tourists to Garden Cove.
There’s not a thing in this world that could spoil my great mood…
Nothing except a suspicious death. When police officer Reese McKay asks me to use my aroma-mojo to look into the “accidental drowning” of her black-sheep cousin, I can’t turn her away. Especially now that she’s become a friend.
With help from my besties Gilly and Pippa, along with an unofficial assist from Detective Hot Stuff, I’m determined to crack the case of the drowned girl and sniff out the killer before he or she can strike again.
About Renee: USA Today Bestselling author Renee George writes paranormal mysteries and romances because she loves all things whodunit, Otherworldly, and weird. Also, she wishes her pittie, the adorable Kona Princess Warrior, and her beagle, Josie the Incontinent Princess, could talk. Or at least be more like Scooby-Doo and help her unmask villains at the haunted house up the street.
When she’s not writing about mystery-solving werecougars or the adventures of a hapless psychic living among shapeshifters, she is preyed upon by stray kittens who end up living in her house because she can't say no to those sweet, furry faces. (Someone stop telling them where she lives!)
She resides in Mid-Missouri with her family and spends her non-writing time doing really cool stuff...like watching TV and cleaning up dog poop.
Author Note: For readers who have enjoyed reading my books and taken the time to share their love in reviews, thank you so much! I can't tell you how much it means to me to know my work is valued.
Started a new cozy mystery because this sounded too interesting to pass up. Really enjoy the characters. Both that the main character is older than what I usually read about and that she is having a relationship with a younger man, also not something I see much off. The mystery is decent but like always the characters are the ones carrying the story
Just a bunch of running around the place, and not applying any logic. I wanted to yell at the characters: "Think people, think and stop being so lackadaisical! You have a murderer to catch for cripes sake. Stop the smooching and get on with it!"
VERY MINOR POSSIBLE SPOILER
It was also very obvious from the very beginning who the antagonists were, so no surprise at the reveal.
POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILER OVER
A very poor mystery indeed. There was more concentration on romance than mystery. If that's your thing, go for it but I can't tell you if the romance parts were bad or good since to me, they are all bad. ;)
With so many PWFs out there, with awesome authors, I find this series quite boring. I'm sticking with the original fab 13 and skipping those that jumped on the bandwagon when they saw how well these books sold. (For now) :)
If you for some reason don't know who the fab 13 are, here's a list:
▪️Shannon Mayer (It's all her fault. She started it and roped her 12 friends into the PWF.)
▪️Jana Deleon
▪️Eve Langlais
▪️Elizabeth Hunter
▪️Mandy M Roth
▪️K.F. Breene
▪️Michelle M Pillow
▪️Deanna Chase
▪️Christine Gael
▪️Kirsten Painter
▪️Robyn Peterman
▪️Darynda Jones
▪️Denise Grover Swank
I Have read most of them but there's a few more left. Two or maybe three, I think.
Of those fab 13, well 10 or 11 for me, I enjoyed Shannon Mayer (but of course!), Kirsten Painter, K.F. Breene and Robyn Peterman the most.
Nora and her nose are back and sniffing out murderers. This was another fun installment in the series. Even better than the last one. Looking forward to more Nora and the gang.
In book one Nora Black dies for twenty seven seconds during her hysterectomy and now has psychic visions attached to smells.
She spends her days surrounded by events at her spa, soap, and oil boutique where she works with her masseuse best friend Gilly.
Since losing her mom to cancer, opening Scents and Scentability and dating hot detective Ezra Holden, things are going pretty well for her.
Right now though, he’s got his son Mason for two weeks and has asked if Nora wants to meet him. So, she’s wondering if things are getting serious.
Of course with any book by Renee George, things become complicated and Gilly's ex husband turns up annoying her at the same time Nora finds a body whilst taking a back stretching break under the restaurant where she's with Ezra and Mason.
The police are called, an investigation starts, but the girl's family want Nora to help.
I loved this second instalment. The romance and relationship aspects are deeper, though Nora constantly worries about the fact she's fifty one and Easy (Ezra) is much younger. She has back trouble, she's on HRT, and suffers with allergies. I love that she also Jones about her hot flashes and such female issues with her best friends.
It's funny, tense iro the growing investigation and apart from her smell-o-vision, she's just a middle she's woman trying to make her way in the world and in her relationship.
How I love this series let me count the ways: 1. Nora may be in her fifties but she is tough as nails. 2. Detective hottie doesn’t let Nora’s age get in the way of his feelings and is there for her when she needs/wants him. 3. Gillie and Pippa are a terrific BFF brigade. 4. The mystery is engaging. I’m loving this series and can’t wait for more.
I enjoyed book 1 in this series, but may have enjoyed this book a great deal more. Nora’s ability is beginning to make a little more sense and I love how there are a portion who know of it. Her relationship with EZ is lovely and I like how she interacted with his son. The mystery was a fantastic one!
i think i liked this one better than the first. the mystery was just as compelling and the danger level was the same. I think it was the fact that this one was able to dig deeper into the people and their relationships. i like how this series has that cozy mystery feel but is much muchier than a cozy mystery. I know ultamately it will all be ok, but i am still on the edge of my seat, wondering.
Nora is asked by her friend Reese to help find out what happened to her cousin Fiona. Reese doesn’t believe it was an accident. Nora had already gotten some strange visions involving Fiona. I liked how the mystery and clues unfold in this story. I did not expect where the story ended up. I do love that Nora and Ezra are still going strong. We learn more about the people in Garden Cove.
Nora, is surviving a midlife complete with back pain, allergies and her BFFs who hover, by not giving in to it! Especially since she is seeing Detective "Hottie" Ezra Holden who is younger than she is! After surviving an almost fatal hysterectomy, she now has a paranormal ability to smell visions of things that happened. This could get in the way. Nora meets the niece of her friend on the police force, Reese who introduces her to her niece Fiona a seemingly sweet girl, who actually gave off a paranormal sense when they shook hands. But Reese, who was upset with her niece, for bad behavior didn't want to know what the vision was. Meantime, Detective Holden has his teenage son staying with him for the holiday weekend and he wants Nora to meet him. While at the restaurant, she excuses herself to sneak outside, out of sight to stretch her back muscles that were killing her and not wanting to let onto Mason, Ezra's son (doesn't want to look too old to him). But, all things go south when she finds the body of Fiona, dead in the water. Where is Fiona's ring? And so the investigation begins, with officer Reese wanting Nora to enter into the investigation with her abiities to see what she could find. Who wanted Fiona dead and why? What does it have to do with the GCE an elite boy's club? Was it someone from her past? Will Nora get too close? Then add another thread when her BFF, Gilly's ex-husband decided to have time with their kids for the first time in years for a visit in California. But then he shows up with the kids in town and decides he wants to get back with Gilly, who has been done with him for years. And now, he gets a job in town so he is staying and keeps trying to get Gilly to go back to him. Nora is a mama bear when she protects her friends and her loathing of Gilly's ex-husband is very apparent! With some laughs and lots of twists and turns this second book in this Nora Black series is a winner and I can't wait for more! I received an ARC from the author but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own
Nora Black and her friends are back in this second series installment. Gilly and Nora are in their way out to dinner one night when they run into Officer Reese and her cousin, Fiona. Nora can tell that things are strained between the two cousins but, both are pleasant and then on their way again. The next morning, Nora wakes for work suffering from severe allergies. She arrives at work and Pippa sends Nora to the pharmacy to get herself some allergy pills to relieve her awful allergies. While in the pharmacy, Nora runs into Fiona but, she seems frightened and off and Fiona abruptly leaves the Pharmacy after Phil enters. Later that night, Nora goes out to dinner with Ezra and his teenaged son, Mason, although, she is still having severe spasms in her back. She excuses herself from the table and goes in search of a place to stretch her back in privacy. She ends up under the steps of the restaurant where she discovers China's dead body floating in the water. This is where the story begins. The storyline is interesting, the characters well developed, and the whole premise is engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed this storyline and can't wait to read book three when it comes out. I highly recommend this series and am impatiently awaiting the next book.
This series has me hooked. It is not typical as the main character is 50ish, and she is a cougar at that! Characters that you can relate to and envision, and such a fun, well-written story, you can drop yourself right into it. Never a spoiler in my reviews, twists, and turns that keep you guessing till the end, and just when you think you know who the killer is, you are taken in another direction! I was completely surprised by the ending! The absolute MOST fun part of this book is that Nora's visions are triggered by scent! How original is that?! So, that being said, go meet the entire cast of characters and hang on for a bumpy ride in a page-turner that you will not want to put down. If you can't read it at once, pick a stopping point (chapter wise) in the book, otherwise, you risk not getting anything else done. Snarky, funny, engaging, why are you still reading this, just go get the book (and the first one!) I received a complimentary 'ARC of this book and this opinion is expressly mine.
Life is moving on. Nora and her besties business is doing well. She's still "seeing" the younger hot guy, better known as detective hottie. She has a few smelling visions but nothing to worry about...until...she finds another dead body. A young woman she recently saw who was at that time very much alive and happy.
Once again they all get tangled up in the case with much more than one murder of a sweet girl.
Intrigue, violence, questioned loyalty, and so much more. The relationship with her detective spices it up even when some teens put a damper on their time together. Will Nora and her crew solve the crimes despite her turning fifty physical limitations? More importantly, will she live to solve the crimes?
A great read with strong ladies over forty living life and taking names.
Nora Black is out with her boyfriend Ezra aka "Detective Hottie" when she finds the body of Fiona. Fiona is the troubled cousin of Nora's friend Reese. Reese asks Nora to use her psychic scent to find out what happened to Fiona. Throughout the course of her investigation secrets about some of the townspeople emerge. Nora finds herself in danger several times. I really enjoy this series and this book is even better than the first. I love reading about Nora, who despite being a kickass psychic still has the typical ailments of a typical 50 year old women. Having a hot 32 year old boyfriend isn't all that easy when your back spasms kill the romantic mood. I highly recommend this book and series.
50 something sucks sometimes. When your muscle memory expects you to do one thing and your body just says no.
I have friends who like Nora can’t find their readers or read small print without them. Personally I can’t walk without my glasses, so less of an age thing. I can relate to expecting to see a younger person in the mirror than the one who looks back at you.
Nora has the great advantages of having two close friends to help her past the menopausal sniffles and mood swings.
With luck, they can all survive the murderous mayhem around them, along with the usual chaos of loves, exes and kids.
She’s still pretty spry for a 50-year-old what with dating Detective Hottie, a guy 20 years younger than her. Story is still witty and clever. This time a body washes up. A woman had drowned. Was it an accident or murder?
Nora’s on the case to find out, but would her allergies affect her super smeller?
Overall, this was another good mystery, however, toward the end, too many characters entered the mix, causing some confusion and making the conclusion somewhat anticlimactic. Seriously, where did all these people come from? Story pretty much petered out by the end.
After the first book, I was anxious to continue the series. This one was a bit disappointing. It didn't gel together like the first one. I found it more a romance story than a mystery with a dash of romance. I felt like the mystery was secondary, and the details and logic just didn't pan out for me. At the end I still was not clear why the USB stick was valuable. The logic of 2 weeks just didn't make sense either. I felt like a lot of things were thrown in and they just never really came together. I will read the next book that I was able to obtain (#4) and if it is no better I may be done with the series. It held such promise with book 1.
This is a fun, fast paced and interesting story. The main character, Nora Black, died on the operating table for 27 seconds before she was revived and now when she smells certain scents, she gets visions from others of the immediate past. It's not something she can control, and at times it is a real pain, but it also is quite a help as well. The plot is straightforward and the premise is finding out why a girl in her 20's was found drowned and how. The answers were painful, but the truth finally came through. I definitely recommend this book. I also am looking forward to the rest of the series.
Nora Black is suffering from a mid life crisis after almost dying from a hysterectomy and now she has psychic vision with smells.
Things seem to hating up in the romance department as things are going well dating the detective and spending time with his son who he has custody for two weeks. But soon there is a damper when she finds a body at a restaurant where they are dining.
Once again shell be thrown into the case as the victim’s family will ask her for help. Watch a she handles the systems of mid life.
Nora continues to give us entertainment in her world as we enter within. Still think it is a hoot how it occurred. We also do not want to forget her hottie whom we get more of in here. Another reason why I really enjoy this series and her is because of her age. Those best friends are the best too. One of course Gilly's comes along in this being a pain. Then the body oh boy a mystery to solve. In this one more can occur because we have already met Nora so I do like this one alot. This is a perfect read that gives entertainment along with the intrigue with romance as the spice.
I Love that the heroine is a 51 year old single woman dating a younger man. Nora is a confident business owner with an unusual gift to see visions of the past triggered by a scent. This helps her to get clues to solve mysteries. This book is about the murder of a young, somewhat rash woman. What I loved about the mystery is as Nora uncovers why the young woman was murdered, we come to understand the victim's past and her traumas. And how assumptions about her background and lifestyle almost resulted in nobody questioning her death. Great book.
Nora Black not only has the power of her nose, she also has a knack for following leads, tying up loose ends, and arriving at quick and accurate conclusions. Her father made a good work teaching her. The story had me intrigued all the time trying to follow Nora's analytical mind and needless to say, her witty comments and how the blame of age was not helping her, I chuckled a lot. Suspense, mystery, amusing scenes, romance and an interesting plot development that had me enjoying the intrigue until the end.
What an amazing story and a must read! I love that it's set for us older woman but anyone will enjoy it. ♥️ Nova Black runs Scents and scentsablitly shop with her bffs plus she is dating. She also has some aroma-mojo to sniff out bad guys interesting right? You'll have to read to find out more but she gets pulled into case. I love the characters, the mystery, the twist and turns. Face it I could not put this book down and I didn't want to lol . Voluntarily reviewed a copy and I honestly loved every minute of it.
Every woman needs best friends like these. Ride or die friends who have your back, no matter what! I'm this book Nora has to learn to allow Detective Hottie to be a part of her support system. He wants to be there for her, if she lets him. Could Nora have found a doctor with a worse bedside manner? I don't think that is possible. Nora needs to learn to slow down & listen to her body though. The world won't fall apart of she stays home from work. She solves the murder, but at great personal loss to herself!
Would you enjoy the ability to sniff the past? Just think if you sniff a person you might be able to see snippets of their past. Just think you cannot control what you see so you might get a yucky surprise. This is a twist that Nora Black has received.
Love her girl click of Pippa and Gilly, a woman needs these kind of friends. Throw in a sexy younger man for a "boyfriend" and the occasional murder who would ask for more.
If you like a little mystery and romance this book is for you.
Nora might be middle age but she and her besties along with hot-stuff Ezra aren’t letting that stop her from taking life and her new found abilities at a fast pace. I just adore Nora and all of the characters in this book. Another great mystery with action and don’t stop reading until you get to the end.
This is the second book in the series, for the best understanding of Nora and her journey, you should read the first one. However you won’t miss it if you read them out of order.
Trouble seems to find Nora Black, who can sense other people’s memories through smell. When a police officer asks for her assistance in confirming whether her cousin actually drowned accidentally, Nora can’t help herself. Her sleuthing definitely puts her in the line of danger. Her best friends join the mix and are aided by her new boyfriend, a detective on the police force. Readers will love this group of supportive characters.
So very glad ...book 2 was just as entertaining as book 1. Never bored one minute of reading. I love a book where despite some of the more serious times, there are also times where I just laugh out loud in sheer joy. Not crazy mascots funny but just normal everyday stuff that happens to people that causes mouths to voice words that normally would not be spoken. Funny stuff. Love this series. Now on to book 3.
As the second book in the series, Nora is asked to help by a friend to find out what really happened in the death of her cousin. Nora's besties are all in helping Nora investigate the death of a young woman. Her ability to scent and see things that happened in the past of the young woman assisted in finding the real killer. Nora put herself in the path of the killer but her besties came to her rescue. Love the continuing relationship between Nora and Ezra (or Detective Hottie!)
Her new-found ability is tied to intense smell ... good or bad ... and what she is learning about her friends sometimes makes her blush. 😜
Great friendships ... Great romance with a mature female lead ... Clever small town mystery. I like how her talent is being used without being the go-to solution for everything. And I like that the age difference between the romantic leads isn't the major topic of their relationship. It's a well-rounded cast with entertaining storylines.