Sense and Scent Ability (A Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery Book 1) by Renee George

Sense and Scent Ability (A Nora Black Midlife Psychic Mystery Book 1) 

by Renee George

Blurb:

Murder stinks. And if I don't sniff out the killer soon, I'll lose my best friend. Forever. 

My name is Nora Black, and I'm a fit and fabulous fifty-one years young. At least that's what I tell myself when I'm not constipated, my knees don't hurt, and I can find my reading glasses.

I'm also the proud owner of a salon called Scents & Scentsability here in the midwestern resort town of Castle 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 a major surgery, where I died on the operating table for exactly twenty-seven seconds, I've been experiencing what some might call paranormal activity. No, I can'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.

Weirder still, they last precisely twenty-seven seconds...

When my best friend Gilly's abusive boyfriend Lloyd ends up dead after a fire, and she becomes the prime suspect in what my ex-husband, the town's Chief of Police, says is murder, I end up a babysitter to her two teenagers while she's locked up in the clink.

Add to that my super sniffer's newly acquired abilities and a rash of memories connected to the real criminal, I find myself in a race to catch a killer before my best friend is tried for murder.

My review:

Sense and Scent Ability is a delightful start to a new cozy mystery series. Nora Black died on the operating table for exactly twenty-seven seconds and since she came back she has the ability to sense other people’s memories. She uses this new ability to help the hunky (younger) detective solve the case of who killed her bff’s abusive ex-boyfriend.

Nora is a total hoot and her friends encourage her in the best ways. This was a wonderful way to meet Nora and her crazy cast of friends. I look forward to more adventures with the lot.

Buy links:

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I Don’t Date Superheroes (Paladin Romance Series Book 1) by S.D. Rogue

Blurb:

Love comes with superpower consequences

Hana is your average 20-something nurse—except for one small detail: she is responsible for the care of the world’s best-kept secret: superheroes—who are known as Paladins.

Hana has one very simple rule when it comes to her love life: she doesn’t date superheroes! She’s been there, done that—never again.

Her life gets turned upside down when Bashir, a stunningly good-looking Paladin, shows up at her house and says his life is in danger.

Hana agrees to help him, but in doing so is brought into the web of peril that follows him.

Bashir isn’t like other Paladins. He’s charming, caring, and makes her feel protected.

On top of running for her life, Hana begins to see that she might have one problem: she may be developing feelings for the type of guy she swore she would never date.

Book one of the Paladin series will take you on a page-turning adventure filled with billionaires, exotic locales, superheroes, and sweet romance.

My review:

I Don’t Date Superheroes is a fast fun read filled with surprise bad guys,  quirky super heroes and mean girls. I found the story quick paced and thoroughly delightful. I look forward to future adventures with the Paladins.

Buy links:

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Charley's Christmas Wolf (Macconwood Pack #1) by C.D. Gorri

Blurb:

Rafe Maccon is the Alpha of the Macconwood Pack, for now. His rule is being questioned by a rogue Wolf who wants him ousted for breaking an ancient law that states the Alpha must be mated!

He must find a mate in order to keep his position. Seeing their Alpha in trouble, Rafe’s Wolf Guard take it upon themselves to find one for him.
Charley Palmieri works a dead end job and lives alone with her cat until one night when her world is changed forever.

Instant attraction sparks between them. Can Rafe convince Charley to be his before the meeting of Pack elders on Christmas Eve? Will she be his one true mate, for life?

My review:

Charley's Christmas Wolf is a wonderful mash up of fairy tales. Our Cinderella is kidnapped by seven werewolves who are looking for a mate for their Alpha. Hilarity and heat follow starting off a terrific series.

Buy links:

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Raw Justice (The Asylum Fight Club, #5) by Bianca Sommerland & Tibby Armstrong

Blurb:

Ambition can be deadly.

The right kind of exposure is all porn star Keiran Stone needs to reach his ultimate goal of opening his own restaurant, until an ill-fated audition ends with a near-deadly confrontation on the doorstep of Anniston Falls, New York’s infamous gay fight club. Rescued by one of the club’s members, Kerian is offered a job as The Asylum’s chef, and taken under the club’s protection.

He finds more than a recipe for success.

Top-tier fighter, Dallas Stephens, enjoys a variety when it comes to play outside the ring. As a switch, he finds satisfaction at both ends of the whip. Commitment never appealed to him with relationships or careers, but Keiran’s sweet temptations whet Dallas’s appetite for more than a one-night-stand. Inside and outside of the sub’s kitchen.

Ordering off the menu can be dangerous.

As Keiran fights to establish his own place within The Asylum, threats to the club’s foundation leave both men caught in the crossfire. Love and loyalty show them they’re exactly where they belong, in the most important battle either will ever face.

Surviving it is another story.

My review:

Have you read the other books in this series? No? Go do that first then come back and read this installment. I think you need the background to get the most out of this story.

Love can leave you raw and hurting. Porn star Keiran Stone has learned that the hard way. It’s how he finds himself bleeding out in front of the Asylum. Dallas is a switch who finds himself on the outside looking in more than he cares to admit. Finding and rescuing Keiran has affected him more than he cares to admit even to himself. As Dallas fumbles his way through falling for Keiran all kinds of mayhem is happening around them.

The guys are fighting for The Asylum Fight Club and their very lives.

This book will drag you through the gamut of emotions from laughter, sadness, fear and steam. I truly loved this installment.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Wolf Under Fire (STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team #1) by Paige Tyler

Blurb:

For the cases no one else can solve, they send in the Special Threat Assessment Team

Supernatural creatures are no longer keeping their existence secret from humans, causing panic around the globe. To investigate, monitor, and―when necessary―take down dangerous supernatural offenders, an international task force was established: The Special Threat Assessment Team.

STAT agent Jestina Ridley is in London with her team investigating a suspicious kidnapping. Over her radio, Jes hears her teammates being savagely attacked. She runs to help, but she's too late. The only survivor, Jes calls for backup and gets former Navy SEAL and alpha werewolf Jake Huang and his new pack. Convinced that the creature who butchered her teammates was a werewolf, Jes doesn't trust them. But if they're going to uncover the facts and make it back home alive, she'll need Jake's help. And with everything on the line, Jes will have to accept Jake for who he is, or lose the partner she never expected to find... 

My review:

Action, adventure and love! Wolf Under Fire (STAT: Special Threat Assessment Team #1) by Paige Tyler is a spin-off of her successful  SWAT series which is phenomenal. In this new series the STAT team is a hybrid mix of folks that are aware of the supernatural and when necessary take down dangerous supernatural offenders. This is a terrific team and I look forward to future adventures with them all.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Black Hollow: A Blessing in Disguise by Sheri Lyn

Blurb:

Cailean Muir fled his home, seeking refuge in the rumored town of Black Hollow. The only place where paranormals are able to live free of fear and persecution. It sounded too good to be true, but he had to escape those that wanted to keep him locked in his gilded cage.

Tristan Falkenberg loves his life in Black Hollow. Owning a restaurant with his twin sister isn’t always easy, but he’s proud of their success. He has friends he considers family, a lake house that provides everything he could need, and an otter as a best friend. Life can’t get better, until he meets Cailean and Tristan is shown there is more to life than he thought possible.

Love, lust and friendship blossomed when their eyes met, but would it be enough to fight the outside forces that longed to tear them apart?

My review:

A Blessing in Disguise has a new guy moving to Black Hollow and shaking up the world of our favorite merman Tristan. This is an adorably sweet love story with a misbehaving otter for comedic relief. Brain candy at its finest.

Buy links:

Amazon

Awakening by Sean Ian O'Meidhir & Connal Braginsky

Blurb:

Nathen was recently diagnosed with autism, and he’s a newly created vampire. His maker, a multinational corporation with its finger on the pulse of the technology industry, has recruited him to stop a terrorist plot. In the process, he meets Cameron, a telepath and psychologist, who has a troubled past he keeps locked up in the shadows of his psyche.

Nathen is confused by social cues and Cameron can barely block out the thoughts of others.

Together, they find common ground, and with the help of their friend Syn, they work out the secrets of the terrorist group and learn that the plot is far greater than they could have imagined.

My review:

Awakening is an ambitious multi-genre tale of love and intrigue.

Nathan is an autistic newbie vampire. Cameron is a psychologist who is also a mind reading mage. Syn is Cameron’s GBF who is a hacker with a handgun.

Part of this story purports to be a techno thriller but the tech is so dated Windows ME and Windows 7. Oy. Part of this story purports to be gay romance but as a psychologist Cameron should know better than insta love.

There are so many unanswered questions and hanging plot lines that this book just left me confused and disappointed.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Atonement (Love Undercover, #3) by L.K. Shaw

Blurb:

I’ve worked hard to rebuild the life I nearly destroyed. The private investigation firm I've started with my brother could be my shot at redemption. Our first case: find the supplier of Rapture, a new, lethal drug being sold on the streets. I’m determined to do some good and make up for the sins of my past.

One of those sins just walked through the door, and her name is Landon Roberts. Two years ago, a chance meeting in an empty bar led to the most intense connection of my life. The anguish in her eyes echoed the pain inside me, and for a single night we offered each other comfort. Until the morning when she disappeared without a trace.

Now, she’s the D.E.A. agent tasked with finding and eliminating the source behind Rapture. Which means I plan on spending a lot of time with her, because I have no intention of letting her get away again.

But the powerful man behind the lethal drug won’t let anyone stand in his way of making money. Can Landon and I survive a drug war and find love and forgiveness for our sins?

My review:

Your past is the foundation for who you become but you don’t have to let it define you. Landon has secrets that threaten to destroy her sanity if she can’t learn to forgive herself. Preston has overcome his narcotics addictions and is clean but he knows it’s a slippery slope. Maybe they can help each other use lessons learned and come out stronger on the other side. This romantic suspense will have you rooting for two very damaged people and leave you with a heart full of hope.

Buy links:

Amazon

Claiming His Snow (Suspenseful Seduction World) by Julie Morgan

Blurb:

Brett craves his life of dominance with willing yet temporary submissives. No heartaches, no relationships, no problems. The moment he found his wife cheating on him, he made a pact to never risk being fooled again. That is until he meets his new neighbor.

After Mina finds her boyfriend in bed with her best friend, she kicks them both out the door and then decides more changes are needed. Tired of being the quiet girl, who has sex in the dark with her eyes closed, she considers the sexy new guy next door. He has women coming and going, so he must know what he’s doing, right? Maybe he can teach her how to be a better sexual partner.

When Brett offers to train Mina as a submissive, he takes her down a new path of sexual desires she had only ever dreamed of. But soon, Brett realizes he’s in over his head and falling hard. When Mina is thrust into a dangerous situation, she’ll need Brett to help pick up the pieces. Will they both discover love is still worth fighting for?

**Claiming His Snow is part of Samantha A. Cole's Suspenseful Seduction World.

My review:

Claiming His Snow is hot, hot, hot. After he finds his wife in bed with her co-worker Brett has given up on love. He’s moved to Tampa and started over. He never counted on his new next door neighbor with skin white as snow, hair black as night and lips red as blood and his Snow White definitely didn’t count on him. But theirs is no fairy tale. This is an incendiary tale of love, trust and self-discovery. Break out a fan and enjoy.

Buy links:

Amzon

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Date Me, Bryson Keller by Kevin van Whye

Blurb:

What If It's Us meets To All the Boys I've Loved Before in this upbeat and heartfelt boy-meets-boy romance that feels like a modern twist on a '90s rom-com!

Everyone knows about the dare: Each week, Bryson Keller must date someone new--the first person to ask him out on Monday morning. Few think Bryson can do it. He may be the king of Fairvale Academy, but he's never really dated before.

Until a boy asks him out, and everything changes.

Kai Sheridan didn't expect Bryson to say yes. So when Bryson agrees to secretly go out with him, Kai is thrown for a loop. But as the days go by, he discovers there's more to Bryson beneath the surface, and dating him begins to feel less like an act and more like the real thing. Kai knows how the story of a gay boy liking someone straight ends. With his heart on the line, he's awkwardly trying to navigate senior year at school, at home, and in the closet, all while grappling with the fact that this "relationship" will last only five days. After all, Bryson Keller is popular, good-looking, and straight . . . right?

Kevin van Whye delivers an uplifting and poignant coming-out love story that will have readers rooting for these two teens to share their hearts with the world--and with each other. 

My review:

I loved this story. This is a sweet coming out story that left me with a full heart and a smile. Our hero Kai Sheridan is a quiet mixed race kid who blushes easily. Kai has known he is gay for a while but is in the closet because of his family and high school. Bryson Keller is Mr. Popularity and king of the soccer pitch. About as opposite as you can be but they work. I’m still smiling.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Love Sucks (Tails from the Alpha Art Gallery Book 2) by Cynthia St Aubin

Blurb:

Someone is killing werewolves. At least, that's the way Vincent Van Gogh tells it when he shows up at Mark Abernathy's art gallery seeking protection. For gallery assistant and art history addict Hanna Harvey, meeting Van Gogh is a dream come true--until death follows the troubled artist to town and Hanna becomes the murderer's next target.

When Alpha Wereboss Mark Abernathy goes missing, a new wave of murders draws the attention of drool-worthy Detective James Morrison, further complicating Hanna's epic dating dilemma. Only absinthe-swilling bodyguard Toulouse Lautrec stands between Hanna and the malevolent murderer whose grudge runs deep and appears to be connected to the mystery of her bloodline.

Damning evidence convinces Morrison that saving Hanna's life requires ending Abernathy's, and she's forced to choose between protecting the man who holds the key to her past, or spilling her secrets to the detective who could promise her a future.

My review:

Hanna is back and reeling from the revelations made at the end of the last book Love Bites.  In this episode Hanna gets to meet some of her heroes from the art world who just happen to be long lived werewolves. That is until now because someone is killing them off. This story sucked me in and kept me flipping pages till the bombshell at the end. This book can be read standalone but is so much better if you’ve read the first. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Honor Avenged (HORNET #6) by Tonya Burrows

Blurb:

Leah Giancarelli makes balancing her new role as a single mom look easy, but she’d have crumbled if not for her late husband’s best friend, Marcus. She has her issues with HORNET, an elite hostage rescue team—after all, Danny would still be alive if he’d never accompanied them on their last mission—but Marcus has always been by her side, a strong shoulder to lean on…

Until, after one impulsive kiss, he’s so much more.

Eaten alive by guilt, Marcus takes off, leaving both HORNET and Leah behind. Alone is easier. Safer. Because his feelings for Leah are all kinds of wrong, the worst kind of betrayal, and he can’t trust himself not to act on them.

But Danny’s death was only the beginning. Whoever hired the hitman is looking for something, and they think Leah knows where it is...

Each book in the HORNET series is STANDALONE:
* SEAL of Honor
* Honor Reclaimed
* Broken Honor
* Code of Honor
* Reckless Honor
* Honor Avenged

My review:

Honor Avenged is a paramilitary best friends widow tale that will have you wanting to smack an obstinate stud upside his head.  This book features some horrible things, the loss of a husband/best friend, betrayal, and really nasty bad guys. It also features moving on and living life. Well once Marcus gets his head out of his butt anyway. This is a fast paced scary ride of emotion and danger.

Buy links:

Amazon

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REDRUM (Luna's Paranormals #2) by Shelly Small

Blurb:

People are dying at an alarming rate. Looks like the Hampton Roads has a serial killer. There is no rhyme or reason to the murders. The only common factor is the puncture wounds on the victim’s necks that has the police stumped.

No one knows Supernatural beings exist. For that reason alone, they go to Luna’s Private Investigations for help.

The police ask for her help.
The Supernatural want her help.

Will she figure out who the killer is before there is an all-out war? 

My review:

WOW! I left this on my tbr pile for far too long. Have you read the first book Luna? No? Do that first as it sets up the world and characters that appear in this book.

REDRUM is a paranormal thriller that will have you flipping pages to see what happens next. This exciting tale will leave you exhausted but satisfied. Bring on the next installment.

Buy links:

Amazon

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The Secrets of Bones (Jazz Ramsey #2) by Kylie Logan

Blurb:

Second in a new series from national bestselling author Kylie Logan, The Secrets of Bones is a riveting mystery following Jazz Ramsey as she trains a cadaver dog.

Assembly Day at St. Catherine's dawns bright and cloudless as professional woman gather from all around Ohio to talk to the schoolgirls about their careers in medicine, at NASA, and as yoga instructors. Administrative assistant Jazz Ramsey is involved herself, giving the girls a taste of her lifelong passion: cadaver dog training. Her adorable new puppy Wally hasn't been certified yet, so she borrows the fully-trained Gus from a friend and hides a few bones in the unused fourth floor of the school for him to find.

The girls are impressed when Gus easily finds the first bone, but for the second Gus seems to have lost the scent, and heads confidently to a part of the floor where Jazz is sure no bones are hidden—at least not any that she's put there. But Gus is a professional, and sure enough, behind a door that shouldn't have been opened in decades, is a human skeleton.

Jazz recognizes the skeleton as Bernadette Quinn, an ex-teacher at the school who'd never returned after one Christmas break, though letters and postcards from her had seemed to indicate there was no cause for worry. But now it seems Bernadette never left the school at all, and her hiding place makes it clear: this was murder.

Bernadette's strident personality means there are a plethora of suspects inside the school and out of it, and as Jazz gets closer to the truth she can't help but wonder if someone might be dogging her footsteps . . .

My review:

The Secrets of Bones is a wonderful follow up to The Scent of Murder (Jazz Ramsey #1). This installment finds a much happier version of Jazz dog training her adorable new puppy Wally but that doesn’t stop her from getting involved in another murder mystery. This mystery takes us on a twisted path filled with dead ends and fake trails. I second guessed myself throughout the book. Jazz has wormed a place in my heart and I can’t wait to see what trouble she gets into next.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Spellstruck in Salem (Casters and Claws #3) by Milly Taiden

Blurb:

Astra Bishop loves her job as a reiki master. There's only one problem. She believes one of her clients is stealing her energy. She gets a bad vibe, and Astra is all about vibes and energies. So when the elderly woman holds her up at gunpoint, Astra is caught between her feelings being vindicated that she knew something was off, and fearing for her life. It's not like she can defend herself against the little old lady!

Blaze has been waiting a long time for his mate. Too long. The alpha is all about ready to give up hope as he watches younger wolf shifters mate up before him. When he gets a call from another wolf alpha, he heads into Salem. The rescue mission is simple. Take the witch someplace safe and protect her from the Order of Salem. He is floored when he discovers that the redheaded beauty is his mate.

He has finally found everything he has been waiting for, but he has to convince Astra that she’s his mate. Locked up in his shifter bar, the wolf and the witch will learn that they have a lot in common. Too bad the Order of Salem has tracked them down, and they're out for blood. Will they get their happily-ever-after or will Blaze's search for happiness end in heartache?

My review:

Sassy, sexy and sweet. This is Astra and Blazes’ story. Werewolf Alpha Blaze is sent in to protect fire witch Astra from the Order of Salem who are determined to kill the descendants of the women killed in the Salem witch trials.  Astra is sweet, a little flaky and fun. Blaze and Astra are combustible together. You aren’t going to be able to dowse these flames.

Buy link:

Amazon

Huntress Rising (Angel of Death Book 1) by Lee Roland

Blurb:

In a post-apocalypse world besieged by monsters, Colonel Xavier, a strict military man with a deadly temper, challenges Maat Ferris, a fierce, werewolf hunter, in a way she doesn't understand. When Xavier meets Maat, he can't decide whether to shoot her or kiss her. There is no uncertainty in her. She promptly stabs him. His hot then cold attitude makes her crazy, and his tendency to protect her is even worse.

Unfortunately, the combative pair must join forces on a treacherous journey, across the bleak, barren country. Pursued by a dictator president and the vampire who holds him in thrall, they carry precious cargo that will give democracy seeking rebels a chance to remain free.

Maat and Xavier, true to their aggressive, passionate natures, must also battle their way through a most unusual courtship. Can their love grow amidst the destruction and rebuilding of a society under siege? Or will they kill each other first?

My review:

Huntress Rising is the first in a new series. It takes place in a violent post-apocalyptic world where werewolves and vampires have come out of the closet. The United States are no longer united and it’s everyone for themselves. Our heroine is a werewolf hunter extraordinaire who has been ripped from her home and drawn into the morass of politics in this new world. This is a complex tale that keeps you riveted. I look forward to seeing where the author takes us next.

Buy links:

Amazon

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Cloaked (Easthaven Crest, Book One) by A.D. Justice

Blurb:

One word easily summed up my entire life: ordinary.

I lived with my grandmother in a rural town in Montana. As I worked beside her in our small store, she taught me everything I needed to know.

Except how to find her when she disappeared into thin air.

Yesterday, going off to college was my greatest adventure. But the truth about my childhood was hidden from me my entire life, cloaked by a powerful spell.

I thought all the tales she told me were just bedtime stories…children’s fantasies.

Until I stumbled into the Covis Realm.
Until I learned my mother was killed because she was a mage.
Until I was told my father died defending her.
Until I realized I’m the rightful heir to the throne.

Mages were hunted and killed because of their powers. They said a mage could never be the queen.

My response? Watch me.

My review:

Cloaked is the first in an exciting new YA fantasy. Sara is a smart young woman who was feeling stifled in her small town life. But she isn’t who or what she has known herself to be. When she falls through a portal her life and destiny change drastically. I was enthralled. I couldn’t put this book down.  I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Buy link:

Amazon