The Scent of Hours Audiobook By Barbara O'Neal cover art

The Scent of Hours

A Novel

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The Scent of Hours

By: Barbara O'Neal
Narrated by: Mia Barron
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A divorced perfumer navigates an uncertain but fresh new start in life in a poignant and witty novel about self-discovery by the USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids.

Nikki Bridges has it good. An enviable home in an upscale neighborhood, a heavenly-scented hobby making personal-blend perfumes, a cherished daughter, and comfortable rituals with a husband she loves. How was she to know it would all blow up with her husband’s affair, a blindsiding divorce, and an identity crisis she never saw coming?

With little money, less work experience, and a modest apartment, Nikki is tentatively moving on. Along the way: a waitressing job, a bond with an empathetic group of friends, and reentering the dating game at fortysomething. Luring her out of her funk is Niraj, an ex-Londoner with twinkling eyes and a hint of cinnamon and ginger. For the first time in a long time, Nikki feels a warm summer flush—and with it, a spark of inspiration.

On a liberating quest for self-expression and the courage to follow a dream, Nikki is blending the pieces of a new life into a fragrance that is uniquely and passionately her own.

Revised edition: This edition of The Scent of Hours includes editorial revisions.

©2006, 2014, 2024 by Barbara Samuel. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Divorce
Engaging Story • Well-developed Characters • Sensory Experience • Resilient Protagonist
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Resilience after a devastating divorce and a tale of scents and memories and new possibilities... Change is in the scent notes of new memories and taking chances on people...

All your senses will be activated with this tale!

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Great story! Good characters. Good reader! I hoping there would be more or a sequel at least!

Didn’t want it to end!

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The beginning captivated my attention. It was about a divorced woman and how she was transitioning into her new life, friends, interactions, kids, the ex, & her identity. Very realistic. I found myself being more aware of fragrances, flowers, food cooking, the scent of candles. I couldn’t put it down. The narrator was perfect for this book. It was about to be my favorite Barbara O’Neal book yet. But then… she introduced a harlequin style romance twist which cheapened and dominated the story. So disappointing.

Loved the storyline but…

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The thing I love most about how she writes is how her descriptions of things invoke all of the senses. These are every day people, struggling with normal life and finding extraordinary beauty in being present in the moment. I’ll listen to it again.

Loved it

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This novel was well-written and the characters were okay. For me, it was just boring. I never felt a connection with any character and /or the storyline. It was a bit jumbled throughout the novel amd had very little depth.

3.0

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Loved it all! Such a great story, very relatable realistic story. Loved this story so much!

Loved all of it!

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It started out slow and a bit depressing but picked up nuance and soulfulness. By books end, I thought: this would be a great listen for someone starting over. The main character’s self reflective willingness to take responsibility for her life inspired. Bravo.👏

Starting over? Heartfelt insightful soothing

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I like this author and this book was good. The narrator was great! I will listening to her other books.

Good story

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You always know you have found a good listen when you get “sad” when you notice there is not a lot of time left on the book - you just want it to go on and on! The story is so lifelike - you can totally identify with what Nicole is feeling and thinking. Listening to this is thought provoking ….women and independence, starting over what’s really important in life and what true friendships consist of. The “writing” is so descriptive, but not in an annoying “too much detail” kind of way. It really makes you take note of your own surroundings - especially the scents! I always love this author and the narration was “spot on!”

One of my favorites!!

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The Book talks shows women that there is life after Divorce. How finding themselves and the dreams they used to dream before marriage can be done. Women can feel fulfilled and whole again. They also can grow courage that they didn’t think they had.

The Scent of Hours

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