Explore Kelly O’Hearn’s sensual storytelling and how scent plays a powerful role in unlocking past-life memories.
What if a single fragrance could unlock a memory not just from your childhood—but from a life you lived centuries ago?
In Whispers in the Forest, the second book in Kelly O’Hearn’s metaphysical fiction series, Arcanum, the world of perfumery becomes more than a backdrop—it becomes a portal. Set against the lush, fragrant landscape of the South of France, the novel delves deep into the idea that scent is the key to the soul’s memory, awakening not only forgotten dreams but long-buried truths from lifetimes past.
For readers who crave sensual storytelling, spiritual mystery, and soul-stirring romance, Whispers in the Forest offers an unforgettable journey through time, emotion, and the ethereal power of scent.
A Perfumer in Search of Something More
The novel follows Sarah Fuller, a high-profile Manhattan perfumer whose world appears perfect on the surface. But beneath that polished exterior, something is unraveling. When she begins experiencing vivid dreams of a medieval maiden surrounded by roses and forest light, Sarah is compelled to leave her life behind and chase the source of the vision: a legendary ancient rose said to grow in the hills of Provence.
What begins as a professional fragrance expedition quickly becomes a soul-deep journey into memory, magic, and mystery. Sarah finds herself haunted not just by dreams but by an unshakable sense that she has lived another life—and loved someone—in this very place before.
Fragrance as Memory, Fragrance as Portal
Author Kelly O’Hearn draws heavily on the sensual power of scent to weave the story together. A former sommelier trained to recognize hundreds of subtle notes in wine, O’Hearn brings an exquisite sensory awareness to her writing. Scents in the novel—wild rose, aged sandalwood, burning resin, and skin warmed by sun—aren’t just descriptive details. They are emotional triggers, guiding both the reader and the protagonist through the hidden corridors of memory and intuition.
In Sarah’s world, perfume is a language—a coded message from the unconscious that cannot be expressed in words. When she blends a new scent, she is not just creating art; she is calling forth fragments of her soul’s history.
This idea reflects the real-life phenomenon of olfactory memory—the way smell bypasses logic and taps directly into the limbic brain, the seat of emotion and memory. O’Hearn elevates that phenomenon into the spiritual realm, asking a provocative question: What if the memories that scent evokes aren’t just from this life but from others?
Channeling Story Through Tarot and Intuition
Adding to the mystique of the novel is the fact that Whispers in the Forest was not written in a traditional way. O’Hearn channeled the book through Tarot readings—over forty hours of them—and based the characters and events on eight lifetimes revealed to her during those sessions. In that sense, her storytelling is intuitive, spiritually guided, and deeply personal.
“The story came through me, not from me,” O’Hearn says. “Each fragrance in the book is tied to a soul memory—not just for Sarah, but for the reader. I believe we’re all carrying these threads of other lives, and sometimes the right scent, the right place, or the right person can wake that memory up.”
This level of spiritual depth gives Whispers in the Forest a distinct voice among contemporary metaphysical fiction. It is not just a love story—it is a remembrance.
A Story That Resonates on Every Sense
Whispers in the Forest invites readers to trust their own senses, to listen closely to what draws them inexplicably toward certain places, people, and passions. Whether it is a sudden recognition in a stranger’s eyes or the scent of rosewater that lingers too long, O’Hearn encourages us to see these not as coincidences but as calls from the soul.
It is a story that will appeal to fans of time-slip fiction, reincarnation themes, psychic romance, and anyone who has ever wondered if we carry more than just this lifetime inside us.
And for those who know, deep down, that scent is not just aroma—but awakening—this book will feel like coming home.
Whispers in the Forest releases May 13, 2025, in paperback, hardcover, and eBook. It is the second novel in the Arcanum series and is published by Global Entanglement.
To learn more about Kelly O’Hearn, the Arcanum series, or her tarot-inspired storytelling, visit ArcanumTheSeries.com.
