Book Review- Dead and Kicking - By Wendy Roberts

Dead and kicking is the third installment of the Ghost Dusters series which follows Sadie, a woman who cleans death/crime scenes, a la the film Sunshine Cleaning, and helps spirits cross over to the other side. This book finds her dealing with the death of her father, boyfriend issues, one angry ghost and a home full of secrets.

Sadie's dad has passed over and she can see that he has not crossed over. She talks to him and feels guilty that because of her grief she is not helping him cross over.

While Sadie is dealing with the death of her father, her boyfriend, Zack, takes a job cleaning out his ex-girlfriend's mother's home. The angry ghost resides in this home and does not want anyone touching his stuff. Zack is put out of commission by this ghost and the demons of Zack's own past reappear to cause Zack and Sadie problems.

Sadie is left to clean the home on her own and finds the remains of a mummified baby. Whose baby is it? How did it get to be in the box of this horder's house? What other secrets does this house contain? You can bet that Sadie finds out.

I found this book to be a little darker than the prior two books in the series, but the protaganist is dealing with the death of her dad and her boyfriend's issue. While the ending was mostly what I expected, I still found the book entertaining and I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I give tis book three and a half hearts out of five.

http://www.wendyroberts.com/books.html

Book Review- Where There's a Witch - Madelyn Alt

This is book number five in the Bewitching Mystery series. Maggie O'Neill is a witch who lives in a small town in Indiana. She works at Enchantments, a retail store owned by fellow witch, Liss.
Liss is a mentor and friend to Maggie.

Maggie takes two of her colleagues, Tara and Evie, to a church carnival. Maggie happens upon a church member and a construction work arguing. Later that day, the church goer is found dead. The police are immediately suspicious of the construction worker.

Before the body is discovered, a cellar is uncovered and a spirit is released. The spirit forms an attachment to Maggie and communicates with her. He provides clues that help solve this murder as well as a decades old murder.

I found this book to be very fast-paced and engaging. The dialogue is snappy and the characters are easy to relate to and like. Ms. Alt also weaves in larger themes, like religious intolerance, without seeming preachy. I would recommend the entire series. I give this book four out of five hearts.

Book Review - Dogs and Goddesses- By Jennifer Cruise, Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rice

I picked up this book thinking it was three short stories by three authors. When I opened it I was surprised to learn it was one novel. I will admit I was frightened that a novel by three authors would not flow, which is kind of silly considering how many writing teams are out there that are published under one person's name.

The book tells the story of three ordinary women, their dogs and their special powers. Strange things start to occur and the women discover they are descended from a line of Mesopotamian goddesses. Becoming demi-goddesses happens to conicide with Abby, Shar and Daisy meeting their dream men.

The ladies have to thwart the godess Kammani. They storyline involving the supernatural powers of the women is really gripping. As a person who speaks to her dog, I really enjoyed their abilitiy to converse with their dogs. The women learned about themselves through their magical powers.

I actually found the love stories a little thin because there were three love stories going on at the same time. I think the authors should have focused on the struggle with the godess Kammani. I give this book three hearts out of five.

P.S. Happy New Year! To year filled with great books!