Review: Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich

One of my all-time favorite author is Jennifer Crusie. I love her characters and the wacky situations they get into :) As a result, I pick up everything that has her names on it... even collaborations.


Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich
published by St. Martin's Press in February 2009

Abby has just arrived in Summerville, Ohio, with her placid Newfoundland, Bowser. She's reluctantly inherited her grandmother's coffee shop, but it's not long before she's brewing up trouble in the form of magical baked goods and steaming up her life with an exasperating college professor.

And then there's Daisy, a web code writer, and her hyperactive Jack Russell, Bailey. Her tightly-wound world spins out of control when she discovers the chaos within and meets a mysterious dog trainer whose teaching style is definitely hands-on.

Finally there's Shar, professor of ancient history at Summerville College, who wakes up one morning to find her neurotic dachshund, Wolfie, snarling at an implacable god sitting at her kitchen table, the first thing in her life she hasn't been able to footnote. What on earth is going on in this unearthly little town? It's up to Abby, Daisy, and Shar to find out before an ancient goddess takes over Southern Ohio, and they all end up in the apocalyptic doghouse...

Genre: paranormal romance, mythology
Series: none

The Story: Hmmm, the backgrounds in the synopsis are correct, but I find the summary a tiny bit misleading. Let see if I can do a better job.

Basically, Abby, Daisy and Shar are brought together along with 3 other girls to the "Kammani Gula Dog Obedience Course" under different circumstances. Turns out that Kammani Gula is a goddess from the Mesopotanian era who has been 'revived.' She plans to reunite her seven prietess and take over the world.

Abby, Daisy and Shar are descendents of the priestess who used to serve Kammani Gula and actually discover that they are demi-goddesses. After drinking Kammani Gula's tonic, they seem to come into their powers which include being able to understand what their dogs are saying. Thing is, Abby, Daisy and Shar have no intention of aiding Kammani Gula to rule the world or to serve her... as a result, they have to find a way to send her back...

My Opinion: To tell the truth, the only reason I bought this book is because of Ms Crusie. I really enjoy her writing and I think it's unfortunate that she's been writing collaborations instead of coming up with solo books. Holly told me it's because Ms Crusie does not think she could surpass Bet Me... however, to be frank, none of her collaborations have come close to her older books, let alone Bet Me.

Anyway, Anne Stuart wrote Abby's storyline, Lani Diane Rich - Daisy's and Jennifer Crusie, Shar's. None of the storylines were perfect, I had issues with all of them ^_^; Then, when put together into the greater story... well let say the result is a bit confusing.

So let see... Out of the three, I enjoyed Abby's storyline and dog the most. Abby is new to town and seems to never have fit anywhere. She's looking for a place of her own and she finds it in Summerville. I think it would have been better if we were given a bit more of a background on Abby. I dislike how her mother said negative things about Abby and to stranger no less! Don't know though if what her mother said was true or not, since we were not given much on her background. Abby's hero was Christopher, a math college teacher who's a genius and socially impaired. He follows Ms Stuart's hero mold; however, didn't have time to be a complete jerk. My issue with this storyline was the relationship between Abby and Christopher. See, Abby was a virgin when she had sex with Christopher... and well, he reacted dumbly and as a result, Abby didn't want to have a relationship with Christopher and he had to try to win her back. Bleh...

Daisy's story was a bit meh... Basically, her mother skips town as soon as she hears about Kammani so Daisy will be chosen as the priestess instead of her. Talk about a selfish mother!! Thing is, it was never explained how Daisy's mother knew that Kammani was revived. There was no specific dates for Kammani's revival... so how did she know? I liked Daisy's relationship with Noah though... however, dislike how Daisy didn't trust Noah. In addition, I think Daisy's story was the one that had the most holes... like why did Mina (another prietess - the only one willing to serve Kammani and aware of the whole story) hate Daisy so much? In addition, I have to agree with Noah that Daisy was a bit self-centered :(

Finally, Shar... I think her storyline would have worked better if she wasn't 48 y.o. ^_^; All right, all right, I admit it, I've never been fond of older heroines. I like it when the heroines are between 25 and 35 y.o. I find I can relate with them better... At least, Shar wasn't a divorcee with kids, small blessings. Anyway, Shar is the lucky heroine and gets the god as her hero, Sam. Basically, Kammani needs to sacrifice a king (who also turns out to be a god) to start taking over the world. So when Kammani is revived, Sam is as well. Sam was yummy, but a bit superficial... I'm not sure how I feel about Shar and Sam together... I'm not sure they fit well. See, my problem is in the beginning, it was a big deal for Shar to be older... then as the story went, it seems like it was forgotten. I didn't feel like Shar was older by the end... and if you go through all the trouble to write about an older character, it shouldn't be forgotten right? Then, there's the fact that Shar thought that Sam was sleeping around, but she still went to him... because she loved him. Ugh. Woman, stand up for yourself and ask! Make it clear you don't want him to look at other women... So a bit frustrating.

Finally, I have to say that the overall plot was a bit confusing and felt like it was rushed. Actually, the pacing didn't feel right, probably because there are three authors trying to work on their own storyline. It didn't take too much time for the women to figure out what was happening... then, it seems the book went on pause in order to develop the characters and their individual storyline. Once it was "settled," the ending was rushed to wrap everything.

Personally, I could have overlooked a lot of things if at least, it's been funny... but it wasn't really. In the end, Dogs and Goddesses was a meh book, not as funny as I expected and with a few plot holes that left me wondering.

Grade: C-. If you didn't care for The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, then you'll be disappointed with Dogs and Goddesses, because it's not really better :(

It seems like these collaborations aren't really working. Lucky for us though, it seems that Ms Crusie is working on a solo book. That, I'm looking forward to... but I think that I'll skip any other of her collaborations.

Review: Ice Blue by Anne Stuart

All right, so what to say about this book? Well I do have Black Ice and Cold Ice, but haven't read them yet ^^; I know, I know... I think it's Ms Stuart's heroes. They're very alpha, very male and very cold and the ending is always the same... but I won't spoiled it for you :P Anyway, I wasn't sure I was going to get this book, but two things pushed me two: 1) the Japanese theme and 2) Cindy :P Her excitement over getting the book was contagious; however, I have to admit, I didn't enjoy it as much as her.

Ice Blue by Anne Stuart: 3.5/5
published by Mira in April 2007

Museum curator, Summer Hawthorne, has in her possession a Japanese ceramic bowl of great value that was given to her by her Japanese nanny. Unfortunately for her, her eccentric and selfish mother has promised the bowl to The Shiro, a guru of a sect. In order to keep the bowl, Summer lend it to an exposition... however, this puts her life in dandger as The Shiro is ready to do anything to get the bowl.

Turns out the bowl is key for a ceremony that will bring the apocalypse to Earth. In order to stop war from happening, Takashi O'Brien, a half-Japanese/half-American and agent of the Committee, is sent after Summer. His mission is to get the bowl and eliminate her, because unknown to her, she has the coordinates to the temple containing a mass-destruction weapon. This should be an easy mission to Takashi... but nothing around Summer is easy.

Genre: romantic suspense
Series: Ice series, book #3

Review: Seriously, I think I was disappointed by the book. With all the praises about Ms Stuart and the Japanese theme, I got my expectations to high and this book simply didn't meet it. Perhaps, Ms Stuart's style just doesn't agree with me... and she wouldn't be the first author.

The Characters - Hmmm, both Summer and Takashi were complex characters... They're attractive, get a good development, have many issues, but in the end, I think the problem for me was that their issued didn't get resolved. Summer is the daughter from a first marriage of a famous actress. She had a traumatic event in the past, but it doesn't impact much the storyline­... and she's ultra-protective of her 16 years old sister, Jilly. Aside from that, her relationship with her mother or stepfather aren't so great. As for Takashi, he's a bastard and also half-American, which doesn't please his very traditional Japanese maternal grandfather. So he's been raised by his grand-uncle, a yakuza leader (i.e. mob). He's expected to quit the Committee soon and marry a woman his grandfather has chosen, and produce little Takashi to please and hope to gain his grandfather's approval. So both bring a lot of baggage with them. They're thrown together under some dire circumstances. They're attracted to each other, without wanting it. Have sex, travel to Japan, defeat a sect... get a happy ending of sort... but at the end, they still have lots of baggages and maybe even more. So what was the point? At least, are they happy together? Hard to tell. As for personality-wise, both are pretty okay. Summer can be a tiny bit annoying sometimes by her naivete, but that's about it. And I have to admit that I was a bit bothered by Takashi little talent, but what can I say?

The Story & Writing - Ms Stuart's writing style is okay... a bit rough, tough and hard tho. She's not shy about using swear words and is quite bold in her writing. She's not the flowery type at all, but that's okay. As for the story, well the story was okay... although the ending, very standard Ms Stuart ending. So far, I've read what, 5 books by Ms Stuart and it's all been the same ending. The only difference was what was said, if any words were uttured. One flaw about the storyline though, is that I can't believe that Summer didn't speak Japanese. No matter what you say, you would expect someone who had a Japanese nanny and who studied Asian arts, especially Japanese arts, to at least speak the language. I mean, how did you study then? With translated books?!? Don't think so. Summer knew simple words such as "Sorry" and "Hi" but seriously, who are you kidding? All the best and dedicated scholars know the language of their specialty... and that's almost a given. She didn't had to speak it well, but at least understand and be able to have simple conversation.

The Cover - I actually really like it. Very nice blue :P

Am I keeping this book? I don't know... going to depend how much I like the two previous books, given that I read them one day

Anything else? Nope.

Review: Shadows at Sunset by Anne Stuart

So, here is another review! I have to say that the romantico-blogosphere has been very quiet today, so I'll try to make things livelier with a review :D

Shadows at Sunset by Anne Stuart: 3.5/5
published in August 2000 by Mira (Harlequin)

La Casa de Sombre is a well-known mansion in Los Angeles, featured on many scandal tours, and is haunted by the ghosts of the murder-suicide tragedy. In the 60's, the mansion became the hang-out place for hippies and now, it is the home of Jilly Meyer and her two older siblings. Very young, Jilly has figured out that their father didn't get a damn about her and her brother; he only cared about their older sister Rachel-Ann, and perhaps beyond fatherly love. Thus, she has become their protector and caretaker. As a result, when her brother is kicked out from the company, Jilly goes and confront her father, Jackson Meyer. However, Coltrane, Meyer's new right-hand man, is sent to deal with her.

Coltrane is a cold, calculative and manipulative man. He came to work for Meyer to figure out how his mother was killed and is sure that Meyer is involved. Thus, to get to Meyer, he figures that he could use/seduce Rachel-Ann as she's the weak link. Despite his plans, the woman he is attracted to is Jilly. As for Jilly, she really doesn't want to have anything to do with Meyer's man, but Coltrane is persistant and just insinuates himself in her life...

Series: none
Genre: contemporary, romantic suspense

Review: The book was okay; however, there's something that won't allow me to immerse myself completely in the story. I don't know if it's the story, the writing or the language. It's cold and you can't really root for the characters in my opinion.

Characters - I'd say Jilly is emotionally dependant. She needs to take care of someone or something to work well. She's usually too busy to think about herself and be selfish. She's the type of heroine that's strong and tough on the outside, but not so on the inside. As for Coltrane, well cold and indifferent and a bastard. There's very little to sympathize with both characters... they do sound real though...

Story & Writing - The story was good, but perhaps the paranormal side (ghost) might have bit a bit superfluous. As for the writing, well there's nothing to say... Anne Stuart didn't reach her status with bad writing. So I guess it's really the characters that prevent me from enjoying 100% the book.

The Cover - I actually like the cover a lot. No characters, just the house and I like the colors.

Am I keeping the book? For now yes... Later, I can't guarantee.

Anything else? I've heard a lot about Anne Stuart on the blogosphere and so, I wanted to give her a try. She writes both contemporary and historicals and although she's better known for her historicals, I opted for contemporary because it's more my style. However, perhaps I should give her historicals a try...

Another gloomy week-end

Hey ppl, wassup?

You really want to know? Weather is again crap... it's been raining and raining and raining... I'm surprised nothing has flod yet. At this point, I almost wish for snow... (not slush, just white snow). In addition, it's been cold... so all I've been really wanting to do is snuggle in my blankets to stay warm... and then, I fall asleep... must be hibernation hitting me.

So, so, so... what did I read over the week-end? 2 books:

Still Lake by Anne Stuart: 3.5/5

20-something years ago, Thomas Griffin was accused of murdering 3 teenage girls and sent in jail. He knows that he hasn't killed 2 of them, but isn't sure about the third girl... All he remembers is arguing with her because she's been sleeping with another guy and waking up with blood all over him. Luckily for Griffin, he got out on a technility after 5 years. Now a successful lawyer, he wants to know what happened and return to Colby, Vermont.

Sophie is finally going to realize her dreams: opening a bed-and-breakfast in a little and quiet town. Ever since her father died, Sophie has been raising her half-sister, Marty. Now 17 y.o., Marty has been getting in trouble constantly. In addition, Sophie's mother hasn't been well after her battle against breast cancer and Alzheimer. However, the new neighbor might just ruin everything ...

First, I'll say that I did enjoy the book, but I also thought that it didn't go deep enough and I guess, not much happened. I mean, Griffin didn't really investigate the murders... He was almost handed the answer. Actually, he didn't realize who was the killer till the last minute, it was Sohpie's mom who figured it out. I mean, his whole point was to find the killer, but he didn't do much. I can understand his reluctance to go into the town and he got distracted by Sophie, but he could have done much more. If Sophie and Marty hasn't been targeted by the killer, he would've never found out who the killer was.

As for the love story, well it happened pretty fast. Sophie and Griffin are attracted to each other and they don't really know why, they don't really like each other and they are constantly fighting, but they keep going back for more. What I dislike is that it seemed they didn't have time to get to know each other. In addition, Sophie annoyed me a tiny bit... She was very fast to jump to conclusion and think bad of Griffin, even not knowing that he was accused of the murders in the past. I mean, if she knew he was a possible murderer, what would she have done? Does she treat everyone the same way? I hope not.

The only interesting secondary character was Sophie's mom, Grace. I thought that Marty's story was a bit dull... I mean, I've read better teenager love story as side story in books.

So conclusion, I think that the book would have been better... but it was still enjoyable.

Must Love Dragons by Stephanie Rowe: 4.25/5

Theresa Nichols is a dragon, a real one: scales, tail and fire breath and all. She's been a dragon for the past 200 years, unable to change into human form. In addition, she's the assistant guardian of the Goblet of Eternal Youth (Mona) and must protect it at every cost. So ever since she and Justine had relocated to New York, Theresa has been hiding, depending on Justine for food. The problem is that Justine is gone on a honeymoon and is starving. In addition, Zeke - her cybersex partner- has been wanting to see her and has given her an ultimatum... Either she shows up for their date or he'll move on. So what is a dragon to do in that kind of situation?

Zeke Siccardi is an EX- dragon slayer, big emphasis on the EX. 180 years ago, he was the one who plotted the Cleansing in which most dragons were eliminated. However, the Cleansing was also a reality check for him and it changed him... so he's been trying to suppress his slayer instincts, take a non-violence path, become a vegetarian and etc. Now, Zeke specializes in finding missing person and he's been given the task to find Theresa Nichols. He has found a Theresa Nichols, now all he has to do is confirm that it's the right one.

This novel is as crazy as the previous one, but I thought it was better. I think I enjoyed it more. I really liked Theresa and Zeke's characters... I guess I found that Justine and Derek were a bit dull. Also, there was a lot of Becca in this book and she's really awesome. So let see, let me try to be a bit coherent here. In order to go on a date with Zeke, Theresa makes a deal with Satan... Of course, in exchange, Satan demands Mona. By having Mona and not using her, Satan wants to prove to Iris, previous Guardian, that he loves her. Back to Theresa, she has an old enemy after her life as well as Zeke's old team of slayers. The writing is basically all over the place, but you don't have a boring moment at all. If you liked Date me, Baby, One more Time, you'll probably enjoy this one as well.

The next book will be Becca's.


I've also started reading Venetia by Georgette Heyer, but I'm having a bit of a hard time because of the way it's written - not used to it.

By the way:

GOOD LUCK KRISTIE ON YOUR FIRST DAY AT YOUR NEW JOB

Hope everything goes well, the job is good and the co-workers, nice.

Let us know how it goes :D