Dogs and Goddesses

TEST

Considering the talent behind Dogs and Goddesses, I’ll confess that I expected more than an amusing and fun story. I didn’t get it, but I did enjoy the ride.

To put my reaction to this one in perspective, I liked it better than The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, the first collaboration between Ms. Crusie and Ms. Stuart. With the addition of Lani Diane Rich to the mix the authors step out again here and, on the very positive side, the writing is absolutely seamless. (I haven’t followed the author’s blogs so don’t have the slightest idea who wrote what and I like it that way.) Still, it’s a slight story told in a relentlessly light way and, quite honestly, it feels a bit skimpy in the character department, too. But readers looking for a light, fun read – and who aren’t preoccupied by the creators and by knowing what they can do – will likely find it a good read.

The book is a fantasy involving dogs with whom the three heroines can suddenly communicate in English, resurrected goddesses, and improbable instant friendships between three very different women. Abby, Daisy, and Shar come together at goddess dog training (yep, you read that right) and soon enough find themselves bound together to reopen the coffeehouse Abby inherited and stop the evil goddess from taking over the world. Along the way they get involved with a hunky math professor (Abby), a hunky dog trainer and musician (Daisy), and a hunky god-king (Shar). Much wackiness ensues.

The authors don’t try to do much of anything here other than tell a fun story and in that they succeed. The jokes are good (and there are a lot of them), the dogs are cute, and the story moves along at a nice clip. I had an issue or two at the beginning keeping everyone straight, but it all clicked about one third of the way into the book and I was able to kick back and enjoy the story.

As for those characters, it all seems pretty prepackaged. What with the instant deep friendships and the fact that the best adjective for all the heroes is the same one, it’s fair to say that the characters feel a bit underdeveloped. For those who care about these things (and I’m one of them) extra points are included for the fact that heroine Shar is 48.

So, bottom line? Dogs and Goddesses is a slightly above average example of a light and entertaining book. And absolutely nothing more.

Buy it at Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes and Noble/Kobo

Reviewed by Sandy Coleman

Grade: B

Book Type: Fantasy Romance

Sensuality: Warm

Review Date: 15/01/09

Publication Date: 2009/02

Review Tags: Gods and Goddesses dogs

Recent Comments …

  1. excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.

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