Dogs and Goddesses

Author: Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, Lani Diane Rich


Abby Richmond, Daisy Harris and Shar Summer are descended from three of the seven ancient priestesses who served the goddess Kammani Gula. After their goddess was defeated by another goddess and banished from our world, their ancestresses sealed themselves in Kammani's temple and slept until their temple was re-opened. They waited, prepared and tried to raise their daughters to serve when their goddess returned, but they passed on and their daughters, not believing that the goddess would ever come, put away the traditions and raised their daughters with no knowledge of Kammani or what might be expected of them when she returns. Return she does and with it the powers of her priestesses who become minor goddesses in their own right. Of the seven women called Abby, Daisy and Shar are the most powerful, and the most suspicious of Kammani and what she wants. This does not sit well with Mina Wortham, the priestess carrying the power of death, descended from the one family who kept the old traditions, who feels she deserves to be the post powerful and prized by her goddess as she is the most faithful.The three, however, are too busy trying to control their new powers, freaking out over their suddenly talking dogs, and trying to deal with the men who have suddenly appeared in their lives.

Daisy is attracted to Noah Wortham at first sight, but can she trust a guy who's working for Kammani and who's family has been taught to serve Kammani from the moment they're born? And what if Noah's feelings for her aren't real, but a product of the chaos magic swirling all around her?

Abby's powers keep drawing Professor Christopher Mackenzie to her despite the fact that the genius math professor who hears the voice of a long dead mathematician in his head wants nothing to do with anyone who might distract him from his equations. Abby is none too happy that her magic keeps pulling her towards a man who is upright, cold and just plain frustrating.

Shar literally has a man appear in her life. He is the god king Samu-la-el, raised by Kammani and destined to be sacrificed. She'd been attracted to his likeness before, but it was nothing compared to the man. How can she let herself fall for him when he serves Kammani, sleeps with any woman who wants him and was in love with her grandmother, Sharrat?

I originally thought this book was an anthology. Imagine my surprise when I cracked this book to find that it's a book told from the perspective of several women in the book and written by all three authors in concert. I think each author wrote one of the three female leads, but I'm not sure. I really liked the story, though I'll admit that Shar's parts of the story were my favorite, followed by Abby, but Daisy bugged me a bit. Of all the guys and relationships in the book, Noah was the one with the least conflict and the least reason for Daisy to doubt and yet she was the one who made the biggest mess of things. Abby's was a close second as far as emotional mess goes, but in her case it was warranted. Christopher was so socially inept that he did the worse thing he could have done to hurt Abby without really meaning to. I was really glad when he finally pulled his head out of his ... ahhh ... books and went after Abby. I think, had I been Shar, my biggest issue with Sam would have been the fact that he had been in love with her grandmother, whom she apparently looks exactly like her, and that he occasionally called her Sharrat. Most especially when he called her by that name as he was holding her and kissing her. Apparently Sharrat wouldn't give him the time of day because she was all about serving Kammani. I'd have some trouble believing he was really in to me and not just using me as a substitute for the woman he loved.

Getting Rid of Bradley

Author: Jennifer Crusie

Detective Zachery Warren is afraid to grow old. He's a man of action who goes with his gut and makes split second decisions. For a man like him getting old means slowing down and slowing down means death. Detective Anthony is Zach's partner and the thinker of the duo. He's afraid that Zach is going to burn out, but isn't sure how to keep it from happening. Zach is too busy trying to catch Bradley to worry about any of this navel psychobabble that his partner is so fond of. When a tip about Bradley leads them to a diner where they overhear a couple of attractive women talking about getting rid of Bradley as they walk out, Zach's sure they've caught the break they've been waiting for. The partner's split up to follow the women, but Zach's barely manages to get the woman's attention when someone shoots at them. Zach's not the most popular guy with everyone, but he's pretty sure she's the target and it's possible that Bradley might be trying to get rid of her.

Lucy Savage is a physics teacher who loves logic and making well thought out practical decisions. The one time she made a spontaneous decision resulted in marriage to Bradley, whom she's just divorced. Now she's got this cop on her doorstep, who looks more like a criminal than an officer of the law, telling her that her dull uptight ex-husband is a criminal and that someone may be trying to kill her. She doesn't believe it, of course, because it's illogical that someone would want to shoot at her. She feels she's been proven correct when it turns out that the criminal he's looking for is not her ex, Bradley Porter, but a man named John Bradley. Sure the signs that someone has been trying to break in to her house are a bit disturbing, but it's a far cry from attempted murder. Unfortunately, the car bomb is not. This, coupled with a yearbook linking both Bradleys, leads Zach to move in with Lucy for protection and to find what someone wants from Lucy's house.


I really liked Zach. He very clearly had issues and he fought his attraction to Lucy, but once he decided to fall he did it all out. Lucy was really cute, I really like nerdy characters, but she had some serious TSTL moments that were just ridiculous. I hate it when a character decides they're going to be free or independent and then proceed to make the most boneheaded decisions all in the name of this new resolution and, of course, if anyone dares to cut up about whatever idiocy they've committed they're filled with righteous indignation and anger towards the person they perceive as trying to stifle or control them. It's annoying and makes me think less of the character, especially when that character is supposed to be smart, like Lucy is. Some might say that it's simply a lack of street smarts on her part, but I think anyone with half a brain would think it a bad idea to go out for a solo morning jog when a cop has told you to stay indoors because someone has tried to break in to your home repeatedly and might possibly be trying to kill you. Then to go out alone again just to get your hair done without so much as calling someone to let them know where you are going to be after someone sets of a bomb in your car? This coupled with the fact that she refused to leave her home for her own protection, even after a bomb is set off in the house, really made me want to slap some sense in to her. I like this book, but I don't love Lucy ... or at least I don't love her bad choices..

Tell Me Lies

Author: Jennifer Crusie

Maddie Faraday grew up in Frog Point, a small town of where everyone knows everyone and who your people are is as important that who you are. All her life Maddie has been a "good girl" and done what was expected. She married Brent, her high school sweet heart, she stays home to raise their daughter while her husband is part owner of a very successful construction company. Maddie should be happy, but ever since Brent cheated on her a few years back, she just can't seem to get that loving feeling back. In fact, she's pretty sure she hates Brent at this point and the only reason she's still married to him is their daughter, Emily. When she finds a pair of black crotchless panties stuffed in seat of his car she decides she's had enough. She's going to end their marriage once and for all. She just hopes he can do it without causing too much of a scandal. The last thing she needs to hear right now is that the boy who's car she climbed in the back seat of the one night in high school she's decided not to be a good girl is back in town.

C.L. Sturgis was given up by his mother and taken in by his aunt and uncle in Frog Point. No one in town expected any good from him on account of who his mother was. He was always getting in trouble whether he actually did something wrong or not, so why not just be the bad boy they all thought he was? When he was in 5th grade, Maddie Martindale was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, and when she tried to defend him to a teacher he was hit with the biggest crush, but since he and Maddie were worlds apart he never even had a chance to be her friend. In high school, when Brent cheated on her and Maddie decided to get back at Brent by climbing in the back seat of his car, C.L. found himself once again crushing on Maddie. Unfortunately they call them crushes for a reason and the next day in school Maddie crushed him by walking away and pretending nothing had ever happened between them. She got back together with Brent and C.L. was left to move on. Now, a successful accountant with a good job in a big city, he's back in town to help his ex-wife and take down Brent. He did not expect that seeing Maddie would bring back that ridiculous crush he's had on her all his young life. He also did not expect Brent to turn up dead and Maddie to be the prime suspect.


I absolutely loved C.L., but Maddie and her constant worrying over what people were going to think drove me up the wall. I'd hazard to say that most men wouldn't have stuck around and put up with all conditions Maddie put on their relationship, no to mention the way she was all over him one minute and telling him to stay away the next. She couldn't make up her mind what she wanted and even when she did, it took her forever to find the damned backbone to go after it. Once she decided to be free and forget what the town thought, she made one crazy decision after the other just because she could. Her daughter, Emily, was well written. She knew she was being lied to and she didn't take it lying down. I was more impressed with her than I was her mother. Maddie's best friend Treva needed to be slapped. When Maddie's life is going crazy Treva decides it's the best time to start venting her life long resentments about Maddie always being good and perfect. And this is your best friend?

Fast Women

Author: Jennifer Crusie

Eleanor "Nell" Dysart is trying to rebuild her life after her divorce from her husband of 20+ years. A year and a half later he's married to a younger woman who's taking over her role in the insurance agency they built together and Nell starts to realize that she's spent a year and a half in a numb sort of haze. Now she's gotten a job as a secretary for McKenna Investigations on a recommendation from her former brother-in-law and her life is suddenly livelier than it's ever been. She's almost slept with a client's husband, had a one night stand with Riley McKenna (one of her bosses), wrecked her ex-husband's office, forced the embezzling ex-secretary to give back the money, stolen a dog and that's just her first week there! The only problem with the job is her boss, Gabe McKenna, and his my-way-or-the-highway attitude. All she wants to do is make the office look nice and keep things running smoothly, but he fights her at every turn and she's be lying if she said it didn't make her kind of hot.

Gabe McKenna likes things the way they are and he does not like change. When he agrees to give Nell a temporary job as a favor to an important client, he knows she's going to be trouble, but how much damage can she do in 6 weeks? Unfortunately, while wreaking havoc in his office, Nell's discovered that the secretary she was temping for has been forging company checks and stealing from petty cash. He's going to have to take her on permanently despite the fact that he's had to talk her out of legal trouble twice and she's broken all three of the companies rules in her first week there! He doesn't need this on top of the week from hell he's been having. His ex-wife, whom he's been sleeping with despite the fact that they've been divorced for 10 years, has cut him off and decided to see the world. His 19 year old daughter wants to trek through Europe instead of going to college, which he's already paid for the first semester of. Their top client is being blackmailed, possibly by their ex-secretary, and Gabe's own father may have helped cover up a murder. Now she's renovating his office and changing everything against his wishes. If only his life would go back to the way it used to be before Nell walked through his door. If Nell would only stop trying to run his business. If he could only decide whether to strangle her or kiss her.


This is one of my favorite Crusie books. Not my absolute favorite, but it's up there. It's because Gabe and Riley McKenna are such great characters. They're both really good guys and watching them struggle with the ladies they were for was enjoyable. I wasn't crazy about Nell. My beef with Nell was that she kept trying to turn Gabe in to her ex-husband. She hated her ex-husband for being weak, for letting her run everything while pretending he was doing it all and she was just incidental to their success. She projected the issues she had with her ex on to Gabe. She was hired as a secretary, but she changed everything about the office to suit her despite his objections and then then she got angry when he didn't appreciate it. If she had pulled the crap she did on anyone else she would have been fired that first week. She didn't know how to just be an employee and then she started sleeping with Gabe and because of the patterns she's developed with her ex, she thought that gave her say in the business. She kept comparing Gabe to her ex despite the fact that they were nothing alike, something even her best friends kept pointing out, and she put the blame for their conflict on Gabe and his stubborn attitude when she was sooooooo in the wrong. I liked her friend Suze much better and I loved the interplay between her and Riley. I'm definitely rooting for them. I would also love to know what happened with Margie.

Anyone but You

Author: Jennifer Cruise

(Re-posted from my old blogger)

Nina Askew married a professional man and put her career on hold for him. She had an expensive house and an upscale lifestyle. Then she got fed up with the married life, living for someone else and having all her decisions made for her. So, now, six months after her divorce, she's sold the big house, moved into a cozy apartment, and started working as an editor again. Only Nina just turned forty and isn't dealing well with it. All she needs is a perky little puppy to cheer her up and keep her company. Enter Fred, part basset hound, part beagle, and on his last day of life. He's not a puppy and he's not perky, but Nina just can't leave him behind knowing she's his last chance. Neither Nina or Fred are too sure about each other at first, but it doesn't take Nina long to figure out that Fred was just what she needed.

Dr. Alex Moore, the thirty year old hottie who's apartment is right below Nina's, has just broken up with Debbie, another in a long line of girlfriends looking to marry a doctor and create a happy family. The problem is Alex doesn't want a family. His family is a dysfunctional disaster. Everyone's a dr, his dad's an alcoholic cardiologist, his stepmom is an recovering speed addict thoracic surgeon, his often engaged half-sister is an oncologist, and his serial dating semi-alcoholic half-brother is a gynecologist and they're putting pressure on him to specialize instead of working in the ER, where he's happy. Then Fred pops in his window and he meets Nina. There's an instant attraction that neither of them is too keen to explore right away. After a failed date, where Nina comes to the rescue, Alex decides he'd really like to get to know Nina better. So he invites himself up to her apartment to watch movies. This becomes a routine and they become fast friends. Unfortunately for Alex, he wants a whole lot more. He's afraid if he makes a move he'll lose what he has with Nina because he's pretty sure Nina sees him as an immature kid. Now he's rethinking his whole career. He's thinking of taking his dad up on a cardiology position so that he'll have money and Nina will see he's getting somewhere. But is that what Nina really wants?

Nina's determined to keep her relationship with Alex strictly platonic. Sure, she thinks about him a lot and wonders what it would be like to be with him, but she doesn't see it going anywhere. Alex is young enough to want marriage and a family, while she's been there, done that, and not going back again. She's also not to keen on showing her forty year old body off to a thirty year old man who's used to dating twenty year olds. When Alex makes his move, Nina decides to go for it, but is he looking for more than she's got to give?

I'll lead off by saying that I liked both lead characters a lot. They seemed very real and like they were good people. I really loved Alex, even when he went a little crazy there and you kind of wanted to smack him upside the head so that he's just snap out of it. He was just so cute ... him and his Daffy Duck shorts. His brother Max was also highly lovable and I hope to see him hook up with Nina's friend Charity in another book. They seemed to hate each other on sight, but I think there might be something there. Nina was great, but I though the whole Incredibra issue was flat out ridiculous! I'm thirty and have had a couple of kids (three now), so the girls aren't where they used to be, but to get that uptight over having your lover see you naked? If you can't stand for them to see you sans clothing, then you probably aren't ready to be sleeping with them. Her insecurities were a little overplayed, I think. She just mentioned her forty year old body one too many times for me.