Rita7

Kate had killed her first demon at the age of fourteen. She had done this with only the help of her teenage companion Eric, with whom she partnered with as a demon hunting pair. They were trained and sent out by Forza Scura, a secret arm of the Vatican. After she and Eric eventually married, they retired and settled down when Kate became pregnant.

It is now two decades later and their daughter, Allison ("Allie"), is fourteen. The opening of the book may confuse readers a bit if they have missed the previous books in this series. Kate and David Long, a rogue hunter and high school teacher, along with Eddie, an aging retired hunter, had just rescued her daughter, Allie, from a group of demons.

Since Allie could not miss what her mother had done to rescue her, coming on like Wonder Woman, Kate had to tell her daughter the truth: she is a level four demon hunter. At first Kate tried to convince her daughter that she was no longer active as a hunter, but the demons that plague them keep her in actions that she cannot hide totally from her daughter.

Kate's first husband and partner, Eric Crow, was killed a few years ago. Or was he? There is something about David Long that keeps Kate wondering if Eric had claimed David's body and is still alive. David claims not to be the Eric she loved and married, but is he lying and if so why? Exactly how did Eric die? The police had dismissed it as a random mugging, but information turns up indicating that it had been murder. Kate and Allie are determined to find out who killed Eric and why.

Then there is Stewart Conner, Kate's new husband and father to their preschool age son, Timmy. Stewart is campaigning to be elected as the new county attorney. He knows nothing of Kate's past or present activities as a demon hunter. Kate is trying to balance her role as the wife of an up and coming politician with her demon hunting. This is not an easy job under the best of circumstances.

The time has come to explain things to Allie, and to deal with trying to keep her safe, and train her to take care of herself. However, the demons have plans that will interfere with training to keep Allie out of the way. It quickly becomes apparent that the demons will attack Allie to get at Kate. Allie, of course, wants to help fight the demons and Kate wants to keep her safe. Every mother will resonate with the complexity of emotions here.

The demons seem to be seeking a stone or vessel of some kind that contains a powerful and very important demon, Andramelch, one of the high chancellors of hell. Kate has no clue whatsoever what or where this stone could be, but she knows it must not fall into the demons' hands.

How does Kate handle all these problems, with her usual aplomb in between her homemaker and wifely duties? She is pressed from every side, and the demons show no mercy. Allie wants to train, but how do you practice throwing knives and shooting crossbows in suburbia?

I have read the two previous novels in this series, Carpe Demon and California Demon and was willing to give it 10 out of five on seeing the cover, Ms. Kenner definitely does not disappoint. Her character leaps off the page and you will fall in love with Kate Conner and her family. I will have to give this one six stilettoes out of five.

c Reviewed by Rita M., gottawritenetwork.com
May 4, 2008

Maggie Kelly is the heroine of Ms. Michael's romantic mystery series featuring Maggie and the two characters she created for own mystery series. Like Ms. Michaels, Maggie Kelly is a writer of mysteries under the pen name of Cleo Dooley.

The hunky regency hero of Ms. Dooley's books is Alexandre Blake, the sophisticated, wealthy and handsome Viscount St. Just. As soon as she started her sexy, historical mysteries with this hero she became a famous writer and all should have been well.

But Maggie Kelly is not one to have things go well for her. At least not for long periods of time. A few months ago she was shocked to find Alex, her hero and his sidekick, Sterling Balder, in her kitchen. Since then, Maggie and Alex have become very close and she fears that he'll pop back out.

Although she has become wealthy with the success of the St. Just mysteries, Maggie still lives in the small apartment where she started. Now she decides to get a new home. She finds a mansion where she can live together, yet separate, from Alex and Stering. While examining the house with the realtor, however, she trips and breaks her ankle.

Trapped by the ankle injury she must forgo her plans for skiing over the Christmas holidays, and her mother insists she come home for the holiday. Taking Alex and Sterling for moral support she braves the wilds of her hometown for Christmas with the family. On arrival she finds her father has just been arrested for the murder of one of the other members of his bowling team.

Maggie and Alex apply their energies, and expert skills, to prove her father is innocent of the crime while dealing with a host of family problems. These include a pill-popping sister, and infidelity with both parents, and what is her brother up to? No one is sure. This is all achieved with a delightful sense of humor and characters that are real enough to pop to life. Ms. Michaels, our author, treats us with a warm, humorous, mystery. There are lots of twists and turns along the way. I would say she has rolled a strike with this book, 10 pins out of 10.

c Reviewed by Rita M., gottawritenetwork.com
June 24, 2008

Calloway House was haunted, and Molly was dying. Before she died she tried every way she could to cleanse the bed and breakfast she was leaving to her granddaughter Julie.

Her final attempt was to hire Light Fantastic, Ltd. They specialized in Psychic assistance of all kinds. With Paranormal cleansing as their specialty. They claimed to be family owned and operated since 1253.

Currently Light Fantastic, ltd. was run by Amora Light and her four sons: Trent, Harry, Jorund, Bjorn, and Eeirik. She sent them out on different assignments with Trent drawing the Calloway House in Key West. Harry, who was going to Rio, did not want to take his pet, so he left Gluiness with Trent.

Trent arrived in Key West, with Gluiness in the form of a parrot. He spent some time getting acquainted with Molly and her wishes but was unable to remove the spirits before Molly herself passed away, leaving her bed and breakfast and all her assets to her granddaughter Julie. Trent had an arrangement to stay at Calloway house till he removed the Spirits, and he was acting as a repair man on her house while doing some busking in the evenings. He was a juggler with a bit of magic and fire breathing thrown in.

Julie arrived in Key West, a divorcee and professor of literature at Cambridge University. She had not seen or heard from her grandmother in many years. She was shocked to learn that she had inherited her grandmother's entire estate including a bed and breakfast with an insurance value of two million dollars. And a huge estate. She was rich, she had planned on staying a day or two and taking home a suit case of her grandmother's things home in her car, Now it looked as if her plans would be changed.

Molly left a note for Julie hoping she would keep the bed and breakfast, but if she chose not to, she could try to work with Robert the man that owned the Pink House bed and breakfast just across the street. Julie also found an invoice for Light Fantastic Ltd., Psychic assistance for $200,000 paid in full. Who were these people and how dare they take advantage of her grandmother like that? Julie was determined to find them and get this matter looked into.

Julie wandered through the streets of Key West taking in the strange residents and shows of the city. It was definitely like nothing she had seem before and there were many odd characters. There were Buskers, Street Performers. One was a strikingly handsome man juggling. He wore sandals and a toe ring. Was he gay? But then there were many unusual people there. He ended his act with fire breathing. And she turned away. She wouldn't watch him juggle fire, because she knew what would follow-he;d swallow fire. The sight terrified her. Fire-eaters, sword-swallowers, any kind of freak show. Even clowns - no, especially clowns.

Julie came from a different world, with a regimented life, rising at six each morning to exercise, eat a healthy breakfast and get ready for the gruesome commute to the university, only to return home exhausted to prepare to do it all again the next day. Sometimes. Taking in an Oriole game or a movie when she could with a few girlfriends. Robert, her grandmother's friend and owner of the Pink House across from Calloway House, put Julie up in his bed and breakfast. Calloway house was booked through the rest of the summer as well as undergoing some renovations. Besides, he informed her there's one semipermanent resident at Calloway. He's been here for months, in keeping with an arrangement he made with Molly. Julie was surprised to discover it was the Busker she had admired.

Trent had quickly dispatched two of the spirits from Calloway House but Emile and Oscar remained to be helped across. Emile seemed to have a mission involving matchmaking and Trent's family. She was trying to give him hints, and demanded he find the necklace, but he was totally baffled.

What is the mystical connection between Julie and Trent, and what is the parrot in his room that speaks in complete sentences? Will he find the answers and rid the bed and breakfast of its spirits? This entertaining tale will keep you reading well into the night. It was a very enjoyable story. And I would give it 5 seashells out of 5.

c Reviewed by Rita M., gottawritenetwork.com
August 18, 2008

Francie Stevens was informed that her home computer was being used to hack into Brazos Chemical, where she worked. Computer Consultant Clay Morgan had been called in to investigate the hacker.

It is easy to clear Francie of the hacking because she has alibis for the time periods of the crime, but Morgan's company thinks she should be involved in the investigation. They suspect her friend, Tamara, from school, is involved with the man who is breaking into her house and using her computer to hack into the company records.

In order to catch, Kevin, and clear her friend, Francie agrees to assist Clay in his investigation. At first Clay sees Francie as a mousie little computer nerd with balky concealing clothing, glasses and blond hair pulled back tightly unto a pony tail. Then he notices her height only about five or 6 inches shorter than his 6'5.

Her eyes, he notes, behind what appears to be unnecessary glasses are the color of his favorite whiskey and her hair isn't just blond, but streaked with amber and gold like the mane of a lion. As she stretched, he got a glimpse of the figure hidden under those baggy clothes. This woman was deliberately hiding her charms.

The plan calls for him to pretend to be her boyfriend to give him an excuse to be around her place and investigate Kevin's attempt to use her computer for his nefarious ends. At first she objects, but quickly concedes, for it is the only way to catch Kevin and hopefully clear her friend in the criminal activity.
At first things went amazingly well as Clay and Francie discover how many interests they had in common. Both played basketball on teams at the local Y, and they shared political views and literature and movies. They were well on their way to becoming real friends and their kiss was truly magical.

Clay was a magic practitioner; as was his whole family, and he recognized that Francie was his soul mate he had been waiting for all his life. It was perhaps a little disconcerting that she was not a practitioner as well, but the imperative that he felt pulling him to her would allow him no other.
Francie, on the other hand, had been burned in a relationship with a handsome man, Walt, and was determined not to fall for this arrogantly handsome man. She was determined to keep their relationship strictly business. Clay knew they were meant for each other and hoped she would realize it soon.

In an attempt to establish a completely honest relationship with her. No camouflage, no artificial barriers, Clay tired to tell her about his practice of magic only to run into a brick wall. She had always felt the supernatural was a big fake. Anyone claiming to have magic powers was a charlatan. She was a skeptic and felt the idea was ludicrous. She was too firmly grounded in reality to believe in magic.

So there is the problem. Clay believed in soul mates and the imperative that would not let them be until they consummated their love and were irrevocably bonded, and practiced magic. Francie believed the soul mate stories were just an attempt to get her into bed to be followed by him leaving her, and that Magic was a sham. Then there was the problem of catching Kevin in the act of using her computer to hack into her company's files, and clearing Tamara of involvement.

Ann Macela, our author, first presents us with this delightful knot, and then proceeds to unravel it in a pleasing way. This is one of a series of books on the Morgan family: Clay, his sisters, and parents. I enjoyed it tremendously and want to seek out the remaining books. They are truly interesting characters and well written stories. I would give it five fireballs out of five.

c Reviewed by Rita M., gottawritenetwork.com
August 19, 2008