Dogs and Goddesses
Page 1: Abby Richmond’s ancient two-toned station wagon shuddered to a stop in front of the dust-covered windows of the Temple Street Coffeehouse, and the Newfoundland beside her sat up and barked.
If you like stories with dogs and interesting men, you would like this novel. I sure did! Dogs and Goddesses is a fun read, full of smart dialogues and dogs that talk. You would understand dog-talk after taking the temple tonics offered by the risen-again ancient goddess, Kammani Gula, as in the case of the three female protagonists in the story.
Abby Richmond, Daisy Harris and Shar Summer are three women who crossed path at a local dog obedience-training school. The dog trainer is the now-risen Mesopotamian goddess Kammani who has a plan to rule again like she did 4,000 years ago. Abby, Daisy, and Shar are to be her very important priestesses from the original seven.
All three women have a pet dog although technically Daisy’s JRT (Jack Russell Terrier) Bailey is actually her mother’s. She has left the dog for Daisy to babysit while she gets treatment for her sudden allergies. Bailey the JRT is hyper, and is at first rather annoying. Slowly but surely, Daisy develops an affection for him once she understands the JRT. Wolfie the dachshund is Shar’s and is quite fierce for a small dog that he is. Abby’s dog is a beautiful and furry large Newfoundland named Bowser and he is protective of her.
Now, let’s talk about the men. Noah works part-time where the dog obedience classes are held and there he meets Daisy. He is not exactly her type (no stable job, 401(k) and all that) but he is a cute musician—a guitarist! My favorite is the genius math professor, Christopher. He is a cross between Good Will Hunting and A Beautiful Mind. There is something about a supposedly crazy guy and mathematics that I like. Christopher and Abby—although attracted to one another—get off to a bad start that’s got something to do with orders for cookies and him being rude. Last but not least, the most supernatural of all is Shar’s love interest who is a god-king, Samu-la-el (Sam for short).
Dogs and Goddesses is really quite an interesting and funny story. Lots of laugh-out-loud moments. The dialogues are witty with sexy bits throughout. I like the close friendship that is forming between the three women and how they become united in overcoming the evil plan of Kammani (which is actually quite entertaining). The dogs’ characteristics shone through and they are adorable. I love it when they bark-talk.
Really, the three authors did a marvelous job co-writing the novel. Publishers Weekly and Booklist both gave this novel starred reviews. The women, their dogs, and the men are all beautifully and funnily woven together.
