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Collection
Publication
St. Martin's Paperbacks (2009), Edition: 1, 400 pages
Description
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."Stuart is a consummate mistress of her craft." - Romantic Times BOOKreviewsAnd 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."Rich has a knack for creating memorable characters." - Romance Reader at HeartFinally 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."Crusie is a master of fast-paced witty dialogue." - Seattle TimesWhat 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...… (more)
Media reviews
personal
Dogs And Goddesses
By Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich
Published by St. Martin’s Press, 2009
Review by Debra Louise Scott
You bake cookies and suddenly an orgy breaks out all around you. You click your Bic pen and stuff just ‘happens’ to people. Painting your kitchen
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gives you an orgasm. And, oh yeah, the dogs are talking to you. No, I mean really, they’re TALKING! To badly paraphrase a song: Who let the Gods out? Woof, woof, woof, woof!
Dogs And ¬¬¬¬Goddesses is somewhat akin to Neil Gaiman’s American Gods at least from the standpoint of ancient deities living ordinary lives and having to work their way around modern conventions and conveniences. But whereas Gaiman’s gods are schlepping around America with their own agenda, using the protagonist like a pawn in their game, the three main characters of this story have to deal with deity inside their heads competing for control over daily life in an otherwise sleepy college town.
When a Goddess from Mesopotamia (a fictional contemporary of Ishtar) is called into being at the site of a transplanted Ziggurat, aided and abetted by a family that has remained loyal to her from ancient times, the three women find themselves caught up in a war of divine proportions. The Goddess, accompanied by her retinue of dogs, tries to set up her temple like it used to be in the old days, but times have changed and it’s not so easy to get people to worship and swear blind allegiance anymore. She’s not pleased and unleashes divine mayhem.
The Three along with their dogs go through a great trial and error period learning to control the heritage they discover inside themselves, a good part of which is an eroticism of mythological proportions! It takes all of that and a sacrificial God to turn the tables on the Ziggurat Goddess.
This cleverly written book is a fun read, and will ring bells of recognition to anyone in the esoteric arts who has experienced the odd sensation of having deity ‘in your head’ in the form of ritual invocation or as some traditions would say, ‘riding’. It’s especially fun for dog-lovers, hearing the canine perspective of the human’s world.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member jenniandtony
I "read" the audio book version of this book and loved it. With the foreign sounding names and little dog voices it really helped to have a narrator. I loved how the book switched between three characters instead of just telling one story at a time. You could easily tell which author was writing
I thought the characters were really well developed. They each had a good back story that brought them alll together. Their romances were all three different and yet fulfilled each level of a relationship's needs. Even the personalities of the dogs were well thought out and perfectly matched to the character.
The plot seemed to move quickly and there weren't any redundant chapters or story lines. I could relate to the characters and their qualms, even though this had a supernatural plot.
While I've always been a Jennifer Crusie fan, I was inspired to buy books from Lani Diane Rich and Anne Stuart after reading this one. I recommend this book to fans of light-hearted and fun romances. It's a 5 out of 5 in my book.
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and when, but I really think that only enhanced the story and kept it from get boring. My only complaint is that I kept craving cookies while reading this book. I must have gained a pound or two with all the baking this book inspired me to do!I thought the characters were really well developed. They each had a good back story that brought them alll together. Their romances were all three different and yet fulfilled each level of a relationship's needs. Even the personalities of the dogs were well thought out and perfectly matched to the character.
The plot seemed to move quickly and there weren't any redundant chapters or story lines. I could relate to the characters and their qualms, even though this had a supernatural plot.
While I've always been a Jennifer Crusie fan, I was inspired to buy books from Lani Diane Rich and Anne Stuart after reading this one. I recommend this book to fans of light-hearted and fun romances. It's a 5 out of 5 in my book.
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LibraryThing member dianaleez
Jennifer Crusie is one of the best contemporary light fiction authors publishing. But 'Dogs and Goddesses' doesn't read like a Crusie book at all. She is famous for her attention grabbing opening sentences, the sexy tension between the major characters, and her laugh aloud lines. I didn't find any
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of that here. I strongly suggest that potential readers glance at the first page or two of this book; it pretty well predicts what is to come. Some people seem to enjoy it; I didn't. I found it difficult, even after I'd read half the book, to tell the three major characters apart. There were a few funny lines, but nothing like what I'd come to expect from Crusie. I've also enjoyed Anne Stuart's books in the past, and I can't find many if any traces of her strong characterizations and interesting plots here either. I should have known to read the reviews before I bought. Show Less
LibraryThing member raenstorm
This is the second book I've read by these three authors and I really like how they work together to create one complete story rather than three mini-stories. And, for the second time, they had me literally laughing out loud several times. The men in this book get a little short shrifted and
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relationships blaze along but, if you're looking a nice fluffy read that makes you laugh, this book is definitely worth checking out. Show Less
LibraryThing member amf0001
Really disappointing. I mean they are fine writers, so it's readable, but it you could barely tell the women apart (or the men for that matter) there was no real characterization or even romance. Sometimes I thought the dogs had better character definition! Everything was sacrificed for farce and a
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quite ridiculous myth building. It wasn't like the Goddess aspect was even significant, and for ordinary women finding out that the blood of goddesses ran in them, they didn't react much. It was funny in patchs and rolled along, b ut left me feeling a bit queasy, like you do after eating candy with too much food colouring. It was too bright and breezy and had no real heart. Real shame, because both Crusie adn Stuart (I don't know Rich's work) can do much, much bette Show Less
LibraryThing member EowynA
You've heard of urban fantasy, this is suburban fantasy. Women of a certain age become goddesses when they are "awakened" by the incarnation of an ancient Mesopotamian goddess. As a result, they understand their dogs when they talk. There's a man for each, and they fall quickly. It feels very
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scripted, and like an afternoon soap opera (but I have never watched them, so I'm not sure). This was not to my taste. I finished it only because I wanted to return this borrowed book. Show Less
LibraryThing member readinggeek451
A sexy, romantic romp. A forgotten goddess from ancient Mesopotamia awakens in a small town in Ohio where descendents of her priestesses greet her with varying degrees of memory and enthusiasm. Wackiness ensues.
The romances are good, the friendships and the dogs are terrific, but the book as a
The romances are good, the friendships and the dogs are terrific, but the book as a
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whole doesn't quite jell. Worth reading, but not a keeper. Show Less
LibraryThing member Eat_Read_Knit
This book wasn't bad. It wasn't as good as I expected a book from these writers to be, but it wasn't bad. It zipped along merrily like all good frivolous entertainment should, and it had some good comic moments. I liked the characters, even if they were a bit two-dimensional. I read the book in an
But...
It didn't hang together well. It didn't come together as a collaboration, didn't have a single, consistent voice. In places, you could almost see the joins. The plot also seemed to have whacking big holes; suddenly days or weeks had gone by without a mention, which was disconcerting, and it was hard to keep track of what was currently happening in the villain's plans for world domination.
And there were too many main characters and too many dogs. I don't mind the dogs, but if I have to keep track of three heroines, three heroes, three (grand)mothers, several different sets of mystical powers, two or three ancient and warring deities, an evil minion and several acolytes, I can't keep track of seven dogs as well. It's too much.
In addition, too many of these main characters had prominent roles right from the beginning. It was a good hundred pages before I could get each goddess matched up to her hero, her (grand)mother and her dog in my mind without having to stop and think, 'wait, who is this one again?' By page 200, I had the hang of most of the acolytes and mystical powers, too. The second half of the book was a lot easier to read than the first, and I think that a lot of the confusing stuff will become clearer if I give it a second read-through. Giving it a second read-through will not be a hardship - but it shouldn't be necessary
In summary - a decent read, but not as good as it ought to have been.
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afternoon, and forewent half of my evening meal because I didn't have time to cook and finish the book before I had to go out. I enjoyed it, especially the second half.But...
It didn't hang together well. It didn't come together as a collaboration, didn't have a single, consistent voice. In places, you could almost see the joins. The plot also seemed to have whacking big holes; suddenly days or weeks had gone by without a mention, which was disconcerting, and it was hard to keep track of what was currently happening in the villain's plans for world domination.
And there were too many main characters and too many dogs. I don't mind the dogs, but if I have to keep track of three heroines, three heroes, three (grand)mothers, several different sets of mystical powers, two or three ancient and warring deities, an evil minion and several acolytes, I can't keep track of seven dogs as well. It's too much.
In addition, too many of these main characters had prominent roles right from the beginning. It was a good hundred pages before I could get each goddess matched up to her hero, her (grand)mother and her dog in my mind without having to stop and think, 'wait, who is this one again?' By page 200, I had the hang of most of the acolytes and mystical powers, too. The second half of the book was a lot easier to read than the first, and I think that a lot of the confusing stuff will become clearer if I give it a second read-through. Giving it a second read-through will not be a hardship - but it shouldn't be necessary
In summary - a decent read, but not as good as it ought to have been.
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LibraryThing member EvilynJ
On the spur of the moment, three women decide to take dog training classes in a spooky building that resembles an old temple. Soon they are hearing their dogs speak to them and find out that they have other strange powers, too.
Talking dogs, Mesopotamian gods, a rebuilt temple used as a college
Talking dogs, Mesopotamian gods, a rebuilt temple used as a college
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history building, and all in a small Ohio college town--a funny, if a little crazy, read. Show Less
LibraryThing member allthesedarnbooks
This was an enjoyable read for me. I had previously read The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, which Crusie and Stuart co-wrote with Eileen Dreyer, and I found that one to be a big disappointment. As much as I love Crusie and Stuart on their own, that effort just fell flat, and as a result I was reluctant
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to pick up this one. I was a the library yesterday, though, and saw it on the rack, and I thought, "I could use some good summer reading," so I decided to give it a try. I didn't regret it. I read the 388-page book in pretty much one sitting. The plot is complex, as there are three different sets of couples, a renegade ancient Mesopotamian goddess, and a wide variety of (talking!) dogs. There are some very funny lines, and it's worth a read, in my opinion, for the dogs alone. The romances are sweet, and unlike in The Unfortunate Miss Fortunes, it never feels disjointed. The authors' voices blend well together, so much so, in fact, that it can be hard at times to tell the heroines apart, especially the younger two, Daisy and Abby. The first few chapters are slow going, but after that it's a wild, kooky, screwball ride of strange religion, talking dogs, and steamy romance. Recommended for a fun summer read. Three and a half stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member vivacelibre
very light, quick read...the best parts are what the authors choose to have the dogs say...oh and some of the other parts are entertaining too...might bring out the goddess in you.
LibraryThing member SugarCreekRanch
Light, fun read. Combines the sassy tone of Sophie Kinsella's chick lit novels, the magical elements of Sarah Addison Allen, the sexy romance of a Sex and the City episode, the cuteness of a talking dog story, and the craziness of Ghostbusters.
LibraryThing member SunnySD
Called back from the past by millions of her devout followers, the goddess Kommani just has to get her seven priestesses in line and she knows she'll have this new world licked.
For Abby and her Newfoundland Bowser, a trip to Summerville to see (and sell) the bakery left her by her grandmother
Web coder Daisy, recently saddled with her mom's Jack Russell, Bailey, has no real interest in dogs... but a very real interest in keeping her apartment in one pieces.
Shar, professor of ancient history, just wants to finish the footnotes on a minor unknown goddess so that she can FINALLY finish her book. The dog obedience class flyers(!) are the closest thing to a source she's uncovered, so she and her dachshund Wolfie are off to investigate.
I'm not sure where the idea came from, but if dog obedience classes were really this exciting, I'd go! Funny, far-fetched and surprisingly well-woven considering there are three authors involved.
For Abby and her Newfoundland Bowser, a trip to Summerville to see (and sell) the bakery left her by her grandmother
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wasn't supposed to take more than a week or two, but a dog training class offers a way to meet people, so why not?Web coder Daisy, recently saddled with her mom's Jack Russell, Bailey, has no real interest in dogs... but a very real interest in keeping her apartment in one pieces.
Shar, professor of ancient history, just wants to finish the footnotes on a minor unknown goddess so that she can FINALLY finish her book. The dog obedience class flyers(!) are the closest thing to a source she's uncovered, so she and her dachshund Wolfie are off to investigate.
I'm not sure where the idea came from, but if dog obedience classes were really this exciting, I'd go! Funny, far-fetched and surprisingly well-woven considering there are three authors involved.
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LibraryThing member jjmachshev
I quite enjoyed "Dogs and Goddesses" as a fun read. Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich wrote this story together and I was impressed at how well it flowed. It's got humor, hot sex, a nasty goddess, talking dogs, and three very different heroines. Once the story got going, it proved
The basic plot is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess is accidentally called back to life. She uses her magic to find the ancestors of her handmaidens and begins her plot to...wait for it...take over the world! Luckily for the world, three of these ancestors are our heroines who quickly come to realize something's just not right--could be when their dogs begin speaking to them or when they suddenly develop magical powers. Anyhoo, these three manage to find the information, and men, they need to help defeat the evil goddess. But the goddess doesn't intend to go down easily.
It's actually a very fun and funny read. The mix of humor, hot sex, and action was just perfect for a sunny winter day.
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hard to put down. The basic plot is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess is accidentally called back to life. She uses her magic to find the ancestors of her handmaidens and begins her plot to...wait for it...take over the world! Luckily for the world, three of these ancestors are our heroines who quickly come to realize something's just not right--could be when their dogs begin speaking to them or when they suddenly develop magical powers. Anyhoo, these three manage to find the information, and men, they need to help defeat the evil goddess. But the goddess doesn't intend to go down easily.
It's actually a very fun and funny read. The mix of humor, hot sex, and action was just perfect for a sunny winter day.
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LibraryThing member CassieLM
There's a reason I don't read genre fiction. I laughed several times at the ridiculousness of this book. It was entertaining enough, and I did finish it. It's predictable and silly but kind of fun. I think the dogs were the best written characters. I guess I can't expect too much from a romance
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novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member ElizabethdRosa
I loved this book. Review to come I'm getting caught up.
LibraryThing member cissa
I liked the premise very much. I also liked the characters, and the dogs.
I'm not going to do a plot summary, except that an ancient Mesopotamian goddess has been revived- because of misspelling on Google, which i think was a brilliant touch!- and is not exactly up-to-date on current society. She
I'm usually not a fan of "chemistry" as a way to determine True Love, but it works well here. The sex scenes are- unusually- very well written and don't go on excessively long, and the couple really seem to relate to each other outside of Passion.
Plus- one of Our Heroines is a 40-something woman, and she gets the REALLY hot dude!
Ok, the premise is silly, but tha's party what makes it a romp. It is NOT a serious book! but- if you like romance, and weird ancient goddesses, and dogs, and a somewhat twisty plot with supernatural elements- well, it's a hoot. I enjoyed it a lot, and will be re-reading it.
I'm not going to do a plot summary, except that an ancient Mesopotamian goddess has been revived- because of misspelling on Google, which i think was a brilliant touch!- and is not exactly up-to-date on current society. She
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drafts heriditary priestesses, most of whom have other plans.I'm usually not a fan of "chemistry" as a way to determine True Love, but it works well here. The sex scenes are- unusually- very well written and don't go on excessively long, and the couple really seem to relate to each other outside of Passion.
Plus- one of Our Heroines is a 40-something woman, and she gets the REALLY hot dude!
Ok, the premise is silly, but tha's party what makes it a romp. It is NOT a serious book! but- if you like romance, and weird ancient goddesses, and dogs, and a somewhat twisty plot with supernatural elements- well, it's a hoot. I enjoyed it a lot, and will be re-reading it.
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LibraryThing member flamingrosedrakon
This was an interesting twist on a romance novel in many ways with the forgotten priestess-dog connection. All in all these three authors write well together although there were some slow parts to the book.
The only true complaint I have for the book is the fact that there characters weren't really
The only true complaint I have for the book is the fact that there characters weren't really
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relatable with the exception of the dogs, especially Wolfie. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kaethe
What do women want?
Good dogs. God-like powers is nice. Attractive new love interests is also nice. But good dogs and good friends are the really important stuff.
Another in a slew of super fun books. Also shared with the daughter.
Library copy.
Good dogs. God-like powers is nice. Attractive new love interests is also nice. But good dogs and good friends are the really important stuff.
Another in a slew of super fun books. Also shared with the daughter.
Library copy.
LibraryThing member phyllis2779
It took a while to get into this because there were 3 heroines and 3 heroes. However, by mid book it was going faster and I enjoyed it more. Some things didn't make any sense but I guess in a paranormal written by 3 people that's to be expected. I wouldn't read it again but it turned out to be
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pretty decent. Show Less
LibraryThing member BONS
I'm a massive dog fan and I love books with magical realism. This is not either of those. Just hard to find this material interesting. It is filed under "Could not Read".
LibraryThing member Auntie-Nanuuq
I really hate giving Jennifer Crusie a bad review, but I really thought this book was Stupid.
It's about a Mesopotamian Goddess that is brought back to life and the 7 girls/women who were once her Priestesses....and they all have the "gift" of understanding dogs speak.
The three most important
I stopped half way through. I can't help but think that maybe if Jennifer Crusie had authored this book by herself it might have been better.
It's about a Mesopotamian Goddess that is brought back to life and the 7 girls/women who were once her Priestesses....and they all have the "gift" of understanding dogs speak.
The three most important
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Priestesses are really Goddesses in their own right and they decide that they just do not want to be minions to the Mesopotamian Goddess......I stopped half way through. I can't help but think that maybe if Jennifer Crusie had authored this book by herself it might have been better.
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LibraryThing member readingover50
I am a sucker for stories about dogs. This was a good paranormal romance story that was fast moving and interesting. The first half of the book seemed really unique, and the last half was a little more formulaic, but still a good read.
LibraryThing member miyurose
This was fun, but don’t start looking at it too closely. One of the things the authors did do right was manage a consistent voice, which couldn’t have been easy with three of them writing it. The different women do have their own sub-voice, but overall the tone was very consistent. Also, the
The part that doesn’t really hold together is the mythology, from the overall goal of the ancient goddess to the fact that an ancient temple had been moved to this small town piece by piece and was now being used as a home. There were seven goddesses total, but it seemed that everyone but Abby, Daisy, and Shar didn’t really matter.
But, when push comes to shove, we don’t really read a book like this for an air-tight plot. We read them because we want something fun and sexy, and that’s exactly what we get.
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dog sidekicks were rather entertaining, and it wasn’t particularly difficult to tell the difference between them.The part that doesn’t really hold together is the mythology, from the overall goal of the ancient goddess to the fact that an ancient temple had been moved to this small town piece by piece and was now being used as a home. There were seven goddesses total, but it seemed that everyone but Abby, Daisy, and Shar didn’t really matter.
But, when push comes to shove, we don’t really read a book like this for an air-tight plot. We read them because we want something fun and sexy, and that’s exactly what we get.
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LibraryThing member SharonMariaBidwell
A solid plot, amusing characters, lots of fun, and don’t forget the talking dogs. If you don’t mind a plot driven romance with characters that aren’t all that deep, this makes for a entertaining read.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2009-02-03
Physical description
400 p.; 4.01 inches
ISBN
0312944373 / 9780312944377
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Pages
400