Hello everyone!
I don't know WHY, however, because technically speaking my afternoon shifts aren't THAT distressing or demanding.
Must be the weather.
In any event, tonight, we return to Salem.
Yep, you got that right!
In anticipation of the fifth book in this series, I'm finally having a look at the very last installment that I haven't placed on the blog yet, which is the other short story Dina Marie released for her newsletter subscribers, and I highly recommend you subscribe, honestly.
These books are to the point and amusing enough to keep you going when you're feeling down or rough. So without further ado, let's take a look at Tailing Ghost Cat!
The Salem Spirits Cozy Mysteries follow Clara, newly relocated from Boston, who's renovating an old house into a bed and breakfast after her husband's sudden (and rather violent) passing. She's also really settling into Salem now and making it her own, including but not limited to enjoying cohabiting with her ghostly friend, William.
And a Ghost Cat.
Yup, you read that right, there's a ghost of a cat also living with them, and the morning this novella takes place during, she takes Clara on a little expedition.
Having been reading Don Quixote, Clara's all about adventure, so she sets out to follow her ghostly feline, watching as the kitty helps prevent a toddler tantrum by picking up a pacifier and returning it to the girl, and then mesmerized by a meeting of cats in the middle of the street.
The meeting itself wouldn't have been half as intriguing if one of the cats weren't alive and well, and another a second ghost.
There's more spirits haunting Salem than you know!
Then, after teasing some dogs into a frenzy and snatching a pen away from a student reading on a bench, Ghost Cat finally decides she's had enough and leads Clara on a merry chase, right towards a reading Sebastian.
If you recall, Sebastian owns the pet groomer in town, and he really likes Clara. Clara likes him too (I personally prefer William, but I suppose ghosts make for poor companions in that sense ...), but she's a bit gun-shy after her disaster of a marriage with an abusive husband, so she's naturally wary.
However, after a pleasant chat, they walk back into town together, both happy in the company of the other.
In the end, the most important lesson of this novella is that, no matter how other people see the world, even if they don't see it the same way you do, that doesn't mean the things you DO see aren't worth following, exploring, and respecting.
Dina Marie tends to insert little lessons like these throughout her books, which is another reason why I enjoy them so much. She's a brilliant author who, even if Clara occasionally sounds like a dramatic teenager rather than an adult, makes stylistic choices that really drive the points she's trying to make home.
Plus, there's so much humour in her books, as well!
So I definitely recommend this series, it's ongoing, and she releases new installments at regular intervals. Come join the spirit-induced fun!
xx
*image not mine
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