Romance

Good book with a slightly slow start as all the characters get introduced. The book is categorized as a romance, but I feel it is more a romantic suspense, with more emphasis on the suspense than the romance. Still, I really enjoyed it. Mojo is trying to get her life together again. She is currently living above a biker bar and eking out a living doing medical billing from her home. Her divorce from her cheating, now dead, ex-husband Nick left her with a lot of debt that she's still paying off, and a lot of resentment toward Nick. She is beginning to remember details from witnessing the murder of her parents when she was five. Her babysitter from that period kidnapped her to keep her safe, and they spent years moving from place to place. Along the way she acquired two foster sisters, with whom she has interesting relationships. That same babysitter/foster mother is now in a nursing home after suffering a stroke, with Mojo and her sisters visiting often. She also has an on-again off-again relationship with undercover cop, Tucker, who has his own issues to deal with.

The fun starts when she wakes up in the middle of the night with the ghost of her dead ex-husband in bed with her. Understandably freaked out, she's incredulous when he explains that he has to earn her forgiveness before he can move on. Other things from her past are catching up with her. Her uncle, a state senator, reappears in her life, claiming that he's been looking for her for years. Her half-brother, Geoff, who went to prison for the murders of her parents, has been released and has been making random appearances. An ex-boyfriend's ex-wife is stalking her. And someone is trying to kill her.

I liked Mojo. She's a loyal friend who will go out of her way to help you. She's resilient, which she has had to be to survive all the upheaval she has had in her life. She has a rather quirky sense of humor which can come out at inopportune moments. She is smart, though she doesn't think so, using a whole series of "Damn Fool's" guides to educate herself on many subjects. Not satisfied with her job in medical billing, she is thinking about becoming a private investigator.

Mojo's life becomes quite the roller coaster ride. She becomes a person of interest when her friend and landlord is nearly killed during an attack at his bar. Her sister, Greer, hires her to investigate her husband, who she believes is cheating on her. Her long lost uncle wants to be part of her life, but his bodyguard and his wife don't seem to be on the same page. Then there are the death threats that she's receiving.

There's plenty of wild action as Mojo copes with everything that is happening to her. It's great fun to see Nick's ghost popping in at awkward times, though he also comes through with a few well-timed warnings. The threats against her escalate with an attempted poisoning and the murder of her foster mother. Returning memories have Mojo reliving the deaths of her parents, and questioning what really happened. Everything builds to a final confrontation that provides some surprises along with the truth of what occurred that night.

There isn't really much shown of the relationship between Mojo and Tucker. There are definitely sparks between them. He is still dealing with his divorce and Mojo isn't quite convinced that he's over his ex-wife. She's a little wary of letting herself fully commit to him, having been burned once before. I liked that Tucker was understanding of her reluctance and didn't push. I also liked the way that he believed her when she told him about Nick's ghost. Tucker the cop was also very good at being there when she needed him. I liked the ending as they seemed to be ready to pursue what they have a little more deeply.

The ghost storyline was fun. I enjoyed seeing Nick pop in and out. For someone that was so selfish and self-centered in life, he seems to have undergone some vital changes. I loved how he brought the cat to her and the effect it had on her. There are some really fun scenes when he and Mojo are together, and his revelation that she's about to become private investigator to murder victims' ghosts was hilarious. The book ends with her next case sitting in the back seat of her car. I can't wait to read the next in the series. ( )

Having been a fan of paranormal for many years I have read tons of vampire/werewolf type books and although many are so wonderful they tend to spend all eternity on my keeper shelf I tend to have a soft spot in my heart for other types of paranormal books. The ones that center around some sort of psychic activity really intrigues me. I admit, I love shows like Medium and The Ghost Whisperer and reading books along the same lines is just right up my alley.

Mojo Sheepshanks wakes up one day (or night as it actually happened to be) laying next to her dead ex-husband. So starts her life as a person who can see ghosts. Understandably she is a little shaken and this book relives her emotions and experiences of that first contact. The story does seem a little out of whack a bit because it takes place in the first person where Mojo is actually telling the story of her first encounter with the dead. I was a little confused at first because although she is telling us about seeing dead people I couldn't figure out why seeing her dead ex was so traumatic. When I figured out this was her recap for the readers benefit the lightbulb came on and I really started to enjoy the book from that point on.

I was a little uncomfortable with Mojo's name....I kept reading it as...Mojo-jojo which is a character from the Power Puff Girls. But after awhile I got used to her name as I got used to the first peson narrative also.

The suspense of the book kept me reading as much as the paranormal woowoo stuff did. Mojo's background is unknown to her and the mystery of her childhood that she forgot is very intersting as is her adoptive family. She has two sisters who couldn't be more different from her. Both are as interesting as Mojo herself.

After a little bit of a rough start this book just took off and kept me reading late into the night. Right after having finished this book I immediately picked up the second in the series to read more about Mojo.

Although a great book I am not keeping this one, I might read it again at a later time but will get it from the library should I chose to do so. So, I would recommend that you find a copy either at the library or a used book store. Definitely a book you would like especially if you enjoy books like Victoria Laurie's Abby Cooper Psychic Eye series and her Ghost Hunter books. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book although it will not make my list of greatest reads. I plan to pass on my copy to a friend. I am waiting to get a copy of the next in this series through bookmooch.com so maybe I liked it better than my three stars after all. What I was really disappointed in was the thin description of the setting including especially Cave Creek, Arizona. I would have appreciated more authentic details that way. Also when the heroine returns to her hometown it would have been worthwhile for the author to set this scene: an old desert town now part of the suburbs of Phoenix---vast changes just like the heroine.

The plot does depend on the ghost of the main character's late exhusband and the ghost of her dead cat from childhood. I am wondering if this will get too far-fetched for me to enjoy the rest of the books in the series.

I did like the main character's struggles with the memories of her childhood and her relationships with her foster sisters. That showed some complicated and genuine emotions.

The cover art was really off. Never does the main character wear chaps and the bar depicted should have been where she lives which has two stories, a parking lot and located in Cave Creek, Arizona which is not in the middle of nowhere! ( )

Educated by Damn Fools Guide to..., successful childhood kidnapping victim and part-time medical billing aide Mary Jane Sheepshanks, known as Mojo, has a lot of luck with the slots, and not so much with relationships. But when she wakes up to find her dead ex-husband in bed with her, well that's a bit much. It seems Nick has come back from the beginning of beyond to make amends for his cheating ways -- he has to if he wants to get farther into beyond than the beginning. When Nick is joined by her dead cat Chester, a death threat arrives via cell phone, an estranged uncle and her murderous half-brother Geoff make a surprise appearance, well, let's just say Mojo's life is getting a bit complicated.T

This is one of Miller's best in quite a while -- the plot strains all credulity, but the dialogue made me chuckle, and except for the slight nervous breakdown and a couple of screaming fits, Mojo is a likable character. The sequel Deadly Deceptions is due out in March 2008, and I think I'll be buying. ( )