Rating: 
Summary: solid paranormal mystery
Review: After her husband left her for a young bimbo, Emerald O'Brien and her two children left Seattle and moved to Chiqetaw where she opened up the Chintz 'n China Tea Room, a store that sells fine china and other objects pertaining to tea. To bring in additional income she reads the tarot cards and is known to the townsfolk as the resident witch. Emerald knew from an early age that she had the Gift, seeing spirits and casting spells.One night she is woken up to see a ghost hovering over her bed. Using automatic writing, the spirit says she is Susan Mitchell and that her husband killed her. The next day Em sees a picture of Susan in the paper stating she died in an accident and her spouse has an airtight alibi and doesn't inherit a dime of her considerable wealth so he has no motive. Em risks her life to fighting an evil spirit that followed Susan into the material plane and finding her killer so the woman can travel to the next plane. This paranormal mystery has enough romance in it to keep readers of three genres very happy. The spirits are the kind portrayed in the movie "The Sixth Sense", the good, the good and the evil, all who have to pass on to the next plane of existence with the heroine's help. The audience will adore Emerald, a bright, shining and caring soul who wants to do right by everybody and use her powers to make the world a better place. Yasmine Galenorn is a bright new star in the mystery horizon
Rating: 
Summary: Waiting For More
Review: Emerald O'Brien is not your average shop owner and Yasmine Galenorn is not your average story teller. This book catches you with the first paragraph and doesn't let go until the last page. And with the last page, one is left wishing for more. The story is fast paced and rapidly ensnares one in the world of Emerald, her children and her friends. Ms. Galenorn's mastery of metaphysical topics as shown in her earlier writings, comes through loud and clear as Emerald works her way through the obstacles thrown in her path during one holiday season. If Ghost of a Chance is any indication, Ms. Galenorn has a long career ahead of her in writing fiction.
Rating:
Summary: and plenty of chances for ghosts....
Review: Emerald O'Brien would be quite happy just running her tea shop, hanging out with her friends, and mothering her children Kip and Miranda, but no. Ain't gonna happen. Not once Susan Mitchell's ghost shows up at the foot of Emerald's bed and begs for help. From that moment on, Emerald is caught in a flood of activity and revelation. Add two (count 'em, two) hunky men, visits from other supernatural elements, and another murder and you've got one busy lady. With so many mystery novels to choose from, why read this one? For me, it's the characters. Emerald is so real. I love it that she's juggling all these different needs, from the mundane (babysitters) to the dire (try having a supernatural creature grab your arm as you come out of the shower and see if it wakes YOU up). I love the fact that she has friends who care and her precious Nana to watch over her. I love being terrified and following that up with a good laugh. From the delightful tea caddy on the front cover to the Mystic Moon Protection Charm at the end of the book, "Ghost of a Chance" is as satisfying as a good cup of tea. Cookies optional.
Rating:
Summary: Enchanting Fun
Review: Ghost of a Chance introduces reluctant witch-detective, Emerald O'Brien. Emerald's kids are precocious, her friends are strange, her ex-husband is a pain, and the ghosts are not what they seem. Quirky characters, witty dialogue, and the magical details of Emerald's world make this debut novel a fast, fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully entertaining!
Review: Ghost of a Chance is a great debut mystery! Emerald is a perfect leading lady, part Jessica Fletcher and part Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and the rest of the cast is well-drawn, interesting, and realistic (thanks to Galenorn for creating a smart woman cop as a sidekick- how often do you see a female cop in a non-leading, non-romantic role in a mystery novel? Not often...think about it). I have read (and enjoyed) Galenorn's NF books as well, but even with all her expertise in magic, she manages to avoid being preachy in her fiction, only using the magic as the fictional device it should be, not as a platform to teach or convert. The plot is also engaging and unpredictable, with sharp but believable twists and turns. I look forward to seeing Galenorn's imagination in action in future Emerald books. I highly recommend Ghost of a Chance. It's a great balance of spooky suspense and traditional cozy, and in the current booming mystery market, this book is unique in a very good way.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Hey, folks! First off, I want to say that I really liked some of the parts of the book. (Like when the main character explained magic to her son, etc.) And I liked how realistic the people seem, but then everything falls apart. I really wanted to like this book, since I like the author's non-fiction book, Embracing the Moon, but that didn't happen. I have quite a few problems with this debut novel. First, the mystery itself is non-existant, or the characters just don't care about it. The whole book, except chapters 23 and 24, is focused on anything but the mystery. The author even stops to talk about the different foods that are being eaten. Second, the sex scenes were a bit too graphic. That was totaly inappropriate for a 'cozy' mystery. Third, some of the parts were so far-fetched that I wanted to throw up, and burn the book! Finally, I simply didn't find myself caring about the victims. Does all this mean that you shouldn't buy it? I wouldn't say that. You may actually like it. I'll give the author another chance with the second book in this series, Legend of the Jade Dragon. If I don't like it, either, I'm thinking about dropping this series. And the sad thing is, this is the first book I ordered from Amazon, and I really wanted to like it. "I disappointed one reader with Ghost and I know it's because he expected more of a 'Wiccan' novel"-The Author Nope, sorry to dissapoint, but I'm not that reader. The above reasons are the -real- reasons why I was disappointed with this novel. I didn't have a problem with the main character being a Christian, and I don't belong to a certain religion anymore, so I don't care if the character was a Wiccan either. The real problems have been explained. This novel is just not a mystery. Paranormal mystery? Sure there were paranormal things on almost every page, but where was the mystery? -Ater
Rating:
Summary: First Book in a New Series by a Great Author
Review: I believe the first book in a new series is always the hardest to write - introducing all the main characters - setting the premise - and Galenorn does a great job! I could not put the book down and have already started reading "Legend of the Jade Dragon.... the series just keeps getting better and better!
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful story
Review: I love reading mysteries but I have to say after I picked up this book, it immediately intrigued me. The writer has introduced the main characters very well and added, suspense, mystery, a little "magic" even and made a wonderful series that really captures your imagination. I could not put it down once I started reading it! I will certainly buy her next book and yes I would also begin with this book as well. The writer has a wonderful writing style which I hope she continues with more on the way.
Barbara--Maryville, TN
Rating:
Summary: Great read. Engaging characters and interesting story.
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book and dashed right out to buy the other two in the series. I highly recommend reading them in order. The books are sophisticated cozies, if you must. The characters are introduced well in the first book and the author makes you care about them---dead and alive. It's not too over the top with sex (per another reader) or ghosts. If you like a little supernatural flavor in your mysteries, you will enjoy these. If you just like cozies, I think you will still like this series. If you like Charmed on TV, you'll like this series and be able to visualize what the author is articulating so very well. I hope she keeps writing and writing and writing. A great series.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Even Finish It!
Review: I was really excited about this book, but was disappointed to find that I just couldn't get that interested in it! I tried about five or six times to pick it back up, but finally quit for good. A couple of main points that bothered me...there may be some "SPOILERS" ahead: -as another reviewer mentioned, the sex scenes are just way too much and totally unexpected in this genre, a total turn off; -I felt as though I had started in the middle of a series. I don't mind when authors refer to something in the characters' past, for example, I didn't mind that it was already known by the town that Emerald had psychic powers or that her tea shop was already established, but I started to feel like there was just way too much going on...her friend Harlow's wild past is just dumped out in the middle of the book, perhaps she could have introduced her son's psychic powers, etc. Just felt like too much had already gone on; -the "mystery" part was a REALLY boring, dit nothing to draw me in and make me care what happened, and this was midway through the book!
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