Jennifer Skully, Sheer Dynamite

Sheer Dynamite

Jennifer Skully

HQN, Oct 2006, $5.99

ISBN: 0373771320

Her family is known for their psychic skills yet Opal Smith and Grandma Blue are the only who have no talent. Her brother has a TV show and is internationally renowned, a chip off the old paternal block. Her mother is the choice psychic of the rich and famous; she cares for her golden son, but detests her daughters for their minimal or no talent. Opal and her sister Pearl co-own Bedazzled where Pearl reads tarot cards to satisfied customers. Opal handles the finances insuring the two siblings turn a profit. However, Opal wishes she had some talent so that she can feel like a real Smith.

When Opal sees a phantom fall from an overpass, she excitedly hits her breaks causing the guy behind her, Jack Davis, to plow into her vehicle. She explains why and he assumes she is a lunatic. When she also says she will stalk the bridge to prevent someone form leaping, he thinks she is certifiable, but he cannot believe he has the need to keep her safe. As Grandma Blue matchmakes her granddaughter with Jack, who she claims is the late race car driver Dynamite Davis, they fall in love.

SHEER DYNAMITE is a beguiling, lighthearted, romantic romp starring a horde of psychics and one bewildered "abnormal" (only in a Jennifer Skully tale could a regular person be considered abnormal). The escapade-filled tale grips the audience from the dynamite moment when Opal slams on her breaks and never takes a respite until the final climax. The storyline is an amusing and satirical look at the sub-genre with several fine subplots such as the on and off and on romance between Pearl and the kinetic psychic Nile; all of which enhance the prime plot. The eccentric cast whimsically enchants contemporary readers with a charming romantic fantasy.

Harriet Klausner