Customer Reviews

The Divine Circle Of Ladies Making Mischief (Circle, Book 3)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished Dolores Stewart Riccio's latest, The Divine Circle Of Ladies Making Mischief. It is the third book in her series featuring Cass Shipton who just happens to be Wiccan and is always getting involved in crime solving. Previous books are Circle of Five and Charmed Circle. Cass, who lives in Plymouth, Massachusetts, runs a web-based all natural herbal product business. Cass and her group of friends: Fiona, Heather, Deirdre, and Phillipa, form a Wiccan circle that celebrates the holidays together as well as interact continually in one another's lives. Cass' gift is clairvoyance and she frequently 'sees' things that lead her and her friends into hazardous situations in order to resolve local crimes or mysteries.

Cass' fiancé, Joe is back in this story, as well as Cass' grown children: Becky with husband Ron, Cathy with partner Irene, and Adam, who may or may not be involved with someone. And of course we again catch up with the husbands and boyfriends of the other women in the story also. Cass has a knack for rescuing people who are hurting or in need, and we get to meet her newest 'rescue', Rose in this story. Cass' previous rescues, Tip and Freddie, from previous books make appearances as well. Scruffy, Cass' dog is a big part of all three books. Cass can 'hear' what Scruffy is thinking, their conversations are so wonderful, and I think any dog lover will relate. Ms. Riccio creates three villains for this book that are truly characters I enjoyed seeing get what they deserved for their crimes.

There are three mysteries/crimes in The Divine Of Ladies Making Mischief, and this book had more than enough action to keep me turning the pages. I received this copy on Friday afternoon, and read it all from about seven until two Saturday morning. Ms. Riccio has such a gift for making the reader care about her characters. One of my very favorite things about this series(and truly, there are a lot of great things in these books) is the women's relationships with one another. Each of these characters are true friends to the others, even when just as in real life, it isn't always convenient or easy. The Wiccan thread that runs throughout the books is so well done, Cass and her friends practice their faith consistently, honestly, and in a
way that is truly spiritually satisfying to read.

I just love this series. I was thrilled to see included at the back of The Divine Circle of Ladies Making Mischief a chapter for the next book in the series. Now I'll just have to be happy with re-reading the series so far while I wait for the new book!

I have read all the 'Circle' books and this one continues in that sweet vein.

Do no harm, return favors, LISTENING to your friends, having friends and loved one with substance, belief in self are all themes so sorely missing from many books. Yes there is the 'bad guy', but it is handled deftly.

The real charm of this book is the way the characters live and talk with each other, Scruffy and his comments, and the circle of 5.


Highly recommended

I loved this book , as I have all of this authors work. So much fun and suspense wraped together, impossible to put down. Makes you wish for a "bit" of magic in yourself.

A quintet of upper-class middle-aged women use Wiccan magic and old-fashioned chutzpah to solve mysteries in this light, fun read.

I really enjoyed the mystery plot. Our intrepid heroines' dilemma makes total sense--they know what's going on, but they have no proof beyond their mystical powers, therefore no evidence to take to the police. What's a witch to do? Solve the crime herself, of course.

Along the way there's a lot of cute dog interaction (the POV character has a dog, and an ability to understand Scruffy's thoughts; Scruffy is a very true-to-life dog and so cute), and beautiful description of the women's Wiccan rituals. You can just see the candles flickering, smell the salt air, taste the food.

One minor quibble: The characters have a tendency to speak in sermons and adages rather than in normal dialogue. I don't know anyone who, even in the company of their pagan circle, talks quite this much about "harm none," the threefold law, the proper diet for dogs, "thoughts are things," etc.

I was familiar with Riccio from her famous book of SUPERFOODS, the book that has kept me healthy since 1998, and in pawing through her volume once again the other day, searching for quinoa recipes, I decided to see if she was still producing books about food. I was slightly startled to discover that she has apparently abandoned natural foods guidebooks to producing a new line of light novels about women with occult powers who share happy times and sad with each other in an area of Massachusetts not too far removed from the "Salem" of the witch trials. I decided to give these books a try and happened on the brand new one, which seems to be the third in a series which includes CIRCLE OF FIVE and CHARMED CIRCLE.

The new "CIRCLE" book is called THE DIVINE CIRCLE OF LADIES MAKING MISCHIEF, an awkward title but one that aptly describes the nonsensical and magical camaraderie among these five (5) women whose backgrounds couldn't be more different, but who share a certain supernatural flair. Cassandra owns a herbal preparatory that mixes up cosmetics which are not tested on animals, and she is pretty much the guiding spirit behind this circle. I predict that this series will appeal to some of the same people who watch ABC-TV's massive hit DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. Like HOUSEWIVES, it assembles a group of wacky women who come replete with secrets both domestic and deadly.

Little Scruffy, the pooch, gets in many of the best zingers, just as in DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES it is the dead narrator who has all the best lines.

I wish Ms. Riccio would produce another guide to natural foods, perhaps with updated health information, but in the meantime I wish her luck with her humorous and heartfelt series of CIRCLE books.

I can't believe she did it again. Dolores Riccio has captured my imagination and my yearning for the next book. Cass and her friends are always getting themselves into to trouble, but this time they got in a little over their heads. I love all the characters, and the extended family Cass has accumulated. I have to say I also enjoy the relationship Cass has with her greek hunk. I can't wait for her next installment into the adventures of these awesome women.

I love this series and I never get tired of the different people. I would recommend this series to mystery fans.

The third in a series, this book continues to let us peek in on the circle of five. This series of books is definitely a light, enjoyable read. They're not overly violent, but do keep you engaged in the story line. The Wiccan and herbal info is woven into these books in a way that won't "offend" non-pagans. It's nice to have good fiction that accurately describes modern Wicca (not spewing the TV/movie wicca disinfo). I'm hoping for many more in this series. And perhaps another series from this author that is accurate in pagan beliefs. According to the authors website, she's finished 2 more books (after #4) and has started a 3rd. For some reason, they're not getting published! On the authors website, you can find an email address to pass on your support for this series of books to the publisher and ask for more! And if anyone has a clue as to why there's a problem with getting these books published, please share...because I'm completely baffled! UPDATE: on the author's website she states that she is no longer working with her old publisher and is looking for a new one. Let's hope she finds one very soon!

I did NOT like this book.

First of all, there was the fact that the author had a tendency to overuse words ("clairvoyance"), use unnecessary terminology ("olfactory equipment" for nose,) and create an overly pedantic dialogue between characters that was consequently off-putting. I really believe that the author consulted a thesaurus frequently while writing. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

Secondly, the story-line was completely unengaging. The characters each had likeable qualities, but the plot was completely one-dimensional. I don't normally read about "murder mystery" plots in chick-literature, and now I understand why. It was horrendous and predictable.

Finally, who is the target demographic for this novel? The characters are 40-plus, but the cover and the description on the back of the book seem to be suggesting a much younger audience. While the plot was on an eighth grade level, the narrative and dialogue tried to be on a college level.

I would not recommend this book to anyone at any age. It was very disappointing.