Customer Reviews

Sheer Dynamite

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Opal Smith comes from a long line of bona fide psychics. Other than her Grandma Blue, Opal is the only member of the family without any psychic talent what-so-ever. Opal's brother is the golden child of the family. He is known world-wide, like his father before him. He even has his own television show. Opal's mother is the psychic to the stars and cares for no one other than herself and her wonderful son. Opal's sister, Pearl, has a gift when it comes to reading taros and runes for people. Out of those family members, Opal only feels close to Pearl and Grandma Blue. Opal and Pearl even own a store together called Bedazzled. Pearl does readings for customers and draws in repeat customers. Opal has a head for finance and keeps the store stocked and drawing a profit. But Opal has always wanted to have at least a little bit of psychic talent. When Opal sees a phantom body fall from an overpass, she is excited. This is her first REAL vision.

Jack Davis, the guy who rear-ends Opal, is not happy at all. Upon hearing why the lovely blonde slammed on her brakes during rush hour traffic, he knows she is nuts. But Jack is a sucker for blonde hair and fair eyes. When Jack learns she plans to stalk the overpass until the man shows up to jump, he is determined to save Opal from her own recklessness. It is nice that the lady wants to prevent the man from jumping, but with the way she looks and dresses, Opal is asking for trouble. There is no way he is going to let her walk the overpass for hours everyday, while guys in cars try to pick her up. But Jack does not anticipate Opal's matchmaking Grandma Blue, who claims he is the reincarnation of "Dynamite" Davis, her all-time favorite race-car driver.

Grandma Blue believes that Opal is the only normal person in a family chocked full of nuts, besides herself of course. And Grandma Blue looks forward to using her so-called acerbic wit and outrageous suggestions to bring Opal and Jack together. The boy needs his some chaos in his stuffy life and her granddaughter is just the one to do it.

***** There are some wonderful sub-plots in this story as well. Pearl's romance with her ex-boyfriend, Nile, unfolds throughout this tale. Yes, Nile is psychic too. He finds people by touching their stuff. He is normally too late to save them though. He is currently looking for a run-away. Pearl and Nile's romance and problems soon merge with Opal and Jack's life. As they hunt for the missing girl, dead or alive, a killer is close behind them. This adds some suspense to this wonderful romance and kept me begging for more. Jennifer Skully proves, once again, that she can work magic with her stories. Excellent! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Opal Smith is the only one in her family that doesn't have a physic ability, so she's always felt like an outsider. When she has her first paranormal experience, a ghostly body falling from an overpass, it causes an accident, which brings Jack Davis into her life. Jack is less than thrilled when Opal explains why she slammed on her brakes in the fast line of the freeway. Opal's grandmother, Blue, is determined to get her married off. And Jack looks like the perfect match. Blue claims that Jack is the reincarnation of Dynamite Davis, a famous racecar driver. Now Jack is convinced he needs to save Opal from her crazy family and herself!

I had so much fun reading Sheer Dynamite that I hated for it to end! Jack and Opal make the pages come alive while the rest of the characters kept me grinning! Funny and downright hot, Sheer Dynamite is a must read for fans of contemporary romance with a healthy dose of hilarity!

Melissa

Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Opal thinks she has a vision of a man jumping off an overpass and causes a pile up on the freeway. Instead of being upset, she's rejoicing - finally she has psychic powers like the rest of her family (with the exception of eccentric grandma Blue). Eager to share this with her family, she decides that she must first keep the man from jumping and then reveal her power to her family. With the help of Jack Davis, the man who rear ended her, who also happens to be the man Blue tries to convince Opal is the reincarnation of Blue's favorite race car driver Dynamite Davis, she stakes out the overpass in question.

Jack fights his lust for the quirky Opal. He thinks she is nuts and does not want to get involved too deeply since he had to play rescuer to his mentally ill mother for years prior to her death, but one leering man too many causes Jack to step in and defend her honor, only to have them both arrested - her for prostitution and her for assaulting a police officer. When the man who approached Opal numerous times on the overpass only to be rejected is rescued from a potential jump the same night, it makes headlines, and Jack agrees to back up her revelation that she has a vision to her unsympathetic family.

When her brother refuses to help the other man in the accident out by arranging a séance with his wife, Opal decides to handle it, much to the consternation of Victor who approached Opal in hopes of having her famous brother do the deed. When the seance blows up in her face, opal feels further dejected. With the often acerbic and witty grandma Blue tossing them together, the romantic duo can't help but fall for each other. A secondary romance between Opal's sister Pearl and her brooding lover Nile who is a finder of lost people (who usually are found dead), adds further layers to a book bursting with sensuality and intrigue (with an unfortunately predictable bad guy). Even a predictable Skully novel is first rate. So far she's four for four with this picky reader.

I loved this book! Like the characters in all of Jennifer Skully's books, these are quirky, loveable and sincere in their motivation.

Opal, the blacksheep non-psychic in a family reknown for their paranormal abilities, believes (at long last!) she's had a vision. In her excitement, she causes a three-car pile up on the highway, where her hero literally runs into her. She not only believes she's seen a man fall off an interstate overpass, she NEEDS to believe it and to convince her family that she isn't so odd--she can see things, too.

Jack, who rammed the back of her car when she made a sudden, unexpected stop in a moving lane of traffic, thinks Opal is crazy. But she's sweet and really, really sexy. Jack was raised a gentleman and he kind of plays along with Opal to make her feel better. Great! Next thing he knows, he's agreed to meet her family and confirm that yes, Opal had a vision. When he meets her brother and mother, both of whom practically ignore Opal, Jack defends her out of sympathy. He's hooked!

Add hilarious Grandma Blue, a kidnapping, and a dead racecar driver named Dynamite Jack Davis, and you have a book you'll hate to put down!

Another winner and keeper from Jennifer Skully.

Opal Smith is from a family of paranormally gifted individuals, but she herself is not gifted until she has her first vision of a man jumping from an overpass. She is then rear-ended by Jack Davis, who she asks to help her prevent the vision.

Jennifer Skully's writing keeps getting better and better. I love the smart dialogue and the even smarter characters that populate her books. Opal's relationship with her sister Pearl and her Grandma Blue is wonderfully written. I absolutely adore Grandma Blue, she's my favorite character in the novel.

This entertaining and off-beam romance is the fourth of the four quirky comedy romances which this author has so far published under the name Jennifer Skully. These are -

Sex and the Serial Killer

Fool's Gold

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Sheer Dynamite

The fifth, "It must be magic" is due out in June 2007, and the sixth, "Your Heart or Mine," in April 2008.

These books are not part of a series, and each stands on its own with one partial exception. One of the main supporting characters of "Sex and the Serial Killer" is the hero of "Fool's Gold," which is set shortly afterwards, and anyone planning to read both those books should probably tackle "Sex and the serial killer" first.

This book, "Sheer Dynamite," begins with a car accident. Building contractor Jack Davis is unable to stop quickly enough to avoid rear-ending the car in front when the gorgeous woman driving it suddenly slams on the brakes. He barely has the opportunity to ask if she's all right before she's peering under both his car and hers, looking for a phantom body which she thought she saw falling from an overpass.

The young lady is called Opal Smith, and she is as lovely a person as she is beautiful. However, she comes from a family of bona fide psychics, and is almost the only member of her family who has no psychic talent whatsoever. This makes some of her closest relatives look down on her, so Opal quickly convinces herself that she has had a vision, tries to prevent it coming true, and somehow drags Jack into helping her do so.

This is despite the fact that Jack has very strong personal reasons to distrust anyone who claims to have psychic experiences.

As if this wasn't crazy enough, the other non-psychic member of Opal's family, her grandmother, who can normally be relied on to keep her feet firmly on the ground, announces that Jack Davis is a reincarnation of the famous racing driver "Dynamite" Davis.

The course of true love never did run smooth, especially in a Jennifer Skully novel. Opal's attempts to stop anyone jumping off the overpass nearly cause at least one person to do so. By the time Opal and Jack sort themselves out and come to terms with what abilities they do and don't have, they will have been arrested, embarrassed, confused, and saved the lives of two attempted murder victims.

One of the good things about Jennifer Skully's books is that you can't usually tell what's going to happen. The villain or villainess is not always who you think it's going to be and people who look like walking disasters can turn out to be pure gold. But you can rely on it that the outcome will be manic, sexy, and funny.

Jennifer Skully's books are capable of providing amusement to readers of both sexes; I originally bought all four of these books as presents for my wife and ended up reading them myself.

If you like screwball romantic comedies, I can recommend "Sheer Dynamite."

N.B. Jennifer Skully also writes under two other pen names; as J.B. Skully she has written the "Max" series of dark romances which begins with "Dead to the Max"; as Jasmine Hayes she writes or contributes to adult fantasy books such as "Twin Peaks," "Resolutions," "One Night Only" and "Somebody's Lover."

This book sounded very good and it started off very enjoyably and then just pooped out for me. I made it a little less than halfway through this book when I just pulled the plug on it. It just got completely boring and the story wasn't going anywhere. I almost always finish books but I just couldn't bring myself to waste more time on this one.

When Opal has a vision of a body falling from the overpass, she knows she can finally prove herself to her psychically famous family. Unfortunately, Jack Davis, ran into the back of her car in the process but she can use hime to verify her vision when it comes true. Determined to prove herself, she ropes Jack into her escapades despite his reluctance. Can he fight his past and find the dream of his heart as Opal leads him from one danger to another? And what about Grandma Blue who swears Jack is reincarnated Dynamite Davis the famouse race car driver?

This book is absolutely crazy and Jennifer Skully fans will love it! Sheer Dynamite a contemporary romance but also a supernatural romance with all sorts of psychic characters and a couple of the craziest most lovable and humorous characters. Jennifer Skully intrigues the reader by writng two romances, one light and the other tinged with darkness, danger and brooding. Both pull the reader into the heart of this romance. The romance between Pearl and Niles with all its darkness was the perfect counterpoint to the zany, humorous romance between Jack and Opal. Grandma Blue is a total scream and one of the most fun, interfering, crazy, heartful characters. Opal is ditzy and yet she has the biggest heart (and yes, the contellation on the cover is in the shape of a heart). I don't usually like ditzy heroines but Opal is the exception to the rule. She just has the kindest heart and her crazy logic is magical. She may do everything wrong and not fit in with her psychically renowned family but she always finds herself doing everything right because she is led by the crazy logic of her heart.

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 feels 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 story line is an amusing 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