Recurve Press

I borrowed a copy of Elizabeth Hunter‘s Suddenly Psychic through Amazon Prime.

Every woman goes through changes in their forties.
Just not… these changes.

Robin Brannon was a normal wife, mom, and antique shop owner until a brush with death turned her day-to-day life upside down. Now she and her two best friends are seeing things that belong in a fantasy novel. Ghosts. Visions. Omens of doom. Nothing that belongs in the peaceful mountain town they call home.

Added to that, Robin’s marriage is on the rocks, her grandmother’s health is failing, her mother is driving away the customers at her shop, her teenage daughter refuses to get her drivers’ license, and her left knee aches every darn morning.

Robin doesn’t have the time, energy, or knees to unearth the secrets buried at the bottom of Glimmer Lake, but fate doesn’t seem to care. Some secrets are just dying to be exposed.

Paranormal Women’s Fiction has become one of my favorite genres. But I fully admit that, of those I’ve read, some authors are more successful writing 40+ year old heroines than others. A lot of them feel 20 but the reader is told they’re 40 and that’s about that. But Hunter hit a home run here.

I related to so much of Robin’s character. She wasn’t overly cutesy in some warped attempt to be relevant. Her age-related struggles felt real, not just painted on or cliched. Aching knees or twitchy bladder alone does not a middle aged women make. Robin and her best friends feel like real women in their mid-40s. And I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that.

Similarly, her romantic struggles were a departure from the norm. I swear something like 85% of PWF books start with a divorce. (I made that number up, but it’s a lot.) That Robin is trying to save the marriage that is wounded but so clearly not dead was a breath of fresh air. Her husband was marvelous, but not a Gary Stu.

I also liked that the women’s sudden exposure to the psychic wasn’t over the top and was, therefore, a lot easier to swallow. I did think they discovered, discussed and accepted the situation a little too easily. But a story does need to move along. Lastly, with all the parents, siblings, spouses, ex-spouses, children and towns people, I did lose track of who was who on occasion.

Despite those few complaints I’m hoping to get my hands on book 2 and continue the series.

I downloaded a copy of Shifting Dreams (by Elizabet Hunter) from Amazon, when it was free. It was still free at the time of posting.

Description from Gooreads:
Somedays, Jena Crowe just can’t get a break. Work at her diner never ends, her two boys are bundles of energy, and she’s pretty sure her oldest is about to shift into something furry or feathery. Added to that, changes seem to be coming to the tiny town of Cambio Springs—big changes that not everyone in the isolated town of shapeshifters is thrilled about.

Caleb Gilbert was looking for change, and the quiet desert town seemed just the ticket for a more peaceful life. He never counted on violence finding him, nor could he have predicted just how crazy his new life would become.

When murder rocks their small community, Caleb and Jena will have to work together. And when the new Chief of Police isn’t put off by any of her usual defenses, Jena may be faced with the most frightening change of all: lowering the defenses around her carefully guarded heart.

Review:
Surprisingly good

I found that I appreciated an Urban Fantasy comprised of characters with families, children. It was a change from the almost always early twenties UF heroine we’re so often handed. I liked Jena and Caleb, Caleb especially, and both of her children were adorable. And the mythos of Cambio Springs was interesting.

I did get lost in all the names. There were a lot of side characters and they were hard to keep track of. I also thought Jena’s freakout about sex (or moving forward with a relationship, signaled by sex) was cliched for a 30+ year old, widowed, mother or two. I wanted her to be more in control of that aspect of herself, but I also feel that such a reaction has become sadly expected in this sort of book and I hate that Hunter fell in line so easily.

All in all, however, I’d be happy to read more of this series.