Wednesday Reads: Chihuahua Karma

I know I don't normally review e-books, but this one was just so splendid! Adorable, quirky cast of characters, and will make you believe in true love. It could be described as a beach read, a cozy sort of women's/romance (yes, the /romance is necessary because while Cherry is driven by love, there are few actual romantic scenes--you'll see why), a supernatural love story gone awry. That sort of thing.

Chihuahua Karma by Debby Rice. Find here on Amazon or here on Barnes and Noble.

Synopsis:

 When socialite Cherry discovers her husband Larry has been cheating, she gulps down a fist-full of Vicoden with a bottle of wine for breakfast and accidentally falls of her penthouse terrace. She wakes in the body of a mini chihuahua, Sugar, belonging to the corner laundry. Though pocket size, Cherry is not without her wits, and manages to find her way back into her old life--as the pocket buddy of Larry's new girlfriend.

In her diminished state, Cherry finds new perspective. She yearns for Richard, a love she gave up years ago in favor of Larry's Black American Express card. And she forms an unlikely alliance with Don Paco Fernandez, a temperamental ghost with a taste for tequila and pretty ladies. Through Don Paco, Cherry discovers that only she can save an orphaned child from her impending adoption by a sinister couple. She can only hope that the tiny body she inhabits can be effective enough to set to right wrongs she committed in her former life.

The size of Sugar--but imagine her wearing Chi-couture

First Sentence: "I was young, beautiful and rich--just golden enough to imagine that I had the world by the balls." Cherry has all sorts of hilarious insights like this. She starts out on top of the world, a woman and character that you really can't like, but makes the beautiful redemption into a good, honest person--er, dog. I want to give you the first few sentences though, because it sets up the story so nicely and Cherry's voice shines through.

"I was young, beautiful and rich--just golden enough to imagine that I had the world by the balls. Death was the furthest thing from my mind. But even a morbid obsession with the afterlife could not have prepared me for what happened.

"I was murdered on a beautiful summer day. Technically it was an accident. Larry didn't get his hands dirty. He drove me crazy, and I did the rest."

Brownie Points: Sugar. Even though Sugar herself has no personality, simply being a mini-chi is hilarious. It's the way people treat Cherry while she's Sugar--outfits, dog carriers, baby voices. It's an insight into the world of miniature dogs that makes you want to simultaneously gag and coo over how adorable they are.

Recommendation: The book would appeal to fans of The Devil Wears Prada and The Nanny Diaries, as well as fun beach reads, chick-flicks, and anything dog related. I urge you to give this one a chance. You'll be laughing out loud on every page.

Would I represent it? I'd love to work with a book with a host of characters as fun as this one. It's not exactly in my looking-for genres, but I would definitely keep an open mind to supernatural quirky contemporaries.

Happy reading!