The multi-author novel, Dogs and Goddesses, breaks the mold of the typical anthology offering. Yes, it is written by three different authors – Jennifer Cruise, Anne Stuart and Lani Diane Rich – but instead of three separate stories, you’ve got one story with three distinct female leads with each lead having her own unique life story and romantic interest. The authors do an excellent job of weaving the lives of the three women together, using dogs and ancient goddesses as the things that link the three of them.

The story starts out with Abby, a young woman who has inherited her grandmother’s property in a college town. She arrives in town with her pet Newfoundland, Bowser, to claim the building that contains a coffee shop and several apartments. Next, Daisy is introduced: she’s a woman who works at the local college, is in her thirties, and who’s dog-sitting her mother’s terrier, Bailey. And finally, Shar arrives on the scene: a forty-eight year old college professor, unhappy in her current relationship, who seeks comfort from her best friend, a dachshund named Wolfie. Notice a pattern here? Yep, you got it – they are all linked to a dog.

Each woman sees a notice for dog training being held in the history department at the college, a department that is housed in an ancient temple structure that was transported straight from Mesopotamia. A mysterious woman named Kammani, is leading the “dog training” session which is in reality Kammani’s search to find the descendents of her servant goddesses who can restore her to her former glory. It is at this class that the three woman meet and are told they are the ones who can raise Kammani back to her ancient heights of power. The three women’s stories continue to intertwine as each meets a man who is perfect for her – they just don’t know it yet!

I loved the way the story effortlessly connected the women’s adventures, even though you knew three different people were writing it. It was a unique approach to the usual anthology setup of separate storylines and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The authors give us a lot of action, cute dog sidekicks, and three top notch romance stories that all come together in the end. Here’s hoping the ladies are working on another book together! Dogs and Goddesses rocks!