Donna Barker

Thelma and Louise discover The Secret.

Having read Mother Teresa's Advice for Jilted
Lovers, I can hardly wait for its sequel, Karma for Killers. If you're tired of reading same old same old, this is the book for you. Fast-paced, funny, moving, inspirational, following Tara, Betsy and Glen thru the twists and turns of this cosmic whodunnit will not only keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages long past your bedtime, as I did, but will also make you think and leave you feeling freshly washed and rinsed inside and out.

Donna Barker has something I’m terribly envious of…VOICE! in spades. Wow. Barker's murder mystery, women's fiction, self help treatise is a genre mash-up like no other. Fun, fast paced, witty, wry, clever, beguilingly mysterious and metaphysically challenging, even while being tongue in cheek and laugh out loud funny.

Someone just break your heart? Boyfriend behaving like a jerk? Thinking of swearing off men forever? This is the book for you. Buy a tub of Ben n Jerrys and a bottle if wine and settle in for a helluva ride.… (más)

Tara has bad luck with men. They keep dying on her. Or maybe it isn't luck, maybe she has wished them dead and her wish had power. Whatever it is, Tara's friend Betsy thinks they can make money from it and off we go into the oddball world of the agony aunt with a PayPal account. Money starts to roll in, the work hours pile up and suddenly Tara (aka Mother Teresa) is up to her ears in trouble.

Not the greatest book in the world but far from the worst. Interesting idea. Reasonably good writing. Overall rather fun.

I received a review copy of "Mother Teresa's Advice for Jilted Lovers" by Donna Barker (Amazon Books) through LibraryThing.com.… (más)

I received this from Library Thing for an honest review. This is a real quirky book, with an interesting, somewhat creative plot. Tara Holland has a tough time with men. Every time she thinks she is close to commitment, the man in her life ends up dead. Thus, she thinks she is jinxed. However, her best friend Betsy convinces her she has an unusual psychic gift that allows her to cause a man’s untimely demise. Both women team up to start a psychic business to help women everywhere solve their problems with “bad” guys. The result is a fast but funny romp through their lives and their psychic business of helping “damaged” women get rid of the “damager”, i.e. their guy. I think the author settled on the name Mother Teresa mostly because it would draw in potential readers, since I really found no reason for using this particular name in the book. In addition, I am not sure the fantastic rate of speed for their business to grow was all that realistic or the death and dying of various men everywhere without much investigation, but, in a book such as this one (or possibly many other fictional books), when did the question of whether the book is realistic become an issue of importance? I enjoyed reading this sassy romp through the ups and downs of the psychic helping business the two women started successfully, as well about Tara’s positive growth as the book proceeded. I did not like her teammate Betsy all that much from the get-go, but then, she was the villain in the book. I also found the plot evolution a bit choppy, as it didn’t flow all that smoothly for me. However, this book does belong right up there with the best of them. The name and business concept in the book were fairly creative on the part of the author. I think anyone who enjoys a quick read that is funny yet filled with a good modicum of seriousness (e.g. Tara’s growth as that of her friendship with Betsy) will enjoy reading this book. The storyline moves quickly, is interesting and creative and does not get into any real sex and provides a solid look at friendship and the quirks of opening a business such as this one.… (más)