This was my first book in the Godmothers series. I'm not much of a romance reader, so I don't think I have read Fern Michael's books. Of course, I could be wrong.

However, this one was not a romance book. It was mostly about a haunted?? house and a group of older women holding seances. It was a short read and was just okay for me.

Thanks to Kensington Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Since all three books in the new godmother series by Fern Michaels relate directly to each other and since all the books are totally intertwined within each other, I am reviewing Hideaway, Spirited Away and Getaway together. None of the three books is particularly long, and each reads rather quickly, making them seem more like one “big” book. In this trilogy, the four friends, Toots, Sophie, Mavis and Ida, join forces to figure out what exactly is happening in Sophia’s new, apparently haunted house. Sophia’s psychic/paranormal abilities help the foursome as they move through a series of strange events, all related to the history of Sophia’s house. This is also a story of the four seniors who have “been there, done that” and are ready to settle down in happily married life once again. One thing I did not understand, however, is why after all the other books in the series, the author chose to provide short snippets of how the four came together as adolescents at a religious school none particularly even wanted to attend. It would seem that this sort of recap/back story would have been better suited for an earlier book in the series, if not the first book, where the four are introduced.

The story, as I said, move along at a nice, steady clip. I am not sure, however, if the way they choose to put the final piece of the puzzle together is the realistic way these sorts of things are done. I am not going to go into this more because I want to avoid spoilers. Naturally, throughout the three books we are introduced (or perhaps re-introduced in some cases) to the men, who now become an integral part of their lives and how the entire crew interacts and works together. In addition, Abby, the once-upon-a-time journalist daughter of Toots and mother of one-year old twins (the apples of their grandmother’s and godmother’s eyes) as well as her husband and twin children also play a solid, though not dominant, role in the book, giving the story a bit of hominess and levity. Nevertheless, I wondered sometimes, as I read, if these were the same characters from the other books and why things between and among Toots and the three godmothers seemed off, not really like the way they were in other books. Possibly, the introduction of men into the lives of these four women is what made things unlike the characters in the other books in the series. They just did not seem, as I said, like they were in the other books. The story reads well and quickly, as I said. The three books are well-written and interesting. I just found the way things were handled a bit off. If you enjoy other books by the author or if you enjoy this series, you will enjoy this one. I am also not sure about stretching the story over three books, as there was a storyline and plot, though not much of one. I am not sure having the reader procure three books was a great idea, though it is a bit unique. This is a fast easy read for someone who enjoys curling up with a book, or books in this case, and reading something or things that is/are quick and light. I received this from NetGalley to read and review. ( )