SPEAK EZ by Elle E. Ire was exactly what I needed yesterday as I tried not to focus on an horrific event over which I had absolutely no control.

TL;DR: you want it if you, too, could use a sapphic ghostie-timeslip romance with a theatrical setting, an awesome dog, emerging friendships, and a whole lot of 1920s style.

Despite the book’s romance status, the main lead doesn’t meet her ghostly love interest until about a third of the way in. Until then, the focus rests on how, after a lifetime of moving around, Ciara settles into what she hopes will be her forever job and deepens her bonds with her new work friends while they explore their theatrical workplace, figure out the logistics of ghosts, and solve a century-old murder.

It’s great stuff. The old theatre’s fascinating. The friendships ring true. The mystery unfolds at a good pace. Once the romance kicks in, it develops in line with everything Ire has already laid in place. The ghost-rules push the plot in interesting directions. The dog is a delight.

Definitely recommended. You want to look for SPEAK EZ when it drops on December 3rd.

Like one of my fave series, Nearly Departed, the premise for this book had me hook, line, and sinker as soon as I read “mostly dead.” (Homage to The Princess Bride?) We meet Mickey from 1923, dead … mostly. And her beloved dog EZ, status is “complicated” and Ciara, very alive in the present. The mystery begins with our pup as he bridges the connection between here and there. It then takes on exciting shapes and people manage to interact and address each other across time and worlds. I cannot get too much into the mystery aspect because spoilers!! But Ire expertly leads us around by the nose to each possible “room” in the whodunnit and what are we gonna do about it. I devoured it with great appreciation. If it were possible, I’d give it both paws up.