Dog Days

Bella is in Chicago with her son Max for her former mother-in-law’s wedding. While leaving, she sees her husband Sam, but it can’t be…he’s dead. After they return to Lily Dale, home to spiritualism, more odd things happen. Bella is feeling at home there, even though she has no special abilities and Max is happy. Change is in the air and is this Sam she sees a spirit or is he real?
The town of Lily Dale is full of wonderfully quirky characters who form a close community. Bella is a strong woman, coming to terms with the death of her husband and learning to live again. I enjoy this series and the mystery with an unexpected twist.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Severn House provided an early galley for review.

Full disclosure up front: I have known the author for quite a long time. We both grew up in the same small town (not far from Lily Dale itself), graduated from the same high school (one year apart), and attended the same church with our families. I am proud to say I knew Wendy long before she became a best-selling author with over five dozen books under her belt.

Of course, I know of Lily Dale too which, as noted in the book, is just ten miles from where we grew up. Surprisingly, I've never been to the Dale, but that is okay. Wendy very much knows it and brings it visually to life in the pages of her novels. She also fills it with a cast of interesting characters. While I have not read any of the previous books in this series, it was very easy for me to get into the world of Bella and her neighbors. This story has a light, cozy vibe to it while still maintaining those spiritual elements that are the hallmark of the western New York community where it takes place.

After reading this one, I am encouraged to check out the earlier titles in the series.

This is one of my favourite series and Bella, Max, Drew and the quirky characters are sort of friends I love and I'm always happy to meet.
I would be happy to see Bella happy with Drew and to read about a long travel of one of her neighbours who ignore the concept of boundaries
That said I liked this story, liked the clash between paranormal and Bella's scientific trainings, the puppies and the mystery.
Lily Dale is a place I want to visit one day, these series always made me travel there
4.5 upped to 5
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

EXCERPT: ' . . . Drew Bailey is super-cute. And those puppies!'
Max stirs to life in the back seat. 'Puppies?'
'What puppies,' Bella asks.
'The ones Drew has at Valley View! Pandora told me about them, and I went over last night to see them.'
'There are puppies at Valley View?' Max is wide awake now. 'Are they a surprise for me, Mom?'
'They're certainly a surprise for me! We'd better get home. See you later, Roxy.'
'Bye, Bella. Bye, Max!'
'I can't wait to see the puppies,' Max says as they move on. 'How many are there?'
'That's a good question.'
'I have another good question, Mom. How many puppies can I keep?'
'They're just visiting with Dr Drew, Max.'
'Well, he knows I want a puppy.'
Everyone knows Max wants a puppy.
Someday, Bella intends to make that happen. Not this day, on the heels of an emotional wedding, and exhausting trip and, oh, yes, that inexplicable airport encounter with her dead husband.

ABOUT 'DOG DAYS': After attending a family wedding in Chicago, young widow Bella Jordan is returning to the guesthouse she runs in Lily Dale - the quirky upstate New York lakeside village famous for its spiritual mediums - when she catches a glimpse of the impossible - her late husband Sam.

A former science teacher, Bella is grounded in facts and logic. She doesn't believe in ghosts. But even when she's back home with the competing distractions of her quirky guests, small son Max, resident pet cats and a very unexpected litter of puppies, Bella can't find a good explanation for what she's seen.

The situation gets even stranger when her psychic friend Odelia tells her that she made contact with Sam's spirit and he shared a significant Kevin . . . Bacon!

Bella doesn't know what to think, but when she glimpses Sam again and things start to vanish around her, she knows she has to get to the bottom of the strange happenings - even if that means letting go for good . . .

MY THOUGHTS: I think I have missed a couple of installments of the Lily Dale Mystery series, but it doesn't seem to matter. There were no problems with continuity of plot or character development, with each book containing a complete mystery.

The Lily Dale series is a heartwarming and amusing cosy mystery series with just a smidgeon of the paranormal thrown in. At one point it seems as if the paranormal aspect is going to overwhelm the storyline, but that never actually happens.

The cast of characters are very entertaining, especially Max and his friend, Jiffy. Odelia and Pandora can get a bit wearing, but both are essential to the storyline, and it seems as if Pandora may an even bigger role in future stories.

I like that the psychics in the story argue and squabble with one another and don't always get it right! Actor Kevin Bacon gets a mention, as does the movie Footloose (which I remember well) and some of the songs from the movie. This was a lovely shot of nostalgia for me!

The other thing I like is how close-knit the Lily Dale community is. The characters all rally around one another in times of trouble and collaborate for the best (if not the most legal) outcome.

Dog Days really is a slow burn - in fact, at one point I wondered if anything at all was going to happen. Rest assured, it does, but not until well into the novel. I did enjoy the resolution.

A quick and entertaining read.

⭐⭐⭐.5

#LilyDaleDogDays #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Raised in Dunkirk, NY, Wendy graduated from SUNY Fredonia and launched a publishing career in New York City. She was Associate Editor at Silhouette Books before selling her first novel in 1992. Married with two sons, she lives in the NYC suburbs. An active supporter of the American Cancer Society, she was a featured speaker at Northern Westchester’s 2015 Relay for Life and 2012 National Spokesperson for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. She has fostered for various animal rescue organizations.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Severn House for providing a digital ARC of Dog Days (Lily Dale Mystery #6) by Wendy Corsi Staub for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Dog Days is book #6 in the Lily Dale Mystery series by Wendy Corsi Staub.

This was the first book I’ve read in this series and had no trouble reading it as a standalone book. I was immediately drawn into the story. Bella lives in Lily Dale, New York's Spiritualist home where she is a sceptic when it comes to spirits. And then she sees her late husband. It was interesting to see if she really saw him or not. And then there are the messages from the spirits. I like Bella and Drew. Lily Dale certainly has its share of quirky characters. I want more time with these characters so I plan to catch up the earlier books.

Thank you to the author, Severn House, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This is one of my favourite paranormal series and this latest does not disappoint. Great characters, a great setting of Lily Dale and a whodunit that is top notch. The regular cast of characters continue to intrigue me.
I highly recommend this series and look forward to reading more books in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Was that Sam? Bella's life changed with his death but now she and their son Max are happily ensconced in Lily Dale, a town filled with quirky people and the paranormal. Not her thing but now she's questioning her viewpoint as she's seeing Sam periodically and wondering why. This is the latest in a series that plays off ghosts and I read it as more or less a standalone (I'd only read one of the previous installments)- and it was fine that way. I liked Bella, Max is a good kid, there's a crew of cats and dogs, and the residents of and visitors to the town make for an entertaining cast. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Back inLily Dale, Bella finds herself having to face the reality that there may be something to the afterlife. After seeing her husband, Sam, she may just have to chocolate one up to an actual ghostly encounter. A hard thing to admit for a former science teacher grounded in facts that explain everything.

This is one of my favorite series, I love Lily Dale, and all of the quirky characters that are written into the series. Lily Dale is a real place, the author makes her version even more realistic to the reader. Every time a new entry comes out, I reach for immediately. It’s a favorite of mine and will continue to be for as long as the author continues to write it.