Yasmine Galenorn - Ghost of a Chance

After her divorce from an abusive man, Emerald O'Brien has moved with her son and daughter to a small Oregon town and opened a China shop/tea room. This premise would be strong enough for any cozy series, as a matter of fact, I believe Laura Childs writes a tea shop series, but Galenorn has to take it a step further. Emerald is a witch taught by her grandmother, and her young son would like to take up the family hobby as well. Emerald is visited by a ghost, since obviously she's a medium too, and this ghost begs for Emerald's help because she has been killed by her husband. Galenorn does a good job of creating likable characters, but her attempts at blending cozy elements with the supernatural fall short. This book would have been much stronger if she had stuck to one or the other. And when she tries to venture into romantic suspense with a new boyfriend for Emerald, the result is unbelievable and falls flat. This is the first in the series, and there is hope that Galenorn will find focus in later attempts.