Kindred Spirits: A Romantic Comedy About Love, Life, and the Afterlife

      

What a creative, engaging and out-of-this-world book! Kindred spirits are people that share a deep and special bond. This book gives the reader plenty of loveable and relatable spirits and a rollicking, yet thoughtful, story, too.

If you have read the Mimi series, you have already met the main character, handsome, manly, successful Richard Bingham. Now, Richard gets his own book in the Mimi series. I have read the Mimi books and I enjoyed getting to know him better. I also liked getting to know Pip and Mimi in a deeper way, too.

This romantic comedy is filled with love and the search for love. Richard has decided that he is ready to settle down with his soul mate. But, he is finding it hard to meet a suitable companion in New York City. So, he turns to a matchmaking service. “I told you Spencer. I made an appointment with the East Side Yenta.”

As Richard meets different “candidates” and ponders his experiences with his friends, we also learn about life. “He did not want to feel like he was on the receiving end of feminine machinations.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, Philippa or Pip is living her unique life. She has been blessed with the ability to pass on messages from the beyond to the living. Her work is a tricky business. “Most of her life had been spent in the service of others.”

In addition to love and life, we also get a wonderful story about the afterlife. Bertram is the spirit that brings the messages to Pip. He has some issues too, that will eventually involve Pip and Richard. I enjoyed how Bertram used song titles to communicate with the living who couldn’t see him.

Readers will get to meet an abundance of delightful characters. Honoraria Radcliffe, Dowager Duchess of Hartfordshire was one of my favorites. She is nothing like her lofty title!

Readers are also treated to many memorable scenes, and lovely moments. I especially enjoyed reading about how Mimi’s family and friends volunteered at a church mission on Thanksgiving Day. That’s when Richard first got a true look at how Pip cared for others. The Bachelor Auction in London was also filled with great details and excitement.

As first Richard, and then Pip searches for true love, the book ends with Christmas and the holidays as a turning point for each one of them.

Kindred Spirits is a well-written book. I was impressed at how well Author Dineen handled this unusual story of the afterlife mixing with real life. What could have been silly ends up being heart-felt and meaningful. The trial at the end of the book is so well done!

“Life is always fair in the end and it all works out as it should. Just stay on your path, Pip, and enjoy every stop on your journey. Stay the course and your dreams are sure to come true.”

I highly recommend this book. The author has noted that while it is the third book in the Mimi Chronicles, it reads beautifully as a stand-alone. I agree, but I would also say, that if you have read the Mimi series, you will find the same storyline and similar scenes, especially in the first half of the book.