When Jessie, one of the oldest and most powerful witches in the world, joined the Witch Council over a thousand years ago, she became embroiled in politics, saving the world, and trying to keep the existence of the supernatural world a secret from humans. Now that the supernaturals are out in the open and a tentative alliance between the fae, cryptids, humans, and witches is underway, Jessie finally gets to leave it all behind to open a bar in a small town north of Atlanta where the most annoying thing on her plate is making sure the vampire groupies don't wind up as someone's dinner. However, her plans of a peaceful retirement are disrupted when a gargoyle is killed in her bar. It wasn't just any gargoyle though- it was the secretary for the European cryptid ambassador to the Alliance. Finding herself in the center of an international- and interspecies- nightmare, Jessie has to rally her allies to stop a power hungry cabal from starting a war and destroying life as she knows it.
I love the diversity of characters in this book, and the clever dialogue among them. I don’t tend to gravitate towards books with political intrigue at the core of the plot, but I apparently including witches, fae, and cryptic resolves that!
If you enjoyed the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I'm sure you will enjoy Welcome to Jessie's. It is an excellent murder mystery/fantasy/conspiracy story that never slows down or even seems to take a breath. Yet I managed to keep up without feeling lost at all. I must admit that in all of the books I have read in my lifetime (and they are innumerable by this time) I have never been moved to tears by the death of a gargoyle or a necromancer. Yet Ms. Rainwater manages it. She welds emotions as well as her character weld their weapons and none of those emotions ring false. She made me laugh, cry, and seriously wish I was there with them to help kick some backside. The characters are different, as one would expect in a fantasy, and yet they aren't overdone or cartoonish. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which was a bit surprising to be as I'm not usually a fantasy fan. I'm a straight mystery/thriller/crime girl. But Ms. Rainwater has a new fan in this reader and I can't wait until there is another book in this series. And there better be another book in the series.
"Welcome to Jessie's" is a wonderful introduction to the paranormal side of our world. Jessie, Greta, and the entire cast of characters are fun to follow around, and the worldbuilding is extensive. Very good book for fans of the paranormal/supernatural. The ending wraps up the events of the first book quite nicely, but I know there's more in store for everyone, so I'll be eagerly picking up book 2!
The book has well developed and engaging characters with funny and entertaining scenarios. The plot has twists and turns that made me bring out my flashlight on an evening plane flight so I could keep reading! Well written. Now I'm waiting for the 2nd in the series!
We are proud to announce that WELCOME TO JESSIE'S (Jessie's Bar, @1) by Eli Rainwater has been honored with the B.R.A.G.Medallion (Book Readers Appreciation Group). It now joins the very select award-winning, reader-recommended books at indieBRAG.
What a fun read! I wasn't expecting it to be such a page-turner, but I was very quickly hooked and didn't put it down until either my eyes wouldn't stay open or I hit the end. I'm excited to read the next one.
I met the author at a con and picked up this book. This was a fast and fun ride. I am adding this series to my list and will be getting the next soon. It has a ton of well written characters and an interesting world to visit.
This was such a fun story! Lots of amazing characters, cryptids, and witches. I absolutely loved Jessie and her entire team of friends. This has such rich world-building that every time I came back between reads I fell right back into the story. Rainwater has created a fantastic world filled to the brim with magic.
I can’t wait to read the next book in this series!