Magic, Romance & More: A Collection of Four Paranormal Romantic Comedy Novellas

Witch Weigh I had a really rough start with this book. I think a lot of it is because we don’t see most of the bad behavior Tessa’s accused of, the beginning of the book feels a whole lot like victim-blaming. What I saw was Tessa trying to defend herself and getting cut off at every turn. That made the punishment, particularly with no explanations about what was going on, feel really harsh to me. Somehow, I’d connected very closely with Tessa. Watching as everything she valued in her world be systematically taken apart in front of her broke my heart. I don’t really get the ending either. It happened too fast and way too easily. Liam needed to grovel a lot more. There’re also several plot lines that are left hanging open that I hope will be tied off in the following book. Magic Wand Ranch Fiona and her continuing intense dislike for Tessa meant I got off to a rocky start with this story. It becomes something quite sweet and funny, but it took me a bit to get to a point where I was actually cheering for Fiona. Cody does the cowboy hero image proud. He’s noble and caring and just what I wanted him to be. His nephews are everything I was expecting from this pair of imps, and they are the source of most of the comedy. I loved the ending, and I really enjoyed the way it redeemed a character that wasn’t my favorite when the story started. Mermaid Inc. This was an interesting take on the story of the Little Mermaid. It’s light and mostly fun. It’s probably due to the short length of the book, but there are plot holes you could pilot an ocean liner through. The character fell a little flat for me, but again I think that’s due to there not being more room to flesh them out. Miranda was quirky, if ill-prepared for her assignment. Justin was charmingly endearing with his issues around water. The ending happened far too fast for my preferences, but I liked that we get to see this pair’s happy ever after. Maid for Love I think this story is my favorite in the series. Even though Zoe is one of the most frustrating heroines with her pig-headed-ness, there’s something kind of inspiring about what she does with her gift. Michael is everything I look for in a rom-com hero: sweet, charming, quirky. Together they made my jaded little heart sigh. The meddling family members were comedy gold, and added so much to my enjoyment of this story. I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.

First Book Set My Teeth on Edge... This is a set of four paranormal romance novellas. Even though they are by the same author, I found them to be of variable quality. The first and second books share the same world while the others are separate, stand-alone paranormal romances. I have read other books by this author, her Christmas ones, and I actually adored them. I was expecting it to be the same with these, but I was put off by the first book in the set. Perhaps because I've been an overweight woman all my life, I had an issue with weight being a punishment in this book. I can understand the author, perhaps, wanting to use this as a plot device, but an author would really have to tread ground gently so as not to offend those of us who have always lived with this “punishment.” I do not feel like the author was successful at it. In this book, too, she needed to explain in better detail what Tessa did to merit her punishment, which was much more than just gaining 100 pounds. It just wasn't made as clear as it should have been, and therefore her punishment and the way she was treated in this book seemed to be too much. The second book was about a fairy godmother and her charge. The hero of the previous book, a fairy godfather, is essentially the heroine's boss. I liked this book better, especially watching the developing romance and the antics of the two boys. There is certainly a surprising twist at the end that pulls at the heartstrings, making this more than a light romantic comedy. So, all in all, I found this to be an uneven set of paranormal romances, but there were some good ones and elements. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

This was a great collection of short stories. The story lines were good, the character work was great on each book and all the books had a fairly smooth flow to them. This was a quick, fun read. I look forward to more from this author. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.