Friday, February 11, 2011

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory

Title: Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble
Author: H.P. Mallory
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Urban Fantasy 
Publication Date: July 2010
Stand alone or series: Series
Pages: 296 pages
Book Received from: Author
First Lines: It's not everyday you see a ghost.

Synopsis:
A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead. A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss and her would-be lover. A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda; one that includes an appetite for witches. The Underworld in a state of chaos. Let the games begin.

Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.
Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!
Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.

My Thoughts:
It has taken me a little while to get to this book and I am kicking myself for taking so long. 

Jolie works with her best friend Christa running a psychic business.  Things are pretty normal until Jolie sees her first ghost.  From there she meets the oh-so-handsome Rand who comes in for a reading.  Though Jolie doesn't see much, Rand keeps coming back the exact same time each week until he reveals his ulterior motive.  He's a male witch.  Obviously Jolie scoffs at the idea until he proves otherwise, and it's there she takes on the job to help him.

I really enjoyed reading from Jolie's point of view.  She's smart, modest and frankly a little stubborn.  Her best friend Christa, is quite the opposite.  Christa is care free, flirtatious and stunning in Jolie's eye'; Everything she's not.  Rand is a hunk of ultimate proportions (my opinion) and definitely strengthens the story with his personality.  These characters in combination make for an interesting read. 

Things get quite complicated between Jolie and Rand, with their work relationship putting a dampener on any action that could possibly happen.  I like how H.P Mallory lets the tension between them grow, and it's good to see the way things pan out with them both.  No more comment on that one :)

While this was a quick read, it was also quite entertaining.  I look forward to reading Toil and Trouble, the second book in this series!

No comments:

Post a Comment

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...