Capitol Magic

Fright Court #1.5

by Mindy Klasky

Jane Madison is searching for a job that will fulfill her, enabling her to combine her peerless librarian skills with her witchcraft. Sarah Anderson, Clerk of Court for the District of Columbia Night Court, is just beginning to figure out what she can do as a sphinx, an ancient protector of vampires.


Magic flies when Jane and Sarah team up to protect a rare collection of books. Along the way, both women need to balance personal goals, professional careers, and their often-unwieldy love lives!


This novella combines the beloved world of the Jane Madison Series with the excitement of the stand-alone novel, Fright Court. Where else can a reader find a novella of witchcraft, vampires, and cupcakes?

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Chick Lit, Vampires, Romance, Magic

88 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 17, 2012

About the author

Mindy Klasky learned to read when her parents shoved a book in her hands and told her that she could travel anywhere in the world through stories. She never forgot that advice.

Mindy's travels took her through multiple careers, including copyright lawyer and law librarian. Mindy now writes full time. Her books fall in a number of genres -- including romantic comedies, paranormal romance, and traditional fantasy.

In her spare time, Mindy knits, quilts, and tries to tame the endless to-be-read shelf in her home library. Her husband and two cats do their best to fill the left-over minutes in her days.

Reviews

[JoLene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read to introduce a new series. Jane is at the cusp of a major change when she Mets a new friend, who is in charge of an old library that is missing some books.

I really enjoyed the original Jane Madison trilogy so it was fun to pick this one up. If you are a fan of cozy paranormal fantasy, you might want to give this series a try. The novella is probably better read after the trilogy but before book for in the (Washington witches series formerly known as Jane Madison series).

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this crossover book. I sort of wish I had read it in the proper order instead of after I finished the Jane Madison books. There are some details that would have added depth to the stories that were set after this one. I do hope we see more crossover going forward.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good novella blending the characters from Jane Madison with Fright Court. Jane wants to quit her job at the Peabridge, but is hesitant about moving to the country with David. She wants to continue being a librarian on the side, and she gets her opportunity when Sarah Anderson, Court Clerk of the DC Night Court, shows up at Cake Walk for cupcakes. Sarah offers Jane a job hunting down the missing Old Library books & Jane accepts.

This book's timeframe fits just before the Jane Madison Academy series starts & after Fright Court. Sarah is learning how to be a sphinx, and together they learn what they each consider important in their lives.

More, please!! :)

[Deborah Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a HUGE fan of the Jane Madison series, I was over the (full) moon to discover that there was a new story to devour. I was even more excited to find out that it is a cross-over, featuring not one but two fabulous heroines.

If you love books and magic (and who doesn't)and funny, clever writing (seriously, who doesn't?) you are going to love this latest from Mindy Klasky.

[Rhonda Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting Characters and Plot

This is a book that crosses two series. It is a shorter story, but had a good plot and interesting characters. Now I have another series to check out!

[gjm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining

I like the series very much as it takes my mind out of my day-by-day, however I would have preferred a more elaborated story. Instead, the story retells over and over the same preparation ritual of the protagonist and uses similar narrative for the new series already known in the previous one. I just think the book could be better, but I still like it.

[Tillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting twist on the Jane Madison series.

[Starla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella. It brought Sarah and Jane working together. I was as shocked as Sarah about her being a Sphinx. Can't wait to see what happens next.

[Elicia Wiederholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reas!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys humorous paranormal cozy mystery reads!! It was so good I had problems putting it down! I look forward to reading more!

[Anne Patkau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarah the sphinx asks Jane the witch to sort and find missing legal books; the girls take turns telling the story. Surprising parallels with men in their lives, girls childish go danger solo.

[Melliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does a meager 88 pages really constitute a novella? Hm.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read both series from MIndy. The first one I read was the "Jane Madison" series . Jane is a witch. The other series was the "Fright Court" series in which the lead character ,Sarah is a Sphynx. I loved both of them. This novella brings them both together in one adventure. I love how the author chooses her words in a way that your heart starts a pumping at the danger that these 2 characters face. Both of the girls are fairly new in developing their skills,but far enough along in their training that gives them the strength and courage to do what they were born to do. Does this mean that everything works or comes out perfectly...not at all...but this is how they become stronger. I am so glad that I have recently found Mindy Klaskys work,and I am so looking forward to more adventures with both of these girls in future books. Highly recommend this author.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pair up a witch and a sphinx and what do you get? It's the next book by Mindy Klasky, "Capital Magic" featuring Jane Madison and introducing, Sarah Anderson as the Sphinx, an ancient protector of vampires.

What have I got myself into? I swore I wasn't going to read any books with vampires in them, and what do I do, I read one anyway. It wasn't on purpose though, I just wanted to find out what Jane was going to do now that she's given her notice to the Peabridge Library and has to move out. Is she really going to start that school with David and move in with him or not? She can't decide just yet.

Sarah Anderson is a night clerk for the District of Columbia Night Court. Stopping by the bakery, she overhears Jane talking about what she wants to do with the rest of her life. Sensing some sort of connection, Sarah reaches out to Jane asking for assistance with a project involving books. Jane is intrigued so she decides to investigate.Little did Jane know what she was getting herself into. Magically books, vampires, and a sphinx! Fortunately Jane has Neko to help her and of course, David is always a frantic call away.

The good news is that this book is a really fast read. And, I am very happy to report that I didn't completely abhor it because of the vampire aspect. In fact, I hardly noticed it at all because it just seemed to fit. The best part was reading the awesome scene where Sarah goes up against a really strong vampire and defeats her! Nothing like seeing a strong woman beating the odds! Loved that part the most!

[Crys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my first official Kindle purchase. I was excited to learn that there was more Jane Madison, a witch living in Washington, D.C. and a librarian. I've been surprised not to see many more of her tales.

I enjoyed this novel, but not as much as the other Jane Madison novels. I think Sarah Anderson got in the way. Klasky was clearly setting Sarah up for her own novel when the focus should have stayed on Jane. This is Jane's series after all. This made the novel feel disjointed.

And there wasn't enough Nico either. That familiar cracks me up.

Jane and Sarah had good on-page chemistry, but I was disappointed not to see Jane make an appearance in 'Fright Court.' I read both novels back-to-back to see how Klasky made them cohesive.

[Jaime Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very happy to see the return of Jane Madison as she's always been one of my favorite characters. It was nice to know that her story isn't finished and I look forward to seeing her again. This was also an excellent introduction to the character of Sarah Anderson for me and I look forward to going back and reading her original tale in Klasky's 'Fright Court'. All in all I'm eager to see what the future has in store for both of these strong and interesting women.

[Delta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Fright Court a while back and gave it 1-star because it felt like it was all over the place. This book takes place not long after that book and is a fourth the length of Fright Court, yet it made so much more sense. The characters felt like they understood their place in the story and they were much more developed. The plot was linear and didn't spin out of control. The writing is still not terribly interesting, but not as bad as the first.

[M.T. DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Men. Can't control them. Can't shoot them." lols. 4 stars. Jane grows on me a bit more with every book I read. This one was a great show of real life. Even after the happy ending in Magic and the Modern Girl, this showed that there are still struggles to be had, still arguments to be won or lost. Looking forward to the Jane Madison Academy Series.

[Vivienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun crossover novella that brings together Jane Madison with Sarah from 'Fright Court' . I like Mindy's light touch with her paranormal novels. They are fluff and not taking themselves too seriously while still having characters in peril.

Really hoping she continues writing both characters or allowing them to become friends.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful meshing of the characters from two different series....Fright Court and the Jane Madison Series. You do need to have read both series first, in order to understand the inner turmoils of both Jane and Sarah, but this novella then seamlessly brings both stories forward.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is pretty short, but it’s a nice to see Jane and Sarah meet and interact with each other for the first time. Even though they are living in different corners of Magical Washington, their stories fit together very well.

[Jay Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars, I dislike short stories in general and this one did not do much for me. The characters were okay but it was a long time since I did the other books by this author and I forgot most of the details. This may have affected by low rating but I just found the book mostly boring.

[Karin Crimmins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Can't wait for the next one!

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

4th book in Jane madison series. If you like the others, you will like this quick easy read.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved reading about Jane Madison again! I hope for more novellas in the future! enjoyable read!

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little read. I enjoyed the Mindy Klasky series with Jane, and it was a treat to read about what happened in her life after the trilogy ended.

[Jennifer Gilliland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story about a witch and her decision to use her magic for the greater good.

[Patti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not for me

I adore witches and usually love the lighter comedic ones. This one is just not for me. I never connected with the characters.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a crossover of two enjoyable series. My only complaint was that it was too short. It also seems to be the end of the Night Court series, which I like.

[Kaemea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more!

[Karlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Not awful. Not great. It's a cute story with a bit of fun thrown in. I will keep an eye out for follow ups.