That Magic Mischief

by Susan E. Conley

What was the point of being a witch if Annabelle Walsh couldn’t manage a spell to fix her broken heart? Okay, maybe calling herself a witch was pushing it — but as a dedicated dabbler in all things metaphysical, the twenty-six-year-old figured she could, at the very least, speed up the healing process. Dumped out of the blue by high-powered banker Wilson Monroe, her boyfriend of two-and-a-half years, Annabelle’s hopes of walking down the aisle seem remoter than ever, and springtime in New York had never looked so dismal.

With the help of her dearest friends in the world—cool, calm and collected Lorna, and fiery, feisty, and foul-mouthed Maria Grazia — Annabelle tries to pull herself out of the dumps by crying her eyes out, getting smashed on girly drinks, and trying to work the odd spell. An idle wander into an unfamiliar new age shop adds the bit of magic in her life that she’d been looking for: a Pooka called Callie, an interfering, mischievous spirit determined to turn Miranda’s life around— mostly by turning it upside down.

Suddenly, Annabelle hasn’t got time to brood, and her career as a journalist begins to take off; in fact, it’s during a brainstorming session for an off-off-off-off Broadway theatre production that she meets tall, dark, and handsome Jamie Flynn, an Irishman in New York who seems to be keen at first sight, if not in love quite yet. As Annabelle gets her life back on track, she starts to see the difference between real life, a real career, a real man . . . and all it took was a little magic mischief.

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2013

About the author

All King Edward’s Horses Carry Many Brave Fools

— Mnemonic for the letters used at strategic points in the horseback riding arena for dressage tests, as told to me by one of my instructors


Horsey memoirs have been written by trainers, by whisperers, by breeders of thoroughbreds, by women who’ve rediscovered riding after a childhood in the saddle. These books are informative and provide an insider’s point of view on all aspects of the horse business, but what happens when an outsider decides to get a look in? What happens when a grown woman goes pony mad?

After leaving my marriage to an active substance abuser, I was desperate to move forward. Despite hours of Al Anon meetings, and volumes of self-help books, I wasn't convinced I was any closer to the kind of clarity I wanted in order to live a life free from fear and enabling. Completely to my surprise, I found the synthesis of everything — every meeting, every book, every therapeutic hour — on the back of a horse.

From my first lesson — in which I was too terrified to trot — to now, over twelve years later, when I’m participating in showjumping competitions and riding dressage tests, Many Brave Fools describes not only what it is like to take to the saddle in one’s forties, but also how the lessons learned in the arena can be applied to real-life issues.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this book in Kindle format from my library based on the good ratings it received. Story was imaginative; with a fun, interesting plot. Likable characters with just a hint of romance and a few laugh out loud moments. This would have been a much more enjoyable reading were it not for the poor proofreading. The story was good and could have been five stars for me except for the obvious mistakes (and there were several) which disrupted my reading. I tend to overlook one or two, three will make me a little testy and beyond that just ends trying my patience to the limit. I lost count after twelve, ugh. Please fix those mistakes so I can give you a five!!!

[Erika · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a book about a writer, who at one point makes fun of a manuscript she's editing, it was quite poorly edited with missing letters, wrong letters, missing words and mixed-up tenses all which detracted from the story.

The awkward switching between character POVs one paragraph after another was a bit jarring as well and some of the mythology parts felt like they were copy and pasted from the reference material.

Annabelle and Jaime were a cute couple and Callie and Maeve were quite conniving and entertaining, but the other characters were awkward.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and captivating story about friendship, relationships and magic. It's an easy read that unfolds like an episode of Sex and the City with NY as one of the characters.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, whimsical and fresh

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining story, but lots of typos in the second half of the book.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, but were some typos that were confusing.