Having read the first book in this series, I knew I was going be treated to a fun, delicious read. That's definitely what I got with Alice's story. A Stroke of Magic is a wonderful mixture of romance and drama, full of twists and turns. I love the gypsy magic factor that the family has in this series, it's a fresh, unique spin. Madison is a pure delight to read. With the lure of magic and the message to always follow your heart, it's not hard to be captivated by this world.
A Stroke of Magic takes off right where A Taste of Magic left off only this time we are seeing life through Alice Raymonds eyes.
Alice is dealing with being single, pregnant and starting a new carreer when she begins having disturbing dreams and odd occurances. Sitting in a board meeting trying not to drool over her boss, Ethan Gallagher, a woozy feeling comes over her and she grabs for her can of ginger ale and takes a swig only to taste cool peppermint tea. Which is what she wanted, but not what was originally in the can! This is only the start of the weird that leads up to Alice learning she has gypsy magic. Not only gypsy magic, but an interfering great-great-great grandmother's ghost who informs her the needs to use her new found powers to find her soulmate before her baby is born. Needless to say she's not happy with this. Grandma Verda doesn't help by trying to set her up with every man Grandma meets (even those she cons into coming for an artist model gig).
In an attempt to placate Grandma Verda, Alice tries to use her magic to draw her soulmate. In a traditional twist, she does manage to draw him....from the back. She can't manage to draw his face no matter how hard she tries. So going on the facts, he has dark hair and a scar, Grandma Verda and Elizabeth try helping her out. It seems that the men she meets are not the one she is slowly falling for but Ethan seems to be off limits at first. Until she decides to follow her heart, but even that gets botched. Will she find her soulmate before her daughter is born? Or will her line be cursed forever?
A sweet tale of falling in love. I was enchanted and delighted in turns. I'll definately look forward to more books by Tracy Madison!
A Stroke of Magic is another cute chick-lit read by Tracy Madison. The first in the series, A Taste of Magic, was cute and fun with out an overt "I need to get a man" tone. Unfortunately, A Stroke of Magic is quite the opposite. Though it was a light, breezy read, it was ultimately predictable with a story arc that I found a bit too familiar. Alice's harried search for her "Soul-Mate" was aggravating and at times, I wanted to slap her across the face. Overall, it's a good book if you want something light to take to the beach.
I really like the family aspects of the entire series so far. I had read the third book (a breath of magic) and had wanted to go back to read the first two books. I wish we had Miranda's story but we don't. And since thus series is a few years old, we probably won't unless some fangirl decides to write one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It was entertaining. Nothing against the author, the characters are too “perfect” in terms of appearances but that’s romance novels. However, their character development was interesting. I would recommend reading if you like magic and romance.
When i read this book, i had no idea that it was the second from a series. Honestly, i don't think even if i did know that it would change how i feel about the book. This book by Tracey Madison was one of my first adult romance novels, back then i always had my eye out for things that interested me. Thankfully my brilliant eyes showed me this really good book, if i loved this book when i finished it then now i can imagine how the rest of the series is. Sadly for me i have never gotten a chance to read them and may not until the future, BUT, I can say right now that i'm glad i got this chance to read and enjoy this book. It's not hardcore but a loving, sweet story about what it truly means to be a grownup. I recommend this book to girls who want to get into romance novels, without taking a huge step.
Loving this series. I actually went out and found this book because I liked a Taste of Magic so much.
The story line is great and the characters a complex and realistic. Gotta love that. I especially like that the magical aspect is not completely overwhelming, so I didn't classify this book under "supernatural" although I am sure it easily fits there.
What I think makes these books the best is the supporting characters. I can't wait to continue reading this series because I want to know more about the other family members (for example, Scot) and I like seeing a little bit of the characters after their main book (in this case seeing how Elizabeth was doing)
At the conclusion of the last book we left Alice recovering from a no good dirty low down boyfriend.... Liz fell in love with Nate and everything was hunky dory.... sort of....
Well, actually Alice has a memento of her dirty no good boy friend.... shes preg..... and Liz decided to pass a little magic on to her. To make things a little more complicated.... Alice took a new job at an advertising agency and there's sparks with the boss and GRANDMA has now accepted a job as a temp secretary and Alice isn't sure which way to turn!!!!!
I love this fractured fairy tale! It's hard to put down and continually brings a smile to your face!
I liked it - BUT... This wasn't nearly as good as the first book. At least in A Taste of Magic, there was more than one potential hero and there just seemed to be more substance. This book was far too contrived. Plus, Ethan would be censured for a dozen HR laws. Some parts made me laugh out loud. Other parts made me wish I could skip ahead because the dialogue - the external sort; the internal monologues are beautifully done - was often so unbelievable, it was difficult to digest. It was, however, a nice set up for the next book. It's a shame, though, that this book wasn't as compelling because I did have high hopes for it.
Free read. Caught my attention and held it. I was truly hoping to find that once Ethan learned of Alice's secret he would not do the typical male thing and run Away. Surprise he DID NOT he was the one willing to hang in there. Alice was the teeter totter. Up one minute down the next. This book just goes to show a little knowledge can cause big problems. I did not realize this was the second book in the series. Will I look for the first one ? Probably not. However it was a good read
The characterisation, the pace of the story and the slow-burn intensity of Alice and Ethan's romance kept me reading this lovely story right through in one sitting.
The gypsy magic element was really enticing and I loved Alice and Chloe's girlfriend relationship, as well as Alice's relationship with her family, they were so close and it helped the story move along well as they confided in each other.
I give this 3.5 stars. I really liked the first book better and the sisters story better. This story really progressed slowly for me. I liked the characters enough just could take em or leave em. Was like Meh about them. I dunno. I enjoy this authors work. Perhaps me being up all night with no sleep is making this review kinda wonky. Who knows?!
Alice is gifted magic by her sister, and it's amplified by her unborn daughter. She has to find her soul mate before her child is born so that her daughter's unhappiness won't destroy the lives of everyone around her (no pressure there or anything). Peopled with interestingly quirky & faulty characters, this book was a fun read.
Wasn't too sure about this book about a pregnant woman who wants nothing to do with the father (he also wants nothing to do with his child) but is told by family she has gypsy magic and must find her "true love". Will it be the manshe is falling for or not? A predictable read which passed a few hours.
A bit slow in the middle, but an engaging read. I loved the contemporary setting with a strong dose of the paranormal. The hero was swoon-worthy, and I loved Alice's quirky and kind family, especially Grandma Verda. Highly recommend to those who enjoy paranormal romance--or even a fan of contemporaries looking for a little magic.
For being a romance type book I rather enjoyed the story. True it had the repetition of most romance books but I guess maybe I didn't expect too much going in but a fluffy fast read and I wasn't disappointed then.
loved it! I'm hooked on the series. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books. I've downloaded the rest and am eager to start. They are a fast read.
Love the heroes. Perfect matches for our little magic-impaired girls.
This was a fairly good story. It had some laughs. Dragged on a bit. I think more magic is needed especially when it is part of the book title. It was written better than the first book, I didn't get confused on dialogue.
I like this book too, I love that the author doesn't write from one character review. Still the same wacky and eccentric ideas. Loving Tracy Madison's Gypsy Magic series.