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Nodaway Falls #1
A Little Night Magic
Olivia Kiskey has been working at the same New York waffle house since she was a teenager. She's been in love with the same man for the last four years; he's never made a move. Every Saturday night she meets up with the same friends over the same margaritas for the same old stories.
But now everything is about to change. Magic is coming to Olivia's town... and she will be drawn into an age old battle between dark and light that will threaten everyone and everything she loves. To save them, she'll need to step up and fight the demons of her past and present. It's time to discover who she really is - time to let lose the latent talents she's held in check for so long...
'In the vast realm of all things paranormal, A LITTLE NIGHT MAGIC is like rain on a scorched desert: every word I devoured had me craving more. I cannot recommend this book enough.' --- Darynda Jones
But now everything is about to change. Magic is coming to Olivia's town... and she will be drawn into an age old battle between dark and light that will threaten everyone and everything she loves. To save them, she'll need to step up and fight the demons of her past and present. It's time to discover who she really is - time to let lose the latent talents she's held in check for so long...
'In the vast realm of all things paranormal, A LITTLE NIGHT MAGIC is like rain on a scorched desert: every word I devoured had me craving more. I cannot recommend this book enough.' --- Darynda Jones
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 2012
48 people are currently reading
1941 people want to read
About the author
Lucy March
8 books158 followersLucy March is the split personality of NYT and USA Today bestselling author Lani Diane Rich. In 2010, she started writing her popular blog, A Year and Change, which documented the last fifteen months before her fortieth birthday. On her blog, Lucy worked through personal issues involving her divorce, her sense of self-worth, and her mother; she developed a following that eventually became the Betties, and occasionally opined on things like dieting, the writing process and vajazzling.
Now, she is happily remarried and lives with her husband, her two young daughters and her best friend on a river in southern Ohio, and life is pretty damn good.
Representation:
Stephanie Kip Rostan
Levine-Greenberg Literary Agency
Now, she is happily remarried and lives with her husband, her two young daughters and her best friend on a river in southern Ohio, and life is pretty damn good.
Representation:
Stephanie Kip Rostan
Levine-Greenberg Literary Agency
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
January 8, 2012
A Little Night Magic is an adorable, fluffy, rainy day comfort read. It’s not exactly urban fantasy, but it’s not paranormal romance either. It reminded me a lot of Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie: a light sense of humor, so many fabulous characters and just a touch of paranormal to make things more interesting. If I had to describe this book with just one word, cute is what I’d say.
Olivia is a small town waitress. She spends her days serving waffles, hanging out with her three best friends and pining after Tobias, the adorable night cook who keeps sending her mixed signals. Just as she decides to leave town forever and books a flight to Europe, a strange old lady helps her discover that she has power she never even dreamed of. It’s nothing earth-shattering, really - she has the ability to make inanimate objects come to life - but it’s enough to draw some pretty powerful enemies. While she’s trying to figure out what these new powers mean for her, where exactly her father is and why Tobias seems so determined to stay away when he obviously has feelings for her, a practitioner determined to steal Liv’s magic is getting closer by the minute. When you have an enemy who makes strong potions and casts vicious spells, the power to turn your phone into a bat suddenly seems even less significant.
This is one of those books you’ll most likely forget as soon as you finish reading the last page, but you’ll probably reread it at some point too. It’s a book that’s supposed to be based mostly on humor, but unfortunately, it fell flat more often than not. These books do have their advantages, though, and they are just what I need from time to time. A Little Night Magic is a perfect choice for when you’re tired an unable to concentrate, and when you just want to relax with a cute, predictable and utterly relaxing read.
For this review and more, visit The Nocturnal Library
Olivia is a small town waitress. She spends her days serving waffles, hanging out with her three best friends and pining after Tobias, the adorable night cook who keeps sending her mixed signals. Just as she decides to leave town forever and books a flight to Europe, a strange old lady helps her discover that she has power she never even dreamed of. It’s nothing earth-shattering, really - she has the ability to make inanimate objects come to life - but it’s enough to draw some pretty powerful enemies. While she’s trying to figure out what these new powers mean for her, where exactly her father is and why Tobias seems so determined to stay away when he obviously has feelings for her, a practitioner determined to steal Liv’s magic is getting closer by the minute. When you have an enemy who makes strong potions and casts vicious spells, the power to turn your phone into a bat suddenly seems even less significant.
This is one of those books you’ll most likely forget as soon as you finish reading the last page, but you’ll probably reread it at some point too. It’s a book that’s supposed to be based mostly on humor, but unfortunately, it fell flat more often than not. These books do have their advantages, though, and they are just what I need from time to time. A Little Night Magic is a perfect choice for when you’re tired an unable to concentrate, and when you just want to relax with a cute, predictable and utterly relaxing read.
For this review and more, visit The Nocturnal Library
October 17, 2018
We all could use a little magic in our lives. I keep looking for the leprechaun and his pot of gold, but all I find are the Lucky Charms in the cereal aisle that only costs the equivalent.
In this book we have a heroine who has just professed her love to her friend. He, who has been flirting profusely, turns her away. So, like any well rounded modern woman with pride, she plans to sell her house and move to Europe.
Then life gets really interesting and his rejection takes a back burner while magic begins to pop up everywhere.
Really good book with adorable characters and funny antics.
In this book we have a heroine who has just professed her love to her friend. He, who has been flirting profusely, turns her away. So, like any well rounded modern woman with pride, she plans to sell her house and move to Europe.
Then life gets really interesting and his rejection takes a back burner while magic begins to pop up everywhere.
Really good book with adorable characters and funny antics.
February 13, 2012
I was really looking forward to this one but, ultimately, it was disappointing. Liv has been pining for Tobias for years and finally made her move... only to be rejected. She decides to give up her life-long small town waitress job, sell her huge (inherited) house and move to Europe. Her plans get put on hold when she discovers she has magical powers and someone wants to steal them, even if it means killing her.
First of all, the romance with Tobias doesn't work because the reader is brought in far too late to understand what Liv sees in him. There is little to no character development in this book. If anything, Liv regresses. She starts out fairly strong and intelligent then begins to make one stupid decision after another. Painfully stupid. Even after finding out why Tobias initially rejected Liv, I still never felt any heat or spark between them.
Secondly, this is possibly the most predictable book I have ever read. For a book about magic, there was a serious lack of imagination at play here.
Finally, the world-building was lacking. There isn't enough explanation of the system of magic. Everything was just too vague. Conduits, potions made of unknown substances that do unexplained things, some kind of ministry of magic that either cares or doesn't care what people are up to, etc. The conduits, especially, made little sense to me. Or maybe I didn't care much by that point because I knew how it was all going to work out.
P.S. Why didn't Liv just make all those paper cranes go find Davina? She did it with the one. Why not set loose a few hundred of them, jump in your car with your friends, follow the cloud of cranes, find the woman and finish that business? Bah! Or, how about this? Why didn't Tobias just kill Davina with his magic power? He had plenty of opportunity! The more I think about this book the less sense it makes.
First of all, the romance with Tobias doesn't work because the reader is brought in far too late to understand what Liv sees in him. There is little to no character development in this book. If anything, Liv regresses. She starts out fairly strong and intelligent then begins to make one stupid decision after another. Painfully stupid. Even after finding out why Tobias initially rejected Liv, I still never felt any heat or spark between them.
Secondly, this is possibly the most predictable book I have ever read. For a book about magic, there was a serious lack of imagination at play here.
Finally, the world-building was lacking. There isn't enough explanation of the system of magic. Everything was just too vague. Conduits, potions made of unknown substances that do unexplained things, some kind of ministry of magic that either cares or doesn't care what people are up to, etc. The conduits, especially, made little sense to me. Or maybe I didn't care much by that point because I knew how it was all going to work out.
P.S. Why didn't Liv just make all those paper cranes go find Davina? She did it with the one. Why not set loose a few hundred of them, jump in your car with your friends, follow the cloud of cranes, find the woman and finish that business? Bah! Or, how about this? Why didn't Tobias just kill Davina with his magic power? He had plenty of opportunity! The more I think about this book the less sense it makes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 18, 2018
When I was a child I used to watch scary movies with my great grandmother. I remember yelling at the screen, warning the characters not to do whatever stupid thing they were about to do. You know you’re seriously lacking common sense when an eight year old is warning you off. For some reason, the characters in these movies never seemed to listen and they always got killed off. When I asked my great grandmother why there were so many dumb people in scary movies, she told me they were necessary because you had to have characters to kill. So, my young mind drew a connection, characters who lack common sense and make stupid decisions die.
Fast forward to now. Apparently, this formula does not apply to this book since the main character was still alive at the end.
Fast forward to now. Apparently, this formula does not apply to this book since the main character was still alive at the end.
November 28, 2012
So. Much. Stupid. There's enough stupid in this book to supply a week-long political convention. Worse, if it were just the stupid, I wouldn't have hated it quite so much. Unfortunately, it also has a complete lack of moral compass that works as a compounding factor with the stupid so you end up with one big bundle of frustrating asininity.
Here's the thing: when someone who is clearly evil is trying to kill you in order to gain still more power which you know with absolute certainty they will use to kill other people, you have a moral obligation to remove their ability to do so. In cases where that person is outside the reach of mundane law enforcement, that means you have an obligation to do your best to end them. I can think of only a single conceptual exception to that moral rule, and that exception presupposes an afterlife where those killed by the power-hungry jerkwad are better off than they'd be living. In the absence of a certainty that this is the case, there's simply no way you can justify standing by while an evil person wreaks their evil will on you, your friends, and your community.
I'm sorry, but Liv, in the end, is both literally too stupid to live and her and all her friends are complete and utter moral cowards. If they hadn't had a benevolent author looking out for them to control the consequences of their moral cowardice, they'd have all died and evil would have triumphed. This is supposed to be entertaining?!?
Here's the thing: when someone who is clearly evil is trying to kill you in order to gain still more power which you know with absolute certainty they will use to kill other people, you have a moral obligation to remove their ability to do so. In cases where that person is outside the reach of mundane law enforcement, that means you have an obligation to do your best to end them. I can think of only a single conceptual exception to that moral rule, and that exception presupposes an afterlife where those killed by the power-hungry jerkwad are better off than they'd be living. In the absence of a certainty that this is the case, there's simply no way you can justify standing by while an evil person wreaks their evil will on you, your friends, and your community.
I'm sorry, but Liv, in the end, is both literally too stupid to live and her and all her friends are complete and utter moral cowards. If they hadn't had a benevolent author looking out for them to control the consequences of their moral cowardice, they'd have all died and evil would have triumphed. This is supposed to be entertaining?!?
February 23, 2012
Book Review
If I hadn't seen this book advertised on audible when I was scrolling through new releases, I would have probably never heard of it, or picked it up, which would have been unfortunately. Lucy March managed to create a contemporary paranormal romance, without using the whole "mated theme" that seems to show up in the vast majority of PNR's nowadays (not that I don't like that theme, it just gets a bit old at times). Anyways, the story is about Olivia, a waitress at CCB's a diner in New York State and follows her adventures as she discovers that she is a "magical." Without giving any more details away, I have to say that the evil individual is the book was probably one of the most compelling i've read about in a while. If you are a fan of Molly Harper, I would recommend you check out Lucy March, I know I will be in the future. I would give this a 4/5 for the story
Narration Review
When looking at narrators of audiobooks, there are certain people I look for. One of them is Amanda Ronconi. I originally came across her when I listed to Molly Harper's Naked Werewolf series and enjoyed her narration, so when I saw that she was narrating this new book I was willing to give it a try and she didn't disappoint. All the various characters were so clearly narrated with different voices that I thought I was listening to at least 2 different people. She even has the ability to do decent male voices, which isn't always easy (and conversely, the same can be said about men doing female voices...). On a scale of 1-5, I would give the narration a solid 4 - which overall gives the book a 4/5 and i'll def. be both reading more by Lucy March and listening to more narrations by Ronconi in the future.
If I hadn't seen this book advertised on audible when I was scrolling through new releases, I would have probably never heard of it, or picked it up, which would have been unfortunately. Lucy March managed to create a contemporary paranormal romance, without using the whole "mated theme" that seems to show up in the vast majority of PNR's nowadays (not that I don't like that theme, it just gets a bit old at times). Anyways, the story is about Olivia, a waitress at CCB's a diner in New York State and follows her adventures as she discovers that she is a "magical." Without giving any more details away, I have to say that the evil individual is the book was probably one of the most compelling i've read about in a while. If you are a fan of Molly Harper, I would recommend you check out Lucy March, I know I will be in the future. I would give this a 4/5 for the story
Narration Review
When looking at narrators of audiobooks, there are certain people I look for. One of them is Amanda Ronconi. I originally came across her when I listed to Molly Harper's Naked Werewolf series and enjoyed her narration, so when I saw that she was narrating this new book I was willing to give it a try and she didn't disappoint. All the various characters were so clearly narrated with different voices that I thought I was listening to at least 2 different people. She even has the ability to do decent male voices, which isn't always easy (and conversely, the same can be said about men doing female voices...). On a scale of 1-5, I would give the narration a solid 4 - which overall gives the book a 4/5 and i'll def. be both reading more by Lucy March and listening to more narrations by Ronconi in the future.
January 18, 2012
I really wanted to like this book. I really, truly did. I won a free advanced reader's edition and was so excited. Then I started reading it.
Immediately, I felt lost. The relationships were introduced with little to no background and it wasn't very helpful for understanding it. Like the other reviews I've seen, I have to agree that the protagonist, Liv, is not that intelligent. In fact, she acted rather stupidly, quite often. I just...couldn't become attached to her. Her relationship with Tobias, her love interest, is never really explained and just shows up full blown and, therefore, to the reader, undeveloped and never fully explained--it's just there.
I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I thought I would, and it was a disappointment. There were points when I kind of wish I had stopped reading. Even the cute little ceramic bunny couldn't make up for the poorly developed relationships and--pretty much--humdrum plot. The plot twist wasn't even that surprising. I just wish that I could say I liked--I wish I had.
Immediately, I felt lost. The relationships were introduced with little to no background and it wasn't very helpful for understanding it. Like the other reviews I've seen, I have to agree that the protagonist, Liv, is not that intelligent. In fact, she acted rather stupidly, quite often. I just...couldn't become attached to her. Her relationship with Tobias, her love interest, is never really explained and just shows up full blown and, therefore, to the reader, undeveloped and never fully explained--it's just there.
I didn't enjoy this book nearly as much as I thought I would, and it was a disappointment. There were points when I kind of wish I had stopped reading. Even the cute little ceramic bunny couldn't make up for the poorly developed relationships and--pretty much--humdrum plot. The plot twist wasn't even that surprising. I just wish that I could say I liked--I wish I had.
February 14, 2012
aka Lani Diane Rich
Okay, I was not impressed. In fact, I was infuriated by the stubbornly TSTL heroine. I kept wanting to shoot her, or to slap her. I can't believe I finished this book but I kept thinking that surely some sort of 'redemption' or turnaround would happen to her. It never did and being inside her head the whole time made this extremely frustrating read for me.
My sister liked it however--thought it was cute. So, you may as well. Don't just take my word for it. The writing was fine. She was just such an annoying idiot.
There were 2 other things that bothered me, that I would give a pass to--they did not affect the star count which is totally due to the idiot heroine--but I think a good editor should have pointed out these problems. 1) 2) The system of magic is wispy and makes no sense to the world. It could not stand on its own and serves only to advance the plot. (if you can call that advancing). If this is going to be the start of a series, then the magic system needs to be fleshed out to where it can stand up on its own.
I thought this would be on the same level as Shanna Swendson's Enchanted, Inc. series. And it should have been. But that series has an intelligent heroine. And a workable magic system. So. Fail for me.
Okay, I was not impressed. In fact, I was infuriated by the stubbornly TSTL heroine. I kept wanting to shoot her, or to slap her. I can't believe I finished this book but I kept thinking that surely some sort of 'redemption' or turnaround would happen to her. It never did and being inside her head the whole time made this extremely frustrating read for me.
My sister liked it however--thought it was cute. So, you may as well. Don't just take my word for it. The writing was fine. She was just such an annoying idiot.
There were 2 other things that bothered me, that I would give a pass to--they did not affect the star count which is totally due to the idiot heroine--but I think a good editor should have pointed out these problems. 1) 2) The system of magic is wispy and makes no sense to the world. It could not stand on its own and serves only to advance the plot. (if you can call that advancing). If this is going to be the start of a series, then the magic system needs to be fleshed out to where it can stand up on its own.
I thought this would be on the same level as Shanna Swendson's Enchanted, Inc. series. And it should have been. But that series has an intelligent heroine. And a workable magic system. So. Fail for me.
September 14, 2013
It was ok for the most part. I didn't like Liv, she spent 1/3 of the story hidding beneath the covers, 1/3 complaining about her powers and the rest pinng for Tobias. Tobias and Cain had potential but are never fleshed out, actually none of the characters is fleshed out. Liv is supposed to be 28 but behaves like she's 18. This book felt more like a YA than anything else except for a really bad sex scene. Too bad the story doesn't live up to the cover because the cover is really great.
June 9, 2014
This is the most frustrating book I've read in quite a while. The words too stupid to live do not begin to describe Olivia. Every decision, thought or idea that she has is stupider than the last one.
At first, I was totally on her side. Love interest, Tobias, runs frustratingly hot and cold - does he like her? Doesn't he? She's about to escape her small town in a tour of supposed self discovery when a literal magical Negro enters the plot and Liv discovers her own latent magical abilities.
To be fair, there is a lot to like about this book. It's funny with a great voice. Other than being an annoying idiot, Liv is really entertaining and witty. Too bad she's not clever or smart. She has three girlfriends, each unique and well-crafted, and plenty of small town characters for us to enjoy. But when faced with the inciting incident, her IQ steadily drops until I was surprised she was able to even feed herself without assistance. Seriously.
So no matter how good the writing, how engaging the characters and lively the setting, the heroine's actions made me hate her and want her to fail. I wasn't super hot on Tobias either.
Without the sudden vitriol that boiled up inside me as I flipped the pages reading about Liv acting in a more and more asinine manner, this would have been a 4-star read.
At first, I was totally on her side. Love interest, Tobias, runs frustratingly hot and cold - does he like her? Doesn't he? She's about to escape her small town in a tour of supposed self discovery when a literal magical Negro enters the plot and Liv discovers her own latent magical abilities.
To be fair, there is a lot to like about this book. It's funny with a great voice. Other than being an annoying idiot, Liv is really entertaining and witty. Too bad she's not clever or smart. She has three girlfriends, each unique and well-crafted, and plenty of small town characters for us to enjoy. But when faced with the inciting incident, her IQ steadily drops until I was surprised she was able to even feed herself without assistance. Seriously.
So no matter how good the writing, how engaging the characters and lively the setting, the heroine's actions made me hate her and want her to fail. I wasn't super hot on Tobias either.
Without the sudden vitriol that boiled up inside me as I flipped the pages reading about Liv acting in a more and more asinine manner, this would have been a 4-star read.
February 29, 2012
I feel like I should have liked this book more. The thing that appealed to me most was the town and all the crazy people in it. At first I really liked the friendship that the girls had, but as things went on I realized how they all seemed envious of the others and not really that good of friends.
The whole relationship between Tobias and Olivia drove me nuts. Tobias was full of excuses of why he kept holding back and all that did was hurt Olivia even when he professed that wasn't what he wanted.
I hated the situation with Olivia's family. I felt like a lot of it was a cop out. She finds missing family only to find out that she can't have a relationship with them.
I may check out the next book, but it will be a make or break book in this series for me.
The whole relationship between Tobias and Olivia drove me nuts. Tobias was full of excuses of why he kept holding back and all that did was hurt Olivia even when he professed that wasn't what he wanted.
I hated the situation with Olivia's family. I felt like a lot of it was a cop out. She finds missing family only to find out that she can't have a relationship with them.
I may check out the next book, but it will be a make or break book in this series for me.
September 12, 2016
There are a lot of very likeable elements in this urban fantasy. It starts out swiftly. Liv, the small-town protagonist, has just bought a plane ticket to Europe. She's tired of her small-town life, and tired of being in love with Tobias, who doesn't seem to return her affections. Then, a stranger named Davina hits her with a stinky gym sock, which awakens Liv's latent magical powers.
Let's start with the romance. I found the romance charming and believable. Liv loves Tobias despite his faults. His faults range from the little ones (crooked front teeth) to the big ones (clams up whenever the situation calls for candid speech.) This is a man I could picture, and a man I could picture falling in love with. She's grown to love him because he's always there for her. He is loveable because he invites her over to watch movies, not because he has a chiseled face and implausibly colored irises. Many urban fantasies give the heroine a flawless hunk to lust after, but I prefer the credible ones.
Liv's best friends are Stacey, Peach, and Millie. Peach and Millie both love Nick, Stacey's brother, which makes for an awkward and believable conflict. They're a little overdone, but still, good and believable characters with plausible motivations.
Liv's magic is as charming as she is. She can make inanimate objects into small, animated creatures. A trash can lid becomes a dog. A mug becomes a rabbit. A paper crane flies. Davina is the one who encourages her to explore her power, and Davina is the one who warns her away from the man named Cane. Cane came into town at the same time Davina did, and Davina says that Cane killed Liv's sister Holly.
As Liv has never known she had a sister, and only knew her dad as "some guy named Dave" who left and broke her mother's heart, she finds all of this information quite alarming. Davina warns her that Cane stole Holly's magic and wants to steal Liv's as well, but that she'll be safe until her magic reaches its full strength. As to why she never had any magic before, it appears that Liv's absent father put a block on Liv's magic to hide her from people like Cane. Davina's stinky gym sock removes the block.
Liv is afraid of Cane, and wants to find her father so that he can put the block back on her. Davina says he can't be found, and that Liv's only choice is to grow strong enough magically to fight Cane. Liv fights this at first, but eventually decides that she'll give Davina her magic so that Davina can fight Cane.
If you like urban fantasy novels with likeable protagonists and believable romance, you will probably like this book. I did. If you think you might want to read it, please stop reading this review right now, because I can't talk about the elements I disliked without completely spoiling the plot.
Okay.
You've been warned. Here there be spoilers.
Davina tells Liv that Cane killed her sister and wants to kill her too. Davina tells Liv that she has to grow strong enough to defeat him magically. If I absolutely believed (as Liv does) that someone was going to try to kill me, and that he had the means to do so (and had done so before) I would, at the very least, arm myself. Yes, she lives in NY, which I guess is a blue state, but the internet has told me they have pepper spray there. Isn't self-preservation the most fundamental instinct? Yes, Liv hates the idea of killing, and rails against it, but she doesn't even go to the cops. She's pacifist, and credulous, and sweet, but she takes it to such extremes that I found myself yelling at her as I listened.
Soon we find out that Davina is actually the bad guy. Davina killed Holly by taking her magic, and her plan all along was to convince Liv to do the same. Cane is there to avenge Holly. Tobias is a magical security guard who had been hired by Holly (before she died) to protect Liv.
So, to clarify: Holly knew that she and her father were on the lam, because she knew she had a sister she couldn't contact. Holly has a powerful conjurer as a boyfriend. Holly fears for her sister's safety so much that she hires a powerful magical security guard to watch over her for four years, which can't be cheap. And yet Holly was still somehow duped into to willingly giving Davina her magic? My understanding was that she was conned, which would make Holly exceptionally stupid, but I'm going to plug my fingers in my ears, say lalala and pretend she was at least extorted, which will make it a little less pathetic, but that wasn't my original understanding.
Davina originally tells Liv that Cane will kill her to take her magic, but he'll wait until her magic has come in fully. When Liv finds out that this is a lie, that it's Davina who wants the magic, Davina tells Liv that Davina will destroy the town unless Liv willingly gives her magic up, dying in the process. At this point, people who have any faith in their government will call the cops and get a restraining order. The cynical among us might believe instead that this is the perfect occasion for a gun, a few plastic bags, and some really discreet friends with shovels.
Neither of these options occur to Liv. Liv's boyfriend can kill people with his mind, and yet, getting him to do his job (protect her) doesn't occur to her. Liv thinks her best chance is to get enough magic to defeat Davina. What she thinks Davina will do once she has been "defeated", I'm not sure, but it's clear Liv doesn't want to kill her. In fact, she relentlessly argues against killing Davina. This is do-gooder naivite that would make even Ned Stark slap his face in his palm and shake his head in frustration. More absurd is the fact that Liv wants to use magic to take Davina down, despite the fact that--by her own admission--the ability to turn raspberries into butterflies is not useful for combat. This drove me crazy, because I don't like urban fantasy in which people seek out magical solutions when the non-magical solution is cheaper, easier, and more expedient. Say, a gun. I'm not a violent person, but "I'm going to destroy everything and everyone close to you unless you let me kill you" is a situation in which even Quakers might lock and load.
Second problem I had with the book: Davina is a completely evil psychopath. She is the only truly evil person in the book. She is also the only black person in the book. This bothers me.
Third problem: This refers only to the audio version. Once again, I hated the voices. The narrator did the women's voices fine. I kind of liked Davina's honey drawl and Betty's lewd old-lady voice. I even appreciated the subtle differences between Millie, Liv, and Stacey. But the men's voices drove me nuts. Tobias sounds like Binky from the kid's cartoon Arthur, and Cane sounds like Milhouse from the Simpsons, albiet with a fake southern accent and a head cold. As much as I liked the women's voices, I would rather have a narrator who reads it all straight, with no acting. I would give up my enjoyment of the voices done well in order to avoid the cringe-worthy cartoon-character quality of the mens' voices. Luckily, they had fewer speaking parts.
I recommend this novel for people who like urban fantasy a little fluff mixed in with the grit. It's good for people who like fantasy, and for those who like romance. I haven't checked, but I strongly suspect that there's a sequel, so it's good for people who want to get to know a magical heroine and keep her acquaintance for a few books.
Let's start with the romance. I found the romance charming and believable. Liv loves Tobias despite his faults. His faults range from the little ones (crooked front teeth) to the big ones (clams up whenever the situation calls for candid speech.) This is a man I could picture, and a man I could picture falling in love with. She's grown to love him because he's always there for her. He is loveable because he invites her over to watch movies, not because he has a chiseled face and implausibly colored irises. Many urban fantasies give the heroine a flawless hunk to lust after, but I prefer the credible ones.
Liv's best friends are Stacey, Peach, and Millie. Peach and Millie both love Nick, Stacey's brother, which makes for an awkward and believable conflict. They're a little overdone, but still, good and believable characters with plausible motivations.
Liv's magic is as charming as she is. She can make inanimate objects into small, animated creatures. A trash can lid becomes a dog. A mug becomes a rabbit. A paper crane flies. Davina is the one who encourages her to explore her power, and Davina is the one who warns her away from the man named Cane. Cane came into town at the same time Davina did, and Davina says that Cane killed Liv's sister Holly.
As Liv has never known she had a sister, and only knew her dad as "some guy named Dave" who left and broke her mother's heart, she finds all of this information quite alarming. Davina warns her that Cane stole Holly's magic and wants to steal Liv's as well, but that she'll be safe until her magic reaches its full strength. As to why she never had any magic before, it appears that Liv's absent father put a block on Liv's magic to hide her from people like Cane. Davina's stinky gym sock removes the block.
Liv is afraid of Cane, and wants to find her father so that he can put the block back on her. Davina says he can't be found, and that Liv's only choice is to grow strong enough magically to fight Cane. Liv fights this at first, but eventually decides that she'll give Davina her magic so that Davina can fight Cane.
If you like urban fantasy novels with likeable protagonists and believable romance, you will probably like this book. I did. If you think you might want to read it, please stop reading this review right now, because I can't talk about the elements I disliked without completely spoiling the plot.
Okay.
You've been warned. Here there be spoilers.
Davina tells Liv that Cane killed her sister and wants to kill her too. Davina tells Liv that she has to grow strong enough to defeat him magically. If I absolutely believed (as Liv does) that someone was going to try to kill me, and that he had the means to do so (and had done so before) I would, at the very least, arm myself. Yes, she lives in NY, which I guess is a blue state, but the internet has told me they have pepper spray there. Isn't self-preservation the most fundamental instinct? Yes, Liv hates the idea of killing, and rails against it, but she doesn't even go to the cops. She's pacifist, and credulous, and sweet, but she takes it to such extremes that I found myself yelling at her as I listened.
Soon we find out that Davina is actually the bad guy. Davina killed Holly by taking her magic, and her plan all along was to convince Liv to do the same. Cane is there to avenge Holly. Tobias is a magical security guard who had been hired by Holly (before she died) to protect Liv.
So, to clarify: Holly knew that she and her father were on the lam, because she knew she had a sister she couldn't contact. Holly has a powerful conjurer as a boyfriend. Holly fears for her sister's safety so much that she hires a powerful magical security guard to watch over her for four years, which can't be cheap. And yet Holly was still somehow duped into to willingly giving Davina her magic? My understanding was that she was conned, which would make Holly exceptionally stupid, but I'm going to plug my fingers in my ears, say lalala and pretend she was at least extorted, which will make it a little less pathetic, but that wasn't my original understanding.
Davina originally tells Liv that Cane will kill her to take her magic, but he'll wait until her magic has come in fully. When Liv finds out that this is a lie, that it's Davina who wants the magic, Davina tells Liv that Davina will destroy the town unless Liv willingly gives her magic up, dying in the process. At this point, people who have any faith in their government will call the cops and get a restraining order. The cynical among us might believe instead that this is the perfect occasion for a gun, a few plastic bags, and some really discreet friends with shovels.
Neither of these options occur to Liv. Liv's boyfriend can kill people with his mind, and yet, getting him to do his job (protect her) doesn't occur to her. Liv thinks her best chance is to get enough magic to defeat Davina. What she thinks Davina will do once she has been "defeated", I'm not sure, but it's clear Liv doesn't want to kill her. In fact, she relentlessly argues against killing Davina. This is do-gooder naivite that would make even Ned Stark slap his face in his palm and shake his head in frustration. More absurd is the fact that Liv wants to use magic to take Davina down, despite the fact that--by her own admission--the ability to turn raspberries into butterflies is not useful for combat. This drove me crazy, because I don't like urban fantasy in which people seek out magical solutions when the non-magical solution is cheaper, easier, and more expedient. Say, a gun. I'm not a violent person, but "I'm going to destroy everything and everyone close to you unless you let me kill you" is a situation in which even Quakers might lock and load.
Second problem I had with the book: Davina is a completely evil psychopath. She is the only truly evil person in the book. She is also the only black person in the book. This bothers me.
Third problem: This refers only to the audio version. Once again, I hated the voices. The narrator did the women's voices fine. I kind of liked Davina's honey drawl and Betty's lewd old-lady voice. I even appreciated the subtle differences between Millie, Liv, and Stacey. But the men's voices drove me nuts. Tobias sounds like Binky from the kid's cartoon Arthur, and Cane sounds like Milhouse from the Simpsons, albiet with a fake southern accent and a head cold. As much as I liked the women's voices, I would rather have a narrator who reads it all straight, with no acting. I would give up my enjoyment of the voices done well in order to avoid the cringe-worthy cartoon-character quality of the mens' voices. Luckily, they had fewer speaking parts.
I recommend this novel for people who like urban fantasy a little fluff mixed in with the grit. It's good for people who like fantasy, and for those who like romance. I haven't checked, but I strongly suspect that there's a sequel, so it's good for people who want to get to know a magical heroine and keep her acquaintance for a few books.
December 20, 2012
This book is different from the previous novels by the same author, Lani Diane Rich. I picked it up because I love most of her other novels. They all have a light, fluffy feel to them, with frequent infusions of humor, and I wanted an easy, frivolous read, but this book didn’t conform to my expectations. It felt darker and deeper. Perhaps, that’s why Rich wrote it under a nom de plume. Personally, I like her lighthearted stuff better but I’ll try to be objective and not make a comparison with the author’s other works.
The heroine of this novel Olivia is a waitress in a small American town. She led an ordinary life until she turned 30, when she discovered she had magic. Now someone is trying to kill her and steal her magic, and she doesn’t know who or which way to dodge. She would’ve given up her magic gladly, she doesn’t want it, but it seems she is the pivot of the power struggle for her town and her friends’ souls. She doesn’t have a choice but to master her magic quickly if she wants to defeat the hidden enemy and save her friends.
Her magical predicament is exacerbated by a personal one: the guy she is in love with, Tobias, wouldn’t return her affections, which makes her angry. Actually, there are several angry women in this story. Unrequited love appears to be a recurring theme running through the plot.
One thing bugged me in this tale: everybody keeps secrets, not only from Olivia but from the reader as well. Too many secrets. The author is stingy with information, and as a result, the reader is as confused as the heroine for most of the story. Who is the good guy? Who is the bad guy? Is Olivia’s trust misplaced? Nobody is exactly what he or she seems.
Even when Olivia’s ignorance causes a string of disasters, her friends (or self-professed friends) keep mum or talk elliptically, with a profusion of mysterious hints but no hard data and no magical lessons she desperately needs. The irritating trend continues well past the middle of the book: nobody explains the rules of the game until it is almost too late.
As a reader, I wonder: why? If it’s a literary device, it’s unsuccessful. It doesn’t up the tension. Instead, it lowers the readers’ involvement quotient. Poor Olivia bumps into metaphorical walls time and again, trying to figure out everything by herself, and it’s neither funny nor cute to watch a 30-year-old woman fumble like an awkward apprentice. It would’ve been different, if she were 15.
The abundance of secrets also precipitates the banality of dialog. The characters produce line after line of inconsequential jabber just to keep from blurting out the important facts.
On the positive side, the writer came up with the original and amusing magic system. Before this book, I’ve never read about magicians being able to make animated bunnies out of ceramic mugs or flying birds out of linoleum squares.
The action is quick, and the narrative clean and unaffected, flowing effortlessly from start to end. I sympathized with Olivia. I turned the pages avidly because I wanted her to win through this wringer of secrets and lies. I wanted her to be happy.
Despite this novel’s flaws, I quite enjoyed reading it. My pleasure was tempered with exasperation, true, but I will definitely read the sequel, when it comes out.
The heroine of this novel Olivia is a waitress in a small American town. She led an ordinary life until she turned 30, when she discovered she had magic. Now someone is trying to kill her and steal her magic, and she doesn’t know who or which way to dodge. She would’ve given up her magic gladly, she doesn’t want it, but it seems she is the pivot of the power struggle for her town and her friends’ souls. She doesn’t have a choice but to master her magic quickly if she wants to defeat the hidden enemy and save her friends.
Her magical predicament is exacerbated by a personal one: the guy she is in love with, Tobias, wouldn’t return her affections, which makes her angry. Actually, there are several angry women in this story. Unrequited love appears to be a recurring theme running through the plot.
One thing bugged me in this tale: everybody keeps secrets, not only from Olivia but from the reader as well. Too many secrets. The author is stingy with information, and as a result, the reader is as confused as the heroine for most of the story. Who is the good guy? Who is the bad guy? Is Olivia’s trust misplaced? Nobody is exactly what he or she seems.
Even when Olivia’s ignorance causes a string of disasters, her friends (or self-professed friends) keep mum or talk elliptically, with a profusion of mysterious hints but no hard data and no magical lessons she desperately needs. The irritating trend continues well past the middle of the book: nobody explains the rules of the game until it is almost too late.
As a reader, I wonder: why? If it’s a literary device, it’s unsuccessful. It doesn’t up the tension. Instead, it lowers the readers’ involvement quotient. Poor Olivia bumps into metaphorical walls time and again, trying to figure out everything by herself, and it’s neither funny nor cute to watch a 30-year-old woman fumble like an awkward apprentice. It would’ve been different, if she were 15.
The abundance of secrets also precipitates the banality of dialog. The characters produce line after line of inconsequential jabber just to keep from blurting out the important facts.
On the positive side, the writer came up with the original and amusing magic system. Before this book, I’ve never read about magicians being able to make animated bunnies out of ceramic mugs or flying birds out of linoleum squares.
The action is quick, and the narrative clean and unaffected, flowing effortlessly from start to end. I sympathized with Olivia. I turned the pages avidly because I wanted her to win through this wringer of secrets and lies. I wanted her to be happy.
Despite this novel’s flaws, I quite enjoyed reading it. My pleasure was tempered with exasperation, true, but I will definitely read the sequel, when it comes out.
August 16, 2015
Good premise - bad execution “Be Careful what you wish for . . .”
Olivia Kiskey should have remembered that. I mean really – she should have learned that particular lesson when standing on the magic linoleum square by booth nine at Crazy Cousin Betty’s Waffle House granted her wish. But again – be careful what you wish for. Like when she wished on the magic square for “a little more space” from her college boyfriend, Charlie. Two days later? Yep. He dumped her for his roommate – Neal. Sigh.
“A Little Night Magic” starts out funny, and Amanda Ronconi does a beautiful job of narration, her slightly nasal voice is completely believable as Olivia.
When Olivia decides she is finally going to give up her crush on Tobias the cook, sell the house her mother left her, and travel to Scotland, well, people really don’t know what to think. And when Olivia finds out that she can turn objects to animals, things get really whacky . . .
There are things I liked about A Little Night Magic. Olivia is a fun character – she has been stuck in a small town, working as a waitress, for years. As she says, “Spontaneity without commitment is just wishful thinking.” So, in six weeks, she is outta-there. Well, at least that is what she is planning. For a twenty-eight year old, she is very ‘young.’ So when Davina, a supposed ‘magical person’ shows up, and things start getting interesting, Olivia starts learning new things – the hard way. Davina is sure that Olivia is magical – and is determined to teach her. Hence, the whole ‘my coffee mug is now named Gibson’ thing. There are secrets, evil, a stranger chasing her – and the people she has known all her life are even stranger.
Then there are the things that could have been done much better. The give-and-take between Olivia and Tobias is aggravating, to say the least. Tobias is passive-aggressive, the people trying to ‘help’ her are more harmful than helpful, and Olivia’s innocence, in my opinion, is laid on a bit thick. This is a ‘fluffy’ book – which I really don’t mind at all – but Olivia’s ‘friends’ are spiteful and the mystery was figured out within the first couple of chapters, which really doesn’t work for me. The other thing that really disappointed me? The “Bad Guy” is truly evil. And yet, instead of doing something about it, or helping others with the ability do something about it, Olivia is a complete gutless weenie loser. I mean, come ON! You have the ability to stop a murderous megalomaniac – and yet you are too cowardly to stop that person?
So, Olivia pretty much ends up in the “too stupid to live” category, as others have said. And that is a shame, because the concept was good – it was the execution that let me down.
Olivia Kiskey should have remembered that. I mean really – she should have learned that particular lesson when standing on the magic linoleum square by booth nine at Crazy Cousin Betty’s Waffle House granted her wish. But again – be careful what you wish for. Like when she wished on the magic square for “a little more space” from her college boyfriend, Charlie. Two days later? Yep. He dumped her for his roommate – Neal. Sigh.
“A Little Night Magic” starts out funny, and Amanda Ronconi does a beautiful job of narration, her slightly nasal voice is completely believable as Olivia.
When Olivia decides she is finally going to give up her crush on Tobias the cook, sell the house her mother left her, and travel to Scotland, well, people really don’t know what to think. And when Olivia finds out that she can turn objects to animals, things get really whacky . . .
There are things I liked about A Little Night Magic. Olivia is a fun character – she has been stuck in a small town, working as a waitress, for years. As she says, “Spontaneity without commitment is just wishful thinking.” So, in six weeks, she is outta-there. Well, at least that is what she is planning. For a twenty-eight year old, she is very ‘young.’ So when Davina, a supposed ‘magical person’ shows up, and things start getting interesting, Olivia starts learning new things – the hard way. Davina is sure that Olivia is magical – and is determined to teach her. Hence, the whole ‘my coffee mug is now named Gibson’ thing. There are secrets, evil, a stranger chasing her – and the people she has known all her life are even stranger.
Then there are the things that could have been done much better. The give-and-take between Olivia and Tobias is aggravating, to say the least. Tobias is passive-aggressive, the people trying to ‘help’ her are more harmful than helpful, and Olivia’s innocence, in my opinion, is laid on a bit thick. This is a ‘fluffy’ book – which I really don’t mind at all – but Olivia’s ‘friends’ are spiteful and the mystery was figured out within the first couple of chapters, which really doesn’t work for me. The other thing that really disappointed me? The “Bad Guy” is truly evil. And yet, instead of doing something about it, or helping others with the ability do something about it, Olivia is a complete gutless weenie loser. I mean, come ON! You have the ability to stop a murderous megalomaniac – and yet you are too cowardly to stop that person?
So, Olivia pretty much ends up in the “too stupid to live” category, as others have said. And that is a shame, because the concept was good – it was the execution that let me down.
June 1, 2013
My Review:
Overall... 4 star
Performance.... 5 star
Story... 3.5 star
This was such a fun book with such an interesting world....both they mystical side and the small town side. The book opens with Liv unhappy with her life. She's been in love with Tobias for years and he doesn't want anything more than friendship. Her father abandoned her mother early in Liv's life and her mother never recovered from that heartache. She was a shell of a woman and Liv can honestly foresee that in her future, so she's decided she has to do something drastic to change things....she's moving to Europe. But then a strange woman comes into the diner where Liv works and EVERYTHING about her life changes. No longer can she say she leads a boring life, but she's soon wishing that she did as everything she holds dear, most especially this small town that she loves is in danger.
The most honest thing you can say about this book is that NOTHING is as it first appears...except the true feelings between Tobias and Liv. Yes, he's holding her at arm's length, but as a reader you can see how much he doesn't want to be doing that. Honestly, I'd say his feelings for Liv were even stronger than hers. It's painful to watch the two of them together...but this is a romance novel, so there's hope there too. I loved that Liv was so normal...she's every woman you know, with hopes and dreams and worries about her life. As her magic comes in, she finds new friends....Gibson, OMG!! I loved the little snippets in the story with her and Gibson. So sweet and it just shows what a wonderfully caring person she truly is. I loved that you could see Tobias's true feelings even when he's pushing her away. The mystery behind him was awesome and definitely kept me reading. You have to love a mysterious bad-boy and Tobias is one of the best I've ever read.
There's a whole slew of characters here and so many of them were amazing. I'm not going to detail each of them (although I'm really tempted to) because then I might tip you off to some of the twists and turns in the story line. Just know, it is a great cast of characters. And honestly, this is where the narrator in this book shone! Wow, she was awesome with her inflections and she managed to give each character such a wonderfully different voice. I loved her voices. Seriously, the narrator on this book was incredible!!
I'll admit, I keep debating going and buying the print copy of it just because I love that cover so much...seriously fun!! And I will definitely be looking forward to more in this series and from this author!
Overall... 4 star
Performance.... 5 star
Story... 3.5 star
This was such a fun book with such an interesting world....both they mystical side and the small town side. The book opens with Liv unhappy with her life. She's been in love with Tobias for years and he doesn't want anything more than friendship. Her father abandoned her mother early in Liv's life and her mother never recovered from that heartache. She was a shell of a woman and Liv can honestly foresee that in her future, so she's decided she has to do something drastic to change things....she's moving to Europe. But then a strange woman comes into the diner where Liv works and EVERYTHING about her life changes. No longer can she say she leads a boring life, but she's soon wishing that she did as everything she holds dear, most especially this small town that she loves is in danger.
The most honest thing you can say about this book is that NOTHING is as it first appears...except the true feelings between Tobias and Liv. Yes, he's holding her at arm's length, but as a reader you can see how much he doesn't want to be doing that. Honestly, I'd say his feelings for Liv were even stronger than hers. It's painful to watch the two of them together...but this is a romance novel, so there's hope there too. I loved that Liv was so normal...she's every woman you know, with hopes and dreams and worries about her life. As her magic comes in, she finds new friends....Gibson, OMG!! I loved the little snippets in the story with her and Gibson. So sweet and it just shows what a wonderfully caring person she truly is. I loved that you could see Tobias's true feelings even when he's pushing her away. The mystery behind him was awesome and definitely kept me reading. You have to love a mysterious bad-boy and Tobias is one of the best I've ever read.
There's a whole slew of characters here and so many of them were amazing. I'm not going to detail each of them (although I'm really tempted to) because then I might tip you off to some of the twists and turns in the story line. Just know, it is a great cast of characters. And honestly, this is where the narrator in this book shone! Wow, she was awesome with her inflections and she managed to give each character such a wonderfully different voice. I loved her voices. Seriously, the narrator on this book was incredible!!
I'll admit, I keep debating going and buying the print copy of it just because I love that cover so much...seriously fun!! And I will definitely be looking forward to more in this series and from this author!
September 30, 2014
Originally posted at The Book Nympho
Quick Thought: OMG, it's like Molly Harper and Darynda Jones had a love child. Pleasantly surprised!
Why I Listened: A Little Night Magic was a total impulse buy from Audible.com. It was on sale for $4.95 and I saw that Amanda Ronconi was the narrator and love her narration job on Molly Harper's books and after reading the summary it sounded like a cute, light listen so I went for it.
What I Liked: Everything really. Much like Harper and Jones, March wrote a loveable heroine and fun secondary characters. Olivia is a quirky waitress in a small town where nothing happens. She is wans to make a big chance in her life and decides to move to Europe but her gang of gal pals are not liking the idea that she won't be coming back. And the sexy cook at the dinner Olivia works at is starting to set up and take notice when he finds out that she is planning on leaving town.
What I Didn't Like: Nothing. I really enjoyed this listen. I have to admit though, I wonder if I would give it 4 stars if I read it instead of listening to it. I think this a book that really lends itself well to the audio format.
Final Thought: A Little Night Magic is full of funny one liners, crazy secondary characters and an even crazier bad guy. Olivia and gang will never be the same now that they know that magic is real. I can't wait for the next book, That Touch of Magic. There is no cover or blurb for it but I'm hoping it will be about Olivia's friend and the super moody Kane.
Narration: I feel like I was listening to a Molly Harper book because Amanda Ronconi narrates all of Harper's books. I kept telling myself this is not Jane (the main character in the Jane Jameson series). Ronconi is a great narrator for snarky, fun books. She brings just the enough amount of sassy and cheeky to the characters.
Quick Thought: OMG, it's like Molly Harper and Darynda Jones had a love child. Pleasantly surprised!
Why I Listened: A Little Night Magic was a total impulse buy from Audible.com. It was on sale for $4.95 and I saw that Amanda Ronconi was the narrator and love her narration job on Molly Harper's books and after reading the summary it sounded like a cute, light listen so I went for it.
What I Liked: Everything really. Much like Harper and Jones, March wrote a loveable heroine and fun secondary characters. Olivia is a quirky waitress in a small town where nothing happens. She is wans to make a big chance in her life and decides to move to Europe but her gang of gal pals are not liking the idea that she won't be coming back. And the sexy cook at the dinner Olivia works at is starting to set up and take notice when he finds out that she is planning on leaving town.
"I don't care what Edward did in the Twilight books. Watching a girl sleep is just creepy." He smiled. "You weren't sleeping." "Don't think you're breeze by on a technicality, Shoop, you go all Cullen on me, I'm staking you through the heart."
What I Didn't Like: Nothing. I really enjoyed this listen. I have to admit though, I wonder if I would give it 4 stars if I read it instead of listening to it. I think this a book that really lends itself well to the audio format.
Final Thought: A Little Night Magic is full of funny one liners, crazy secondary characters and an even crazier bad guy. Olivia and gang will never be the same now that they know that magic is real. I can't wait for the next book, That Touch of Magic. There is no cover or blurb for it but I'm hoping it will be about Olivia's friend and the super moody Kane.
Narration: I feel like I was listening to a Molly Harper book because Amanda Ronconi narrates all of Harper's books. I kept telling myself this is not Jane (the main character in the Jane Jameson series). Ronconi is a great narrator for snarky, fun books. She brings just the enough amount of sassy and cheeky to the characters.
September 6, 2016
Full Review and more at: Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust December 6, 2011
There's a "magic square" in the linoleum tile of the waffle shop where Olivia works. She almost believes the square is magic. As an adult, though she learns magic is much more than a piece of linoleum.
In turns humorous, romantic, sad, scary and dark, this new book from Lucy March kept me up reading into the morning. Magic, inventively imagined and described pulls up into Liv's life in the form of a new friend. For a young woman without family Davina seems to be just what she's been missing; especially as she sits, vulnerably, on the fencepost of a major life change.
Liv feels like an Upstate New York version of Bridget Jones. For some reason her would-be beau feels, to me anyway, like Jason Momoa (Okay, a lot of heroes feel like Jason Momoa).
But life changes can be brought to us as much as we can bring them on and just as Liv is planning to pack up and leave town to live somewhere, anywhere else she learns she has a talent and that others would like to grab it.
Thank goodness for her friends, well most of them, who pull her out of the frying pan on a regular basis and truly care for her.
Well written with a snappy pace that will grab your attention. Characters you will want to be bffs with and others you will want to kill. I really enjoyed it, even the dark parts. There's a little sex, a lot of conflicting emotions, and some violence. I highly recommend this new book to adults.
DISCLOSURE: Received Time Delimited E-Galley from Publisher via NetGalley in expectation that any review would be fair. As always, all opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. No remuneration was exchanged.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (January 31, 2012)
Kindle Edition: 5 KB
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (January 31, 2012)
Sold by: Macmillan
There's a "magic square" in the linoleum tile of the waffle shop where Olivia works. She almost believes the square is magic. As an adult, though she learns magic is much more than a piece of linoleum.
In turns humorous, romantic, sad, scary and dark, this new book from Lucy March kept me up reading into the morning. Magic, inventively imagined and described pulls up into Liv's life in the form of a new friend. For a young woman without family Davina seems to be just what she's been missing; especially as she sits, vulnerably, on the fencepost of a major life change.
Liv feels like an Upstate New York version of Bridget Jones. For some reason her would-be beau feels, to me anyway, like Jason Momoa (Okay, a lot of heroes feel like Jason Momoa).
But life changes can be brought to us as much as we can bring them on and just as Liv is planning to pack up and leave town to live somewhere, anywhere else she learns she has a talent and that others would like to grab it.
Thank goodness for her friends, well most of them, who pull her out of the frying pan on a regular basis and truly care for her.
Well written with a snappy pace that will grab your attention. Characters you will want to be bffs with and others you will want to kill. I really enjoyed it, even the dark parts. There's a little sex, a lot of conflicting emotions, and some violence. I highly recommend this new book to adults.
DISCLOSURE: Received Time Delimited E-Galley from Publisher via NetGalley in expectation that any review would be fair. As always, all opinions are my own unless otherwise stated. No remuneration was exchanged.
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (January 31, 2012)
Kindle Edition: 5 KB
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (January 31, 2012)
Sold by: Macmillan
February 20, 2012
So....I tend to stroll through the book ailes at Target once a week to see if there is anything new out. I usually bypass the new author section because I just miss it. Well, I found this one in that section and thought the cover was cute. So....I read the back and had to take it home.
You're introduced to the lead Olivia (or Liv as her friends call her) in a small town working in a small town restaurant as a waitress. She feels her life is nothing special and she's tired of that. So she takes the initiative to make the change....and then her life becomes very exciting.
She learns that she has magical abilities and that her life was never as it seemed to be. She is being pursued by a dangerous killer so that her magic can be stolen for this killer's personal use. Olivia has to learn to trust the people around her while also learning that not everyone is who they seem to be. All her life she lived with rose colored glasses on and in one swoop those glasses were taken off and destroyed. Now, Liv must figure out who and what she is in order to save her life and everything important to her.
I loved Liv's band of friends. I knew one person, Tobias, would be important in this story and his character was great. He's mysterious and not perfect. Most stories, the male lead is the absolute perfection of the entire male gender....not Tobias. He has a few gray hairs and his teeth aren't perfectly straight and a few other details are in there to show you that he is just your average guy. Yet, Olivia is in love with him anyway. Through her eyes, you learn that he is a very kind, caring and trustworthy friend. My other favorite character is Stacy. She was definitely the comic relief once things got dicey. I didn't trust her in the beginning but she proves that she is loyal and caring.
I'm glad I picked this book up. Definitely one of my favorites for this year. I hope this author plans to write more on these characters.
You're introduced to the lead Olivia (or Liv as her friends call her) in a small town working in a small town restaurant as a waitress. She feels her life is nothing special and she's tired of that. So she takes the initiative to make the change....and then her life becomes very exciting.
She learns that she has magical abilities and that her life was never as it seemed to be. She is being pursued by a dangerous killer so that her magic can be stolen for this killer's personal use. Olivia has to learn to trust the people around her while also learning that not everyone is who they seem to be. All her life she lived with rose colored glasses on and in one swoop those glasses were taken off and destroyed. Now, Liv must figure out who and what she is in order to save her life and everything important to her.
I loved Liv's band of friends. I knew one person, Tobias, would be important in this story and his character was great. He's mysterious and not perfect. Most stories, the male lead is the absolute perfection of the entire male gender....not Tobias. He has a few gray hairs and his teeth aren't perfectly straight and a few other details are in there to show you that he is just your average guy. Yet, Olivia is in love with him anyway. Through her eyes, you learn that he is a very kind, caring and trustworthy friend. My other favorite character is Stacy. She was definitely the comic relief once things got dicey. I didn't trust her in the beginning but she proves that she is loyal and caring.
I'm glad I picked this book up. Definitely one of my favorites for this year. I hope this author plans to write more on these characters.
May 21, 2018
I actually read this book several years ago, on a complete whim, and it has been on my favorites list ever since.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that this is a highly underrated book in my opinion. And, having read it and listened to the audiobook several times (including very recently) I stand by that claim.
I didn’t realize this book was part of a series, but as soon as I found that little piece of information out, I immediately purchased the next book in the series, That Touch of Magic. Before I dove into the second book, however, I figured I’d indulge a little and reread this book first.
And I loved it just as much the millionth time I’ve read it as I did the first time.
Liv is so hilarious, I can’t stand it. In fact, the entire book and all of the relationships are filled with such quirky goodness, I can’t help but just have a freaking blast while reading this book.
The fact that the magic in this book is so stupid, it’s hilarious, is the icing on the cake. See, Liv finds out she has magical abilities, which would be cool and all, except her ability is to turn inanimate objects into various animals. Animals that still look like the object they were made from and are kind of dumb.
Liv’s relationship with Tobias is fun and adorable and fulfilling to a romance junkie like me. But, honestly, the best part of this book is the humor.
♥ Read the full review on my blog: In Love & Words ♥
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that this is a highly underrated book in my opinion. And, having read it and listened to the audiobook several times (including very recently) I stand by that claim.
I didn’t realize this book was part of a series, but as soon as I found that little piece of information out, I immediately purchased the next book in the series, That Touch of Magic. Before I dove into the second book, however, I figured I’d indulge a little and reread this book first.
And I loved it just as much the millionth time I’ve read it as I did the first time.
Liv is so hilarious, I can’t stand it. In fact, the entire book and all of the relationships are filled with such quirky goodness, I can’t help but just have a freaking blast while reading this book.
The fact that the magic in this book is so stupid, it’s hilarious, is the icing on the cake. See, Liv finds out she has magical abilities, which would be cool and all, except her ability is to turn inanimate objects into various animals. Animals that still look like the object they were made from and are kind of dumb.
Liv’s relationship with Tobias is fun and adorable and fulfilling to a romance junkie like me. But, honestly, the best part of this book is the humor.
♥ Read the full review on my blog: In Love & Words ♥
November 28, 2011
Where to begin. Ah, at the beginning. It started with Liv being fed up. She's bored and sick of being in love with a man that turned her down. Yeah, she's getting mixed signals but he still keeps her at arms length. She wants excitement not the same ol' samd ol'. So she buys a ticket to Europe. Not realizing that her life is about to get turned upside down starting with Davina who throws a dirty gym sock at her. Too bad that's not all she threw. What Liv doesn't know is that she's magic.
I won't give away any spoilers but this one seemed a bit predictable from the beginning. It was like a slow roller coaster that never really came crashing down. I definitely enjoyed the story. I found it fun and interesting but I guess I wanted the antagonist to be more antagonizing? It could be that I've read too many thrillers recently and I just expected the bad guy to do more bad things but either way it didn't seem suspenseful enough.
When Liv confronted Tobias I must admit I got a little teary eyed. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. I loved how she always left everything on the table. She's straightforward and never minces her feelings or words. A true strong protagonist.
All in all this was a quick read. A little slow but entertaining in its own right. I'm glad I read this one. I'm thinking 3.5 stars.
I received this book from Amazon Vine for my honest opinion.
I won't give away any spoilers but this one seemed a bit predictable from the beginning. It was like a slow roller coaster that never really came crashing down. I definitely enjoyed the story. I found it fun and interesting but I guess I wanted the antagonist to be more antagonizing? It could be that I've read too many thrillers recently and I just expected the bad guy to do more bad things but either way it didn't seem suspenseful enough.
When Liv confronted Tobias I must admit I got a little teary eyed. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. I loved how she always left everything on the table. She's straightforward and never minces her feelings or words. A true strong protagonist.
All in all this was a quick read. A little slow but entertaining in its own right. I'm glad I read this one. I'm thinking 3.5 stars.
I received this book from Amazon Vine for my honest opinion.
January 6, 2012
I won an early review copy from SheLovesHotReads.com and have just now, in real time, finished reading it.
Olivia Kiskey is not the usual perfect beautiful woman who suddenly has great and awesome magic powers, and plans to defeat the darkness alongside the perfect man she falls in love with. Olivia Kiskey is a waitress in a diner that has a magic linoleum square, in a quaint small town. She's also a little pudgy, loves eating waffles, and wants a change in her life.
She's proactive and a little too nice for her own good, but when the time comes, she dosen't run away and neither do all of the townspeople. I gave this book five stars because the characters are more than I've seen in novels lately. These are people you might spot on the street or your bestfriend could secretly be involved with. The magic is real too, Lucy March doesen't put a giant flare on it and make it more than it is, which doesn't make it any less terrifying. This is magic that someone could be doing in thier kitchen or basement.
That is what impressed me the most. The realness of the story, I could believe that it could happen if only for as long as I was reading it.
Still, there's romance, magic, suspense, and lots and lots of humor. It was a great story and I defintely plan to re-read it after I type this.
Olivia Kiskey is not the usual perfect beautiful woman who suddenly has great and awesome magic powers, and plans to defeat the darkness alongside the perfect man she falls in love with. Olivia Kiskey is a waitress in a diner that has a magic linoleum square, in a quaint small town. She's also a little pudgy, loves eating waffles, and wants a change in her life.
She's proactive and a little too nice for her own good, but when the time comes, she dosen't run away and neither do all of the townspeople. I gave this book five stars because the characters are more than I've seen in novels lately. These are people you might spot on the street or your bestfriend could secretly be involved with. The magic is real too, Lucy March doesen't put a giant flare on it and make it more than it is, which doesn't make it any less terrifying. This is magic that someone could be doing in thier kitchen or basement.
That is what impressed me the most. The realness of the story, I could believe that it could happen if only for as long as I was reading it.
Still, there's romance, magic, suspense, and lots and lots of humor. It was a great story and I defintely plan to re-read it after I type this.
February 7, 2012
This book grabbed me right from the start. I connected to the main character right away (a rarity for me), and I was all excited to listen to the glorious story that I would eventually stamp with five stars.
And then things went awry.
I have numerous small quibbles, but the main issue I have with the book is that the protagonist went from being fairly intelligent to plunging deep into the depths of inexcusable idiocy within the span of just a few chapters. Not only did she remain ignorant of things that would have been blatantly obvious to anyone with half a dozen brain cells, but she turned into that girl in the horror movie that we all yell at - the one who knows a homicidal maniac is out in the forest and who decides to wander into the woods in her nighty to see what all the fuss is about.
This book should probably be given three stars, but I'm so bitter from my disappointment that I'm only giving it two.
And then things went awry.
I have numerous small quibbles, but the main issue I have with the book is that the protagonist went from being fairly intelligent to plunging deep into the depths of inexcusable idiocy within the span of just a few chapters. Not only did she remain ignorant of things that would have been blatantly obvious to anyone with half a dozen brain cells, but she turned into that girl in the horror movie that we all yell at - the one who knows a homicidal maniac is out in the forest and who decides to wander into the woods in her nighty to see what all the fuss is about.
This book should probably be given three stars, but I'm so bitter from my disappointment that I'm only giving it two.
July 13, 2023
*3.5 Stars*
Light and fluffy, more of a cozy mystery than a romance though there was romance in it. And it wasn't really a mystery either, but it was that sort of feel with a paranormal twist. Either way, it was fun and worth the time to listen - especially with Amanda Ronconi narrating. She is made for this type of story! Now that I think about it, this was similar Molly Harper's Naked Werewolf series that Ms. Ronconi also narrates. I will probably continue this series, especially since it is so easy to listen to.
Light and fluffy, more of a cozy mystery than a romance though there was romance in it. And it wasn't really a mystery either, but it was that sort of feel with a paranormal twist. Either way, it was fun and worth the time to listen - especially with Amanda Ronconi narrating. She is made for this type of story! Now that I think about it, this was similar Molly Harper's Naked Werewolf series that Ms. Ronconi also narrates. I will probably continue this series, especially since it is so easy to listen to.
March 14, 2012
Long Island Iced Tea
1oz. vodka
1oz. gin
1oz. light rum
1oz. silver tequila
1oz. triple sec
1oz. lemon juice
3/4oz. simple syrup
1. lemon wedge
Like the aforementioned, A Little Night Magic is sweet, a little quirky and quite nice while you're sitting in a deck chair on a sunny day. But it will kick you if you let it. It has a dark edge which sneaks up on you a little.
It's quite good in a Buffy kind of way.
1oz. vodka
1oz. gin
1oz. light rum
1oz. silver tequila
1oz. triple sec
1oz. lemon juice
3/4oz. simple syrup
1. lemon wedge
Like the aforementioned, A Little Night Magic is sweet, a little quirky and quite nice while you're sitting in a deck chair on a sunny day. But it will kick you if you let it. It has a dark edge which sneaks up on you a little.
It's quite good in a Buffy kind of way.
September 4, 2015
Story: 3♥'s
Performance: 5♥'s (Amanda Ronconi- or however her name is spelled just rocks)
Overall Rating: 4♥'s
It was relatively cute and fluffy, but many humor moments fell a little flat for me. The narrator absolutely was a great choice, as she raised the rating with her performance. Passes the time, and nice for an easy no-deep-thinking required fun read. Not heavy on the heat factor.
Performance: 5♥'s (Amanda Ronconi- or however her name is spelled just rocks)
Overall Rating: 4♥'s
It was relatively cute and fluffy, but many humor moments fell a little flat for me. The narrator absolutely was a great choice, as she raised the rating with her performance. Passes the time, and nice for an easy no-deep-thinking required fun read. Not heavy on the heat factor.
October 16, 2014
Αν και η ηρωίδα στα 2/3 του βιβλίου έκανε βλακείες και συμπεριφερόταν λες και ήταν εφτά χρονών με κατάφερε να την συμπαθήσω. Το βιβλίο γενικά είναι ανάλαφρο, χαριτωμένο, πολύ γλυκό και κυρίως μαγικό! Πολύ καλό.
January 2, 2012
The first 50-75 pages of this book are so cute and funny. But then the plot turns really weak. A lot of TSTL moments.
Full review to come
Full review to come
May 13, 2020
Pretty great!
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