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A Spoonful of Magic
A delightful new urban fantasy about a kitchen witch and her magical family
Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Deschants has an ideal suburban life—three wonderful and talented children; a coffee shop and bakery, owned and run with her best friend; a nearly perfect husband, Gabriel, or "G" to his friends and family. Life could hardly be better.
But G's perfection hides dangerous secrets. When Daffy uncovers evidence of his infidelity, her perfect life seems to be in ruins. On their wedding anniversary, Daffy prepares to confront him, only to be stopped in her tracks when he foils a mugging attempt using wizard-level magic.
Suddenly, Daphne is part of a world she never imagined—where her husband is not a traveling troubleshooter for a software company, but the sheriff of the International Guild of Wizards, and her brilliant children are also budding magicians. Even she herself is not just a great baker and barista—she's actually a kitchen witch. And her...
Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Deschants has an ideal suburban life—three wonderful and talented children; a coffee shop and bakery, owned and run with her best friend; a nearly perfect husband, Gabriel, or "G" to his friends and family. Life could hardly be better.
But G's perfection hides dangerous secrets. When Daffy uncovers evidence of his infidelity, her perfect life seems to be in ruins. On their wedding anniversary, Daffy prepares to confront him, only to be stopped in her tracks when he foils a mugging attempt using wizard-level magic.
Suddenly, Daphne is part of a world she never imagined—where her husband is not a traveling troubleshooter for a software company, but the sheriff of the International Guild of Wizards, and her brilliant children are also budding magicians. Even she herself is not just a great baker and barista—she's actually a kitchen witch. And her...
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2017
12 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
About the author
Irene Radford
127 books135 followersAlso uses C.F. Bentley, Phyllis Irene Radford, Julia Verne St. John, Rachel Atwood, Phyllis Ames, P. Irene Radford and P.R. Frost.
Irene has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. Combining a love for Medieval history and a fascination with paranormal, Irene concentrated on fantasy writing.
In her spare time, Irene enjoys lacemaking and is a long time member of an international guild. Check out THE LONELIEST MAGICIAN, The Dragon Nimbus #3 for an exploration of her favorite obsession. A piece of magic lace is the obvious patch for a dragon wing. She has published numerous magazine articles about the history and technique of lacemaking as well as self publishing two lacemaker's fairy tales with lace patterns that can be made up to illustrate the stories. When she isn't writing or making lace she enjoys exploring the back roads and many museums of the Pacific Northwest.
For many years Irene was active in Ballet du Lac, a semi-pro ballet company. She taught ballet to youngsters in her local community school program. At the same time she led a Cub Scout pack and frequently found her home the preferred playground in the neighborhood for many more children than she thought possible.
Irene has held many full and part time jobs from Insurance underwriter to assistant curator of a museum to clerk in a fabric store. Writing is now her “day job.”
Two years ago, Irene took up fencing as research for GUARDIAN OF THE FREEDOM, Merlin’s Descendants #5. She figured one quarter would give her some vocabulary and a feel for a weapon in her hand. But that wasn’t enough to write realistic battles on the Ottoman frontier or convincing duels. So she signed up for another quarter. And another. Now she’s addicted and needs to add fencing to more of her books and let her subjects range further afield.
A native Oregonian living in Oregon, Irene is a member of an endangered species. As a service brat, she lived in a number of cities throughout the country until returning to Oregon in time to graduate from Tigard High School. She earned a B.A. in history from Lewis and Clark College, where she met her husband, Tim. Historical research has remained a lifelong passion and finally became a part of her job with the historical fantasy series Merlin’s Descendants.
Irene and her husband currently make their home in Welches, Oregon where they share their back yard with deer, coyotes, bear (check the pictures), raccoons and too many bird species to mention.
Irene has been writing stories ever since she figured out what a pencil was for. Combining a love for Medieval history and a fascination with paranormal, Irene concentrated on fantasy writing.
In her spare time, Irene enjoys lacemaking and is a long time member of an international guild. Check out THE LONELIEST MAGICIAN, The Dragon Nimbus #3 for an exploration of her favorite obsession. A piece of magic lace is the obvious patch for a dragon wing. She has published numerous magazine articles about the history and technique of lacemaking as well as self publishing two lacemaker's fairy tales with lace patterns that can be made up to illustrate the stories. When she isn't writing or making lace she enjoys exploring the back roads and many museums of the Pacific Northwest.
For many years Irene was active in Ballet du Lac, a semi-pro ballet company. She taught ballet to youngsters in her local community school program. At the same time she led a Cub Scout pack and frequently found her home the preferred playground in the neighborhood for many more children than she thought possible.
Irene has held many full and part time jobs from Insurance underwriter to assistant curator of a museum to clerk in a fabric store. Writing is now her “day job.”
Two years ago, Irene took up fencing as research for GUARDIAN OF THE FREEDOM, Merlin’s Descendants #5. She figured one quarter would give her some vocabulary and a feel for a weapon in her hand. But that wasn’t enough to write realistic battles on the Ottoman frontier or convincing duels. So she signed up for another quarter. And another. Now she’s addicted and needs to add fencing to more of her books and let her subjects range further afield.
A native Oregonian living in Oregon, Irene is a member of an endangered species. As a service brat, she lived in a number of cities throughout the country until returning to Oregon in time to graduate from Tigard High School. She earned a B.A. in history from Lewis and Clark College, where she met her husband, Tim. Historical research has remained a lifelong passion and finally became a part of her job with the historical fantasy series Merlin’s Descendants.
Irene and her husband currently make their home in Welches, Oregon where they share their back yard with deer, coyotes, bear (check the pictures), raccoons and too many bird species to mention.
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October 17, 2017
Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Deschants has just found out that after thirteen years of marriage her husband, "G", is a lying cheat and she's determined to kick him to the curb. Daffy knows that she and her three children should be just fine since she has her coffee shop she runs with her best friend but when Daffy confronts G to end things she finds out he has even more secrets that he's been hiding. Just after their dinner and discussion about his cheating ways they are confronted by a robber that G stops with his magic wand and Daffy comes to realize G is a wizard.
Even though Daffy is determined to send G packing things aren't always that simple when you have children together. Just as G is out of the house Daffy finds she needs his help with the kids when they all seem to start showing signs of coming into powers of their own. And just when Daffy thinks she is the only one in the family that is normal it becomes apparent she is a kitchen witch herself. But to make matters worse for this family more of Gs secrets come into play when it's found that his past is catching up with them and they are in danger.
A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford is an urban fantasy read bringing witches and wizards into an everyday world for this family that once seemed relatively normal. For me this was another of those books that I just couldn't decide from one minute to the next whether I loved the story or hated it. This is really due to the fact that in my mind reading the synopsis for the book that Daffy would be sending her cheating ex packing but it ends up this poor excuse for a man is a big portion of the book. If you've ever watched a movie or show and covered your eyes during the eeeww parts then that is how I felt when G is involved but you can't cover your eyes while reading.
On the plus side though I did like Daffy and her kids and the idea behind the story the author had come up with. This family discovering their magic when all seemed like normal day to day life until then was actually a fun idea. And then to ramp up the action to find there was also danger in this hidden world that had been brewing for years was a great idea. The problem still rested with the cheating hubby with his lame excuse of blaming magic when even the children were doing magic without "needing" sex. I honestly just wish the author had done her story and eliminated the cheating side and I think more readers would love this urban fantasy. In the end for me I decided on 3 stars for this one as parts of it were great.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
Even though Daffy is determined to send G packing things aren't always that simple when you have children together. Just as G is out of the house Daffy finds she needs his help with the kids when they all seem to start showing signs of coming into powers of their own. And just when Daffy thinks she is the only one in the family that is normal it becomes apparent she is a kitchen witch herself. But to make matters worse for this family more of Gs secrets come into play when it's found that his past is catching up with them and they are in danger.
A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford is an urban fantasy read bringing witches and wizards into an everyday world for this family that once seemed relatively normal. For me this was another of those books that I just couldn't decide from one minute to the next whether I loved the story or hated it. This is really due to the fact that in my mind reading the synopsis for the book that Daffy would be sending her cheating ex packing but it ends up this poor excuse for a man is a big portion of the book. If you've ever watched a movie or show and covered your eyes during the eeeww parts then that is how I felt when G is involved but you can't cover your eyes while reading.
On the plus side though I did like Daffy and her kids and the idea behind the story the author had come up with. This family discovering their magic when all seemed like normal day to day life until then was actually a fun idea. And then to ramp up the action to find there was also danger in this hidden world that had been brewing for years was a great idea. The problem still rested with the cheating hubby with his lame excuse of blaming magic when even the children were doing magic without "needing" sex. I honestly just wish the author had done her story and eliminated the cheating side and I think more readers would love this urban fantasy. In the end for me I decided on 3 stars for this one as parts of it were great.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
August 30, 2024
This is my first experience with Irene Radford. Sadly I’m disappointed in what I read.
A Spoonful of Magic
turned out to be depressing and a major headache .
I picked this one up; because I found the cover to be beautiful and the blurb to be intriguing. Even though the blurb mention’s that Daffy’s hubby G has been unfaithful I was hoping it was a misunderstanding and not true, especially since G’s a Sheriff for the International Guild of Wizard’s. Sadly it didn’t turn out that way.
G is a cheater. As soon as it was true and came to light I should have DNF’d this book, but nope I kept going. I new I should have stoped, but their was something that compiled me to finish. Maybe I was hoping for a turn around, I just don’t know.
Cheater’s are a no no for me. That scenario is one I don’t like to read about, one that bothers me greatly. Their is no excuses for cheating. Non. So why does he cheat on his wife? Well it’s his magic. When he uses a lot of magic he ends up having to much pent up energy and the only way to get ride of it is to have sex. Since he’s out being sheriff of his territory and never home or near his wife, he sleeps with other women (one night stands). This set up for the magic is wrong. What was even more unfortunate is that G, Daffy’s X-Hubby had no remorse about what he did to his wife, doesn’t change his way, and continues to lie, cheat, and manipulate throughout the story.
As for G and Daffy I never felt the love from G, but Daffy she loved him. G picked Daffy up to be a mom to his son and used his wife as a nanny. It was sad how G treated his wife, whom you can clearly see loved him deeply. He kept secrets lots of them, doesn't talk to his wife now and then, nor does he tell her the truth, and when he does it's not the whole story. As for Daffy she has magical powers, but they have been layton until now. She also doesn't have the sexual urge like her X until they do a major power spell, but even then she doesn't give in and finds other ways to work off the excess energy.
To wrap things up A Spoonful of Magic showed some promise with the plot that was fascinating at times, the lesser characters where appealing, but ultimately the unorthodox morality Radford created in her magical world was just to hard for me to consume.
*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
I picked this one up; because I found the cover to be beautiful and the blurb to be intriguing. Even though the blurb mention’s that Daffy’s hubby G has been unfaithful I was hoping it was a misunderstanding and not true, especially since G’s a Sheriff for the International Guild of Wizard’s. Sadly it didn’t turn out that way.
G is a cheater. As soon as it was true and came to light I should have DNF’d this book, but nope I kept going. I new I should have stoped, but their was something that compiled me to finish. Maybe I was hoping for a turn around, I just don’t know.
Cheater’s are a no no for me. That scenario is one I don’t like to read about, one that bothers me greatly. Their is no excuses for cheating. Non. So why does he cheat on his wife? Well it’s his magic. When he uses a lot of magic he ends up having to much pent up energy and the only way to get ride of it is to have sex. Since he’s out being sheriff of his territory and never home or near his wife, he sleeps with other women (one night stands). This set up for the magic is wrong. What was even more unfortunate is that G, Daffy’s X-Hubby had no remorse about what he did to his wife, doesn’t change his way, and continues to lie, cheat, and manipulate throughout the story.
As for G and Daffy I never felt the love from G, but Daffy she loved him. G picked Daffy up to be a mom to his son and used his wife as a nanny. It was sad how G treated his wife, whom you can clearly see loved him deeply. He kept secrets lots of them, doesn't talk to his wife now and then, nor does he tell her the truth, and when he does it's not the whole story. As for Daffy she has magical powers, but they have been layton until now. She also doesn't have the sexual urge like her X until they do a major power spell, but even then she doesn't give in and finds other ways to work off the excess energy.
To wrap things up A Spoonful of Magic showed some promise with the plot that was fascinating at times, the lesser characters where appealing, but ultimately the unorthodox morality Radford created in her magical world was just to hard for me to consume.
*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
December 2, 2017
Daphne "Daffy" Deschants is livid. She has photos showing her husband in a compromising position with another woman at a sleezy motel. She knows what drama her finally being tired of his fooling around is going to cause, but she's had it. She confronts him....and the drama starts. But it's so much more than she expected. Come to find out her husband is not a travelling for his job with a software company. He's a wizard....a sheriff for the International Guild of Wizards. His job is dangerous. Yeah....he's a letch and a cheater. But he's so much more. Then, her children start manifesting magical talents.....and even herself. Her perfect life is pretty well disintegrating.....and completely changing. But that's not all......her husband's ex-wife is an evil witch. Literally. She's going blind, and she wants her son's eyes. Daphne has raised the boy as her own since he was a baby. And she's not about to let his mother hurt him. Can she figure out how to use her new powers to protect her family?
I really really really (really x 10) wanted to like this book. But, I have to be honest and say that I didn't. The main characters are annoying. The husband is a jerk. The wife is whiny and annoying. The kids....annoying too. I just didn't connect with any of them. The writing style and short paragraphs weren't my cup of tea either. The premise itself was intriguing. But the story just never gelled for me. I can't find any one thing that I can say "This right here is the reason I didn't enjoy this book.'' I just think the whole thing was just not for me. That's life -- not everything is enjoyable for everyone. I gave it the best try I could....I read the entire book. Then I thought about it for a couple days before writing this review. My conclusion -- I really tried to like this story and the characters. There were some cute moments....and some enjoyable bits here and there. But overall, this was not the book for me. And as a reviewer, I have to be totally honest and rank it as truthfully as possible. I thank the author and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to review this book, but it just fell flat for me. It happens.
Other readers who like light stories with magic, humor and some family drama might like this tale better than I did.
**I read an advanced readers copy of this book from Berkley via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
I really really really (really x 10) wanted to like this book. But, I have to be honest and say that I didn't. The main characters are annoying. The husband is a jerk. The wife is whiny and annoying. The kids....annoying too. I just didn't connect with any of them. The writing style and short paragraphs weren't my cup of tea either. The premise itself was intriguing. But the story just never gelled for me. I can't find any one thing that I can say "This right here is the reason I didn't enjoy this book.'' I just think the whole thing was just not for me. That's life -- not everything is enjoyable for everyone. I gave it the best try I could....I read the entire book. Then I thought about it for a couple days before writing this review. My conclusion -- I really tried to like this story and the characters. There were some cute moments....and some enjoyable bits here and there. But overall, this was not the book for me. And as a reviewer, I have to be totally honest and rank it as truthfully as possible. I thank the author and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to review this book, but it just fell flat for me. It happens.
Other readers who like light stories with magic, humor and some family drama might like this tale better than I did.
**I read an advanced readers copy of this book from Berkley via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
November 17, 2025
Daffy’s life implodes from the inside out when she finds out that her husband has been cheating on her when he is supposed to be away on business. He doesn’t even have the career she thought he had. To top it off, his career is as part of a magical policing organization, the International Guild of Wizards. Yes, magic does exist Daffy and it's closer than you think… Because she soon finds out that her entire family, including her children, are magical. If that wasn’t enough to deal with Daffy has had magic too and her husband knew it but kept her ignorant, never having the opportunity to train, leaving her open to all types of magical mayhem.
This is Daffy’s story, the story of self-discovering into a magical world that coincides with everyday life…until you get caught up in a plot of revenge and hate that could rip away everything and everyone she holds dear.
The storytelling was amazing, but I did have a bit of a problem with the persistence of infidelity and then relating to the characters after their decisions and nonchalance about the cheating. It made the relationship unbelievable, it was either upsetting enough to break up a marriage or not and it seems it went both ways which didn't work.
I was invested in the outcome and truly wanted to know how it would all work out. In the end I give A Spoonful of Magic 4 stars.
I received this ARC copy of A Spoonful of Magic from Berkley Publishing Group - DAW. This is my honest and voluntary review. A Spoonful of Magic is set for publication November 7, 2017.
This is Daffy’s story, the story of self-discovering into a magical world that coincides with everyday life…until you get caught up in a plot of revenge and hate that could rip away everything and everyone she holds dear.
The storytelling was amazing, but I did have a bit of a problem with the persistence of infidelity and then relating to the characters after their decisions and nonchalance about the cheating. It made the relationship unbelievable, it was either upsetting enough to break up a marriage or not and it seems it went both ways which didn't work.
I was invested in the outcome and truly wanted to know how it would all work out. In the end I give A Spoonful of Magic 4 stars.
I received this ARC copy of A Spoonful of Magic from Berkley Publishing Group - DAW. This is my honest and voluntary review. A Spoonful of Magic is set for publication November 7, 2017.
November 9, 2017
Daphne Deschants life seems perfect, she has a successful bakery business, three children she adores and a successful and gorgeous husband. However, things start to fall apart when she discovers that he has been cheating on her...and that isn't the only thing that he is hiding from her. He isn't the software wizard she thought he was, he is in fact a wizard and more than that he's head of magical law enforcement and now the danger he faces at work looks like it has followed him home putting him and his whole family in danger.Gosh, but I really disliked this book. I didn't want to as there were some aspects, such as the world that Radford has set her story in that I really liked. I have always found magic fascinating and I liked the way it had been set up, however, there was one huge glaring thing that I absolutely hated about this book and it drove me crazy throughout the whole thing: G, the cheating husband.
Now, I know people are more than just one thing and just because a person cheats that doesn't make them evil. And G wasn't evil, he was just an absolute freaking arsehole, let me give you a list of the two main reasons I couldn't stand him:
He basically bespelled Daffy when she was in college to fall in love with him so she would marry him. This wasn't because he loved her...it was because he needed someone to take care of his young child and look after his house. If he hadn't used magic and instead used drugs I believe we might be straying into the "rape" category, don't ya think?
The cheating. Now, he didn't just make a mistake once and he's really remorseful and wants to try and win Daffy back because he knows what he did was wrong. Nope, apparently magic makes you horny once you've finished using it. So, when he was away he would just randomly fuck people to get rid of the his magical boner. And, in fact he does this in a few time in the duration of this book as well. Is he sorry? Nope. Does he ever apologise. Nope. My impression was that if they got back together that this would just continue and she would just have to deal with it. What. A. Dick.
But, it wasn't just G that bothered me, although for the most part the more I learnt about G the more wound up I got, it was the weird way G and Daffy treated their kids, all of whose ages ranged from 8-15. They just randomly put them in danger. Face off with the big bad...lets bring the kids so we can use their power. It was just so weird for the normally protective and loving mother to put them in such blatant danger. G I could understand because he is a selfish bastard and seems to view things through the lens of how he could use them.
So, it's safe to say I won't be continuing on with this series, nearly everything in it annoyed the hell out of me, from the characters to the story line - but mainly the characters.
*ARC provided by publisher
Reviewed by Suzanne❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤
dnf
August 15, 2017Wow this husband is an asshole! I can't appreciate the magic with such a horrible guy in the picture.
November 8, 2017
I want to thank Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate this opportunity.
Synopsis: Daphne”Daffy” has what most would call the good life. She lives in Suburbia and has 3 awesome kids. She owns a coffeehouse and bakery with best friend and husband Gabriel, also known as “G”. To everyone on the outside life couldn’t get much better but little do they know that this picture perfect family are amiss secrets.
Daffy’s life suddenly goes downhill when she discovers proof that her husband is cheating on her. She decides to face him on their wedding anniversary but is completely thrown off guard when he uses some crazy wizard-level magic. Things seem unreal to Daphne as she discovers her husband is the sheriff of the International Guild of Wizards and her kids are also magicians.
When Daffy feels life couldn’t get any more insane she couldn’t be more wrong. G’s ex wife who is a crazy and dangerous witch, has escaped from prison. The ex wife is set on seeking revenge from the past. Daphne is faced with having to save herself and her family. Will Daphne bring order to all this new founded chaos?
Review: I give this book 4 out of 5 magical stars. I really enjoyed the storytelling and was captivated by the magic. I loved Daphne and the children’s characters but was very conflicted on how I felt about G. I thoroughly enjoyed this story but felt they focused on the infidelity a tad too much. Overall I am glad I read this story.
Synopsis: Daphne”Daffy” has what most would call the good life. She lives in Suburbia and has 3 awesome kids. She owns a coffeehouse and bakery with best friend and husband Gabriel, also known as “G”. To everyone on the outside life couldn’t get much better but little do they know that this picture perfect family are amiss secrets.
Daffy’s life suddenly goes downhill when she discovers proof that her husband is cheating on her. She decides to face him on their wedding anniversary but is completely thrown off guard when he uses some crazy wizard-level magic. Things seem unreal to Daphne as she discovers her husband is the sheriff of the International Guild of Wizards and her kids are also magicians.
When Daffy feels life couldn’t get any more insane she couldn’t be more wrong. G’s ex wife who is a crazy and dangerous witch, has escaped from prison. The ex wife is set on seeking revenge from the past. Daphne is faced with having to save herself and her family. Will Daphne bring order to all this new founded chaos?
Review: I give this book 4 out of 5 magical stars. I really enjoyed the storytelling and was captivated by the magic. I loved Daphne and the children’s characters but was very conflicted on how I felt about G. I thoroughly enjoyed this story but felt they focused on the infidelity a tad too much. Overall I am glad I read this story.
December 5, 2017
Daphne Deschants life seems perfect, she has a successful bakery business, three children she adores and a successful and gorgeous husband. However, things start to fall apart when she discovers that he has been cheating on her…and that isn’t the only thing that he is hiding from her. He isn’t the software wizard she thought he was, he is in fact a wizard and more than that he’s head of magical law enforcement and now the danger he faces at work looks like it has followed him home putting him and his whole family in danger.
Gosh, but I really disliked this book. I didn’t want to as there were some aspects, such as the world that Radford has set her story in that I really liked. I have always found magic fascinating and I liked the way it had been set up, however, there was one huge glaring thing that I absolutely hated about this book and it drove me crazy throughout the whole thing: G, the cheating husband.
Now, I know people are more than just one thing and just because a person cheats that doesn’t make them evil. And G wasn’t evil, he was just an absolute freaking arsehole, let me give you a list of the two main reasons I couldn’t stand him:
1. He basically bespelled Daffy when she was in college to fall in love with him so she would marry him. This wasn’t because he loved her…it was because he needed someone to take care of his young child and look after his house. If he hadn’t used magic and instead used drugs I believe we might be straying into the “rape” category, don’t ya think?
2. The cheating. Now, he didn’t just make a mistake once and he’s really remorseful and wants to try and win Daffy back because he knows what he did was wrong. Nope, apparently magic makes you horny once you’ve finished using it. So, when he was away he would just randomly fuck people to get rid of the his magical boner. And, in fact he does this in a few time in the duration of this book as well. Is he sorry? Nope. Does he ever apologise. Nope. My impression was that if they got back together that this would just continue and she would just have to deal with it. What. A. Dick.
But, it wasn’t just G that bothered me, although for the most part the more I learnt about G the more wound up I got, it was the weird way G and Daffy treated their kids, all of whose ages ranged from 8-15. They just randomly put them in danger. Face off with the big bad…lets bring the kids so we can use their power. It was just so weird for the normally protective and loving mother to put them in such blatant danger. G I could understand because he is a selfish bastard and seems to view things through the lens of how he could use them.
So, it’s safe to say I won’t be continuing on with this series, nearly everything in it annoyed the hell out of me, from the characters to the story line – but mainly the characters.
December 7, 2017
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I was very curious to discover this new story. How to resist such a cover, as well as a story of magic and wizards?
I found it very nice for once to have a woman married with children. It is not necessarily the profile that we usually find and it was very pleasant to have it here. Daffy has always had the perfect life but everything will change the day she discovers that this is just a lie. Her husband is not the one he claims to be but a wizard, as well as their children. She also discovers that he has cheated on her several times and she can not forgive him! Asking him to leave their home, Daffy will have to face a world she did not know about. On top of that, the ex-wife of « G » escaped from the prison where she was held captive and she wants to recover her son whom Daffy regards as hers. Daffy’s entire family is in danger, and while she discovers that she has powers as well and that her divorce is underway, two men begin to turn around her in addition to her husband, but whom can she trust? Facing with her new life, we will discover Daffy’s determination, as well as her desire to confront the lies of her husband whom she does not accept.
I had a good time with this story and I found the whole very nice to read. However, I think that the story was quite disjointed and it is true that sometimes it was a bit complicated. I had the impression of having some inconsistencies also which puts a little in withdrawal in relation to the narrative.
You’ll understand, I had a good time overall though I think the story could have been much more.
My English review
I was very curious to discover this new story. How to resist such a cover, as well as a story of magic and wizards?
I found it very nice for once to have a woman married with children. It is not necessarily the profile that we usually find and it was very pleasant to have it here. Daffy has always had the perfect life but everything will change the day she discovers that this is just a lie. Her husband is not the one he claims to be but a wizard, as well as their children. She also discovers that he has cheated on her several times and she can not forgive him! Asking him to leave their home, Daffy will have to face a world she did not know about. On top of that, the ex-wife of « G » escaped from the prison where she was held captive and she wants to recover her son whom Daffy regards as hers. Daffy’s entire family is in danger, and while she discovers that she has powers as well and that her divorce is underway, two men begin to turn around her in addition to her husband, but whom can she trust? Facing with her new life, we will discover Daffy’s determination, as well as her desire to confront the lies of her husband whom she does not accept.
I had a good time with this story and I found the whole very nice to read. However, I think that the story was quite disjointed and it is true that sometimes it was a bit complicated. I had the impression of having some inconsistencies also which puts a little in withdrawal in relation to the narrative.
You’ll understand, I had a good time overall though I think the story could have been much more.
September 4, 2017
This is a book that I should have not wasted time on... but I received an ARC from Netgalley and I felt an obligation to read it before I started trash-talking.
Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Deschants finds out on her 13th wedding anniversary that her husband is a wizard, that her three children also have magic and she herself has magical potential. And her husband routinely cheats on her... plus his first ex-wife is not dead, she was in magical prison and now she's escaped.
Why I started this book: Awesome cover and a great set up. I wanted to find a new strong female paranormal character, and a mother main character could have been awesome! Struggling to balance carpools and kicking butt. Epic.
Why I finished it: Guilt. There were so many times and places that I should have stopped. When Daffy learned that her whole marriage was magically-manipulated by her ex, and then she shrugs and asks him to watch the kids. Or when he repeatedly keeps manipulating her, and she stands up by telling him later, first I'm making you lunch. Or how, when the reader is getting "G" point of view... it's all about how she's still his wife, but since they are on the outs, he can sleep with anyone. But the showstopper was that her son's best friend and their neighbor, gets sucked into the posse of the wicked witch and instead of fighting to reclaim and rescue the boy, Daffy is like well it just goes to show when you parents are ultra-conservative religious nuts, of course their son will turn out like that. Serves them right. EEK!! Run away.
Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Deschants finds out on her 13th wedding anniversary that her husband is a wizard, that her three children also have magic and she herself has magical potential. And her husband routinely cheats on her... plus his first ex-wife is not dead, she was in magical prison and now she's escaped.
Why I started this book: Awesome cover and a great set up. I wanted to find a new strong female paranormal character, and a mother main character could have been awesome! Struggling to balance carpools and kicking butt. Epic.
Why I finished it: Guilt. There were so many times and places that I should have stopped. When Daffy learned that her whole marriage was magically-manipulated by her ex, and then she shrugs and asks him to watch the kids. Or when he repeatedly keeps manipulating her, and she stands up by telling him later, first I'm making you lunch. Or how, when the reader is getting "G" point of view... it's all about how she's still his wife, but since they are on the outs, he can sleep with anyone. But the showstopper was that her son's best friend and their neighbor, gets sucked into the posse of the wicked witch and instead of fighting to reclaim and rescue the boy, Daffy is like well it just goes to show when you parents are ultra-conservative religious nuts, of course their son will turn out like that. Serves them right. EEK!! Run away.
August 2, 2017
A Spoonful of Magic is a disappointing read. The poofs of magic are more easily understood than the main characters and far more likable. The story showed some promise with a plot that was at times intriguing and some interesting lesser characters but ultimately the bizarre choices Radford has made about morality in her magical world are just too hard to swallow.
I received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.
I received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 1, 2017
Super cute! Daphne and her family are a magical bunch. The children are just coming into their magical abilities and need their father's help. Their father, known mostly as G, is from a long line of magic users. When an enemy threatens, they must all be prepared and Daphne better be ready. Magical Brews is the shop where Daffy creates magic in the kitchen.
This is a light paranormal that's fun to read. These are good characters, and even the children have a major role in here that is essential to the plot. The husband and wife dynamic is unconventional. I won't give anything away on that.
Daffy is great, and I wish I could try one of her melt-in-your-mouth pastries. You can almost taste them! A pleasurable treat that focuses on this family and has a Halloween backdrop. I think fans of cozies will like this while sipping their favorite fall drink.
This is a light paranormal that's fun to read. These are good characters, and even the children have a major role in here that is essential to the plot. The husband and wife dynamic is unconventional. I won't give anything away on that.
Daffy is great, and I wish I could try one of her melt-in-your-mouth pastries. You can almost taste them! A pleasurable treat that focuses on this family and has a Halloween backdrop. I think fans of cozies will like this while sipping their favorite fall drink.
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November 2, 2017I have read almost half of this book, and I am not connecting with the characters. Furthermore, I was hoping that the husband caught cheating was a misunderstanding, but nope, he lies and continues to cheat. I can’t get behind a character who lets down his wife and kids. I think it is best for me to part ways with this one.
June 15, 2018
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
I hate writing one bat reviews, especially on a book I wanted to like so much, but A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC fell completely flat for me.
What made me pick up the book was the promising of cooking and magic. I’m a baker and I love cooking so that was right up my alley, and it’s different from the usual wand waving magic. I did find the magic system intriguing, everyone has their own specialty and slightly unique way of casting magic. One of the kids is effectively a computer mage, which is a concept I loved. But there is still a lot of wand waving, and while it’s structured like a hard magic system, it really wasn't when the plot needed the characters to be able to do something different.
My main complaint about the magic system deserves a whole paragraph on it’s own. A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC opens with Daphne breaking up with her husband because he’s cheated on her. He waves the cheating away by saying that using magic boosts your sex drive so if he’s away on business he just has to sleep with someone if he expended to much magic. However, Radford waves away that requirement whenever it gets in the way. The biggest time she does that is when she explains that the teenage kids won’t have those urges because … reasons. Seriously? I agree it wouldn’t fit in with the story, part of why I don’t like this aspect of the magic system. But you’re trying to tell me that teens, whose hormones are already off the charts, aren’t going to be affected by magic that boosts your sex drive? I found that hard to believe. If you're going to create a rule for your magic system stick with it or toss it out.
The worst part of the book was the plotting and structure. It took me until about the midpoint to figure out what type of a story A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC is. It’s a coming of age story. Sure, Daphne is married and has kids, but she’s really only just starting to grow up. In fact, Daphne even says at the end of the book that she’s still growing up. Now there’s nothing wrong with coming of age stories. Some of my favorite books are coming of age stories. The problem was that A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC wasn’t structured like a coming of age story. The focus of the plot was on her husband’s ex-wife trying to steal their son’s eyes. For me that plotline didn’t fit with the rest of the story. It felt like Radford thought she needed an action plot to sell A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC as urban fantasy, so she threw in this side plot and made it the main plot. Daphne and her kids would be going about their regular life, then the 1st plot point would show up out of nowhere with her husband and this side plot. Then he’d vanish with the plot until the midpoint. Once again gone until the 2nd plot point. Then even after the 2nd plot point and heading towards the climax, this side plot disappeared, until the actual climactic moment. That's not even touch the huge plot holes in A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC.
I loved the idea of mixing cooking and magic. A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC wasn’t at all the book I was hoping for though. If Daphne had actually kicked her husband to the curb instead of keeping him around, and if the “main” plot about her husband’s crazy ex-wife had been left out there would’ve been an amazing coming of age story here. Instead of all that I was left with a mix of bad plotting, bad story structure, with a fun cast of characters (minus the ex-husband.)
Sexual content: References to sex
I hate writing one bat reviews, especially on a book I wanted to like so much, but A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC fell completely flat for me.
What made me pick up the book was the promising of cooking and magic. I’m a baker and I love cooking so that was right up my alley, and it’s different from the usual wand waving magic. I did find the magic system intriguing, everyone has their own specialty and slightly unique way of casting magic. One of the kids is effectively a computer mage, which is a concept I loved. But there is still a lot of wand waving, and while it’s structured like a hard magic system, it really wasn't when the plot needed the characters to be able to do something different.
My main complaint about the magic system deserves a whole paragraph on it’s own. A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC opens with Daphne breaking up with her husband because he’s cheated on her. He waves the cheating away by saying that using magic boosts your sex drive so if he’s away on business he just has to sleep with someone if he expended to much magic. However, Radford waves away that requirement whenever it gets in the way. The biggest time she does that is when she explains that the teenage kids won’t have those urges because … reasons. Seriously? I agree it wouldn’t fit in with the story, part of why I don’t like this aspect of the magic system. But you’re trying to tell me that teens, whose hormones are already off the charts, aren’t going to be affected by magic that boosts your sex drive? I found that hard to believe. If you're going to create a rule for your magic system stick with it or toss it out.
The worst part of the book was the plotting and structure. It took me until about the midpoint to figure out what type of a story A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC is. It’s a coming of age story. Sure, Daphne is married and has kids, but she’s really only just starting to grow up. In fact, Daphne even says at the end of the book that she’s still growing up. Now there’s nothing wrong with coming of age stories. Some of my favorite books are coming of age stories. The problem was that A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC wasn’t structured like a coming of age story. The focus of the plot was on her husband’s ex-wife trying to steal their son’s eyes. For me that plotline didn’t fit with the rest of the story. It felt like Radford thought she needed an action plot to sell A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC as urban fantasy, so she threw in this side plot and made it the main plot. Daphne and her kids would be going about their regular life, then the 1st plot point would show up out of nowhere with her husband and this side plot. Then he’d vanish with the plot until the midpoint. Once again gone until the 2nd plot point. Then even after the 2nd plot point and heading towards the climax, this side plot disappeared, until the actual climactic moment. That's not even touch the huge plot holes in A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC.
I loved the idea of mixing cooking and magic. A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC wasn’t at all the book I was hoping for though. If Daphne had actually kicked her husband to the curb instead of keeping him around, and if the “main” plot about her husband’s crazy ex-wife had been left out there would’ve been an amazing coming of age story here. Instead of all that I was left with a mix of bad plotting, bad story structure, with a fun cast of characters (minus the ex-husband.)
Sexual content: References to sex
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August 31, 2017I simply could not finish this one. I want to like the characters I spend time with in books and simply could not like G or Daffy. I have no tolerance for cheats and liars and people whose egos allow them to justify whatever hurt they cause as unimportant. I think the story has potential, but without some serious rewriting, this one just isn't for me.
November 4, 2017
I picked this book up because the cover is gorgeous and the blurb sounded really fascinating. Soccer mom urban fantasy? YES, PLEASE! There’s so many UFs with hot young single things who end up in relationships with various paranormal creatures - and don’t get me wrong, I love those books as much as anyone - but the prospect of an older mom with a long-term relationship as the heroine sounded so fresh and unusual to me. Of course, I had assumed that the allegations of infidelity would turn out to be untrue. But, oh, I was so wrong. Not only has G (what the heck, dude, you’re a freaking glorified policeman, not a celebrity) cheated on his wife repeatedly over their thirteen years of marriage, but he’s completely unrepentant about it. Oh, and also, he’s a wizard, he actually works for a global wizard law enforcement organization instead of a software company, and the kids will probably start manifesting their magic soon which might make them act basically insane. Needless to say, Daffy is pretty upset that he’s been lying to her for the entire thirteen years they’ve been married, kicks him out, and files for divorce.
There were several enjoyable things about this book. I loved the kids and watching them manifest their magic. I found the explanation of wands, and how a magician finds them, especially interesting, though a lot of the rest of the magic system seemed hazy and unexplained. I loved reading about the intersection of the mundane and magical - Daffy worrying about how to get the kids to their various activities and also giving them enough time to do homework and practice their magic. I liked her interactions with her friend, Gayle, and also the start of a new romance with a fellow dance parent. I also liked the villain and the plot revolving around her.
But then there’s G. As far as I can tell, G is basically irredeemable as a human being. At one point, G admits that he didn’t love Daffy when he married her and basically was using her as an unpaid nanny for his kid from his first marriage. Oh, and a convenient sex outlet, because, apparently, after you work “major magic,” you end up with “needs” that can only be fulfilled by, well, sex. But what really upsets me is the endless lying he does in order to “protect” Daffy and the kids. At one point towards the end of the book, G apparently has finally realized what he’s done wrong:
Unfortunately, he thinks this while he’s supposedly taking their 10-year-old daughter out for ice cream, but is instead using her to magically search a dangerous criminal’s house. And that is the whole problem with G. He seems incapable of actually telling Daffy the truth and he continuously puts the kids in harm’s way.
Overall, an interesting premise, but it's hard to get past G's infidelity and disrespect.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There were several enjoyable things about this book. I loved the kids and watching them manifest their magic. I found the explanation of wands, and how a magician finds them, especially interesting, though a lot of the rest of the magic system seemed hazy and unexplained. I loved reading about the intersection of the mundane and magical - Daffy worrying about how to get the kids to their various activities and also giving them enough time to do homework and practice their magic. I liked her interactions with her friend, Gayle, and also the start of a new romance with a fellow dance parent. I also liked the villain and the plot revolving around her.
But then there’s G. As far as I can tell, G is basically irredeemable as a human being. At one point, G admits that he didn’t love Daffy when he married her and basically was using her as an unpaid nanny for his kid from his first marriage. Oh, and a convenient sex outlet, because, apparently, after you work “major magic,” you end up with “needs” that can only be fulfilled by, well, sex. But what really upsets me is the endless lying he does in order to “protect” Daffy and the kids. At one point towards the end of the book, G apparently has finally realized what he’s done wrong:
"He’d blown this trust thing with Daffy. He needed to earn it back and make sure he never did anything to lose the trust of any of his children. Ever.”
Unfortunately, he thinks this while he’s supposedly taking their 10-year-old daughter out for ice cream, but is instead using her to magically search a dangerous criminal’s house. And that is the whole problem with G. He seems incapable of actually telling Daffy the truth and he continuously puts the kids in harm’s way.
Overall, an interesting premise, but it's hard to get past G's infidelity and disrespect.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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January 5, 2018This review and others can be found on my blog, Fine Print.
I was so excited to stumble upon A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC, a story that features a soccer mom named Daffy and her three kids. That’s right y’all: soccer mom urban fantasy. It’s really rare to find a protagonist in this genre with an established romantic relationship and children, so I was stoked. While the blurb mentions that Daffy’s husband G was unfaithful, I figured that it was either a misunderstanding or that he’d be out of the picture. Unfortunately, neither of my assumptions proved to be correct.
In the first few chapters, Daffy learns that not only is her husband a serial cheater, G also lied about his profession (he’s actually a Very Powerful mage who policies magic), and hid his knowledge of Daffy’s own magic from her. He’s a scumbag. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal had he faded quietly away, but he’s a central character who even has some POV chapters. Add in the fact that everything Daffy learns about the magical world comes straight from G’s lying lips and I struggled to power through his chapters.
There are some cool components to the world building in A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC, most notably the concept of wands. In this world, wands take the form of an object that calls to the magic user; one of Daffy’s children is a talented ballet dancer, and his wand takes the form of a ballet slipper. If only all the dudes in this story had been as cool! As much as I wanted to enjoy this story, I am not interested in spending so much time reading about a family who’s been taken advantage of time and again by a terrible husband and father…especially since it seemed like the door was at least slightly open for Daffy and G to reconcile.
This book was not my style, and I felt that it was best to set it aside. Your mileage may vary!
I was so excited to stumble upon A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC, a story that features a soccer mom named Daffy and her three kids. That’s right y’all: soccer mom urban fantasy. It’s really rare to find a protagonist in this genre with an established romantic relationship and children, so I was stoked. While the blurb mentions that Daffy’s husband G was unfaithful, I figured that it was either a misunderstanding or that he’d be out of the picture. Unfortunately, neither of my assumptions proved to be correct.
In the first few chapters, Daffy learns that not only is her husband a serial cheater, G also lied about his profession (he’s actually a Very Powerful mage who policies magic), and hid his knowledge of Daffy’s own magic from her. He’s a scumbag. This wouldn’t be that big of a deal had he faded quietly away, but he’s a central character who even has some POV chapters. Add in the fact that everything Daffy learns about the magical world comes straight from G’s lying lips and I struggled to power through his chapters.
There are some cool components to the world building in A SPOONFUL OF MAGIC, most notably the concept of wands. In this world, wands take the form of an object that calls to the magic user; one of Daffy’s children is a talented ballet dancer, and his wand takes the form of a ballet slipper. If only all the dudes in this story had been as cool! As much as I wanted to enjoy this story, I am not interested in spending so much time reading about a family who’s been taken advantage of time and again by a terrible husband and father…especially since it seemed like the door was at least slightly open for Daffy and G to reconcile.
This book was not my style, and I felt that it was best to set it aside. Your mileage may vary!
April 28, 2018
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
2.5 hearts
A Spoonful of Magic looked fun with cooking and magic. I did enjoy those aspects. The start was just so sloooooow, so much data and so little information. The world-building felt like mountains of details with no knowledge to be gained.
Daffy is the main character and when she got clued in to the situations, it was easier to learn about the world. She protected her children, while G put his efforts to solving the case. The rest of the characters got more developed and it got more interesting. The relationships between the characters were just kind of creepy. Other than Daffy's love for her son Jason, and her best friend, everyone else seemed to be all about themselves with little regard for the consequences. I couldn't really connect to any of them.
There is a religious group causing problems along the way. Daffy's parents had some of the same mindless religious zealotry. Religion never equals fun to me.
Solving the case, or rather catching the perpetrators who were murdering people and causing destruction, was good. The whole team worked on aspects to both protect the children and bring down the bad guys. Daffy's baking and cooking made me hungry; she has a real talent. Those were a pleasure to read.
Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
2.5 hearts
A Spoonful of Magic looked fun with cooking and magic. I did enjoy those aspects. The start was just so sloooooow, so much data and so little information. The world-building felt like mountains of details with no knowledge to be gained.
Daffy is the main character and when she got clued in to the situations, it was easier to learn about the world. She protected her children, while G put his efforts to solving the case. The rest of the characters got more developed and it got more interesting. The relationships between the characters were just kind of creepy. Other than Daffy's love for her son Jason, and her best friend, everyone else seemed to be all about themselves with little regard for the consequences. I couldn't really connect to any of them.
There is a religious group causing problems along the way. Daffy's parents had some of the same mindless religious zealotry. Religion never equals fun to me.
Solving the case, or rather catching the perpetrators who were murdering people and causing destruction, was good. The whole team worked on aspects to both protect the children and bring down the bad guys. Daffy's baking and cooking made me hungry; she has a real talent. Those were a pleasure to read.
"Training a teenager is a lot like training a dog. Speak their names very clearly to get their attention. Give them a specific chore, and only one at a time. Reward with food."
November 14, 2017
I am not too enamored with the two main characters. It is bits like that make it hard for me continue with A Spoonful of Magic, though the story line has great promise. And yes, I did finish it.
Read the rest of the review at http://www.ismellsheep.com/2017/11/bo...
Read the rest of the review at http://www.ismellsheep.com/2017/11/bo...
February 23, 2019
A different take on magic. A divorce instead of a romance.
All in all, a very interesting story.
Added bonus, a neat ending and it's not a series (weird for me, I know)
All in all, a very interesting story.
Added bonus, a neat ending and it's not a series (weird for me, I know)
October 28, 2017
I liked Daffy and her kids and their parts of this urban fantasy. I thought the world building was inconsistent. There were some magic parts I didn't care for and G's ethics and cavalier attitude about his marriage, wife and family were a turn off.
I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 15, 2017
This book begins with a confrontation between a woman and a cheating husband. Daffy has been married to G for fourteen years and has adopted his son and had two children of her own with him. A "concerned" neighbor has emailed her photos of G with another woman and in their hometown of Eugene, Oregon, when he told her that he was out of town. G has been keeping secrets from her for their whole marriage. The biggest is that he is the Sheriff for an association of wizards.
Eugene has lots of eccentrics, many of whom believe in magic, which makes it a great city for those with real magic to hide. Now, a criminal that G thought was in a magical, escape-proof prison, has escaped and is targeting G's son Jason. It turns out that his first wife didn't die in childbirth but went insane with her magic and murdered many before being imprisoned and having her magic stripped from her.
G doesn't want to share this information with Daffy though he does tell her to watch the children closely. These children are all developing their own magical gifts. Jason, a gifted dancer, is also developing telekenesis. Belle is blooming from her middle school ugly duckling phase into a siren. And the youngest, ten-year-old Shara has never met a puzzle that she can't solve.
Daffy has a wonderful gift for baking and preparing herbal remedies but she has never considered herself as having magic. Raised by parents with a very restrictive religious faith caused her to repress her gifts. But now, after living with G and being surrounded by his magic and the children's magic, her gift is finally showing up.
I liked the magical belief system in this book. I liked the strong relationship Daffy has with her children. I disliked G's lack of marital fidelity and could understand why Daffy divorced him. I liked the thriller part of the story as G has to track down his ex-wife before she manages to kidnap Jason. I liked that Daffy was beginning to find out who she was outside of her relationship with G.
This was a nice start to a new urban fantasy series.
Eugene has lots of eccentrics, many of whom believe in magic, which makes it a great city for those with real magic to hide. Now, a criminal that G thought was in a magical, escape-proof prison, has escaped and is targeting G's son Jason. It turns out that his first wife didn't die in childbirth but went insane with her magic and murdered many before being imprisoned and having her magic stripped from her.
G doesn't want to share this information with Daffy though he does tell her to watch the children closely. These children are all developing their own magical gifts. Jason, a gifted dancer, is also developing telekenesis. Belle is blooming from her middle school ugly duckling phase into a siren. And the youngest, ten-year-old Shara has never met a puzzle that she can't solve.
Daffy has a wonderful gift for baking and preparing herbal remedies but she has never considered herself as having magic. Raised by parents with a very restrictive religious faith caused her to repress her gifts. But now, after living with G and being surrounded by his magic and the children's magic, her gift is finally showing up.
I liked the magical belief system in this book. I liked the strong relationship Daffy has with her children. I disliked G's lack of marital fidelity and could understand why Daffy divorced him. I liked the thriller part of the story as G has to track down his ex-wife before she manages to kidnap Jason. I liked that Daffy was beginning to find out who she was outside of her relationship with G.
This was a nice start to a new urban fantasy series.
November 5, 2017
There is magic in the world and Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Descants is about to not only find out but be thrust into the middle of a very dangerous situation. Daffy is the central character in this story. She has always been very good at baking, in fact people call her creations magic. Turns out they are right. I liked how the story started with Daffy finding her husband has not been faithful. From there new characters are added, danger builds and Daffy grows into a very different person. The main danger is solved, a different world full of magic is built and the backstory for the main characters is revealed. A fun start to a new series.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.
September 19, 2017
I've read other books by this author and while much different than the her other ones, I enjoyed this one very much. Some of the characters are not so nice, but I look forward to more in this series to see how the kids and Daffy grow.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
to-start-soon
December 8, 2017A digitized ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 19, 2023
the first red flag should've been the absolutely revolting love interest. seriously, i've never met a more obnoxious and upsetting husband....coupled with the fact that he literally cheated on his wife and tried to chalk it up to "it's not me, it's my magic" when we learn that he literally could've just waited until he got home to his legal wife instead of banging the nearest woman he could find (newsflash: even though he tries to get back together with his wife he still continues to sleep with other woman). this would be the barest bit tolerable if she had even been a little aware but even though he knew at first glance that she was a witch - wizard? magic person? but i digress - he still refuses to tell her about his actual job as a wizard cop and instead leaves her to take care of not one but THREE children, one of whom is his son that he had prior to having a relationship with daffy. he even notes that he preferred galavanting around the world over seeing his actual children: "When the kids were little, he never quite knew what to do with them, and gladly left their care to Daffy. And he’d enjoyed his adventurous travels, taking down the bad guys. Now his children were older, almost adults. He could talk to them. He missed them."
are we serious right now??? first he refuses to bond with his children because they're too young to have their own opinions and now at the ripe old ages of fourteen, twelve, and nine, they're suddenly so grown up and he can talk about everything with them. overall g is genuinely the most insufferable male lead i've ever had the displeasure of reading a story about.
i think ted as the actual love interest was an interesting choice because he just seems so boring compared to g, at least when described by daffy. ted's solidity (read: boringness) seems to be just a portion of the stability that she craves in her personal life, and i was honestly quite surprised at how fast their relationship seemed to be proceeding, especially since her divorce with g wasn't even final until three fourths into the book. a lot of the book seemed to emphasize the fact that daffy and g were BOTH single but intensely attracted to each other, and the ending of the book kind of came as a slap, especially since daffy seems like such a doormat.
the characters themselves are also incredibly one-dimensional and static. each of the kids are obviously beautiful and perfect and some kind of genius, and none of the other side characters seem to have any kind of substance to them.
the only thing holding this book or any kind of plot together is the convenient use of magic to weave together this confusing and barely functioning group of characters together.
are we serious right now??? first he refuses to bond with his children because they're too young to have their own opinions and now at the ripe old ages of fourteen, twelve, and nine, they're suddenly so grown up and he can talk about everything with them. overall g is genuinely the most insufferable male lead i've ever had the displeasure of reading a story about.
i think ted as the actual love interest was an interesting choice because he just seems so boring compared to g, at least when described by daffy. ted's solidity (read: boringness) seems to be just a portion of the stability that she craves in her personal life, and i was honestly quite surprised at how fast their relationship seemed to be proceeding, especially since her divorce with g wasn't even final until three fourths into the book. a lot of the book seemed to emphasize the fact that daffy and g were BOTH single but intensely attracted to each other, and the ending of the book kind of came as a slap, especially since daffy seems like such a doormat.
the characters themselves are also incredibly one-dimensional and static. each of the kids are obviously beautiful and perfect and some kind of genius, and none of the other side characters seem to have any kind of substance to them.
the only thing holding this book or any kind of plot together is the convenient use of magic to weave together this confusing and barely functioning group of characters together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2017
I've been reading a ton of urban fantasy lately so when I read the summary for A Spoonful of Magic, I was so excited about what sounded like an intriguing new book. Unfortunately, the infidelity aspect of this book was extremely off-putting. I almost quit reading multiple times but kept convincing myself that it would get better. Spoiler alert- it didn't. However, if all the aspects of the book dealing with her husband's infidelity were cut, I think this would have been an excellent read. It's the story of a family discovering their magic and banding together to protect one of their own.
On her own, Daffy was an interesting character and I felt as if she grew a lot over the course of the book. She was practical, level-headed, and smart. I loved how her struggle to balance her work with her family obligations was included in the novel. Her discovery of magic alternated between touching and hilarious. I also loved her relationship with her children, it felt so realistic to me. The plot was relatively engaging, slowly ramping up to the final showdown with her husband's evil ex-wife.
Although I enjoyed some aspects of the book, there were also multiple aspects that gave me pause. The first was the concept that working magic led to uncontrollable hormonal urges. But only in adults. After working magic, the children were just left tired. Daffy's relationship with G, her husband, was horrid. I felt as if every scene they had together was unrealistic. He also continually kept seeking out other women throughout the novel, never seemed at all repentant, and treated her horribly. And yet she let him worm back into her life, never calling him out on his misdeeds.
Additionally, their kid's reactions were absolutely absurd. A few days after seeing graphic pictures of their dad cheating on their mom, they're treating him normally again and acting as if nothing happened. Yeah, sure that would happen. Most of the other side characters felt one-dimensional and I didn't really care about any of them. The villain felt very one-dimensional and unbelievable. The ending also felt like a hot mess, I think it needed to expanded and developed significantly more.
A Spoonful of Magic had a lot of promise but the author's odd choices about morality ultimately made this one an extremely disappointing read. I would not recommend this one.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
On her own, Daffy was an interesting character and I felt as if she grew a lot over the course of the book. She was practical, level-headed, and smart. I loved how her struggle to balance her work with her family obligations was included in the novel. Her discovery of magic alternated between touching and hilarious. I also loved her relationship with her children, it felt so realistic to me. The plot was relatively engaging, slowly ramping up to the final showdown with her husband's evil ex-wife.
Although I enjoyed some aspects of the book, there were also multiple aspects that gave me pause. The first was the concept that working magic led to uncontrollable hormonal urges. But only in adults. After working magic, the children were just left tired. Daffy's relationship with G, her husband, was horrid. I felt as if every scene they had together was unrealistic. He also continually kept seeking out other women throughout the novel, never seemed at all repentant, and treated her horribly. And yet she let him worm back into her life, never calling him out on his misdeeds.
Additionally, their kid's reactions were absolutely absurd. A few days after seeing graphic pictures of their dad cheating on their mom, they're treating him normally again and acting as if nothing happened. Yeah, sure that would happen. Most of the other side characters felt one-dimensional and I didn't really care about any of them. The villain felt very one-dimensional and unbelievable. The ending also felt like a hot mess, I think it needed to expanded and developed significantly more.
A Spoonful of Magic had a lot of promise but the author's odd choices about morality ultimately made this one an extremely disappointing read. I would not recommend this one.
*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
November 1, 2025
A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford is the start of the Suburban Sorceress series. It is a cozy urban fantasy. I was excited about receiving this book for free via LibraryThing Early Reviewers, because I remember reading some of her fantasy books 20 years ago and liking them. I don’t know if my tastes changed, but I didn’t like this book as much, but I did still enjoy it. I was also curious how it portrayed Eugene, Oregon, since I once lived there, but it didn’t seem as familiar as I thought it might.
Daphne Deschants has just separated from her husband of thirteen years after their anniversary dinner because of learning that he had an affair. As they are leaving the restaurant, three young men attempt to rob them, at which point Daphne also learns he can do magic! They have three children, one of whom is her husband’s son from his first marriage. At this point, her husband tells her that magic tends to come out at puberty, so the oldest two children might start exhibiting it any time and to contact him if they show any signs of it. So, she has the heartbreak of his betrayal, and the process of a divorce, but also needs to keep a close eye on her children.
With her best friend Gayla, they run a business called the Magic Brew where Daphne makes exceptional baked goods. So many romantasies seem to involve baking that this seemed too common, but there is a little more to her baking, as you might guess from the title.
Her husband wants to keep her and the children safe, but they are threatened. Daphne needs to discover her magic. There are a lot of things happening in this story - it isn’t slow. The story is well-written and many of the characters are well-developed. As I said, I enjoyed this book (except for the husband’s reason for one night stands), but only at a 3-star level. I don’t know if I would read more in the series. I received this book for free via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Daphne Deschants has just separated from her husband of thirteen years after their anniversary dinner because of learning that he had an affair. As they are leaving the restaurant, three young men attempt to rob them, at which point Daphne also learns he can do magic! They have three children, one of whom is her husband’s son from his first marriage. At this point, her husband tells her that magic tends to come out at puberty, so the oldest two children might start exhibiting it any time and to contact him if they show any signs of it. So, she has the heartbreak of his betrayal, and the process of a divorce, but also needs to keep a close eye on her children.
With her best friend Gayla, they run a business called the Magic Brew where Daphne makes exceptional baked goods. So many romantasies seem to involve baking that this seemed too common, but there is a little more to her baking, as you might guess from the title.
Her husband wants to keep her and the children safe, but they are threatened. Daphne needs to discover her magic. There are a lot of things happening in this story - it isn’t slow. The story is well-written and many of the characters are well-developed. As I said, I enjoyed this book (except for the husband’s reason for one night stands), but only at a 3-star level. I don’t know if I would read more in the series. I received this book for free via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
October 25, 2017
On her 13th wedding anniversary she drops the bombshell that she wants a divorce, thanks to her husband’s infidelity and lies about his constant work travel. As she leaves the restaurant she then finds out that her husband is a wizard and the company is a front for a council he works for as a sheriff. As the story unfolds G, the cheating husband can’t stand to part with information that might have helped his family come to understand that they have magic and might be in danger from something he is working on and his past. Daffy works hard at trying to keep a normal life for the kids even as she and them find out they have magic and their father can do the same. So much of the plot of the book would be brushed aside if the characters could bother to share info. G about his first wife not being dead and how and why she is on the rampage. The council for destroying the info of how his first wife escaped jail and hiding that fact from him until he realizes she is the killer he is tracking. The kids that even after being told they have magic and start exploring their powers they still don’t tell the each other or their parents when something odd magical happens around them.
The characters are flawed and there isn’t a happily ever after at the end and there is room for more stories in the series. But I do want to see more in this setting to see how they are all going to grow up and that includes both parents in this story.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
The characters are flawed and there isn’t a happily ever after at the end and there is room for more stories in the series. But I do want to see more in this setting to see how they are all going to grow up and that includes both parents in this story.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
April 24, 2020
"The Incredibles" meets witchcraft is an easy way to sum up this book. Obviously there are some major plot differences, but the theme of family is strong in this story. If there is one thing this story conveys it is that no matter what happens you always have family and with your family you can accomplish anything.
Because that theme is so strong, I thoroughly enjoyed the contrast with BJ and his family as well as D'Accore. It was also interesting to see Daffy and G navigate their evolving relationship with one another.
While Daffy came off as a bit of the stereotypical kitchen witch/all powerful mother figure, I found G intriguing. He really is a manipulative ass who lies and influences others magically so often he doesn't really grasp just how awful he is. That being said, he clearly loves his kids and wants to do right.
Of the kids, I really liked Jason. He had the right mix of teenage sullenness, compassion, enthusiasm, and obliviousness. He was a fun one to read about.
This story was entertaining and enjoyed being in this world; however, after about two-thirds of the book I found myself wanting to leave. I didn't suddenly dislike the story, I just felt it was lingering too long. Did I really need to know about all of these daily events? Did I need to be introduced to three new characters? Why couldn't D'Accore show up and the climax occur right then?
Great story and characters, it just needed to end a little sooner.
Because that theme is so strong, I thoroughly enjoyed the contrast with BJ and his family as well as D'Accore. It was also interesting to see Daffy and G navigate their evolving relationship with one another.
While Daffy came off as a bit of the stereotypical kitchen witch/all powerful mother figure, I found G intriguing. He really is a manipulative ass who lies and influences others magically so often he doesn't really grasp just how awful he is. That being said, he clearly loves his kids and wants to do right.
Of the kids, I really liked Jason. He had the right mix of teenage sullenness, compassion, enthusiasm, and obliviousness. He was a fun one to read about.
This story was entertaining and enjoyed being in this world; however, after about two-thirds of the book I found myself wanting to leave. I didn't suddenly dislike the story, I just felt it was lingering too long. Did I really need to know about all of these daily events? Did I need to be introduced to three new characters? Why couldn't D'Accore show up and the climax occur right then?
Great story and characters, it just needed to end a little sooner.
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