You don’t have to be mad to work at the Office of Faery Godmothers. But you do have to be magic.
Saffron Sawyer is a faery on a mission. She may no longer have the same rose-tinted spectacles about her job as she once did, but she’s still determined to be the best faery godmother that there is. And when she’s given the role as leader of a taskforce designed to hunt down the elusive trolls, she knows it’s her time to step up and be counted.
Juggling her new responsibilities while dealing with difficult clients isn’t easy, however. Danger lurks around every corner - and Jasper, the handsome and powerful Devil’s Advocate, is continually looming over her shoulder in the office.
Can Saffron prove her worth to the world of magic? Or will she make one mistake too many and find herself in mortal danger?
This was even more disappointing than the first book. Nothing much happens, lots of repetitive scenarios, unnecessary drama and lack of character development. Saffron is turning out to be quite a tstl character. Going to put this series on old for now.
Saffron had so many TSTL moments in this book it’s like she was a different character than the first book. I still enjoyed the book, the humor, the snark, Pumpkin, Vincent and others, I just wished the plot had been more well developed and the romance with Jasper more to the forefront :) Saffron is tasked with leading a task force to find out what the trolls are up to, at the same time she’s trying to figure out what her client Rose, really wants so she can grant that wish before Rose dies. The pace is good, lots of action, however, the plot become a bit convoluted and doesn’t follow through on several areas.
I usually love listening to Helen Harper books but this one was missing a spark. It was still enjoyable but I just was missing something. When it comes to Helen Harper I love listening to her books. Her characters are sassy, fun and kind of a disaster. I still recommend this series but Slouch Witch would be a better recommendation.
Having enjoyed the first book in the series, "Wishful Thinking," I was eager to keep moving with the next book, "Wish List." However, I found myself struggling to connect with this installment. While it maintains the whimsical charm and humor that initially drew me in, the plot's slower pace made it difficult for me to stay engaged. I have a feeling that in this series, all the books are going to be very similar. The characters are still endearing, and Helen Harper's talent for witty dialogue is present, but the story unfolds too leisurely for my taste. I was hoping this book would move a little faster. Though I appreciated the continuation of the magical world and its characters, the slower plot progression has led me to consider moving on from this series. While "Wish List" may appeal to those who enjoy a more relaxed pace, I think I'm ready to explore other books that better match my preference for faster-moving stories
Saffron is still trying to be the best damn Faery Godmother in an office full of jerks who hate her and who treat her badly.
She is still chasing clients around to figure out what their wish is. This time she is given a wish for Rose, a woman in her eighties who she hope isn’t going to ask for more time or to be young again which are simply things even a Faery Godmother doesn’t have the ability to grant. Except the first time she meets Rose, Rose puts a gun in Saffron’s face, afraid that Saffron is one of them. One of who?
Because of memory magic, Saffron has to start from scratch every time she sees Rose. First she has to convince her that Saffron isn’t trying to kill her and then she hopes to have enough time to get some information from Rose about who is trying to kill her. If that’s Rose’s wish — well Saffron can’t kill someone for Rose, but if she knows why someone is after her, then maybe she can do something about it. It seems Rose’s little Jack Russell Terrier isn’t effected by memory magic but it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t try to bite Saffron every time he sees her.
Saffron finally decides to break the rules and gives Rose Gingko Biloba to thwart the memory magic but unfortunately the bad guy gets a sip as well. Now she is in trouble for breaking rules and she has a bad guy who hasn’t forgotten that Faery Godmothers exist and…he has her magic wand. Things are not looking up for Saffron.
Sorry but this plot was really, really stupid and I was very annoyed by the whole thing. I really thinks Saffron is getting assigned the worst cases, but since no one knows what the wishes are, how would they know to assign the crappy clients to her.
Saffron is still being treated poorly by her boss and her co-workers. She gets yelled at for missing team building meetings (really?) She also gets the task of creating a task force to find the Trolls, because she has lots of free time after chasing clients all day.
Still don’t know why Saffron doesn’t just quit the Faery Godmothers and go jump the Devil’s Advocate.
Still not enough Jasper and Saffron time.
I didn’t like this story and there are still too many stupid things but I am in it for one more story to see Saffron finally rock this Faery Godmother business.
I do so enjoy Helen Harper. She has a way of crafting characters and situations that make for an entertaining tale - with enough mystery and flirting (yet to read one with all out heat - not saying she hasn’t written them, just haven’t read one yet) to push the plot forward. This, featuring fairy godmother and an entire unknown realm of fairies and other magical creatures, all with jobs, is fascinating and read worthy.
Pros: - Well written. - Love The concept - The devils advocate.... oh yes. - The metaplot and how it rolls.
Cons: - Some parts were a touch slow or jumbled, not enough to hinder the story though. - Sigh.... moments I really felt like the FMC was smarter than me and had to really think to figure out how she has drawn the conclusions she did.
Yes, there is a lot of humor. Yes, Saffron Sawyer is as snarky and stubborn as is ‘humanly’ possible. But... there is serious mystery and a reasonable amount of action and tension to raise the series above just comedy. Mind you, Saffron is really funny and gets herself in a lot of predicaments, but she is good-hearted and doggedly works to make things right. Loving the series.
I really love Helen Harper's books. Full of fun and adventure, twist, turns action and humour, this instalment of the fast godmother series didn't disappoint.
Ever go to the movie theater or a play and you’re stuck behind someone who blocks your view of the screen/stage? Every time you move to be able to see, they also move. You become so frustrated you miss important pieces of the story and the overall plot doesn’t make a ton of sense as a result?
That is how I perceived Rose’s wish/story in relation to the rest of this story. Then, when we do get back to the troll problem and back to the audit and most importantly back to Jasper, it feels like we’re watching Saffron operate in a frantic, coked-up, manic manner that it’s distracting. In other words, there is no smooth transition between all of the facets in the story. It’s rather unsettling to read.
I don’t understand why Saffron had to jump in front of Jasper to shoot down romance between them before she heard him out. I know, if she says their romance is doomed before he can she won’t get hurt. Ugh, if anyone would be straight about relationships or feelings, I thought it would be Saffron with how in your face she is in her faery godmother role, but she is not. She’s a tuck you tail and cut your losses and I want her to be better than that.
Also, there was mention about if someone isn’t directly related to the wish, the memory magic doesn’t work on them as a way to explain how Vincent remembers Saffron. Unless I misheard it, that makes no sense in the grand scheme of things imo.
I am enjoying this series, is just fun. I do find it slightly off putting how Saffron is different in this.. instead of just trying to do her best she thinks she’s the best and knows more than everyone. She snuffs rules and disrespects her superiors and is rude to her coworkers even when they’re trying to be nice (barring Rupert, who needs a swift kick to his nads)
When she showed up late to the meeting she was in the wrong and feeling too high and mighty to apologize she instead greeted the leader like she was a queen and then mocked her in front of everyone. She missed the time management thing and missed the morning briefing then completely missed a bulletin about the portal maintenance that could have quite possibly lead to her own death.
She wants to be the best, but instead of doing all her job diligently she only does the things she wants to do. ie, insisting to get all Roses secrets even though Rose blatantly wants nothing to do with her to the point where Rose actually tried to kill Saffron herself. Seriously, Saff seems to be causing more stress to Rose than she would have otherwise and Rose has heart problems.
Then the thing with the memory magic.. she’s quickly moving from cute and quirky to Too Stupid to Live
Don’t even get me started on her treatment of Jasper.
Admittedly, I took a bit of a hiatus between the previous book and this one, so it ended up taking me that much longer to get back "into" this world. Once I was there, though, I was cringing right along with Saffron as she tries to be the best Fairy Godmother ever!
Saffron is still sort-of on probation. She did a really great thing with Jasper in the previous book, stopping the Trolls from doing more damage, but they are definitely still out there (no matter what everyone wants to believe). After the horrible thing that the fairy godmothers did, they aren't likely to truly back down anytime soon. As part of this continued vigilance, Saffron is appointed the leader of a Troll task force. Determined to make a good impression, she dives in but it somewhat distracted by a particularly troublesome client.
Rose is definitely trouble. She seems like a nice old lady on paper who just needs her wish granted but she and her dog conspire against Saffron at every turn. There is so much chaos jammed into the journey we go on that I'm not even sure how to summarize it all. Ultimately, though, Jasper and Saffron manage to pull things off that I'd never have predicted at the start. Also something to note, this is less romance than I usually read, definitely leaning more into fantasy/paranormal than my romantic side. Definitely a slow, slow, slow burn.
2.5 stars again because despite the same flaws as the first book, this is now a guilty pleasure of mine I am determined to see through to the end. The initial concept still has merit and despite the messy and turbulent execution of it all I’m still curious enough to want to know what happens next.
I’ve come to the conclusion that as a book series this doesn’t work to the best of its ability. It should’ve been a screenplay for some drama on the CW that I would’ve eaten up like the trash TV whore that I am.
What does this mean for the book character or plot wise? That nothing has changed from the first one. But it still has that reality-TV-train-wreck-that-I-can’t-tear-my-eyes-from entertainment sort of vibe, so hell yes I will be tuning in for the next episode despite my better judgement.
Helen Harper is usually a solid 4 star author for me. So I was really surprised by how boring this book was. Saffron was great. Still a big fan but the secondary plot with her client Rose dragged on forever. Especially considering how unlikeable Rose was as a character. There are almost no real, deep interactions between Saffron and Jasper, so the level of emotions near the end of the book isn’t very convincing. It’s more as if jasper is riding the coattails from the last book.
I’m hoping that the third book is better because I did enjoy the first one. But you can skip 80% of this book and still be ready for the sequel, honestly.
The 2nd book definitely picked up a bit and was better. It did not feel quite as rushed with everything going on. I hope that we can see the live interest grow more. It seems abit on the juvenile side of 2 people pretending they don't want anything when they both do. Be adults, say it and move on already. Saffron and her ability to find trouble with her clients is a good size story going on with the debacle with the trolls. Enjoyable, but still not a 5 for me.
This is the 2nd novel of the 'How to be the best damn faery godmother in the world (or die trying)' series. Saffron is hardly keeping her job and is still on probation. Her client is extremely stubborn and the trolls still bare a threat to the faery godmothers. With Jasper, ... it's complicated. The book is more thrilling than the first one and emotions are high almost all of the time. I enjoyed reading it especially because Saffron constantly goes above and beyond to do right by her clients as well as by everybody else.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Book 2 continues right from Wishful Thinking. Saffron is put through her paces when she is assigned Rose, a former assassin who is being actively pursued by a crooked politician. Then there’s the Troll task force and the sparks with the Devil’s Advocate. Underneath it all is a bad feeling that something else is not right....see book 3, As You Wish, already out in ebook. Urquhart’s voice fits this book and audio.
This was enjoyable but not as good as her newer detective series. There are a lot of male characters I like(Jasper, Vincent, Billie, Henry) but the females are all pretty frustrating. The world is interesting and I'm curious about why they grant wishes. I feel there must be a way it empowers their magic and society otherwise why put so much resources towards it. I definitely interested in learning more about the fairy world.
What it is about? POV? HEA/HFN? Funny parts? Sad parts? Love triangle? Insta-love? Cheating? Super insecure character? Trigger warning? How realistic is it? Who should read this Who Shouldn’t read this
I swear, if one more author describes a man's kissing as "gentle, then insistent" I will throw something at a wall. Still, in this book, there's a grouchy old lady named Rose who has a nasty little dog named pumpkin. And there's an HR lady named Angela. For those details, I rate this book 4 instead of 3 stars
Well I am glad I finally got around to getting the rest of Saffrons adventures. Book 2 does continue the story very nicely. However a few 🤷♀️ moments do come up, wish sort of ruins the reading mood. But besides the overuse of her favourite curse words in a few places I did still did enjoy continuing the story and now I get to move on to book 3.
More swearing than I like to hear the characters in this book were interesting including the criminal granny who won't let her wish be granted. The writing isn't great but the concept is interesting enough I would read more.
I am pretty into this series! I like how the author addressed my question from the first book, which was why Jasper is called the Devil's Advocate. I don't know if I was totally into the explanation, but I'm glad it happened.
The whole situation with the lady and her wish was annoying. Bringing in humans to where you’re not supposed to was just unprofessional. I need another series like Lazy Witch series. Someone please give me some suggestions.
Really great author and I love her writing style and her plots. This story is no different, I will say it didn’t flow as well as her previous ones, a bit more grammatical lapses. But the storyline was overall great and the FMC is still pretty funny.
I think I should move on to something else as this started to get repetitive for me. Just kidding, I love the banter, and the fun parts. This was my least favourite story I think. Characters are always top notch narration is good