I am not the target audience for this, according to the subtitle : A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel
In book one, Iris (our forty-something, newly divorced mother of a teenage son) discovers that she is a witch. Not just a witch, but a WITCH OF ENORMOUS POWER. Just a little psychic upset and her “earth-powers” are unleashed to crack a community swimming pool blocks away. With the help of a dedicated druid (and by this time a love-interest) and a imp in the form of the cutest cat in the world and a talking garden gnome, she must help save the world (or at least her corner of Arkansas).
In this book, which could/should have been the rest of Witch Book 1, she must take hold of her power of fire before she and her community are destroyed. We are treated to a lot of snappy dialogue and the comical interactions of family and friends who also have to change the way they have considered Iris.
"“What do you want then?” “I am here for you.”
“Well, I don’t recall ordering Tall, Dark, and Sketchy from Amazon,” I said. “So return to sender.”"
"Zev cracked a smile. “I’m a fire djinn. The summoned monster in Final Fantasy is like me, not the other way around. And frankly, the makers of the video game got a lot wrong.” He crossed his arms over his chest again, reminding me of the genie from Aladdin.
“Do you grant wishes?” I asked.
He bared his teeth in a smile that made me blanch. “Do you want me to grant your wishes?”
Keir put his hand on my arm. “Best not to make any djinn wishes. Especially with an ifrit. They will always find a way to take more than they give.”
We paged through this book at high speed to find out whether Zev was actually going to be of help to Iris and whether he and Kier (the druid) would play nice together. The monsters were enough to hold my attention and it is interesting to see how the author is building her contemporary Earth (but with magic and monsters). If you are looking for a paranormal vacation read, this could qualify.