Magic, Romance & More: A Collection of Four Paranormal Romantic Comedy Novellas

Caroline Mickelson

May 2016 · Bon Accord Press

About this eBook

 Magic, Romance & More is a collection of three light paranormal romantic comedy novellas including:

Witch Weigh:

Tessa Von Hellengaard is a real witch. Magical spells aside, she’s snarky and selfish, and the other witches in her silent spell coven are fed up with her. Their plan to reform Tessa involves taking away her magic, saddling her with one hundred extra pounds, and sending her to a weight loss spa. For good measure they call in Liam Kennedy, a charming and sexy fairy godfather, to teach her some manners. Desperate to regain her magic and determined to shed the weight, Tessa soon realizes that protecting her heart from Liam will prove to be her greatest challenge.

Magic Wand Ranch:

Fiona Cantrell is a woman on a mission. More aptly put, she's a Fairy Godmother on a mission. Her dream of moving to London is about to come true now that all that stands between her and her new job is a few unpacked suitcases. Or so she thinks until her old boss shows up with one more little task for her to complete before she leaves for Europe. Her new assignment involves a handsome cowboy named Cody, his two rascally nephews, and a mountain of laundry...all of which would be no problem for any self-respecting Fairy Godmother.

While Fiona manages to handle the laundry and the boys, she quickly learns that she's not immune to Cody's considerable charm. It takes everything she's got to stay focused on completing her task so she can head to London. But when tragedy strikes, Fiona realizes that it will take more magic than she has to try to save a life and mend her own broken heart.

Mermaid Inc.:

Adamantly opposed to commercial whaling, Miranda happily trades her fin for human legs when she’s given the opportunity to work as a maid for a man in charge of public relations for a large Japanese whaling firm. Miranda soon finds out that she loves pedicures, favors bikinis over clamshells, and that she’s a natural disaster when it comes to human housework. There’s so much about the human world she doesn’t understand. Why does Justin Lockheed, her handsome boss, make her heart race and her knees weak? And just what is she supposed to do when it comes time to choose between advancing her cause and destroying his career?

Ratings and reviews

Witch Weigh I had a really rough start with this book. I think a lot of it is because we don’t see most of the bad behavior Tessa’s accused of, the beginning of the book feels a whole lot like victim-blaming. What I saw was Tessa trying to defend herself and getting cut off at every turn. That made the punishment, particularly with no explanations about what was going on, feel really harsh to me. Somehow, I’d connected very closely with Tessa. Watching as everything she valued in her world be systematically taken apart in front of her broke my heart. I don’t really get the ending either. It happened too fast and way too easily. Liam needed to grovel a lot more. There’re also several plot lines that are left hanging open that I hope will be tied off in the following book. Magic Wand Ranch Fiona and her continuing intense dislike for Tessa meant I got off to a rocky start with this story. It becomes something quite sweet and funny, but it took me a bit to get to a point where I was actually cheering for Fiona. Cody does the cowboy hero image proud. He’s noble and caring and just what I wanted him to be. His nephews are everything I was expecting from this pair of imps, and they are the source of most of the comedy. I loved the ending, and I really enjoyed the way it redeemed a character that wasn’t my favorite when the story started. Mermaid Inc. This was an interesting take on the story of the Little Mermaid. It’s light and mostly fun. It’s probably due to the short length of the book, but there are plot holes you could pilot an ocean liner through. The character fell a little flat for me, but again I think that’s due to there not being more room to flesh them out. Miranda was quirky, if ill-prepared for her assignment. Justin was charmingly endearing with his issues around water. The ending happened far too fast for my preferences, but I liked that we get to see this pair’s happy ever after. Maid for Love I think this story is my favorite in the series. Even though Zoe is one of the most frustrating heroines with her pig-headed-ness, there’s something kind of inspiring about what she does with her gift. Michael is everything I look for in a rom-com hero: sweet, charming, quirky. Together they made my jaded little heart sigh. The meddling family members were comedy gold, and added so much to my enjoyment of this story. I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.

First Book Set My Teeth on Edge... This is a set of four paranormal romance novellas. Even though they are by the same author, I found them to be of variable quality. The first and second books share the same world while the others are separate, stand-alone paranormal romances. I have read other books by this author, her Christmas ones, and I actually adored them. I was expecting it to be the same with these, but I was put off by the first book in the set. Perhaps because I've been an overweight woman all my life, I had an issue with weight being a punishment in this book. I can understand the author, perhaps, wanting to use this as a plot device, but an author would really have to tread ground gently so as not to offend those of us who have always lived with this “punishment.” I do not feel like the author was successful at it. In this book, too, she needed to explain in better detail what Tessa did to merit her punishment, which was much more than just gaining 100 pounds. It just wasn't made as clear as it should have been, and therefore her punishment and the way she was treated in this book seemed to be too much. The second book was about a fairy godmother and her charge. The hero of the previous book, a fairy godfather, is essentially the heroine's boss. I liked this book better, especially watching the developing romance and the antics of the two boys. There is certainly a surprising twist at the end that pulls at the heartstrings, making this more than a light romantic comedy. So, all in all, I found this to be an uneven set of paranormal romances, but there were some good ones and elements. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

Magic, Romance & More is a collection of paranormal romantic Comedies including Witch Weigh, Magic Wand Ranch, Mermaid Inc., and Maid for Love. This collection is a great binge-read that is lighthearted and entertaining. The characters in each of the stories are likable. The stories are well crafted and enjoyable, perfect for an afternoon read. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.