Review: A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper

A Witch's Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper
Series: Half Moon Hollow #2
Published by Pocket
Published on: May 28, 2013
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Source: Author

Amazon | Book Depo | GoodReads

Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Her supernatural task? To unearth four artifacts hidden by her grandfather before a rival magical family beats her to it.

Complication One: The artifacts are lost somewhere in vampire Jane Jameson’s occult bookshop. Complication Two: Her new neighbor Jed Trudeau keeps turning up half-naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn’t need. And teaming up with a real-life Adonis is as dangerous as it sounds, especially since Jed’s got the face of an angel and the abs of a washboard. Can Nola complete her mission before falling completely under his spell?

Molly Harper consistently delivers fun, flirty stories and A Witch’s Handbook to Kisses and Curses is another prime example of that. Jane and the gang are once again tagging along for the ride which pretty much guarantees hilarity and Nola certainly contributes her fair share of high jinks as well. No author can lighten up a tense, life-or-death situation or put a smile on my face quite like Molly Harper. I highly recommend this series if you’re in need of a good laugh or just a bit of sunshine on a cloudy day.

I was as puzzled by Jed’s unusual behaviour in this book as Nola was and, as a result, spent a good portion of my reading time wondering “what the heck is up with this guy?” He’s hunk-tastic and knows it, charming beyond measure and yet, he has these moments where he just seems off. Like he’s hiding something or he’s not quite… human. I liked the way Harper developed his character; at first I saw him as just a potential fling for Nola but when the story comes full circle in an unexpected way I couldn’t help but see him in a different light. Especially after the way that whole thing with Stephen went down. There’s no mention of him in the blurb so I won’t spoil it for you but I’ll just say this; Nola has way more on her plate than just two complications!

On top of having a great sense of humour and writing style, Harper knows how to pepper a story with fun pop culture references like no other. In this installment you’ll find everything from Edward Cullen to David Beckham name drops. As usual, Molly throws in her trademark quotes at the beginning of each chapter just for good measure. There’s also countless memorable one liners in this book; practically every page will have your sides splitting with laugher or at the very least, will put a big, goofy smile on your face. I love that not one single character EVER has to interview for a job in Harper’s universe; Jane just sort of fell into the bookstore and now Nola with the clinic. I think I need to move to Half Moon Hollow and maybe I’ll have better luck finding work!

I can always count on Molly Harper to help lighten my mood with her wise cracks and accident prone characters and, A Witch’s Handbook to Kisses and Curses does exactly that.

Books in this series:
My Review	My Review

Recommendation:	This book is fun, light and easy to like; the perfect pick-me-up.
Like this, like that:	The Strange Neighbors series by Ashlyn Chase and the Wild About You series by Vicki Lewis Thompson.

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