Review: Fire Burn & Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins #1)

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins Series, Book #1) by H.P. Mallory

Synopsis
Life isn’t bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn’t have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.

Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she’s a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost’s demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!

Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the Underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.

Review
News Flash! Warlocks are the new Vampire! And I really, really want one. And the one I’m thinking of specifically is Rand. *le sigh*

I knew to expect good things from this read because I bought the book after reading Tara’s, at 25 Hour Books, review. I was looking for something different, something witchy, and this totally fit the bill.

Jolie Wilkins is your typical psychic gal, just trying to make it by. Although she can see people’s auras and sometimes has visions of the future, she doesn’t really consider herself anything special.  That is until devilishly handsome Rand, the Warlock, shows up at her door to seek her services.

Soon after, Jolie’s life changes in unexpected ways. She learns she is actually a witch with the unique ability to bring people back from the dead. In order to avoid becoming a slave to Bella, a powerful and evil witch, Jolie joins forces with Rand and retreats to his luxurious manor in England (lucky bitch witch), where she learns more about the magic she possesses and trains to defend herself. Still, Jolie’s journey is a long one as she struggles to hone in on her magic all while balancing several prospective suitors. What else is a girl to do when living her new found charmed life?

Jolie Wilkins is my hero. She was refreshing, silly and sexy. Like most protagonist, there was a lot of self doubt going on in her internal dialogue, and while I was hoping I’d get to see Jolie be a bit more uninhibited, she did surprise me in the end with a blast of confidence that was inspiring and empowering.

Rand was just delicious. Forthcoming in some ways and mysterious in others, he stirred a wide range of emotions in me, the frequent being frustration. Still his jealous streak was completely adorable. I was rooting for him to be the one that gets the girl from the start, and if I’m being honest, Jolie’s attraction for other male characters really annoyed me because I only wanted her to have eyes for Rand. The sexual tension between them was so palpable it reach through my Kindle and slapped me in the face a couple of times!

I feel like I should personally thank H.P. Mallory for the amazing abs workout. This really is the funniest book I have read in a long time, and I lost track of the amount of times I snorted out loud! Mallory’s writing was a cross between MaryJanice Davidson and Angela Knight. Yes! That good!

The end left me hanging and hungry for more, luckily I won’t  have to wait long because the next Jolie Wilkins book will be released January 2011. Can’t wait!

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Posted at 3:18 pm  •  Labels: 2010, 4 stars, Book Review, H.P. Mallory, Kindle Edition, urban fantasy, Vampires, witches