Review: Toil and Trouble (Jolie Wilkins #2)

Toil and Trouble (Jolie Wilkins #2)
H.P. Mallory
Kindle Edition
November 30, 2010
Amazon | Goodreads

The Underworld in civil war.
The cause? A witch who can reanimate the dead.
A sexy as sin vampire determined to claim her.
An infuriatingly handsome warlock torn between duty and love.
Who says blonds have more fun?

After defending herself against fairy magic, Jolie Wilkins wakes to find her world turned upside down-the creatures of the Underworld on the precipice of war.

The Underworld is polarized in a battle of witch against witch, creature against creature, led by the villainous Bella, who would be Queen.

While Jolie has one goal in mind, to stake the vampire, Ryder, who nearly killed her, she also must choose between the affections of her warlock employer, Rand, and the mysteriously sexy vampire, Sinjin.

And as if that weren’t enough to ruin a girl’s day, everything Jolie knows will be turned inside out when she’s thrust into the shock of a lifetime.

Review:
I’ve been in a serious reading slump. Nothing I’d tried to read for ‘fun’ around my required school reading was working for me. That is until I picked up Toil and Trouble. How could I forget what a welcoming fresh burst of comedy Jolie and her misadventures were?

Book two in the Jolie Wilkins series begins right where book one, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, left off. It’s been a while since I’ve read the first book in the series, and I worried that I might have forgotten some details, but the story is so humorous and charming that it was very easy for me to remember Jolie’s world and the two devastatingly handsome men (one warlock, one vampire) vying for her affections.

Because Jolie, witch in training, has a very special and unique gift (she can resurrect the dead), a war has been waged between all the creatures of the Supernatural Underworld. At the head of the evil side is Bella, a witch who plans to take Jolie as her prisoner so that she may have unlimited access to Jolie’s powers.

Rand, the delicious British warlock who discovered Jolie, is determined to see that no harm comes to her. And after joining forces with the King of the Fae, Jolie and Rand feel pretty confident that they have a shot a winning the war, if only their pesky attraction towards one another would stop interfering long enough to get them safely to the battle field.

I won’t denying that there was a lot of down time in this book where seemingly nothing is taking place, but I saw it as necessary for character development and momentum building. Not only is Jolie preparing for war, she is also warring with her true feelings towards Rand and Sinjin. And as much as I hate love-triangles, I have to say the one presented here is one of the most well executed I have read. Yes, it is completely frustrating, and yes, I wanted Jolie to pick the man I’m in love with (that would be Rand), but getting into her head as she tried to figure out her heart made for emotional, page turning reading.

As Jolie takes the time to really evaluate her feelings, she laces her musings with bits of humor that completely amused me. And when I wasn’t enthralled with Rand, stubborn as he is, even I have to admit I enjoyed Sinjin’s snarky and dark mannerisms. It is easy to see why Jolie would have a hard time choosing, even as she realizes the situation is far from ideal.

There was a plot twist I hoped would turn out to be what I guessed at, and when it did, I was delighted. I think Mallory did a wonderful job of weaving the storyline together between past and present events. And though I wouldn’t call the ending an evil cliff-hanger, I will say that it was too abrupt for my taste, but I have no doubt that answers I seek will be revealed in the next installment, and that is more than fine with me because I’m not ready to let go of the characters.

Again, a few slow bits with a love triangle that will induce eye rolling, but overall, a fun and clever series with enduring characters that I have fallen in love with. Best news, according the H.P. Mallory’s website, there will be three more books in the series! *Cheers* But, book 3 won’t be available until Spring 2012. *Sobs buckets*

Haven’t read book one in the Jolie Wilkins series, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble? Buy it now on Amazon for only 0.99! More buying options on H.P. Mallory’s website.

Challenge(s): 111 in ‘11 Challenge, Vampire Challenge 2011

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Posted at 4:04 pm  •  Labels: 2011, 4 stars, Book Review, H.P. Mallory, Kindle Edition, paranormal romance, review copy, urban fantasy, witches