'The Witch Is Back' Review and Giveaway

Yay! The wait is almost over, H.P. Mallory fans! Her latest book The Witch Is Back is being released in a few short hours, on July 31st. I was lucky enough to procure an eARC from NetGalley to read and review. Below you will find my thoughts on the latest installment in the series. You also can enter to win your own ecopy of the book when it comes out! I am giving one away to one lucky reader. Happy reading and good luck!

The Witch Is Back
Book Blurb from Amazon:  Funny and feisty witch Jolie Wilkins is back—or rather, she’s back to her humble beginnings. Propelled into the past to her old Los Angeles fortune-telling shop, Jolie has no idea she possesses extraordinary powers, and she definitely doesn’t remember becoming Queen of the Underworld. But at least she has two incredibly sexy men vying for her affection: Rand Balfour, who looks very familiar, though Jolie can’t place his gorgeous face, and Sinjin Sinclair, who is tall, dark, and perfect . . . except for the fangs.

Yet despite her steamy love life, Jolie can’t shake the sense that something is not quite right—like she’s stuck in a déjà vu gone terribly awry. As both men race against time—and each other—to win Jolie’s heart, the fate of the Underworld hangs in the balance. And Jolie’s decision can either restore order or create an absolute, drop-dead disaster.

My thoughts:
When I opened up this book, I was thrown for a loop. Jolie is back in the United States, working as a fortune teller. Oh yeah, Sinjin went back in time. He is determined to screw up everything in the future by meeting Jolie first and making her fall in love with *him* and not Rand. Anyone who was ever on Team Sinjin better change their mind after reading this one! That vampire has only power and sex on his mind! He is just playing Jolie, I tell you! She's just too darn nice!

I was so aggravated by his shenanigans that I was often heard exclaiming out loud, startling the various furry kids and embarrassing myself. The pages kept flipping by in my anxiety over how successful Sinjin would be in his endeavors and whether or not Rand was going to even care enough to try to fix things.

Remember, this is a younger Jolie than we have ever met before. She was a quiet girl with some self-esteem issues when we met her in Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble. She hasn't yet had the experiences that made her so much more independent. You almost wince at how easily swayed she is, because you have gotten used to her stubborn nature. It's hard to read this time travel bit, because the outcome could be so different than what is implied in earlier books. It makes you a little uneasy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It keeps you on your toes.

This book also provides a lot of insight into other characters. You are still left wondering about the allegiance of a couple of them. Now is the time to figure out who is on which side, because the Lurkers are about to launch a huge attack. War is imminent. The Witch Is Back ends just on the eve of that war beginning. I'm ready to have the battle begin!

Just a note that Be Witched is included with this purchase.  

Buy links: Kindle | Paperback  
 

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'Witchful Thinking' Review and Giveaway

In anticipation of H.P. Mallory's latest Jolie Wilkins book, The Witch Is Back, being released on Tuesday, July 31st, I am finally reading the entire series. I love it so much that I am going to gift one lucky winner an ecopy of the newest book on the day it comes out. Check out Book #3 in the series and remember to enter the Rafflecopter below!

Witchful Thinking
Blurb from Amazon: 
Jolie thinks she’s seen it all, but life continues to spring surprises. The latest shocker? She’s just been crowned Queen of the Underworld. Jolie may possess a rare gift for reanimating the dead, but she doesn’t know the first thing about governing disparate factions of supernatural creatures. She can barely maintain order in her own chaotic personal life, which is heading into a romantic tailspin.

First there’s sexy warlock Rand, the love of her life, from whom Jolie is hiding a devastating secret. Then there’s Sinjin, a darkly seductive vampire and Jolie’s sworn protector—though others suspect he harbors ulterior motives. As the two polar opposite yet magnetic men vie for Jolie’s affection, she must keep her wits about her to balance affairs of state and affairs of her heart. Overwhelmed, under pressure, and longing for love, Jolie decides it’s time to take charge—and show everyone that this queen won’t take jack.

My thoughts:
If you have been reading this series the whole way through, this installment is a little difficult to read for the first third, or so. There are a lot of flashbacks, many taken directly from the earlier books, to explain various situations that occur. You have to keep in mind, though, that this appears to be the first book in the series that was published by Bantam Books. H.P. Mallory had been an indie author. When she had so much success, she eventually went to traditional publishing and has never looked back. This is the second book that I have noticed as being printed by Bantam. (The first was the ebook novella Be Witched.) So, chances are that many readers are new to the series and would have no idea what had transpired in the first couple of books.

I say keep plugging through the reruns and you will not be disappointed. Rand continues to be absolutely frustrating in both love and lust. He is still terrified to give in to his true feelings for Jolie. He is also vehemently opposed to a monarchy. Now that Jolie is Queen, that is posing some serious problems for them.

Jolie continues to be almost defiantly independent in this book, a world of growth and change since we first met her a couple of years ago. She continues to discover new powers within herself. She even discovers a few secrets that you don't quite see coming. She also naively trusts everyone, which is endearing, yet frightening in some ways. Despite all of the warnings given to her, that trust ends up backfiring on her, leaving one helluva cliffhanger. Fans are desperate to get their hands on the next novel, to find out what happens! (I've already started reading it, because I was lucky enough to get an eARC from NetGalley.) This series is truly addictive!



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'Be Witched' Review and Giveaway

Be Witched is the third installment of the Jolie Wilkins series by bestselling author H.P. Mallory. This one is a novella. Check out my review and enter below for your own ecopy of the latest book in the series, The Witch Is Back, due out on July 31st.

Be Witched

Blurb from Amazon:

In this sexy and spellbinding original short story, available exclusively as an eBook, bestselling author H. P. Mallory presents the exciting Underworld from a never-before-seen point of view—through the eyes of Rand Balfour, a drop-dead gorgeous warlock and the love of Jolie Wilkins’s life.

While the undead wage a brutal civil war, Rand Balfour has only one thing on his mind: protecting his true love, Jolie Wilkins, the savvy and spirited witch whose powers have made her the toast—and target—of the new Underworld order.

For Rand, keeping Jolie safe means guarding against allies and enemies alike. First there’s Sinjin Sinclair, a dangerously seductive vampire who has his fangs set on Jolie, and who Rand suspects of harboring a sinister agenda. Then there are the factions of supernatural creatures causing chaos at every turn. But most shocking is Rand himself, whose wild desire for Jolie may put her very life at risk. Torn between his duty and his passion, Rand must summon all his strength to withstand temptation, even if it costs him the one woman he cannot bear to lose. 

Follow more of Rand and Jolie’s electrifying paranormal romance in this eBook’s special bonus: a thrilling excerpt from H. P. Mallory’s next novel, Witchful Thinking.

 My thoughts:
Be Witched is a novella, which means it is longer than a short story, but not quite a full-length book. In this installment in the series, we read a familiar tale - the first two books in the series. Only this time, they are told from Rand's point-of-view. H.P. Mallory took critical events from the first two books and gave us the other side of the story. You learn more about Rand and why he is so frustratingly distant from Jolie, despite being madly in love with her.  You better understand his hatred for Sinjin. You also see Jolie through his eyes. 

It is quite short and sometimes it is weird to read the same story from another point-of-view. But for 99-cents, it was okay by me. It helped to keep the momentum going as I made my way through the series and kept me entertained for a bit on a summer's afternoon.

This also appears to be the first publication of the series by Bantam Books. H.P. Mallory had been an indie author for quite some time, before turning to traditional publishing. That may also explain some of the repetition involved. 
  
 



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'Toil and Trouble' Review and Giveaway

The second book in the Jolie Wilkins series by H.P. Mallory is Toil and Trouble. Read through my review and then enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win your own ecopy of The Witch Is Back. The fourth installment of this series is due out on Tuesday, July 31st and I am sending one reader a copy on that day!

Toil and Trouble

Blurb from Amazon:
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.

My thoughts:

I think so far this one is my favorite. Jolie is coming into her own with her powers. She isn't as anxious as she was in the first book. She is embracing who she is and her stubborn streak has definitely lengthened.  It's got to be overwhelming to know that you are the cause of a massive civil war. Kudos to her for taking matters into her own hands!

And we all could stand to have a little Rand in our lives...Jolie learns a lot of secrets about him that help to answer a lot of questions about their relationship. She gives up almost everything for him. You hope it is worth it!

Plenty of action keeps the pages turning. My Kindle barely hit the 100% mark before I was online seeking out the novella Bewitched, which comes after this book.





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Review of 'Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble' and Giveaway

H.P. Mallory's latest book in the Jolie Wilkins series, The Witch Is Back, is due out at the end of the month. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of it. Leading up to its official release, I am going to review each of the books in the series. I am also offering up a free ecopy of the new book to one lucky reader! All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter at the bottom of the review posts for the Jolie Wilkins series. Happy reading and good luck!

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

Book Blurb from Amazon: A self-deprecating witch with the unique ability to reanimate the dead. A dangerously handsome warlock torn between being her boss and her would-be lover. A six hundred year old English vampire with his own agenda; one that includes an appetite for witches. The Underworld in a state of chaos. Let the games begin. 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.

My thoughts:
I fell madly in love with Jolie Wilkins from the opening pages of this book. She is smart and sassy, yet somewhat insecure in her own skin. She hasn't been on a date in ages. (She sounds like a lot of people I know!) She has this strange knack to read people's futures - some of the time. When a ghost enters her little business, her entire world changes. She finds out that she is really a witch. She is capable of bringing people back to life. And now all of the men in the Underworld want her. Women want to *be* her, or at least control her life. She is caught in this comical battle between two super sexy men and one crazy woman. She is totally the kind of girl you want for your best friend. You feel all of her pain and embarrassment. You long to feel the same devotion that she gets from Trent, Rand and Sinjin. You don't envy her tough decisions and having to rediscover who she is. You want to root for her the entire time.
This book has hot romance, undying devotion between best friends, werewolves, vampires, warlocks and witches. It's a blend of so many different things, yet is intriguing chick lit. I read most of it in one sitting, because I just couldn't tear myself away. I downloaded this first book in the series for free for my Kindle, but had no problem jumping back on Amazon to pay for the rest of the series.

Follow the blog to read reviews on the rest of the series. Remember to enter the Rafflecopter below to win your very own copy of the latest installment in the series, the day it comes out! 



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