ALMOST MAGIC by J.M. Kelley is a funny and lighthearted novella that is guaranteed to make you smile. Between the sweet heartwarming romance and the humorous characters, you'll be whistling a happy tune when you are done reading. I give ALMOST MAGIC 4 stars and recommend to all.
In ALMOST MAGIC, widower Jack Riley takes his sister's advice and moves himself and his daughter, 7 year-old Elizabeth, to a quaint little town called Essex Woods. There they meet local "witches" Vivian Burroughs, her mom, Winifred, and her aunt, Lillian. Vivian notices immediately that Elizabeth is gifted with some special abilities, and Winifred notices that Jack is plagued by the spirit of his late wife, who broke her neck in a household accident.
Between Jack and Vivian's constant run-ins and Elizabeth's affinity for Vivian, Jack and Vivian become friends. They both desire more from the relationship, but there are some challenges they must overcome.
I really enjoyed ALMOST MAGIC. It was interesting from the very beginning, and it is a short, quick read. Even though the book is a nice afternoon pick-me-up, I was left wanting more. There was a big jump of time between the main story and the epilogue that could have been (and still can be) utilized to add greater depth to the plot and the romantic relationship.
The characters were well-written, which surprised me because most of the novellas I've read have been skimpy on the character development. Not here. J.M. Kelley does a great job using all aspects of the story to advance the reader's understanding of the characters, and the reader is left with little doubt about the characters' motivations.
The humor in this story is also a definite plus. One of my favorite lines in the book is when Jack describes his daughter to Lillian and Winifred as an "underachiever black widow. She corners her prey and then chats them to death." Also, the dialogue between Elizabeth and Vivian, where Vivian is trying to explain grown-up things, is hilarious, not only because of the explanations, but also because of how Elizabeth describes adult things.
Other than wanting the novel to be full-length, the only disappointment I felt was in the existence of a sex scene. After such a sweet build-up to the first date, I felt like the whole scene could have been removed, and the book would have been better for it. It just seemed out of place and gratuitous given the tone of the rest of the book. On a heat scale, this novel rates about a 2, but without that scene, would have been a 1.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to all those 16 years of age and older.
*Review originally written for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=10100
