52 Reads Week 5: A Little Night Magic by Lucy March

Happy Friday!  What a week we had!  It started, as you all know, with the flu.  Liam had a number of special activities at school this week, including early dismissal yesterday and a Parent Teacher Interview.  I’m blaming the fact that I had to be in a school for longer than 5 minutes for why I now seem to be coming down with a cold.  I just can’t seem to win this week, but that’s ok.  The house is slowly coming back together (why is it that when you’re sick the house seems to get super messy super fast?  You would think it had been weeks, rather than days sheesh) and my energy levels are coming back.  I am sooo ready for normal again.

Because I know that some of you are reading along with me, I opted not to try to cram 2 reviews into this week.  Instead I’m just going to carry on as though last week didn’t even happen.  So, on to the fifth book.

Characters:

I loved these characters.  Lucy March’s Olivia had me right from the start when she’s talking about the sparkling square in the waffle shop where she works.  She’s quirky, warm, and she responds to things in her life like many of us would, I think, and boy does she have to deal with — a lot.

The character development of all the characters was just right for this kind of book.  They have strong personalities and you really get a sense of who they are.  When it comes to the supporting cast, I think Ms. March did a fantastic job of giving the reader just enough to get to know them, and then just that little bit more that makes you want to read the next book to find out what happens to them.

Settings:

Nodaway Falls is your typical, quirky small town where everyone knows everyone else.  What is is about small town settings that just makes a story that much more appealing?  What I really like about the way this setting was used was that there’s so much secrecy going on, it adds a little mystery to the story.  How are the characters managing to keep certain events out of the local gossip mill?

Plot:

There are a few plot lines going on in this book, and they all blend well together.  You have a possible romance brewing with all the classic twists and turns that one would expect from that genre.  You have a mystery slowly unfolding giving you delicious tid bits to keep you guessing.  Then you have the personal growth story line; where the main character is faced with a number of life changing events and choices.  And all these blend together to create a story that is rich, warm and so much fun to read.

Final Thoughts:

Classic chick-lit meets fantasy! It’s one of those books that you just like to read.  I’ve put in on my “must buy” list because a girl can never have too many fun, light, entertaining books to read when the mood hits.  I love the elements of fantasy, the sprinkling of humour, and the tension of a good mystery that this book has.  I only wish the book itself had a been a little longer.  You’re left at the end with an unresolved, potential problem (when I say left, I mean it it in a good way) and I want to know what happens next.  I guess it’s a good thing she’s writing more books set in this town.  I do hope she revisits the story line that was left dangling.  All in all, this book would make a great vacation read!  Or a down-in-the-dumps-need-a-pick-me-up read, or would make a great read for those times when life is busy and you want something fun, light, and yet fulfilling.

Next week I’m sharing my thoughts on a new Kay Hooper book, The First Prophet.

Sorry to be repeating an author so soon, but after reading this book I just couldn’t wait to share it!  And to answer some of the questions I’ve been getting in emails, yes, I am ahead of my 1 new to me book per week challenge.  However, in my defense, it’s still winter.  We’re not outside as often as we will be one spring hits, and we don’t have cable so reading is also my ‘tv’ time.  Once the weather starts warming up, I won’t have as much time for reading, and it may just end up being a struggle to fit in one book per week, I’m just planning ahead…. no I’m not, not really, I just like to read!  ALOT!  lol

What are you reading?  Any books you would like to recommend?