Author: Mindy Klasky
Publisher: Red Dress Ink
Publication Date: October, 2006
Genre: Chick-Lit
Rating: 7/10
Description: Which is more unlikely?
Meeting a single, straight, reasonably attractive, willing-to-commit man?
Or discovering a secret cache of magic books?
For good girl Jane Madison, neither has a shot in hell of coming true--until the day she finds a hidden room....
Now she's done a bit of experimenting and found a spell that makes her irresistible to men--even those who have previously ignored her. And another that turns a cat into her witch's familiar (a snarky, critical, self-absorbed man--pretty much a typical male). Though her impulsive acts of magic have brought a warder (sexy, grouchy, elusive and determined to stop her from using magic) down on her, Jane's not willing to let go of this fantastic new life.
Though she wonders about having things that aren't "real," she's having too much fun to stop. After all, no one ever said being a witch was easy...
My Thoughts: One of the things I loved about Harlequin’s Red Dress Ink line was the diversity. Within the chick-lit genre, Red Dress Ink offered a nice variety in the Red Dress offerings. Some of them are straight chick-lit, some are suspense or mystery, and some, such as Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft, has a paranormal twist. Combining two of my favorite genres, chick-lit and paranormal romance is brilliant. It’s such a shame that there are no longer any new Red Dress Ink releases. Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft is the first book in the Jane Madison trilogy about a librarian who learns she is also a witch.
Jane Madison is a reference librarian at a small library in Washington, D.C. After her boss informs her that the library is cutting her salary by 25%, Jane is offered free room and board in the cottage behind the library. Jane accepts (what choice does she have?) and moves into the cottage. After several hours of intensive scrubbing and scouring, Jane begins to feel the charm of the cottage. Jane inadvertently finds a key that opens the door to the basement and she discovers a collection of antique books. Jane is thrilled and when she reads from one of the books, a statue of a cat turns into a man named Neko, who informs Jane she is a witch and he is her familiar.
From there I was hooked. I had to know what would happen. Mixed into the yoga sessions with her best friend, Melissa, which Jane hates, the mojito therapy sessions with Melissa and Neko that I would personally love to participate in and the gorgeous warder, David, who is assigned to give Jane witchcraft lessons are several side stories. Jane is infatuated with a college professor who spends a lot of time in the library. Jane learns that the mother she thought was dead is actually alive and abandoned Jane as a baby and now wants to come back into her life. Jane is dedicated to her job and works hard trying to obtain funding for the library. There is really so much going on that one book just can’t cover it all.
I really liked the characters. Jane is self-conscious and comes across as a little scatterbrained and awkward, which I felt only added to her charm. Melissa is the best friend we would all love to have. She accepts Jane for who she is, cheers her on when things are going well and is ready to pick her up with mojito therapy when things are not. I loved Neko. As Jane’s familiar, he is there to assist her with all things witchy but I loved that he has such a vibrant personality on his own. He also retains his feline tendencies, which causes Jane to fear for the safety of her pet fish. As her warder, David is more than just Jane’s witchcraft mentor and teacher. There’s an attraction between Jane and David that I hope will be explored in more detail in the remaining books.
Overall, a good start to a trilogy. I look forward to reconnecting with Jane and her friends in the next book, Sorcery and the Single Girl.
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