Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Emily Bryan Reviews A Little Light Magic by Joy Nash


Please welcome my first guest reviewer (woo hoo!) Emily Bryan! Emily is one of my favorite historical romance authors. She has written a wonderful review of A Little Light Magic by Joy Nash for your reading pleasure. Special thanks to Emily for the great review, and to Joy for writing a lovely book!
Penelope


Review by Guest Reviewer Emily Bryan

As a writer, I usually read to analyze how other authors handle "writerly" issues - POV shifts, info dumps, character arc, etc. So cracking the spine of a book is part of what I do to hone my craft. 

But there are a few authors whose prose sucks me so completely into their fictive dream, they make me forget that I'm a writer too. One member of that elite group is Joy Nash.

I've sighed with contentment over her Druids of Avalon series and listened to my heart pound in my ears while reading her Immortals stories. So I wondered how she'd do with A Little Light Magic, a tale set on the prosaic Jersey shore. As usual, Joy works her magic and I am completely drawn into her characters' lives.

Her heroine Tori is the delightfully quirky owner of a New Age shop in possession of some magic "hoodoo" candles. Her hero Nick is the hunky contractor who agrees to take on her little "repair" project in order to get her shop open in time for the solstice. She's high on the metaphysical world and his feet are set firmly on the ground.

They're perfect for each other.

Joy Nash peoples her novel with achingly real secondary characters with their own very real issues - Nick's teenage daughter struggling with whether or not to put out for her popular boyfriend, his shoplifting grandmother, his menopausal mother who lies about her secret weekly trysts, Tori's lesbian couple friends and their new baby. Joy has a knack for creating characters who breathe on their own.

So, run out today and give your summer the kick off it deserves with Joy Nash's A Little Light Magic. You will thank me.

Thanks for letting me guest review today, Penelope! For more of my recommendations, please visit Em's Picks!



Thanks, Emily! Here are a few links my readers might enjoy...happy reading everyone!