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bookloverchelle's review
4.0
I’m getting caught up on my TBR pile and finding lots of fun reads from Candace Havens like Like a Charm. Kira was living in Atlanta working as a high powered attorney but after a small break down she’s back in her small home town in Texas for a little rest and relaxation. When tragedy strikes Kira is confronted with some pretty big life choices. Her big plan was always to get away from her small town but is she ready for her plans to change? Really fun, enjoyable story with a little bit of a mystery. I felt like some storylines could have been developed just a little bit more, like her interactions with her parents. She was staying with them and then they just sort of dropped out of the story. Other than that, good read! I’m pretty sure I would love to have her chance at running a small town local library. Anybody have a library they’d like me to run for them? Especially if it’s a magical library.
sj9642's review
3.0
It was a light quick read. I thought it was good. I liked the idea behind the story and think the author could expand it into its own series. The characters were very likeable and relatable. It started off a bit slow for me but picked and then I didn’t put it down (I think it took 5 hours to read after the first few chapters). So – it was a cute, light read and I liked it. Did I love it? Out of the 160 books I’ve read so far this year – I’d rate it maybe in the middle. I liked it.
redhickory's review
3.0
My biggest problem with this was that it is inconsistent with Kira’s story in the Bronwyn books – significant details are totally different, which was annoying and sloppy.
Once I got over that I enjoyed the character and the romance in the story – although the mystery part was a non-event!
Kira is, in many ways, more likable that Bronwyn and I find her talent more intriguing – If there were more books with her as the central character I'd read them.
Once I got over that I enjoyed the character and the romance in the story – although the mystery part was a non-event!
Kira is, in many ways, more likable that Bronwyn and I find her talent more intriguing – If there were more books with her as the central character I'd read them.
scorpstar77's review
2.0
I picked up this book because I had an Amazon gift certificate burning a hole in my pocket and it was recommended for people who like the Shanna Swendson series (that started with Enchanted, Inc.). I was disappointed. There was potential in the story, but I kept getting distracted by the actual writing, which was mediocre. If Havens had a better editor, it probably could have come out pretty good; as it was, the red pencil in my head was cutting out and re-working huge passages because they felt forced or unnecessary. All that said, the story was still entertaining, and there were better-written parts of it that came together sufficiently that I could get lost in the story. Basically, a workaholic lawyer (Kira) goes through a tragic experience that she can't remember and is hospitalized, then sent home to her parents in a magical, tiny town in Texas. While there, her childhood idol, the town librarian, passes away and leaves Kira the library - but only SHE can run the library, no one else, because she has special powers to access some higher world of knowledge (and can see ghosts and check out books to the ghosts). There's some romance and a bit of a mystery (the mystery turns out pretty lame) and some parent-child friction, and supernatural elements. If you're looking for a really light (I read it in under 5 hours), unchallenging read because you're sick or on vacation, and you're obssessed with contract law, books/libraries, designer clothes and the supernatural, give this a shot (if you can get it for free or really cheap). Obviously, I got enough pleasure out of it to give it 3 stars, but I rarely rate anything I read below 4 stars, so this is definitely low on the totem pole for me - I'll be listing it on BookMooch.
paperbackstash's review
4.0
Very cute, light read with an enjoyable heroine, a delicious hero, and a unique enough story. No real danger or suspense until the very end, but despite not many plot bumps, still grabbing enough to hold the attention and flow nicely.
caribbean_skye's review
4.0
All I can say is that when I die I want to be in this version of the afterlife.
jlniksich's review
4.0
This was a delightful read. Now I cannot wait to read the other books in the series.
bonjehines's review
1.0
****SPOILER ALERT****
I just wish that this website would allow me to give books zero stars. I had many, many problems with this book.
1. Apparently anyone can become a librarian! After all, being a contract lawyer does automatically qualify anyone to find information for the average patron. Come on! Finding information about when an album was originally released is NOT the same as doing legal research!! Moving on… Kira herself said that she hasn’t really read a book in years, yet when she becomes the ‘librarian’ she knows all about what is currently popular for adults AND kids. Oh, and of course, she knows from what agency to order all of these ‘popular titles’ from and without any training she has a complete understanding of the circulation system.
2. What small town library in the nation can afford LexisNexis? While it is an amazing database, LexisNexis is relatively expensive and the author never really stated how much money the library has or where the it comes from in the first place. Additionally, whereas LexisNexis does have news articles, they appear to spotlight legal and government related resources. If the author wants to use a database, try something a little more believable like EBSCO or ProQuest.
3. Did the author intend this to be a harlequin romance or chick lit?? My understanding from reading harlequin romances is that the characters are essentially perfect and impulsive. If it is a chick lit, the characters are flawed and personal growth is essential for a happy conclusion. The description of this book sounds like a chick lit, but from the perfectly beautiful yet book-wormy female lead and her equally rich, intelligent, and caringly perfect love interest, one would not believe it to be chick lit. I must resign myself to just call it a ‘Paranormal Romance.’
4. Lastly, I was excited about this book because the description and the first chapter discuss how the town of Sweet, Texas, is made up of witches and warlocks. The author even sites actually spells in the first chapter!! Yet, I saw no other actually uses of magic until the very end of the book. Wait, someone did ask for some books on herbs from the library and this person was also purported to be an extremely powerful witch. And, I suppose you could include the ‘magically delicious’ food and the ghostly library. Yeah... I don’t buy it!
All in all, this book left a very bad taste in my mouth.
I just wish that this website would allow me to give books zero stars. I had many, many problems with this book.
1. Apparently anyone can become a librarian! After all, being a contract lawyer does automatically qualify anyone to find information for the average patron. Come on! Finding information about when an album was originally released is NOT the same as doing legal research!! Moving on… Kira herself said that she hasn’t really read a book in years, yet when she becomes the ‘librarian’ she knows all about what is currently popular for adults AND kids. Oh, and of course, she knows from what agency to order all of these ‘popular titles’ from and without any training she has a complete understanding of the circulation system.
2. What small town library in the nation can afford LexisNexis? While it is an amazing database, LexisNexis is relatively expensive and the author never really stated how much money the library has or where the it comes from in the first place. Additionally, whereas LexisNexis does have news articles, they appear to spotlight legal and government related resources. If the author wants to use a database, try something a little more believable like EBSCO or ProQuest.
3. Did the author intend this to be a harlequin romance or chick lit?? My understanding from reading harlequin romances is that the characters are essentially perfect and impulsive. If it is a chick lit, the characters are flawed and personal growth is essential for a happy conclusion. The description of this book sounds like a chick lit, but from the perfectly beautiful yet book-wormy female lead and her equally rich, intelligent, and caringly perfect love interest, one would not believe it to be chick lit. I must resign myself to just call it a ‘Paranormal Romance.’
4. Lastly, I was excited about this book because the description and the first chapter discuss how the town of Sweet, Texas, is made up of witches and warlocks. The author even sites actually spells in the first chapter!! Yet, I saw no other actually uses of magic until the very end of the book. Wait, someone did ask for some books on herbs from the library and this person was also purported to be an extremely powerful witch. And, I suppose you could include the ‘magically delicious’ food and the ghostly library. Yeah... I don’t buy it!
All in all, this book left a very bad taste in my mouth.
krisrid's review
4.0
I like Candace Havens' books a lot. She has lots of interesting, likeable characters, and she seems to have lots of different kinds of paranormal stories in her which is great!
Although this particular book wasn't my favourite - My favourite is her Carruthers Sisters series, followed very closely by the Bronwyn the Witch series - this was a fun, light entertaining read with a clever story, and lots of quirky unique characters. Really, how can you HELP but love a book where the main character says things like: "What kind of cosmic joke was it that I ended up with a drag queen as my spiritual guide?"
Kira Smythe is having a VERY BAD WEEK! First, the woman she encouraged to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against someone from the lawfirm where they both worked committed suicide after the man got off, but now Kira's back in her hometown of Sweet, Texas - where she SWORE she'd never go back to EVER AGAIN!!!
As if all that wasn't bad enough, Kira's dear friend Mrs. Canard - the kindly librarian who made Kira's childhood bearable, has died and left the town's library to Kira. But there's a catch [isn't there always?!]. Kira has to stay in Sweet and run the library, or the whole kit and kaboodle - books, building, everything - will be sold, leaving the town without a library. Oh, and did we mention that the library seems to be filled with dead people that only Kira can see and hear??? And you thought YOU were having a bad day??!!
Of course there is an upside, in that cute, sexy carpenter named Caleb, who seems to be smitten with Kira, but he seems to have some secrets, and really, the last thing Kira has time for with all the other things she's dealing with, is a romance!
This is a fast, easy, sweet and satisfying paranormal romance. If that is your genre then this is worth a look.
Although this particular book wasn't my favourite - My favourite is her Carruthers Sisters series, followed very closely by the Bronwyn the Witch series - this was a fun, light entertaining read with a clever story, and lots of quirky unique characters. Really, how can you HELP but love a book where the main character says things like: "What kind of cosmic joke was it that I ended up with a drag queen as my spiritual guide?"
Kira Smythe is having a VERY BAD WEEK! First, the woman she encouraged to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against someone from the lawfirm where they both worked committed suicide after the man got off, but now Kira's back in her hometown of Sweet, Texas - where she SWORE she'd never go back to EVER AGAIN!!!
As if all that wasn't bad enough, Kira's dear friend Mrs. Canard - the kindly librarian who made Kira's childhood bearable, has died and left the town's library to Kira. But there's a catch [isn't there always?!]. Kira has to stay in Sweet and run the library, or the whole kit and kaboodle - books, building, everything - will be sold, leaving the town without a library. Oh, and did we mention that the library seems to be filled with dead people that only Kira can see and hear??? And you thought YOU were having a bad day??!!
Of course there is an upside, in that cute, sexy carpenter named Caleb, who seems to be smitten with Kira, but he seems to have some secrets, and really, the last thing Kira has time for with all the other things she's dealing with, is a romance!
This is a fast, easy, sweet and satisfying paranormal romance. If that is your genre then this is worth a look.
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