Book Review: It's A Kind of Magic by Carole Matthews

Emma and Leo have been together- on and off- forever. But their relationship seems to have lost its sparkle.
When Leo turns up at Emma's thirtieth birthday dinner unforgivably late and horribly late and horribly drunk; she can't help wishing things were different. If only someone could wave a magic wand over him and turn him into a reliable, considerate boyfriend it would certainly save her a lot of trouble.
Then Leo's path crosses with a decidedly unusual girl called Isobel and, as he falls under her spell, Emma sees him altering before her very eyes. Soon she regrets wishing for a 'new' Leo at all. And, surely, Isobel can't be for real? One thing's clear, if Emma's going to win him back, she'll need to do some changing of her own.

The very lovely Carole Matthews sent me this book when she saw on Twitter that I wasn't too sure about books with fairies in them. Well, I have been well and truly converted as It's A Kind of Magic has a fairy as one of the main characters and I loved it.

Leo and Emma have been on and off for years but it is the final straw for Emma when Leo turns up very late and very drunk to her 30th Birthday meal. She ends their relationship, convinced that she will not be able to change Leo and he is not the kind of man that she wants to be with. Leo is pretty upset about losing Emma as she has always taken him back in the past. But then he bumps into Isobel and his whole world changes; Isobel is a fairy and she sees Leo as her earthly soul mate. Leo suddenly has a very beautiful girlfriend who will do anything to make him happy and more importantly doesn't want to change a thing about him.
Emma can't quite believe how quickly Leo moves on and begins to regret her decision. Her own mother tells her that she should never have tried to change him, he may have been a bit unpredictable and unreliable but that doesn't mean that he wasn't the right one for her. So now Emma wants Leo back but she has Isobel to contend with. How do you compete against a fairy and exactly how long is Isobel planning on staying around for?
It's A Kind of Magic is a really lovely read. I loved the magical element of Isobel being a fairy and it reminded me a little of the fairytale nature of Cecelia Aherne's books. Carole Matthews once again delivers her story with large handfuls of humour and charm and I really enjoyed the will they won't they aspect of Leo and Emma's relationship.
So if you are looking for a really lovely book or like me, have a bit of a downer on fairies then look no further than It's A Kind of Magic, I enjoyed every page.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Book Review: Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

For the past two years, Evie Taylor has lived an invisible existence in London, a city she hoped would bring sparkle to her life. But all that is about to change. For winter has brought a flurry of snow and unexpected possibilities. Hidden away in the basement of Hardy's- once London's most elegant department store- Evie manages the stockroom of a shop whose glory days have long since passed.
When Evie overhears that Hardy's is at risk of being sold, she secretly hatches a plan. If she can reverse the store's fortunes by December 26th- three weeks away and then transform it into a magical destination once again, she might just be able to save it. But she's going to need every ounce of talent and determination she has, in fact, she's going to need a miracle.

This book is simply magical! I started in yesterday and finished it first thing this morning, I just didn't want to put it down.
Ali Harris has written a wonderful story about love, family, loyalty, friendship and most importantly following your dreams. Evie Taylor is instantly likeable; she has worked in the stockroom of Hardy's for more than two years but most of the staff don't even know her real name. This all changes when Evie learns that Hardy's is under threat. She comes up with a plan to save the store but to do this she is going to have to leave the stockroom and show everyone what she's really made of.
Throw into the mix Joel, the gorgeous American who has come to review Hardy's accounts; Sam the delivery guy who would perhaps like to more than good friends; her sister who is convinced that her husband is having an affair and a father that Evie feels she will never please. There are so many lovely characters in this book, especially those who work in the store; it is great to see how Evie brings them all together.
Hardy's is at the centre of the book and I loved imagining how it would look as Evie worked her magic. I couldn't help thinking that this book would make a great Christmas film; it's such a heart-warming story with lots of magical elements.
I can't recommend this book enough, Ali Harris's writing is superb. Don't let the book's festive theme put you off reading it in the new year. Reading it at Christmas time is a bonus but it would still be a great read at any time of the year. I was also very excited to read that Ali has a new book out in 2010 called The First Last Kiss, if it is anywhere near as good as this one then we are in for a treat.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book to review, it is available now.