Daphne "Daffy" Deschants is livid. She has photos showing her husband in a compromising position with another woman at a sleezy motel. She knows what drama her finally being tired of his fooling around is going to cause, but she's had it. She confronts him....and the drama starts. But it's so much more than she expected. Come to find out her husband is not a travelling for his job with a software company. He's a wizard....a sheriff for the International Guild of Wizards. His job is dangerous. Yeah....he's a letch and a cheater. But he's so much more. Then, her children start manifesting magical talents.....and even herself. Her perfect life is pretty well disintegrating.....and completely changing. But that's not all......her husband's ex-wife is an evil witch. Literally. She's going blind, and she wants her son's eyes. Daphne has raised the boy as her own since he was a baby. And she's not about to let his mother hurt him. Can she figure out how to use her new powers to protect her family?

I really really really (really x 10) wanted to like this book. But, I have to be honest and say that I didn't. The main characters are annoying. The husband is a jerk. The wife is whiny and annoying. The kids....annoying too. I just didn't connect with any of them. The writing style and short paragraphs weren't my cup of tea either. The premise itself was intriguing. But the story just never gelled for me. I can't find any one thing that I can say "This right here is the reason I didn't enjoy this book.'' I just think the whole thing was just not for me. That's life -- not everything is enjoyable for everyone. I gave it the best try I could....I read the entire book. Then I thought about it for a couple days before writing this review. My conclusion -- I really tried to like this story and the characters. There were some cute moments....and some enjoyable bits here and there. But overall, this was not the book for me. And as a reviewer, I have to be totally honest and rank it as truthfully as possible. I thank the author and Berkley Publishing for allowing me to review this book, but it just fell flat for me. It happens.

Other readers who like light stories with magic, humor and some family drama might like this tale better than I did.

**I read an advanced readers copy of this book from Berkley via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**



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On her 13th wedding anniversary she drops the bombshell that she wants a divorce, thanks to her husband’s infidelity and lies about his constant work travel. As she leaves the restaurant she then finds out that her husband is a wizard and the company is a front for a council he works for as a sheriff. As the story unfolds G, the cheating husband can’t stand to part with information that might have helped his family come to understand that they have magic and might be in danger from something he is working on and his past. Daffy works hard at trying to keep a normal life for the kids even as she and them find out they have magic and their father can do the same. So much of the plot of the book would be brushed aside if the characters could bother to share info. G about his first wife not being dead and how and why she is on the rampage. The council for destroying the info of how his first wife escaped jail and hiding that fact from him until he realizes she is the killer he is tracking. The kids that even after being told they have magic and start exploring their powers they still don’t tell the each other or their parents when something odd magical happens around them.
The characters are flawed and there isn’t a happily ever after at the end and there is room for more stories in the series. But I do want to see more in this setting to see how they are all going to grow up and that includes both parents in this story.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
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Not totally original but liked the characters a lot. The world of wizardry is hidden for a reason. ( )

I enjoyed this more than I expected to - which is a little embarrassing, because it's entirely because I confused Irene with another author, who is skilled but tends towards the depressing. I have quite a few of Irene's books, and clearly I need to read them! This was a new sub-genre to me - the cozy urban fantasy. The only thing missing was some recipes from the kitchen witch (pout). It's an interesting universe, though the level of acceptance (or rejection) towards magic seemed inconsistent - no one actually reacted to it with disbelief, though there was a lot about keeping "the community" from being known, because magic isn't a known or accepted thing...confusing. It may have been the city - there's several comments of "this is Eugene, Oregon - of course there's magic" style. Nonetheless, interesting world, very interesting social structure(s), neat magic system if a trifle vague (kitchen witch = transformations? Hmm). The characters are solid, and have depth - G, Daffy, CBM, even Ted and Gayla and other relatively minor characters show multiple aspects of themselves throughout the story. Only the villain is one-dimensional, and given the depths of her obsession, that may have been intentional. G's consistent hiding of truths is...somewhat understandable (eventually), and DUMB. The explanation at the end makes it a little more believable, but it's still dumb. And why sex after magic? Is there no other release - and what are the kids supposed to do? That's the author's choice, and bothers me. Still, it was an enjoyable story. There's a clear setup for a sequel or several - I'll be looking out for them. ( )

This is my first experience with Irene Radford. Sadly I’m disappointed in what I read. A Spoonful of Magic turned out to be depressing and a major headache .

I picked this one up; because I found the cover to be beautiful and the blurb to be intriguing. Even though the blurb mention’s that Daffy’s hubby G has been unfaithful I was hoping it was a misunderstanding and not true, especially since G’s a Sheriff for the International Guild of Wizard’s. Sadly it didn’t turn out that way.

G is a cheater. As soon as it was true and came to light I should have DNF’d this book, but nope I kept going. I new I should have stoped, but their was something that compiled me to finish. Maybe I was hoping for a turn around, I just don’t know.

Cheater’s are a no no for me. That scenario is one I don’t like to read about, one that bothers me greatly. Their is no excuses for cheating. Non. So why does he cheat on his wife? Well it’s his magic. When he uses a lot of magic he ends up having to much pent up energy and the only way to get ride of it is to have sex. Since he’s out being sheriff of his territory and never home or near his wife, he sleeps with other women (one night stands). This set up for the magic is wrong. What was even more unfortunate is that G, Daffy’s X-Hubby had no remorse about what he did to his wife, doesn’t change his way, and continues to lie, cheat, and manipulate throughout the story.

As for G and Daffy I never felt the love from G, but Daffy she loved him. G picked Daffy up to be a mom to his son and used his wife as a nanny. It was sad how G treated his wife, whom you can clearly see loved him deeply. He kept secrets lots of them, doesn't talk to his wife now and then, nor does he tell her the truth, and when he does it's not the whole story. As for Daffy she has magical powers, but they have been layton until now. She also doesn't have the sexual urge like her X until they do a major power spell, but even then she doesn't give in and finds other ways to work off the excess energy.

To wrap things up A Spoonful of Magic showed some promise with the plot that was fascinating at times, the lesser characters where appealing, but ultimately the unorthodox morality Radford created in her magical world was just to hard for me to consume.

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.


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