Magic And The Modern Girl (Red Dress Ink) (Paperback)

by Mindy Klasky (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Washington, D.C., reference librarian (and practicing witch) Jane Madison learns a lesson in love and spell casting in Klasky's lively latest (after Sorcery and the Single Girl). After quitting the snobby Washington Coven, returning heroine Jane takes a vacation from casting spells . Six months later, she discovers her powers have vanished and her witchy paraphernalia has been destroyed. In a tizzy, Jane runs to Neko, her gay feline familiar, and Melissa White, her ever-sympathetic best friend, before seeking help from David Montrose, her sexy warder/protector and astral bodyguard. Before long, Jane's summoned a magical servant named Ariel to help restore her magical powers, but the enchantment backfires, leading Ariel to become an obsessed arts activist and an unlikely D.C. celebrity. Further complications put Jane's cat, grandmother and love life in danger. Klasky stirs in some winning romantic angst with charming Will Becker, an architect Jane dates while still pining for David. Though predictable, Klasky's whimsical flair make this a fun entry in a series still building momentum. (Oct.)
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From Booklist
For eight years Bledloe Abbey had been Nicole de Leon’s home, but now King Stephen of England wants to marry Nicole off to a Welsh prince. But Nicole’s uncle, Connor ap Maelgwn, has a different plan in mind for Nicole. Connor sends bard and warrior Rhodri ap Daffyd to the abbey to escort Nicole back home. In order to get out of England and return to Wales, Nicole is forced into a working partnership with Rhodri, but that relationship becomes even more complicated once Nicole realizes she just might be falling in love with him. A heroine with the ability to hear dead people finds herself falling for a Welsh bard in the concluding title in Anton’s de Leon sisters trilogy. With its intriguing combination of passion, peril, and a dash of the paranormal, Magic in His Kiss is terrifically entertaining. --John Charles

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373895771
• ISBN-13: 978-0373895779
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #86,901 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Probably my least favorite out of the Jane Madison series, October 22, 2008

By	Danielle (Illinois) - See all my reviews

I'm a huge fan of Mindy Klasky's Jane Madison series. I was eagerly awaiting the release of the third, and for now, final book "Magic and the Modern Girl". However, I felt the story was a bit iffy for me. Hence, the three stars. Believe me, I would love to be able to give it more. I just didn't love the book enough to give a higher rating.

In the beginning, Jane hasn't been using her powers as a witch and has only been getting into fights with her familiar, Neko, so she let's him move out. But then she comes to realize that she's at risk of losing her powers all together so Jane recruits her warder David, Neko, her mother, and grandmother to help her get the powers back. She creates anima,Ariel who is supposed to help Jane's power come back but something goes wrong when Jane creates her. There is also a problem in Jane's love life that needs sorting out.

The story was a okay but seemed to go on a bit longer than necessary. Also in this book, I found Jane to be a bit annoying. She become slightly whiny to me and I don't remember her being like that in the other two books. I had one more problem with the book. The overuse of the word 'arcane'. I felt it was used on almost every page and I wondered if there were other words Mindy Klasky could have used instead.

I did, however, love the ending. It was the ending I was hoping for and it made me happy to read it. And although I was a bit disappointed by the story, it was really a joy to be able to read another book about Jane Madison. Mindy is starting a new series next year with a book called "There's the Rub" but there is also a hint on the last page that shows that Mindy may not be done with Jane's story. That would make me happy because I would love the series to continue.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but could have been better, October 27, 2008

By	Katie Carmichael (USA) - See all my reviews

I really enjoyed this book, however, I was kind of confused at the change in Jane's behavior. I agree with someone else who stated that in this book, Jane seems a little more whiny than in the other books, and it's true. Part of it I understand. This is the book where Jane truly needs to decide if witchcraft is for her and where she has to learn from past mistakes, namely, her love life. And she needs to do it. How will she truly appreciate what she has if she doesn't dabble in a life without it? She lives sort of a double life, trying to recover her powers, while also dating non-magical Will. She sees the pros and cons of both lives, but seems mostly swayed towards a normal life without magic until the end of the book. And having Jane realizing what she is giving up by being a witch is totally fine by me, but I get slightly irritated at her behavior. In the previous book, Jane worked so hard to prove her magic to the Coven. Even though she didn't join, I would still think she would use her magic here and there. She didn't want to lose Neko and the books then, but in this book, she is well on her way to doing just that. The Coven was hardly mentioned in this book, and I thought that her not joining the Coven was a pretty big deal. So to begin this book to see she hasn't used her powers at all in 6 months makes me wonder what she is thinking, and you can't help but feel sorry for Neko and David, especially since Jane sees them more as nuisances. She kicks Neko out and David is forced to go back to being a file clerk. I wish there was more of her thinking about others than whining about how witchcraft can be too much of a burden. I also wish Jane would just communicate with David. Even in the end, they both never really sat down and said "This is how I feel..." or "This is why I act like this..." However, it was still a fun and easy read, as Jane has to hunt down her anima Ariel and figure out what went wrong with her spell. Jane begins to teach magic to Gran and Clara, and figures out new ways for magic to be performed. You do learn more about David, which is great since he's always been so mysterious. The ending was great, very romantic, and paves the way for another book in the series. I feel there is still more to learn about David and Jane's relationship, as well as what Jane plans to do after leaving the Peabridge and coaching other witches. Maybe there will be some sort of "war" with Teresa Allison's Coven and Jane's Coven she has already started to form? I hope so, because I feel like there is a lot more to be uncovered in Jane's world and so many questions still unanswered. A great book to read as we await more from Mindy Klasky!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Keep 'em coming., October 21, 2008

By	Little D (California) - See all my reviews

Magic And The Modern Girl is the third book in Mindy Klasky's series. Book 2 started to go downhill for me, but this book was just as good as the first. It was fast paced with some romance. Im looking forward to the next magic book.