My latest Paranormal Women’s Fiction read, the eighth of the 13 books released in February, was K.F. Breene’s Magical Midlife Madness. And madness it was! I laughed so hard that, at times, I feared that I would disturb the neighbours. Yes, I laughed that much, and that hard, for most of the book.
In fact, in good K.F. Breene fashion, tense moments were often smoothed out with a very well-placed snarky remark (like a guy so well equipped that it “has its own time zone”) that had me roaring with laughter, sometimes to the point where I had to put the book down until I stopped laughing and could continue.
That kind of crazy.
What is the book about? Magical Midlife Madness follows Jacinta, or Jessie, a 40-year-old recently (happily) divorced, who left L.A. to temporarily move back to her parents’ house, where her parents drove her so crazy that she accepted a job as the caretaker of an old house that she had visited as a child and to which she felt a special pull. There, she meets with extremely weird elderly people, and with a sexy bar owner. However, as she will soon find out, things at O’Briens are not always as they seem…
A new fvourite
Magical Midlife Madness is not my first foray into the K.F. Breene world. During the Holiday break, I read the whole of the Darkness series and really fell for her humour and her brand of dark paranormal. In the wake, I started reading the Demigods of San Francisco.
However, her first PWF book became my favourite after mere pages, not even a chapter. Not only because it is hilarious, but because, contrary to either of the two series I mentioned, the main character is a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it, flaws and all. The other two series had extremely likeable main characters (else I would not have read them), but both Sasha and Alexis are incredibly immature, which would’ve been a major turn-off for me in the hands of a less skilled writer.
No such thing in MMM. Jessie is flawed, assumes her flaws (for the most part), has learnt from her past mistakes, and came to Ivy House at just the perfect time in her life.
When she explains a woman’s point of view to Austin Steele, she does it in a sincere and heartfelt way that belies her maturity and her life experiences in a way that you wouldn’t find in a younger character, and would not expect to find, either. Which makes Jessie even more relatable.
I think that this part sums it up greatly:
On top of it, there are the “old crew” of Mr. Tom, Niamh, and Edgar, but there is also Austin, whom I can only hope she will be more than just friends with down the line. (All right, that is wishful thinking; I’m a grown, near mid-life woman and an intelligent man, not to mention good-looking, is something I could root for.)
Then there is the house itself, an extremely odd building if there is one! Still better than her parents’ home and its shades of brown, though.
Finally, there is the laughter. Until my stomach hurt, until I had to stop, wipe away tears, only to resume reading and start laughing again. Uproariously, hilariously crazy read this is, and one I can only recommend… and that leaves me wondering how many new funnies I will find upon the reread. One thing is certain: thanks to K.F. Breene, I will never look at a begonia the same way again!
No cliffhanger in this one, but I am still looking very much forward to Magical Midlife Dating, which is set to come out in the middle of August.
Favourite quotes
Here is a collection of my favourite quotes from Magical Midlife Madness, all spoiler-free, worry not! There was also all those Chuck Norris references, which were incredibly funny.
My Goodreads review
Magical Midlife Madness by K.F. Breene
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Death, taxes… and lots of crazy in a K.F. Breene book!
This Magical Midlife Madness proved the saying true, once again. At times, I laughed so hard at Jess’s, Mr. Tom’s, or Niamh’s antics that I had to stop reading to wipe the tears from my eyes.
And amidst the laughter, there were also truths about midlife that really rang close to home.
And lots of action.
And a sexy shifter.
A great, magical, crazy mad read.
And the second book is pre-ordered even though there will be months to wait to renew with those incredible characters and the crazy town of O’Briens!
P.S.: I will never look at a begonia the same way again. Ever.
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