GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Book Review: Slouch Witch (Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic #1) by Helen Harper | I Smell Sheep

Friday, July 7, 2017

Book Review: Slouch Witch (Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic #1) by Helen Harper

Slouch Witch (Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic #1)
by Helen Harper
June 8, 2017
342 pages
Hard Work Will Pay Off Later. Laziness Pays Off Now. 


Let's get one thing straight - Ivy Wilde is not a heroine. In fact, she's probably the last witch in the world who you'd call if you needed a magical helping hand. If it were down to Ivy, she'd spend all day every day on her sofa where she could watch TV, munch junk food and talk to her feline familiar to her heart's content.

However, when a bureaucratic disaster ends up with Ivy as the victim of a case of mistaken identity, she's yanked very unwillingly into Arcane Branch, the investigative department of the Hallowed Order of Magical Enlightenment. Her problems are quadrupled when a valuable object is stolen right from under the Order's noses. 

It doesn't exactly help that she's been magically bound to Adeptus Exemptus Raphael Winter. He might have piercing sapphire eyes and a body which a cover model would be proud of but, as far as Ivy's concerned, he's a walking advertisement for the joyless perils of too much witch-work. 

And if he makes her go to the gym again, she's definitely going to turn him into a frog.

Slacker witch Ivy Wilde is a classic underachiever. Maybe she’s afraid of success, maybe she’s totally fulfilled driving a taxi, maybe she just reeeeally likes her couch and television. Whatever the case, Ivy does not want to be the next great thing to happen to witchery. In fact, Ivy has thwarted the attention of The Order, the hierarchical institution for witches in training, for years. But when a comedy of errors binds Ivy and The Order’s rising star, Raphael Winter, Ivy is forced, kicking and screaming, into witchy detective work as the newest and most reluctant member of The Order’s Arcane Branch.

Once again Helen Harper manages to hold me in thrall with a brand new, totally entertaining urban fantasy. Slouch Witch checks all the boxes; a strong but likeable heroine, a domineering male interest, intrigue, action, and an abundance of laugh out loud scenarios. I couldn’t put this one down, as is often the case with Harper’s work.

As a total Type-A, I don’t wholly identify with Ivy, however, she’s just so darn likeable and relatable. And while she’s reluctant to become involved in Order business, she eventually finds there might be something to detective work. I look forward to seeing where Ivy’s talents take her. The romantic tension between Ivy and Raphael is totally combustible. Harper can craft a burgeoning romance plagued by miscommunication, misunderstanding, and bad timing like no other.

If you’re looking for a great summer read, look no further. Plus, two subsequent installments of the series are both slated for summer release, so you won’t have to wait.

Five ‘Wilde-ly” Enthusiastic Sheep






Bianca Greenwood

About the Author:
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After teaching English literature in the UK, Japan and Malaysia, Helen Harper left behind the world of education following the worldwide success of her Blood Destiny series of books. She is a professional member of the Alliance of Independent Authors and writes full time although she still fits in creative writing workshops with schools along with volunteering to teach reading to a group of young Myanmar refugees. That’s not to mention the procession of stray cats which seem to find their way to her door!

Helen has always been a book lover, devouring science fiction and fantasy tales when she was a child growing up in Scotland.


Helen currently lives in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with far too many cats – not to mention the dragons, fairies, demons, wizards and vampires that seem to keep appearing from nowhere!

2 comments:

  1. This sounds like a MUST read for me! Great review!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! It really is great. You won't be sorry :)

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