Toil and Trouble, A Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy (Jolie Wilkins Series #2) [NOOK Book]

A winning follow-up,

Fantastic. I'm so glad I found this author! This series is so much fun. The writing is geared toward adults and the humor is fantastic. It's dramatic and sarcastic....and dare I say...one of my favorite books?
Jolie gives a phenominal preformance and we fall in love with the suave Sinjin. Oh, I wait with bated breath for the next installment!

9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Book 2, and still going strong

Jolie Wilkins' magical powers are strong enough to raise the dead, and she may have to do a lot of dead-raising very soon if the impending supernatural war goes on as planned. The evil Bella wants to rule all otherworldly peoples, and she has a huge army on her side, while the good guys (led by Rand, Jolie's warlock boss) have a relatively small group of fighters to back up their noble intentions. Jolie's got to get stronger if she wants to convince Rand to let her fight in the battle, and when Sinjin, the sorta-bad vampire from the previous book, starts showing an interest in her, she has to decide where her heart and her allegiances truly lie.

Toil and Trouble is action-packed, but I like how Jolie spends the first portion of the novel incapacitated. At the end of Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble she beat the fairy king Odran's champion in a duel, in order to convince Odran to support Rand in the upcoming war. She succeeded, but the fight has drained her energy so badly that she's bedridden for awhile, then spends a few chapters regaining the use of her limbs. It's always good to see a heroine with weaknesses as well as strengths; it makes Jolie very humanized, despite her extreme magical talents.

Rand and Jolie's love story is the emotional core of the book. They both love each other, but because of their magical natures, if they decide to commit to each other, it'll be a forever-and-eternity no-going-back sort of thing, which is a weighty prospect, even with all they've been through together in the past months. Rand is all the more leery of the commitment because he had a former love who died, and apparently the experience of losing her was so painful, almost all of his memories of her had to be erased. Rand and Jolie are really at a stalemate, and are frustrated by the fact that they can't be together and can't really be apart, either.

Enter Sinjin. Jolie's love life is a little complicated even with just Rand around, but now that Sinjin is on their side, he's constantly around her and he seems more appealing as time passes. They start spending even more time together because Jolie needs Sinjin's help. Rand doesn't want her to fight in the war, but Jolie knows that she needs to be the one to kill the super-evil vampire Ryder, so she gets Sinjin to help her train in secret. Sinjin's not so bad (and I know he has some major fans), but I'm not fond of the back-and-forth triangle that starts. It would be great if Sinjin were the main guy, but he's less of a leading man and more of a temptation away from Rand. But ultimately, a good clue about the guys is how they treat other people: Rand is a gentleman, and while he may prefer keeping to himself, he's a generous person when placed in social situations. He's nice to ladies other than Jolie, and even kind to complete strangers, while Sinjin's kindness and gallantry are directed almost solely at Jolie.

Luckily, after extensive fight training, a lot of magic-using, some time-travelling, and a hardcore battle, things look like they're finally resolved once and for all on the romantic front. Plus, we still have plenty of adventure left to look forward to as Jolie takes on some new challenges and responsibilities. Jolie's still got that great, smart but not too sarcastic narrative voice that feels like a good friend is telling you about her joys and misadventures, so her stories are always going to be fun to read.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Yes!!!

I loved this book! All of the characters are well-written and I cannot wait until the third one is finished!!! Brilliant!

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Another Great Book!

H.P. Mallory continues her wonderful series with this second of the Jolie Wilkins books. If you loved Fire Burn, you'll adore Toil and Trouble. Jolie and her friends are preparing for the battle of their lives and on top of that, Jolie must decide where her heart belongs, with the gorgeous and honorable Rand, or the so bad he's good Sinjin. You'll laugh, you'll sigh, and you'll be truly stunned by the surprising ending.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Love this series, where's the next one???

This is a cross between Stephanie Plum and Twilight. Highly entertaining! Action, humor, sarcasm, romance, a little bit of everything that works great together. Thanks H P Mallory!!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Awesome series!

Great follow up to the first book. I read it in one night!! Keep writing...I cant wait for the third!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Gotta Read It

So many twists and turns in this book Loved it!!! Easy read, your heart pounds, breaks, and swells, with the different emotions of the character's in the story. Again Jolie and Rand didn't disappoint!. My heart broke for Sinjin, I wanted to root for him all the way, but Rand was just sooooo Rand!!!! Again Jolie and Rand frustrated the heck out of you but worth the bumpy ride. I laughed out loud so many times my children thought I was losing it. Can't wait for the next in the series.... this is the part I hate WAITING FOR THE NEXT BOOK!!!!!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

Great read with lots of laughs. If you love witches, vampires and anything paranormal you'll enjoy this.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Great read!

If you are looking for a good book with a good story...this was great! I love the way HP Mallory writes!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Lots of twist and turns!

Loved this book, it's an easy read!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

amazing

reminds me of authors like charlene harris and laurell k hamilton. captivating and fun to read. a great book to get lost in!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

M

wonderfully, fast paced, and fun to read!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A GREAT READ

I absolutely love all of H.P. Mallory's books. I just can't seem to put them down.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Awesome Series

I love how Mallory brings the characters to life! This series is one of my favorites and it is definitely a must read for any paranormal romance lovers out there.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

so glad i found this series!

with many books today using the 'paranormal' theme i was a bit cautious to start the jolie wilkins series, but am i glad i did! hp mallory makes her tale of the underworld unforgettable. looking forward to book three!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

more jolie please

great 2nd book, love this one

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cute

I really enjoy these. Fun easy read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Very fun series.

Can't wait for #3!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

read this book

really good but the end was rushed.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This was my favorite book so far from the Jolie Wilkins series (

This was my favorite book so far from the Jolie Wilkins series (I've read all 3). A lot happens in this book - the characters become more developed and, just as the first book, it leaves you wanting more! Jolie is a lovable main character. Rand and Sinjin both vying for her attention. Rand the good guy and Sinjin the bad boy - you'll fall in love with both of these hot men!