Magical Midlife Crisis
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Most of the books I read are for myself. I think in March I read eight or nine books. The books I read and when I read them can be a map to my own moods. Sometimes I want serious, but most of the time I want to lose myself in a world in my mind, not the one struggling to survive in a Pandemic.
Every once in a while, I crave a good snarky and sarcastic book binge. Amazon must have known my target zone. They reminded me about K.F. Breene. Sarcasm squared.
“Happily Ever After wasn’t supposed to come with a do-over option. But when my husband of twenty years packs up and heads for greener pastures and my son leaves for college, that’s exactly what my life becomes. Do-over. ”
User 1095178
The heroine needs a landing pad, and her parents have room. Except her father is showing off his begonias more that he should be. I will never, ever see begonias in the same way again. Still makes me giggle.
She needs an escape plan, and she ends up at an old mansion as it’s caretaker. Then the fun starts. I won’t spoil stuff because I’m not the fun police, but damn. I laughed so hard I lost the ability to breathe.
There aren’t many books romance or otherwise that celebrate midlife. For men they lose their hair, their joints hurt, and they are crabby “get off my lawn” old farts. Women get menopause, late night snacking and the realization they’ve spent most of their life taking care of everyone else around them.
Jessie, our heroine, just needs to regroup. She’s excited and terrified at the same time. Then everything seems to fall into place. Except there were weird things happening around her. People speak, but she feels like she’s missed a step somewhere. Not to mention the house comes with a butler who wears a cape all the time.
These are not romance books. Although several threads in the books pull at what love is like after kids, a divorce, and things have drooped all over the place, these are more urban fantasy. I haven’t finished all the series yet. There is a boiling hot man who would be so perfect if either of them could shake off the baggage.
The writing moves from normal to sarcastic, then back again. If you like for your characters to be realistic, this is not the book for you. There are a couple of themes, but this story will never be women’s lit. I actually love that. Let me have fun. We could all use the extra chuckle.
Jared Rice
I laugh hard. My guy will sometimes come in to see what I’m enjoying so much. I try to explain what I’ve read, but the context and such, no. Besides, I’m too busy spitting water across my kindle because I didn’t see where the scene was going, and it’s got me rolling. Fabulous pacing and comedic timing.
I wish there were more books like this. Sort of finding your letter to Hogwarts after forty. Who doesn’t want that?
There are so many books out there. I love when curation shows me something new. When I get out of alignment, I’ll need more than meditation to see me through. This sort of adventure lets me meet the story where I’m at and move through whatever crisis dogs my steps.
Do you have a book or author you go back to again and again?
