Hubble Bubble by Jane Lovering

The fridge had definitely exploded. The small squat box, now minus a corner, leaned slightly forward into a green patch of ooze, sides bulging and its front flapping from one impotent hinge. It looked like  R2-D2 after a really hard night on the Creme de Menthe. I bent and tugged at the line of rubber door seal, which pinged sullenly back at me.

‘What the hell did you have in there, fusion fuel?’

Goodreads Summary

Be careful what you wish for …
Holly Grey only took up witchery to keep her friend out of trouble – and now she’s knee-deep in hassle, in the form of apocalyptic weather, armed men, midwifery … and a sarcastic Welsh journalist.
Kai has been drawn to darkest Yorkshire by his desire to find out who he really is. What he hadn’t bargained on was getting caught up in amateur magic and dealing with a bunch of women who are trying really hard to make their dreams come true.
Together they realise that getting what you wish for is sometimes just a matter of knowing what it is you want …

*****

I think one of the things I love best about Jane Lovering’s books is her ability to make paranormal sound so contemporary. In this book, we find Holly practically dragged along to join a rather dodgy women’s group that dabbles with the occult. There is something very WI about this group and I found myself pining to join them. Only Jane Lovering could make dabbling with the occult sound  like a knitting circle.

Holly is a great protagonist. The kind of person with wit and style every girl dreams of being. Her one liners had me choking with laughter. She is extremely happy with her life and doesn’t want to make any changes…or so she thinks. Along comes dark, mysterious bad boy Kai and her life turns upside down. If I’m truthful, I didn’t like Kai to begin with which I believe is intentional. He comes across as a rather nasty womanizer when you read his letters and I couldn’t see a future for the two characters. But as with all good books, characters change as the story progresses and Kai turns into the man you would like to tie to your bedpost!

The rest of the characters were quirky and interesting. I loved Vivienne! But then I would. I have always wanted to be a white witch and now I can be – within Jane’s novel!

The plot has some very interesting twists, especially at the end. I was really surprised by the events that occurred.

With the magical element in the story, I do feel you are left to your own conclusions as to whether it is real or not. It’s a bit like religion, you either believe in it or you don’t and I think the author has left it open. Things happen in the story but they could always be put down to coincidence.

I’m always intrigued by what Jane Lovering will write next as she has taken the chick lit market and given it her own unique slant, allowing speculative plot strands to weave in and out of a very contemporary story. Jane is definitely an author that stands out on her own. With her wit and sarcasm entwined with an entertaining and original story, you find yourself with a really entertaining read.