Toil and Trouble: The Jolie Wilkins Series

by H P Mallory

• ISBN10: 1470093553
• ISBN13: 9781470093556
• Publish Date: 21 February 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Language: English

Reviews

[Baroness Book Trove]

This book is a very good read. I couldn't put it down for the longest time. H.P. Mallory is a very good author and this series is a very good one. She likes to end with cliff hangers which just wants me to read her books even more. I liked how she just kept me guessing with what the main character was going to do throughout the whole book.

[Amanda]

There is a definite love triangle going on here between Jolie, Rand, and Sinjin. I hate love triangles because I’m a one-man woman, and I always know exactly who I want. And I want Jolie to hook up with Rand. It was this dislike of love triangles that made me frustrated and caused me to set down the book for a while, because Sinjin plays quite a prominent role. It is a necessary role, I suppose, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. We also got to learn a little bit more about why Rand and Sinjin hate each other so much, and it’s not just because of Jolie. There is something more there, and I can almost bet that there is more to be resolved in future books.

Once I picked the book back up, I promptly got sucked back in again – sometimes you just have to be in a certain mood, I suppose – and I was back to choosing reading over watching TV even though a few hours earlier I couldn’t wait to watch TV over reading. Gosh, am I fickle. So, Jolie is very determined to kill Ryder, and does everything she can to ensure that she makes it to battle to do so. What she doesn’t anticipate is getting knocked out of her time period. I didn’t anticipate this either, but all the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place for me here. I had a guess what everything might mean (is this vague enough so I don’t give anything away?) and I had to race ahead to figure out if I was right. I was, but it only made me like the book even more. The realization that Jolie hits upon while visiting the past has ramifications for everything we have previously thought about some of our characters. HP Mallory is a far better story teller than it may first appear (and honestly, pretty darn awesome was my first impression).

I warily watched the progress bar at the bottom of my Kindle toward the end. There was a lot that needed to happen before it ended, and I was raring to get through it. I may have unwittingly sped through a few scenes… But like the first book, I didn’t want this to end, and there’s quite a bomb at the end. A fun one. I am not looking forward to waiting to read the next installment, though. I want it now.

See my review in its entirety here: http://onabookbender.com/2011/05/24/review-toil-and-trouble-by-hp-mallory/

[Stephanie]

Bella is still determined to be Queen of the Underworld. The big battle between Bella (Evil) vs. Rand (Good) is about to go down. Rand and his allies are coming together to train and to unite all of the paranormal species as one group. Jolie is learning more about herself and her powers.

Jolie is becoming stronger in her role as a very powerful witch. She's also down to only two love interests. Rand and Sinjin are still vying for Jolie's love. Jolie loves Rand but he can't risk letting himself fall in love with her. For about half of the book Sinjin and Jolie really seem like they could be headed somewhere. Rand won't let Jolie fight in the big battle and Sinjin helps her gain strength and experience. He also helps sneak her into the battle. During the battle Jolie is in grave danger when all of a sudden she finds herself in 1878. Getting herself back to her time reveals a lot more interesting story line aspects. I don't want to get too detailed or it will spoil the story.

I was really impressed with Toil and Trouble. When I had finished Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, I knew that I would read the next book but wasn't really anticipating it. I started out the book with reservations but H.P. Mallory has really grown as a writer. Toil and Trouble is evidence to this. Toil and Trouble is an awesome read for just $2.99. If you are going to pick it up, it is imperative that you read the first book or read a detailed review. This book picks up exactly where the last left off.