Love Potions and Other Calamities

by Charlie Laidlaw

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Love Potions and Other Calamities in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Love Potions and Other Calamities is the latest novel to come from the mind of Charlie Laidlaw, and it is as marvelous as it is hilarious. It’s a love story gone wrong, thanks to all of the unintended consequences of one woman – Rosie McLeod.
Rosie McLeod is a brilliant herbalist, but that description doesn’t explain what she can manage when she puts her mind to it. Back in the day, she might even have been called a witch. And based on some of the actions she’s accidentally set in motion, it wouldn’t be that far off of a claim.
Naturally, that means that Rosie is about to get herself into a bit of a situation. After all, she’s meddling with things she can’t predict. And there are more dangerous things than her lurking in this otherwise calm little town.

“It Began, as these things always do, with a thunderstorm.”

Love Potions and Other Calamities was a luminous and mirthful read. It tickled my funny bone, while also perfectly showing off the chaos created by humans and their actions. Rosie McLeod is not a woman to be messed with, though she might not know the true depth of that statement.
I honestly really enjoyed Love Potions and Other Calamities. It was silly at times, but startling serious at others. The two balanced each other out nicely, resulting in a fascinating book that was unlike any other I’ve read.
The chaos within these pages is comical, with events getting pushed to the logical extremes. It was highly entertaining to see Rosie plot out some clever scheme, only to have it all go awry due to a missing detail.
And to think that it all started with Rosie fretting so much about her impending age adjustment (aka her fortieth birthday). It was not the sort of start I was expecting from this tale…and yet it was oddly perfect. Rosie’s crisis is something we’ve all faced, or will have to face. And that made her human, despite her somewhat supernatural gift with plants and remedies.
One touch that I particularly enjoyed was how Charlie Laidlaw started out each chapter. Each and every chapter of this book started out with an herbal remedy or description. It was a nice touch, and one that I’m sure added significantly to the amount of work Laidlaw had to put into this book. And yet it took it to another level.
Once again I’ve found that I’m really enjoyed Charlie Laidlaw’s works. They’re unique and putting in the effort to stand out from the crowd. I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.

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