The Secret Ingredient of Wishes

Happy Friday!  I hope all of you have had a delightful day.  It is currently pouring in my area.  We actually do need the rain.  We have not had much since the hurricane storms swept through here (my yard finally dried out).  Before we get to the review, I want you to look at the following two questions!  What if you could grant other people's wishes?  Would you embrace your gift or reject it? 

The Secret Ingredient of Wishes by Susan Bishop Crispell is set in Nowhere, North Carolina.  Rachel Monroe has the ability to grant wishes.  She has been able to do this since she was a child.  But one incident changed her perspective on this gift.  Rachel’s four-year-old brother was annoying her one day (when she was little) and she wished he would go away (like any other brother or sister).  Unfortunately for Rachel, her brother really did disappear and everyone (except her) forgot about him (which caused several problems for her and her family).  Rachel has avoided her gift since then (never learned to use it or embrace it).  After accidentally granting the wish of her best friend’s daughter, Rachel feels she needs to get far away (before she does harm).  Rachel ends up running out of gas in Nowhere, North Carolina.  Nowhere is known as the town of lost and found.  Rachel meets Catch Sisson.  It turns out that Catch has a special gift of her own. Catch ends up inviting Rachel to stay with her and helps her find a job at Lux, owned by Everley Hays.  Rachel also meets Ashe Riley who lives next door to Catch.  Rachel is enjoying her stay and hopes that maybe this is the place for her.  But then she starts seeing wishes (little slips of paper that no one else can see).  She tries to avoid reading them (once she reads them the wish is granted), but sometimes it cannot be helped.  What happens when people find out about her special ability?  Will Rachel ever be able to embrace your special gift?  You will have to read The Secret Ingredient of Wishes for the answer.

The Secret Ingredient of Wishes has good writing, and I liked the premise (I enjoy books with magic in them).  I wish there had been less focus on Rachel’s romance with Ashe (who is married to someone else, though they are separated).  I wanted there to be more about Rachel’s abilities (and hoped there would be others like her).  This book could have been so much more.  I give The Secret Ingredient of Wishes 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Rachel’s attitude towards wishes (the bad attitude) went on a little too long.  She came across as whiny (and defeated).  It took too long for Rachel to accept her ability (to embrace it and learn to use it properly).  I thought the ending was abrupt (it could have been smoother and more complete).  I enjoyed Chance.  She was the best character in the book.  I would love a book about her life (I be it would be interesting).  A series based on Nowhere and the special people in the town has potential (hint).  It would need less romance and more magic.  The potential is here, but it just needs a little tweaking (to bring it up to Sarah Addison Allen standards).  This is Susan Bishop Crispell's debut novel.

You can follow Susan Bishop Crispell on Amazon to get updates on her novels.  I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest evaluation.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

I am off to feed the children their dinner (cats and dogs).  I will then get to relax and read The First Gift by Ruth Logan Herne.  I also finishing Letters from Paris by Juliet Blackwell.  May all of you have an enjoyable evening!  I will be back tomorrow (which is a very special day) to review The Hawaiian Quilt by Wanda Brunstetter.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader