Mates: Minerva

Magical Misfits, Book 1

By: Bridget E. Baker

Narrated by: Jennifer Jill Araya, Curt Bonnem, Cary Hite, Jeremy Carlisle Parker, Sura Siu, Andrew Tell

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Forget Murphy—it should be called Minerva's Law.

Paranormal affairs officer Minerva Lucent has always wanted to stand out by making a difference in the supernatural world. Unfortunately, she's only managed to stick out—like a sore thumb. Her stun spells often misfire and freeze people by mistake. Her magical restraints have been known to pull objects to them like magnets. And last week, her truth spell caused a perp to start singing in verse.

But when a coveted guardian position opens up, Minerva's determined to finally show everyone that she's the witch for the job. She makes a plan to redeem her reputation, and she's about to set it in motion, when her old finishing school pal, Roxana Goldenscales, shows up on her doorstep in dire need of assistance.

Can Minerva enact her plan and help Roxana (knock on wand!)? Or will she have to choose between becoming a guardian and being a good friend to her old mate?

©2022 Bridget E. Baker (P)2022 Bridget E. Baker

A cute, light UF

This was a cute, fluffy read. There’s a full cast which gives this a more well-rounded vibe. A few things to note:

- The plot is completely character driven. There doesn’t seem to be any bigger picture plots going on, which isn’t a criticism so much as an observation. It’s all based around the evolving stories of these characters’ lives and their friendships.

- The “mates” in the title has nothing to do with mating or romance, as it often does in UF. This is explained in the book as another word for “friends” (as this series is influenced by the TV show Friends). This could be confusing for potential readers, though. If you’re worried this is a “fated mates” story or something like that, it very much isn’t.

- This is a clean UF. Any romance elements are kept to comedic innuendo and light flirting. There is no cursing (several characters use phrases like “mother feather.”)

- The ending is a bit abrupt

It’s entertaining for sure, but if you’re looking for a more typically gritty UF, this might not fit the bill.

Oh, and the pigeon is a delight.

Magical misfits

I have enjoyed reading some supernatural books. So when I saw that this author had some out I had to try them. I don’t have a lot of extra reading time so I loved that it was available in audio. It was an interesting start to the series. There are six main characters. And for the Audible there is a different narrator for each. Which is kind of fun. I love seeing the interaction between these magical misfits.