Jove Books Magical Love Series (Paperback), ISBN 0515129070
Holly Wentworth could no longer manage her booming dating service, Romance Connection, by herself. So she hired a wonderful, long-married couple, Mini and Ruben Costello, to help her interview all those applicants wanting Holly to match them up with their hearts' desire.

What Holly doesn't know is that Mini is a witch and Ruben is a powerful warlock. But the misdeeds of a friend caused the Witch Council to strip Ruben of his powers. Mini volunteered to give up her powers to stay with him. The Council sentenced them to live on earth and earn their daily bread the mortal way. To mitigate the sentence, the council sent along a powerful familiar -- an orange cat with orange eyes -- to take care of them. Sort of. Mini's best friend, a witch named Xonia, took the assignment, and Xonia detested Ruben for centuries.

Widower, Lance Wilder got an early birthday present from his best buddy, Casey. Casey signed up Lance for Holly's dating service as a surprise. Lance's initial resistance melts when he meets Holly. She makes him believe in the possibility of loving again. In fact, he thinks he might be halfway there.

Holly feels a tremendous attraction to Lance, but her own rules bar her from poaching on the client list. She tries to ignore the attraction and convince herself it means nothing. Mini and Ruben, spying on Lance and Holly from the next room, know differently. They know a perfect couple when they see one. They just need to convince Holly.

Three's a Charm offers readers a delightful, comic romance. Mini and Ruben charm and amuse the reader with their comic adaptations to mortal life. The wonderful Xonia conspires with Mini, tricks Holly and causes all sorts of magical havoc in the name of romance. Xonia's antic efforts to prevent Lance from clicking with any of Holly's recommended dates made me laugh so hard I cried.

However, Burns could've strengthened her story by developing her subplot (the attempts of another warlock to raise havoc) earlier and more consistently through the course of the book. That failure caused me to take a half point off my rating. But all in all, I strongly recommend Three's a Charm. It will delight and amuse you.

Suzanne Frisbee

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