Name: Laughing at Magic - Ebook #1
Brand: Celine Jeanjean Books
SKU: LaM2023v1
Price: 7.99 USD
Availability: InStock

* Free shipping does not apply to: plain books, pillows, blankets, travel mugs, etc and PRE-ORDERS.

Suitable for all ages

$7.99

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Quantity

Format:Ebook

Paperback

Ebook

"Pree is one of the wildest, freshest and kind characters I’ve come across in my readings" - Amazon Review ★★★★★

I’ve always had the tendency to act first and think later, which sometimes lands me in trouble.

Actually, make that often.

Which is why I’ve lost yet another job, and why when I come across a maltreated hyena chained up in someone’s backyard I rescue her, name her Penelope, and take her home.

So when I discover the existence of a magical community in London, I’m faced with two options: either leave it alone and go back to hunting for yet another dead-beat job with regular humans, or see if I can swing myself a position with a bit more magic and a bit more interest.

Guess which option sees me ringing a doorbell on a stranger’s door at eleven at night?

Unfortunately for me that stranger turns out to be an independent vampire caught up in a turf war with some other magical faction, and I land myself right in the middle of it all.

Given that my getaway vehicle is a car that craps out when it reaches fifty miles per hour, I’m going to have to deal with this head on and find some other creative way out of this mess.

And that's when I discover that I have a kind of magic of my own. Well, things are about to get interesting...

🔥Grab Laughing at Magic to follow Priscilla's adventures!

"What a great new book. Supernatural species, mortals, suspense, action all laced with massive amounts of humor." - Amazon Review ★★★★★

What you'll find inside the book:

quirky characters
found family
snappy banter
British setting (and British humour)
a heroine with unusual magic
subtle humour
a rescued hyena

Terry Pratchett meets Rivers of London and The Dresden Files in this quirky novel. Laughing at Magic transforms the urban fantasy genre with its fresh and whimsical portrayal set against the backdrop of London's streets.

Join Priscilla in her unpredictable adventures as she navigates the magical underbelly of London, where anything is possible and where laughter is just a spell away. Grab your copy now and prepare for a journey filled with enchantment, humor, and heart.

🔥 Dive into Laughing at Magic now and get swept away in Priscilla's magical escapades!

🔥 Ebooks are delivered instantly via Bookfunnel email to the email address provided at checkout.

Ebooks are delivered instantly via Bookfunnel email to the email address provided at checkout.

Print books are printed in our facilites in the UK and in the US, this takes 3-5 days after which they are expedited. Shipping times will then depend on your location.

CHAPTER 1

Some people out there would consider returning to live with their parents at twenty-eight a failure. Not me. I like spending time with my family.

Some might also consider that having a car which overheats when it goes over fifty miles per hour to be a sign of a loser. Personally, I think this modern world has us living too fast, and there’s a lot to be gained by living life—or driving—in the slow lane.

And yes, there are those who would consider that a twenty-eight-year-old woman arriving at her parents’ in a beat-up car with her possessions stashed in black bin bags because her landlord kicked her out for failing to pay the rent three months running, because she quit yet another job, is a deadbeat.

I just call it being a nonconformist.

And given that I’m wearing trousers that are red and black plaid along the left leg and black and white plaid along the right, several loops of chains as a makeshift belt, and a DIY-sequined cropped top in magenta—which matches my shoes—it’s clear that conforming isn’t my bag.

I indicate to turn left and then my car crawls into the council estate where my folks live, in Staines—it’s on the outskirts of London, for those not familiar with this shining beacon of urban development and cosmopolitan living. The Clash is blaring out of my car’s speaker. Singular, because only one still works.

The car still uses cassette tapes, and given that the only two functioning tapes I have are The Clash and Offspring, it’s no great surprise that I listen to The Clash exclusively when I drive. I think the Offspring tape might be a leftover from an old boyfriend when I was seventeen, and we were making out in my car. The tape lasted longer than the relationship, which lasted about as long as my average stint in traditional employment.

I reach my parent’s house, which is identical to all those around it—a two-storey house with a square of lawn lined by a hedge at the front, and a second square of lawn tucked away at the back. The only difference with our neighbours is that the seventies threw up all over our house in the form of pebble dash walls. It’s the house I grew up in, and I love it, but those walls, man… they’re grim.

“Is that the mellifluous death rattle of my favourite daughter’s car?” Dad is sitting in his deck chair on the front lawn with a beer in his left hand.

Not only am I his favourite daughter, I am also his only daughter. It’s a good thing I made favourite status or that would have been cause for serious concern.

Dad has a big bushy beard that reaches his chest, the kind hipsters have recently started to emulate. His head is shaved save for a wide strip of short brown hair along the middle. I’ll admit, sitting in his deckchair like this really isn’t the most flattering position for him. His beer belly is poking out over the belt of his shorts, his T-shirt having hiked up a little. It reads: ‘Postlewaite’s. Staines’s best dirt bike track.’ Below it is a KTM bike with stylised flames burning off from the back wheel.

“Hey Dad!” I call through the open car window as I execute the most atrocious bit of parallel parking the world has ever seen. It’s still a mystery to me as well as to everyone in my family how the hell I managed to blag my way into passing my driving test on my first try.

I get the car parked and turn off the engine. There’s only a slight smell of burnt engine oil, which is a good sign, and no smoke pouring out from under the bonnet, which is an extremely good sign. Means I managed to drive all this way without the car overheating. Go me.

“Hello Pree.” Mum’s head pokes up from behind the hedge where she must have been crouching to do her gardening.

She’s a tiny little thing, five-foot nothing, and whip lean. How she managed to give birth to three children as tall as me and my brothers is a mystery on a level with how I passed my driving test.

She’s wearing one of Nick’s WWE t-shirts from when he was a kid and a pair of Dad’s old boxers, from back from when he wasn’t so fat, obviously. An old straw hat shades her face. Standard gardening attire for her.

Her naturally blonde hair is growing increasingly pale as the years progress and more greys and whites invade. It suits her, actually. She looks real classy.

Anyway, what makes her look young isn’t her hair colour, but the way her blue eyes sparkle, and her smile.

She looks at the black bin bags in the back seat. “You come back to live at home for a little bit?”

“I did, at that.”

“Get fired again?”

“Actually, I quit. Tosser tried to grab my arse.”

“What?” Dad calls. “I hope you kicked him in the bollocks for that.”

“Broke his nose.”

Mum smiles. “Well done, darling.”

The truth, though, is that I didn’t quit because of the arse grabbing. After I broke my boss’s nose a couple of weeks ago, we reached a kind of agreement where he left me alone, and I didn’t break his nose again.

But the job was boring, and I just couldn’t stick it out. It’s only been a couple of months since I discovered the existence of a whole supernatural underbelly in London, and it has made it impossible to put up with the humdrum of normal life—not that I was particularly well-suited to it before that.

I’ve always thought that there was more to life than working to make enough money to pay the bills, and now I’ve seen unequivocal proof that there’s a whole lot more. Can you blame me for wanting a piece of it?

I grab my black studded backpack—très goth, although I’m no goth—but leave the rest of my stuff in the car for now. This might be the roughest council estate around, but my family is well known, so no one would dream of stealing our stuff. Plus, my car is worth about as much as the clothes in the back, and I buy my clothes exclusively from charity shops.

I lean down to kiss Mum on the cheek as I push open the little gate to enter the front garden. “Roses are looking good, Mum.”

“Thanks, darling. You go make yourself comfortable in your room, and I’ll make you a cup of tea once I’m done here. I must have had a premonition that you’d be coming back, because I got chocolate digestives the other day.”

“Ooh, dark chocolate?”

“What else?”

The garden really is looking good. So neat and tidy, like something from one of those posh suburban houses, or those swanky magazines. Mum is really particular about the garden looking respectable. Not really sure why she bothers, given that the inside of the house is a bit of a shit pit, but we all have our little quirks.

I lean over to kiss Dad on the cheek as I pass him.

“Want me to send some boys over to rough your boss up?” he asks. “Well, ex-boss.”

“No need. The broken nose is plenty.”

Dad takes a sip of his beer, frowning. He clearly still wants to send the boys over, but he doesn’t know my previous work’s address. There’s a reason I stopped telling my family where I work.

“Want me to see if I can put you on the roster this coming week?” he asks.

Postlewaite’s Dirt Bike Race Track, named for my family, isn’t just Staines’s best dirt bike track, it’s the only one. Everyone in the family has worked there at some point or another.

“Nah. I’ll sort myself out. Thanks, Dad.”

I hop up the two steps and open the front door. Inside, it smells of home. Which is to mean it smells of cat—we own half the cats in England. I’m only barely exaggerating. There are cats on almost every surface, and where there isn’t a cat, there’s a thin layer of cat hair. Another of Mum’s hobbies.

The cats, not the hair.

It does make it all the more weird that she insists on having a pristine front lawn, but ours is not to question why.

Luckily, the cats all do their business in the back garden, which is overrun with weeds, no doubt fertilised by all the cat poo. Managing a cat litter box would be a logistical nightmare, to say nothing of the smell.

The cats are also the reason for the coasters balanced atop the glasses of water left on the coffee table. Well, not all the cats, just Scottie. He’s got into the habit of sneakily drinking from any unattended glasses, so the coasters keep him at bay.

The wallpaper in the living room is a faded, pale pink with a psychedelic pattern of paisley and flowers. I did mention the seventies throwing up over the house before, right?

Aside from the bad seventies wallpaper, our living room is furnished with a really odd mash of things, like a white leather sofa with matching love seat, and two mismatched brown and black leather club chairs. We also have a lot of items in duplicates, like TVs, DVD players, lava lamps, and for some unknown reason, we have a lot of side tables.

Well, not so unknown. My eldest brother, Harry, gets his hands on all kinds of things. Of all the things he’s nicked—I mean acquired—the side tables are the most random. I never fully understood how he wound up with them.

We’re a family of entrepreneurs, have been all the way back to Grandad. He was a savvy man, Grandad. The first to take advantage of a government scheme allowing people to buy their council homes. Bought this very house for eleven grand—isn’t that amazing?

These days it’s worth quite a bit more than that, even with the pebble-dash walls, but of course no one in their right mind would dream of selling it. It’s the family home where we all grew up. The kitchen doorjamb still has the marks from when Harry, Nick, and I were growing up. I’m only a couple of inches shorter than Nick now, but Harry is still way up at the top of the doorjamb. He’s the tallest of the lot, taller even than Dad.

Dad’s also been an entrepreneur his whole life. He used to be in the acquisitions business, mostly acquiring other people’s cars, but when Mum fell pregnant with Harry, she told him to sort himself out or she was walking out on him. Raising a kid with your husband in prison is a rough deal.

So Dad went on the straight and narrow, mostly. And to be fair to him, he’s done real well for himself. The dirt bike track is a good money earner, and as a business, it’s just plain fun.

My two brothers also run their own businesses, following in the family footsteps, which Mum isn’t too happy about.

Harry is currently cooling his heels in prison for a year, but he’ll be out by Christmas, or maybe earlier if he manages to get his sentence reduced for good behaviour. It’s not his first time in jail, so he knows the score—keep his head down, be as helpful and cooperative as he can, and take advantage of any training or work opportunities. He’s actually got quite a few diplomas from his times in jail. He could get a proper job with those if he wanted, but he has issues with authority. Runs in the family.

I go to the sofa to grab Tabby, a fat ginger cat who’s currently dozing. Female gingers are rare—Tabby is one a million. I pick her up and stroke her chin and behind her ears, making her purr loudly. Nothing works better than snuggling in my bed with Tabby and a cup of tea when I have to make important decisions.

And figuring out what I’m going to do next with my life is a big decision. Although I already know it will have something to do with trying to find out more about the supernatural side of London. I’ve always known I was destined for a big life, and somehow I’ve gotten lost along the way, getting caught up in a vicious cycle of deadbeat jobs to pay for things I don’t care about.

Well, that’s about to end.

Customers praised this urban fantasy ebook as 'enthralling' and 'fast paced and fun,' featuring quirky heroine Pree discovering magic in London. Readers loved the humor, adventure, and unique characters including a hyena and Victorian ghost. Some noted slower world-building. Fans of the Razor's Edge series especially enjoyed this spinoff.

Humor (positive)Story (positive)Book (positive)Magic (positive)Series (positive)

5 stars: 13 (68%)
4 stars: 6 (32%)
3 stars: 0 (0%)
2 stars: 0 (0%)
1 star: 0 (0%)

I started with Celine Jeanjean by reading her series the "Viper and the Urchin", which I can highly recommend. Following her newsletters, I tried 'Laughing at Magic' and the sequel 'Hunting with Magic'. These are the first two books in the London Edge Series. Pree (Priscilla) is an unusual heroine (who else has a hyena for a pet) with an unusual magic power and an attitude that confounds and confuses the magic communities of London. She is also friends with a ghost and a vampire and collects depArted souls as part-time job for Charon. This a highly original take on urban fantasy, with a mixture of humour, adventure and a serious undertone. The characters are all engaging, the plot is strong and I am looking forward reading more.

If you liked Razor's, you'll love London's Edge, and vice-versa ;-)

It's so nice to get back to Razor's universe, except in London and with Priscilla, Apiya's best friend.
And it takes only a few minutes to wear a toothy smile when getting acquainted with Pree and her non conventional family.
The story unfolds exactly like Pree : full of surprises, puns and banter.
If you love pets like I do, you'll also be happy : as did Api, Pree rescues a poor animal ... but that's Pree, in impro mode, so it's quite funny.
And then, Pree is a peace lover. So of course it gets her into trouble ...
I just can't say more, you have to read it by yourself !
Can't wait to start the next book of London's Edge Chronicles, with still that silly grin on my face from the first one.

Wonderful New Series Begins!
I absolutely loved this book. Priscilla (Pree) is a delightfully quirky character with an equally quirky, if slightly criminal, family. She is an old friend of Apiya, from the Razor's Edge series, if you have read that. If you haven't read it, you really should; it's amazing.
Pree accidentally finds out that magic is real and there are magical people and non humans living amongst the ordinary humans, and that she herself seems to have a rare magical talent, and is thrilled by this news.
Even after Apiya warns her to be careful and try to stay away from the other magical beings, she finds herself drawn to it and consequently pulled into a very dangerous, though really interesting hidden world.
This book is enthralling and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Wonderful New Series Begins!

I absolutely loved this book. Priscilla (Pree) is a delightfully quirky character with an equally quirky, if slightly criminal, family. She is an old friend of Apiya, from the Razor's Edge series, if you have read that. If you haven't read it, you really should; it's amazing.
Pree accidentally finds out that magic is real and there are magical people and non humans living amongst the ordinary humans, and that she herself seems to have a rare magical talent, and is thrilled by this news.
Even after Apiya warns her to be careful and try to stay away from the other magical beings, she finds herself drawn to it and consequently pulled into a very dangerous, though really interesting hidden world.
This book is enthralling and I can't recommend it highly enough.

fast paced and fun
I loved this book. The main character prefers dark chocolate digestives � what great taste. She also stands up to bullies and bigots so I am totally sold. This book was fast paced and fun. I read it within 24 hours and will look out for more in the series. There were mentions of characters from the Razor�s edge series but this book would work if you hadn�t read those. I highly recommend it

fast paced and fun

I loved this book. The main character prefers dark chocolate digestives � what great taste. She also stands up to bullies and bigots so I am totally sold. This book was fast paced and fun. I read it within 24 hours and will look out for more in the series. There were mentions of characters from the Razor�s edge series but this book would work if you hadn�t read those. I highly recommend it

Pree carving out her place in the world....
On this book we see Pree in the process of carving out her place in the world following the events of the last book of The Razor's Edge Chronicles with Apiya where the good guys stable are kind of played out and there is all kinds of fun to be had with the bad guys...a satisfyingly minxy comeback with an equivalent of a fairground ride with all the bolts loosened...
A funny story full of adventures that made me enjoy it from the start till the end. If you enjoyed the The Razor's Edge Chronicles stories you'll enjoy this one too and be on your toes waiting the next installment.

On this book we see Pree in the process of carving out her place in the world following the events of the last book of The Razor's Edge Chronicles with Apiya where the good guys stable are kind of played out and there is all kinds of fun to be had with the bad guys...a satisfyingly minxy comeback with an equivalent of a fairground ride with all the bolts loosened...
A funny story full of adventures that made me enjoy it from the start till the end. If you enjoyed the The Razor's Edge Chronicles stories you'll enjoy this one too and be on your toes waiting the next installment.

Pree carving out her place in the world....

Pree abd Pentelope
What can I say, just another great tale from Ms Jeanjean! Twist and turns (and a Hyena). Truly a grand tale for all. This is a book to read and then sit on the edge of the chair and await the next chapter of Pree's story.
I have read Ms Jeanjeans books all along and never have been disappointed. My take is to go for it! PS: I like Hyenas!

Pree abd Pentelope

What can I say, just another great tale from Ms Jeanjean! Twist and turns (and a Hyena). Truly a grand tale for all. This is a book to read and then sit on the edge of the chair and await the next chapter of Pree's story.
I have read Ms Jeanjeans books all along and never have been disappointed. My take is to go for it! PS: I like Hyenas!

A spinoff series
This book is a spin off from the author's Razors Edge series, the MC of this book appearing in book 6 of that series. Having established her universe in the other series there are some things left unexplained in this first book of this series. I think it's ok as the important things are explained enough to understand what's going on. A lot of world building takes place in this book and it's a little slow going but you can see good things coming.

Very cool new story and characters from Celine Jeanjean
This can be read as a stand-alone story, and builds on the character of Pree who was first introduced in �Chained-by-Memory�, book 6 in the �Razor�s Edge Chronicles�.
Set in London, Pree is a strong minded, quirky heroine who doesn�t fit into the conventional standards of society. She�s discovering the magical community in London, and introduces herself to it on her terms. For other�s who�ve felt at some level that they don�t quite fit, it�s a very fun inspiring story. If you�ve read the �Razor�s Edge Chronicles�, there are short but happy guest appearances by Apiya and Sarroch. Whee!

A spinoff series

This book is a spin off from the author's Razors Edge series, the MC of this book appearing in book 6 of that series. Having established her universe in the other series there are some things left unexplained in this first book of this series. I think it's ok as the important things are explained enough to understand what's going on. A lot of world building takes place in this book and it's a little slow going but you can see good things coming.

Very cool new story and characters from Celine Jeanjean

This can be read as a stand-alone story, and builds on the character of Pree who was first introduced in �Chained-by-Memory�, book 6 in the �Razor�s Edge Chronicles�.
Set in London, Pree is a strong minded, quirky heroine who doesn�t fit into the conventional standards of society. She�s discovering the magical community in London, and introduces herself to it on her terms. For other�s who�ve felt at some level that they don�t quite fit, it�s a very fun inspiring story. If you�ve read the �Razor�s Edge Chronicles�, there are short but happy guest appearances by Apiya and Sarroch. Whee!

A Victorian ghost, a vegan Vampire and a zany heroine
Laughing-at-Magic is the first of a new series of books about Pree (Priscilla) whom I met in Book 6 of The Razor�s Edge Chronicles, when Apiya came to London. Pree and Apiya were old school friends, both forthright, brave young women with zany clothes and distinctive personalities. Pree had never left England, perhaps because she is so close to her loving family, of Mum, Dad, two brothers and several cats living in a council house in Staines. But her lack of a job means she must return home with her eclectic clothes stored in bin bags inside her ancient but reliable car.
As Pree tries to turn her life around she answers an advert to improve her aura. Unfortunately, this leads her to the residence of a vegetarian Vampire who discovers that she is impervious to his hypnotism. Soon she is involved in an attack by a group of �touched� individuals who look nerdy but have magical powers. It would seem she too has been �Touched-by-Magic� in an unusual way and they want her to be part of their faction.
The plot takes a while to develop as we get to know Pree and her family and she discovers how she can use her power to help people. Her true gift is her quick mind and her ability to persuade others to do as she wishes, but she seems unaware of this.
The most delightful part of the story is Pree�s relationship with a hyena whom she rescues from mistreatment, but how can she hide a fierce animal in plain sight? Her conversations with Mary, a Victorian ghost who refuses to crossover to the other side until she has a proper tombstone, add amusement, especially when she takes Mary into the 20th century.
The context of this story is less exotic and more mundane than Celine Jeanjean�s previous novels but the characterisation makes this an enjoyable read.

At last, a spin-off of Razor's Edge Chronicles
Celine Jeanjean is wonderful at world-building. In her hands, we see beneath the lives of the ordinary residents of London and discover a world of magic and mayhem. The captain who will be our guide into this new world is a delightfully free-spirited woman of 28 years and a childhood friend of Apiya, heroine of the Razor�s Edge Chronicles. If you haven�t given that series a try, you will still thoroughly enjoy this one.
�Pree� Postlewaite is very nonconformist � from her magenta shoes to the knuckle duster in her pocket to her half-shaved, purple hair. And she comes by it honestly. Priscilla�s dad, in his youth, �used to be in the acquisitions business�, but when babies started coming along, her mom said he had to find another form of employment. So now he owns a dirt bike race track.
Her brother, Harry, is serving time in the local prison for the same sort of entrepreneurship shown by his father, and her brother, Nick, is busy raising and selling marijuana, anticipating that very soon now, it will be legalized, and he and his partner will have a corner on the market.
Pree is tall, cheerfully positive, easily bored, not often employed, knows enough martial arts action to take care of herself, and now has moved back home since she can�t afford rent. Right off, her mom gives her the want ads section to look for another job, but instead, it is an ad for an �aura cleansing and energy realignment� that draws her eye.
Because of a bit of bother had by Apiya and her were-tiger boyfriend which brought them to London, Pree was introduced to a magical world existing right alongside the mundane one in her own back yard. Now that Apiya has returned home, Pree will have to find out more on her own. This ad has the right kind of feeling to it. So, she texts her interest in a 30-minute, free evaluation set for 11pm that night. This could very well be her way to discover and get to know a real magical creature.
Of course, Pree finds magical people. Suddenly, they're everywhere. She also discovers that she has a bit of magic, too. A kind of magic that could make her a dangerous weapon in hostilities involving the Touched, the Vetus, and those who have been turned � like vampires and werewolves � by other magical creatures. Being Touched means you�re human but have a single, limited magical ability, and Vetus are the Ancient magical people who are not human.
Follow Pree as she navigates this new world. But don�t be surprised if you find her adventures taking unexpected turns. After all, it�s magic.

At last, a spin-off of Razor's Edge Chronicles

Celine Jeanjean is wonderful at world-building. In her hands, we see beneath the lives of the ordinary residents of London and discover a world of magic and mayhem. The captain who will be our guide into this new world is a delightfully free-spirited woman of 28 years and a childhood friend of Apiya, heroine of the Razor�s Edge Chronicles. If you haven�t given that series a try, you will still thoroughly enjoy this one.
�Pree� Postlewaite is very nonconformist � from her magenta shoes to the knuckle duster in her pocket to her half-shaved, purple hair. And she comes by it honestly. Priscilla�s dad, in his youth, �used to be in the acquisitions business�, but when babies started coming along, her mom said he had to find another form of employment. So now he owns a dirt bike race track.
Her brother, Harry, is serving time in the local prison for the same sort of entrepreneurship shown by his father, and her brother, Nick, is busy raising and selling marijuana, anticipating that very soon now, it will be legalized, and he and his partner will have a corner on the market.
Pree is tall, cheerfully positive, easily bored, not often employed, knows enough martial arts action to take care of herself, and now has moved back home since she can�t afford rent. Right off, her mom gives her the want ads section to look for another job, but instead, it is an ad for an �aura cleansing and energy realignment� that draws her eye.
Because of a bit of bother had by Apiya and her were-tiger boyfriend which brought them to London, Pree was introduced to a magical world existing right alongside the mundane one in her own back yard. Now that Apiya has returned home, Pree will have to find out more on her own. This ad has the right kind of feeling to it. So, she texts her interest in a 30-minute, free evaluation set for 11pm that night. This could very well be her way to discover and get to know a real magical creature.
Of course, Pree finds magical people. Suddenly, they're everywhere. She also discovers that she has a bit of magic, too. A kind of magic that could make her a dangerous weapon in hostilities involving the Touched, the Vetus, and those who have been turned � like vampires and werewolves � by other magical creatures. Being Touched means you�re human but have a single, limited magical ability, and Vetus are the Ancient magical people who are not human.
Follow Pree as she navigates this new world. But don�t be surprised if you find her adventures taking unexpected turns. After all, it�s magic.

A Victorian ghost, a vegan Vampire and a zany heroine

Laughing-at-Magic is the first of a new series of books about Pree (Priscilla) whom I met in Book 6 of The Razor�s Edge Chronicles, when Apiya came to London. Pree and Apiya were old school friends, both forthright, brave young women with zany clothes and distinctive personalities. Pree had never left England, perhaps because she is so close to her loving family, of Mum, Dad, two brothers and several cats living in a council house in Staines. But her lack of a job means she must return home with her eclectic clothes stored in bin bags inside her ancient but reliable car.
As Pree tries to turn her life around she answers an advert to improve her aura. Unfortunately, this leads her to the residence of a vegetarian Vampire who discovers that she is impervious to his hypnotism. Soon she is involved in an attack by a group of �touched� individuals who look nerdy but have magical powers. It would seem she too has been �Touched-by-Magic� in an unusual way and they want her to be part of their faction.
The plot takes a while to develop as we get to know Pree and her family and she discovers how she can use her power to help people. Her true gift is her quick mind and her ability to persuade others to do as she wishes, but she seems unaware of this.
The most delightful part of the story is Pree�s relationship with a hyena whom she rescues from mistreatment, but how can she hide a fierce animal in plain sight? Her conversations with Mary, a Victorian ghost who refuses to crossover to the other side until she has a proper tombstone, add amusement, especially when she takes Mary into the 20th century.
The context of this story is less exotic and more mundane than Celine Jeanjean�s previous novels but the characterisation makes this an enjoyable read.

Hi! I'm Celine

I write different flavours of fantasy with a twist, but always with one uniting thread: quirky, flawed characters and heart-warming found families.

My books span the sub-genres of steampunk (but set in a secondary, tropical world) urban fantasy (set in Asia and London) and gothic gaslamp fantasy.

I'm French, grew up in the UK, and for the last few years I've been living a life of nomadic adventure, exploring the world with my laptop as my constant companion. My adventures have been a great source of inspiration for my stories.

These days I'm trying to figure out where in the world I might stop and setup some bookshelves.

I love to hear from readers, so feel free to contact me at with our contact form.

Laughing at Magic - Ebook #1

Real customer stories

You may also like

Hi! I'm Celine

Recently viewed

Let customers speak for us