Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins, #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins #1)

by H.P. Mallory (Goodreads Author)

3.95 of 5 stars 3.95 · rating details · 6,269 ratings · 762 reviews

Life isn't bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn't have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend.

Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she's a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client...more

ebook, 304 pages

Published July 2010

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Best ADULT Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance

74th out of 1,188 books — 2,168 voters

Fables of the Reconstruction by Hunter S. Jones

Indie Books - Paranormal Fiction

10th out of 1,213 books — 1,385 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 19, 2011 Tracy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: light-comedic-urban-fantasy

Burned and Bubbled My Patience
Jolie Wilkins had been content with her little life, running a shop in L.A. with her best friend Christa and using her abilities to read auras and glimpse futures to provide the business that supported them both. Then she saw the ghost - her first, actually, and soon after her life didn't resemble anything she recognized.

That wasn't the ghost's fault, at least not directly. It was more the influence of one ultra-sexy warlock Rand Balfour, who sent the ghost to Jolie...more

14 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 TJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, contemporary-romance, kindle, paranormal

3.5/5.0

Ok, so this is not rocket science, folks, but it is fun!! And, sometimes that is just what one needs.

Mallory's writing is smooth, upbeat with a light air, while telling stories of witches, vampires and assorted otherworldly beings, all trying to live peaceably - or not - with each other. While Jolie's character gets to be more than a little annoying with her "poor little me, I can't do anything" attitude and her constant actions to prove the point, the addictive storyline, handsome men an...more

8 likes · like · see review

Mar 15, 2011 Alicia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: so-bad-it-raped-my-mind, maybe-if-i-were-14, wish-i-could-unread

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The most compelling aspect of this book was how the flaming hell so many people gave it such good reviews, both here and on Amazon. I am literally stunned by the amount of people praising it, which makes me question if they even read the damn thing.

*Here there be spoilers and a lot of trashing*

I figured I was going to hate it from the first page. I'm not a fan of authors who begin their book with a one sentence vague hook, but every now and then you find an author who can pull it off. I find it...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jun 03, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hp-mallory, michelle-mcm-s-2012-reading-list, read-june-2012

This is one of those books that you shouldn't judge by it's cover. I sat down with my kindle expecting a light, funny paranormal romance and instead got an action packed urban fantasy tale with witches, fairies, werewolves and vampires!

I was amazed with this one, it took me a couple of chapters to leave my expectations behind but that's when it really hooked me in and I enjoyed every page. I can't wait to find out what happens next, thing's are really starting to heat up for Jolie!

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 04, 2010 Jenny B rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-pnr-uf, 2010-read, e-book, indie-author, x-reviewed-old, 3-urban-fantasy, 5-read-fiction, 1st-in-series

Jolie Wilkins is a psychic who is living life quietly running her fortune telling shop until the mysterious Rand, a warlock, turns up on her doorstep and everything changes forever. Offered a job she can not refuse Jolie travels to Chicago where she discovers her special talent. It is this special talent which causes her to be drawn into a world of vampires, magic and mayhem! Watch out for a fun and fast paced journey into this world as Jolie learns about her new life!

Jolie is a very likeable ch...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 11, 2011 Trina Lore rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: did-not-finish

Why does Goodreads not have a "Did Not Finish"/"Will Not Finish" shelf? Because that's where I'd put this one (so I added one of my own, but they still made me choose one of the pre-sets). I bought it on my sister's recommendation, and she later apologized for not updating her rec. I thought maybe she was punishing me for procrastinating on finishing a different series that we're both into.

But I digress. I don't often/always review books, but in this case I feel like I have to. This is complete...more

21 likes · like · see review

Dec 04, 2011 Lorre rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Lorre by: Chelsea

In the beginning of the book Jolie Wilkins is just the normal girl-next-door but with a few pshycic "abnormalities".
She deceided to make a living out of her gifts and has a fortune-telling business together with her bff Christa.

Her quite life is completely turned upside down when Rand, a hot warlock, tells her she's not just a pshycic but she's a witch. And apparantly there is a whole world of otherwordly creatures she never knew existed.

Werewolves, vampires, demons, fairies, pixies... they all...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2010 Mandi Schreiner added it · review of another edition

Couldn't finish this one - The tone was cute and the concept was okay but I couldn't grasp the heroines motivations for anything she did. She never thinks before she acts - and it made her into a TSTL heroine. Like going to a party full of vampires (who she had never met before) and because of this ends up having to give up her whole life. Yet, seems to bounce back really quick.

She gets sucked into a dangerous world and then halfway through the book decides to move out of the protection of the o...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2011 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: couldn-t-bring-myself-to-finish

I used to be one who forced herself to finish every book she started even if she didn't like it - and that was fine when the book I was reading was Moby Dick or some other classic that I felt I should have under my belt. But for 99 cents, and a book about sexy warlocks, I give up.

I like chick-lit (I'm a big fan of the Shopaholic series), and I like paranormal romance (I liked Twilight and I liked Amanda Hocking's vampire series). I think what completely irritates me is when the two are combined...more I used to be one who forced herself to finish every book she started even if she didn't like it - and that was fine when the book I was reading was Moby Dick or some other classic that I felt I should have under my belt. But for 99 cents, and a book about sexy warlocks, I give up.

I like chick-lit (I'm a big fan of the Shopaholic series), and I like paranormal romance (I liked Twilight and I liked Amanda Hocking's vampire series). I think what completely irritates me is when the two are combined. Maybe it's me, but after the first 250 times of hearing the main character say how hot and drool-worthy the warlock is (who basically made her give up her whole life and move to England against her will), I just wished I was reading Moby Dick again. And I HATED Moby Dick. And really, is a vampire who retracts his fangs in and out while you're talking to him really all that sexy? And why is this woman so damn horny? Another pet peeve of mine is too many pop culture references. Check that one off the list as well.

The part that finally made me put down my Big Mac and say "what the f#ck" was when Jolie was on a double date with her friend Christa and out of nowhere freaks out that her date likes her friend better than her. She runs outside and starts hyperventilating. Did I mention the dates were with two werewolves, which was proceeded by a page of conversation in which Christa asked if they did it doggie style? Ah yes, women's fiction at its finest. And then there was the totally unexpected masturbation scene, in which a ghost named Pelham shows up and rips the covers off of her while she's in the middle of it. I'm sorry, but all I could think of when I met the ghost named Pelham was Peeves the poltergeist from Harry Potter. Once I got that idea into my head, the whole scenario became even more disturbing.

After deciding to quit this book I went straight to Amazon and downloaded Lord of the Rings. I need to clear my head and remind myself why it is that I love to read.
(less)

14 likes · like · see review

Jul 09, 2012 Mello ❣ Illium ✮Harry✮ ☀Myrnin☀ Torin Ichimaru rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, urban-fantasy, witches, magic, awesome-heroines, faeries, hawt-heroes, pixies, romance, sassy-heroines, supernatural, vamps, warlocks

So, this was actually a little more of s serious series than what I had been expecting. I also read H.P. Mallory's Dulcie O'Neil series and it's enjoyable, but feels a bit more humorous than this one, though it isn't without it's moments of seriousness and Bad, Bad Thing Happening.

Anyway, I really liked this. It was great seeing Jolie struggle with her confidence and that by the end, she realizes that she is indeed, awesome. At first, she's content with her world, then, in walks Rand and everyth...more

1 like · like · see review

Oct 08, 2012 Jacob Proffitt rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: will-probably-regret, urban-fantasy

I gave up at the 50% mark. I really wanted to like the book because I sort of liked Jolie. While the writing is mostly good there are three problems that tanked my ability to really engage with the story.

First, and most importantly, the emotional gage was permanently cranked to 11. Jolie reacts to everything like it’s the most important event in the history of ever! In one scene her heart gave enough palpitations I wondered if she’d need an EMT to get her through it. It felt like Jolie (or H.P....more I gave up at the 50% mark. I really wanted to like the book because I sort of liked Jolie. While the writing is mostly good there are three problems that tanked my ability to really engage with the story.

First, and most importantly, the emotional gage was permanently cranked to 11. Jolie reacts to everything like it’s the most important event in the history of ever! In one scene her heart gave enough palpitations I wondered if she’d need an EMT to get her through it. It felt like Jolie (or H.P. Mallory) deliberately chose the most dramatic option in any given situation. By the time she moves out of Rand’s protection in a snit I’d had enough.

Second, H.P. Mallory clearly doesn’t know what some words mean. For the record:
- If something is said “facetiously” then at least some of the statement needs to be untrue, or at least exaggerated.
- It’s impossible to be “entirely divested in his accounting books.”
- humility is when you are humble, not when you are embarrassed. That’s humiliation.
- Depressing your foot “from” the accelerator is a bit weird and you’d definitely never “depress” anything but the brake before a turn.

These are the instances I remember. There were more—and all before the halfway mark. In addition, Mallory thanked an editor, Teri, at the Editing Fairy. Teri, you’ve got some ‘splaining to do. I sincerely hope you flagged these and Mallory chose to ignore them. I’d like to think that, but unfortunately, I really can’t see how an author would override an editor on word definitions that can be easily verified with a competent dictionary. Being thanked by an author is good advertising. Being thanked by an author on a poorly edited book, not so much...

Third, Jolie’s attitude towards her friend, Christa, was sometimes very off-putting. No sooner does she establish mental contact with Rand than she’s mentally undermining Christa to him. She’s barely met him! And even if they were old friends, making behind-the-back comments about your “good” friend Christa is a bitch move at any time. If that were the only incident I could chalk it up to a bad moment, but Jolie hardly misses an opportunity to look down her nose at Christa and came off as both arrogant and insecure doing so. She should have been humiliated. And humbled, come to think of it...

Mallory comes off as addicted to drama during the course of what I read. I’d say it was a character trait associated with Jolie as the main character, but Rand also made choices that made no sense to his character and only served to up the drama. Yeah, he may be reluctant to start a relationship because he’s technically Jolie’s “employer”, but then he should also be aware of, and reminding her, that he’s even in this situation because he chose to defend her in the first place. He could have avoided the whole thing, himself, if he’d just left her to twist in the wind in the first place. That he doesn’t point out something he should be keenly aware of when his interference is tossed in his face, yet again, breaks my last excuse for the author being authentic to her characters.

Mallory’s writing isn’t complete crap. She’s got a decent grasp of the fundamentals, even if she doesn’t always know what words mean. But her grasp of character is weak and in the end, I felt I was watching a puppet show directed by teenagers.(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Paige rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, nook, 2011-books, kindle

Jolie Wilkins was just a small town physic until Rand Balfour comes into her shop, scheduling multiple readings with her.

Now he introduces her to a side of herself she never knew she was. A witch. and powerful at that.

Hiring her for a job to find out who killed his client, their both surprised when she brings him back to life.

Unfortunately, by bringing the ghost back to life, the supernatural world is now aware of her abilities.

Now, the villainous Bella Sawyer is out to get her to join her a...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 15, 2011 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Je n'étais pas du tout convaincue par ce livre les 80 premières pages (dommage car j'aurais pu rajouter une étoile si ce n'était cela), jusqu'à un tournant. Et la, je me suis retrouvée plongée dans l'histoire et curieuse de la voir se dérouler sous mes yeux.
Ce qui commence comme une intrigue quelconque et pas intéressante, ce révèle être une histoire complexe avec de graves enjeux politiques pour les habitants de l'Underworld, partagés entre 2 factions sur le chemin de la guerre pour le contrôl...more Je n'étais pas du tout convaincue par ce livre les 80 premières pages (dommage car j'aurais pu rajouter une étoile si ce n'était cela), jusqu'à un tournant. Et la, je me suis retrouvée plongée dans l'histoire et curieuse de la voir se dérouler sous mes yeux.
Ce qui commence comme une intrigue quelconque et pas intéressante, ce révèle être une histoire complexe avec de graves enjeux politiques pour les habitants de l'Underworld, partagés entre 2 factions sur le chemin de la guerre pour le contrôle du monde. Jolie, propriétaire presque ordinaire d'une boutique de magie, découvre que les créatures fantastiques (vampires, loups garou, démons et j'en passe) existent. Il s'avère même qu'elle est une sorcière ayant le pouvoir de ramener les morts à la vie. Talent fort convoités par les 2 factions ennemies, qui veulent en tirer avantage; elle se retrouve donc malgré elle prise au milieu de ce conflit.

Jolie est une héroïne mignonnette (bon ok, elle parle parfois grossièrement), rentrant à peine en possession de ses pouvoirs, plongée dans un univers qui la dépasse, mais guidée par Rand le "super" sorcier, son mentor et employeur avec lequel elle entretient une relation assez...particulière et difficile. Entre eux, le courant passe dès la 1ère rencontre, seulement il est décidé à la tenir à distance pour des raisons professionnelles. On suit donc le couple avec un certain plaisir et amusement. Évidemment, on tombe dans une sorte de carré amoureux car elle croise la route de quelques autres mâles, qui réussissent à la troubler et lui mettre l'eau à la bouche: Trent, le loup garou chef de meute et mon petit préféré Sinjin, le maitre vampire ambigu et plutôt obsédé. ^^

On découvre au fur et à mesure l'Underworld et les règles, qui le régissent avec Jolie. Entre les partisans de Bella et ceux de Rand, le combat est serré car les trahisons et nouvelles alliances fleurissent. C'est parfois drôle, à d'autres moments plus sérieux, et on voyage de Los Angeles à Chicago, puis l'Angleterre en passant par l'Écosse (excellent patois comme je les aime en VO, du plaisir!).
A la fin de ce 1er volume, bien que l'intrigue avance, tous les éléments ne sont pas dévoilés, et on se sent attiré par la suite pour mieux comprendre les motifs de certains car certaines zones restent dans l'ombre. Que recherche exactement Bella et pourquoi?

Je peux dire avec certitude que je risque de lire très rapidement la suite. :D

(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 18, 2011 Kasia S. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’m a huge Shakespeare fan and the title which is straight from Macbeth was a pretty cool way to jump start an enchanting series but don’t be fooled, it does has some serious and dark parts but they are mixed in with wit and charm and in the end I didn’t feel depressed, I was ready for more! To be honest I got this mostly because of the cute cover and I also thought that it’s time to branch out and try different genres. I love horror and urban fantasy, not really into romance but when done well...more I’m a huge Shakespeare fan and the title which is straight from Macbeth was a pretty cool way to jump start an enchanting series but don’t be fooled, it does has some serious and dark parts but they are mixed in with wit and charm and in the end I didn’t feel depressed, I was ready for more! To be honest I got this mostly because of the cute cover and I also thought that it’s time to branch out and try different genres. I love horror and urban fantasy, not really into romance but when done well it can go with any type of a book for an injection of realism I guess, this was such a blast to read and a total surprise, I didn’t expect to enjoy it this much, but I did since it was well written and engaging! I got the second book in the series which is called “Toil and Trouble” ( someone REALLY loved Macbeth :) ) at the same time as I got the first book but I’m saving that little morsel for as long as I can, which probably wont last long considering that the series keeps growing.

When we first meet Jolie Wilkins she’s a single girl living in LA with a business that struggles, but it’s something based on an honest gift and something that is part of her soul, her psychic powers. A chance meeting however can skyrockets her brilliant future, fun and excitement and new digs but only if she survives. A tall guy walks in claiming that he’s a warlock and that he needs her powers, Jolie’s world changes as her eyes are open to another existence, one that is home to witches, vampires and werewolves, all that she will encounter, some will fight for her heart and others for her flesh, mystery, intrigue, death and romance, all here. This wasn’t just a silly book, I felt connected to Jolie and Rand and their constant opposing characters that kept me caring about them, and it wasn’t easy peasy and there were some major setbacks that gave the book a spine but I recommend it for a great evening of entertainment. Details were well chiseled with words, Rand’s house was so luxurious that it floated in front of me ready to grasp and the intrigue of who was the real bad guy was intense, cant wait for more
from this author!

- Kasia S.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 26, 2011 Mistresslala rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, vaginalalaland

I agree with a lot of people who have said the book would be better if the author didn’t feel the need to mention sex on almost every page. I love a good romance and don’t shy away from steamy scenes (especially where vampires are concerned)and felt that often, the sexual aspects of the book are both hit and miss and don’t really add anything to develop the characters or the storyline. It seems like all of a sudden every main male character wants to have a sexual relationship with her. And, alth...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 12, 2010 Stacey Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Where do I begin? Oh yes―this book was simply fantastic!! The story revolves around Jolie, a woman on a journey of self-discovery as she learns about her unique abilities as a witch. Powers she was unaware she possessed. When Rand, the undeniably sexy warlock seeks her out to use her special gifts of reanimating the dead, you are taken on a wild ride.

This story was just my cup of tea. It hit all the right spots. The characters are witty and leave a lasting impression. Not only, Jolie and Rand, b...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 14, 2010 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jolie is a psychic who has no idea that she is actually a witch. Together with her cat and her best friend she leads a relatively quiet life. Okay, she doesn´t have a boyfriend, but so what. All that changes when one day smoking hot Rand walks into her life. Not only does she meet the very first ghost in her life, she also discovers she has very extraordinary powers. From now on, ghosts are the most normal things she will encounter.

Jolie is is a very down to earth character who sometimes has to...more Jolie is a psychic who has no idea that she is actually a witch. Together with her cat and her best friend she leads a relatively quiet life. Okay, she doesn´t have a boyfriend, but so what. All that changes when one day smoking hot Rand walks into her life. Not only does she meet the very first ghost in her life, she also discovers she has very extraordinary powers. From now on, ghosts are the most normal things she will encounter.

Jolie is is a very down to earth character who sometimes has to struggle with all the changes in her life and sometimes seems to be a bot overwhelmed by it. However, she never gives up or is whiny as other characters. Christa, her beautiful, flirty and fun-loving best friend is on her side. Rand, the male lead character is everything you wish for: atrractive, mysterious and powerful, yet still caring and charming whenever he is alone with Jolie. There are some really hot and steamy scenes between those two.

The story picks up the pace quite fast and you´ll never have a dull moment reading it. Jolie finds herself in the middle of the powerstruggle of a supernatural society whose rules Jolie doesn´t know. Throughout the book, you´ll never know whom to trust. Throw in another sexy and recently brought-back-to-life werewolf and you´ll get a picture if the chaos Jolie´s life and love-life is.

I really enjoyed the worldbuiling in this book. Other than most of the other Urban Fantasy books, H.P. Mallory has chosen England as the main location. IPelham Manor, Rand´s house was described with very much love for deteils and atmosphere and I could really picture the splendid manor with all its beauty and luxury. The supernatural society is inhabited with creatures like weres, ghosts, vampires and fairies. The schemes and powerstruggle guarantee for a lot of action and excitment and Christa sightly ADD-like behaviour adds light and funny moments.

The writing is really good and just right for the story. H.P. Mallory finds the right balance of action, humor, romance and sexy scenes to guarantee for a thoroughly entertaining read. The end leaves a lot open for the next book in the series.

Favourite scenes: I really loved the scenes with King Odran and his Fairy court. He has a very unsual and blunt charm I found very refreshing and amusing. Sinjin, the mysterious and sexy vampire adds further spice to this book.

If you´re looking for a funny light and sexy read for your summer, then Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble is exactly the book.

(less)

1 like · like · see review

Nov 28, 2010 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This one's prob 2.5 to 3 stars, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. The story seemed interesting, but i found the writing in the first third of the book to be really forced and contrived. The plot definitely gets better, but the heroin remains kind if dull and dense, especially when it comes to men/relationships. I'm sorry but I hate those girls who have a break up and than the guy is eternally a jerk even if he didn't really do anything wrong except dump them. Although she gets better near...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 29, 2013 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Paranormal romance
Adult
Free download

First of all this book was free for my kindle, so I figured what the hell. It's the first book in a paranormal romance series. For me this is another "junk food" book (it's like candy!). I had fun with it and enjoyed it. Needless to say there wasn't a heavy plot or mind altering insight. I have already downloaded the second book. I would suggest this book for anyone who like Charlaine Harris, Laurell K. Hamilton, etc.

like · see review

Jul 22, 2011 Laura rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crap

I did not like this book. I had to struggle through it, skipping more and more on the way. The main female character was empty and uninteresting, I couldn't care less about her fate, moreover, I couldn't find a single thing in Jolie to cause anyone to fall for her. The romance line? I didn't find this "we can't do this" convincing, or "aha, if I can't have him then I will focus on anyone who casted a glimpse on me" romantic.
This book had some potential, but resulted in something that could only...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2013 Anna rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: new-weird-urban-fantasy, f-m-romances

Could not finish this poorly written, shallow, tediously boring book. It reads like someone trying to rip off the Sookie Stackhouse books but without the skill or any semblance of quality.

The 'heroine' is a vapid, shallow, unpleasant, rude, self centred, thoughtless idiot with a spine of solid jelly. The 'hero', assuming that the First Guy is meant to be the hero, is entirely without character. The supporting cast are a series of cardboard cutouts with cliches attached. The 'plot' is often disr...more Could not finish this poorly written, shallow, tediously boring book. It reads like someone trying to rip off the Sookie Stackhouse books but without the skill or any semblance of quality.

The 'heroine' is a vapid, shallow, unpleasant, rude, self centred, thoughtless idiot with a spine of solid jelly. The 'hero', assuming that the First Guy is meant to be the hero, is entirely without character. The supporting cast are a series of cardboard cutouts with cliches attached. The 'plot' is often disregarded so that the heroine can digress into thinking about or obsessing over sex. The language is by turns overwrought, repetitive, cliched, repetitive, stilted and repetitive. The author often uses the wrong word (for example, someone pastes on an 'indignant smile' rather than an indulgent one). The use of British English is an utter failure - either so over the top as to be painfully obvious (no Briton ever says bonking in real life) or entirely disregarded. The book utterly fails at Show Don't Tell; an event that one would assume to be really rather important is skipped over entirely and the reader is presented with the aftermath during a one page conversation between the heroine and her best friend. Also, I know it's pronounced Sinjin, but I've always seen it written as St. John. This is a minor niggle, but one that genuinely bothered me (some googling suggests it is an accepted spelling, at least in American English).

I'm at a loss to explain the positive, glowing reviews this book has received from so many. I'm glad this book was free, as I would feel extremely cheated had I wasted even a single penny on it.

Addendum: As I can't remove this from my currently reading shelf for some reason - if anyone knows how, please do share - I went back to try and at least skim to the end. Oh dear GOD the 'Scottish'. I may have to share selected quotes with my Scots friends to see if they find it as awful as I do.

Addendum to addendum: I love the random review I read that told me how to make exclusive shelves. Begone, foul polluter of my kindle...(less)

like · see review

May 18, 2013 Kristin Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

To be honest, I purchased this book to try on my Kindle because it was free. I hadn't read any of the reviews, but the title and cover art were very intriguing. Still, the story was a pleasant surprise.

The main character is Jolie Wilkins, who just happens to find out that not only is she a witch, but also a very unique one and possibly a part of some sort of prophecy. She is "discovered" by the very sexy warlock Rand, and she has the serious hots for him throughout the story. It is just a little...more

like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Sylvia D rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wanted to like this, but it honestly turned into one of those situations where I'm reading and thinking, 'This is crap.' But, then, I have to keep reading just to make sure it's crap and then, whoops, I've read the entire thing.

What I care about most in anything I read: the writing. I can forgive a lot of things in a book if the writing makes up for it. At least in part. To me, fair writing and poor writing are the difference between a 2-star and a 3-star review. But, not in this case.

For one...more

like · see review

Mar 29, 2013 Lover of Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire, urban-fantasy, witches, favorites

Jolie Watkins, who is a psychic, lives in a shop with her cat and her best friend, in Los Angeles. . But then she has a certain customer do a walk-in, a Rand Balfour, who is a warlock- a male witch, and a very powerful one at that. Then Jolie see's a ghost, which has never happened to her before, and then later finds out that Rand sent the ghost to her, to see her abilities, because he needs her help, in finding out who killed Jack (the ghost). So when she takes her friend, she goes with Rand, t...more

like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Michala Tyann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Book Review: H.P. Mallory and this week's Favorite Author
by: Michala T.

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
by H.P. Mallory
It all started with an innocent download onto my Kindle Fire. I didn't even have to pay for the first book in her Jolie Wilkins Series. But of course...isn't that how addictions are created? Ha! So I must admit this first novel is either a big hit or a big miss and you either love or hate it. For those who love it...the books keep getting better. (But I must stay on book one.)

If you...more

like · see review

Dec 14, 2012 Sheila rated it 2 of 5 stars

I decided to try this book because it was relatively cheap for a Kindle buy,and the premise sounded interesting. But having read it, I agree for the most part with Tracy's 1-star review. This book could have been much better. The main character Jolie is annoying, and will make the reader wonder why a powerful warlock and a master vampire are obsessed with her, even as she is wondering to herself why anyone would like her (over and over again throughout the story). She seems incredibly naive, imm...more I decided to try this book because it was relatively cheap for a Kindle buy,and the premise sounded interesting. But having read it, I agree for the most part with Tracy's 1-star review. This book could have been much better. The main character Jolie is annoying, and will make the reader wonder why a powerful warlock and a master vampire are obsessed with her, even as she is wondering to herself why anyone would like her (over and over again throughout the story). She seems incredibly naive, immature, and selfish, which is reflected in her reactions throughout the story, some of which will have the reader shaking their head in disbelief. Not that there is anything wrong with a character making mistakes, it's just that this should always serve the plot, help to make the character more believable, and drive the story forward. In this case, it breaks the suspension of disbelief and the reader's involvement in the story, because it is just laughable to think that someone could be that oblivious and dimwitted, and yet still be attached to some great mystical destiny involving the entire supernatural world. I do like the character of Sinjin for the most part, except when the author writes something for him to do which seems to be in the story solely to throw the reader off or provide a plot twist. That seems like lazy writing to me. If it is not true to the character, you should not have them do it just because you need something splashy in your story. There doesn't seem to be any inner logic going on here. The character of Rand is interesting in his own way, enough so that the reader can't help wondering how on earth he would become so interested in Jolie, the heroine. Jolie's best friend, Christa, is about as believable and interesting as one of those life-size cardboard cut-outs of celebrities that people pose with for pictures. Her presence in the story seems to be just to underline the heroine's nonexistent self-esteem, and to make it all the more miraculous that-gasp!-a warlock and vampire are fixated on the lowly heroine instead of her friend who looks like a model. Although judging by the physical description provided by the author for Jolie, it seems entirely implausible that the character would be unaware of how her looks might appeal to the opposite sex. And Christa is just one of the characters in the story that the author introduces and provides only a bare outline for, preferring instead to rely on cliche and stock characterization from the supernatural/paranormal genre. It was disappointing overall because there is enough going on in the world that the author has constructed to make a story about, if Mallory could be bothered to try a little harder. I would be interested in reading more about Rand and Sinjin, and the politics of the supernatural community, but the main character just makes my eyes glaze over. It is a strange experience to read about the supposed heroine of the story, and find yourself sympathizing with the villains.(less)

like · see review

Dec 09, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Witches, Vampires and Werewolves...oh my.

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble is a hilarious paranormal romance you won't want to miss. H.P. Mallory created a heroine that jumps off the pages and has you silently (and sometimes not so silently) cheering along.

Jolie Wilkins lived a happy, quiet life until a sexy warlock came along and discovered her true potential and the powers she possess as a witch. Now she's a hot commodity in the paranormal world and everyone wants a piece of her. Jolie kept me la...more

like · see review

Sep 15, 2012 Amanda rated it 1 of 5 stars

I tried soooooo hard to like this. The premise is slightly refreshing while at the same time still keeping to the typical urban fantasy style that's popular now. But no amount of intriguing plot makes up for terrible writing and editing. The story was split up into about four or five different sections and they didn't really flow well together.

Then she, of course, has these two guys. Its fairly obvious she's setting up the typical love triangle. Or horcrux if you really think about it... She als...more

like · see review

Aug 10, 2012 Anita rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance, e-books-i-own

This is technically an urban fantasy, because the heroine has a complicated romantic life and there's no happily-ever-after at the end, BUT... it's really a romance. The story isn't about the action or the magical powers, it's about the relationships, and it's extremely evident that there's one warlock meant for this witch, even if the relationship isn't fully committed by the end of this book. The tone is light, verging on flippant and chick-lit at moments, but not overly so. There's nothing sp...more This is technically an urban fantasy, because the heroine has a complicated romantic life and there's no happily-ever-after at the end, BUT... it's really a romance. The story isn't about the action or the magical powers, it's about the relationships, and it's extremely evident that there's one warlock meant for this witch, even if the relationship isn't fully committed by the end of this book. The tone is light, verging on flippant and chick-lit at moments, but not overly so. There's nothing special about the supernatural creatures - just your garden variety werewolves, witches, fairies, and vampires. All the characters have distinctive and engaging personalities, though. The story arc has hallmarks of a beginning writer. It meanders through different scenes that don't build to a satisfying climax in this book. Perhaps the writer will bring the pieces together in later books, but this really isn't even marginally a stand-alone work. It's just the first chunk - the intro, really - of a long story. There are also lots of type-os, which makes me think this might have been self-published. The copyright info looks self-published.

The concept is that a psychic (Jolie) is approached by a warlock (Rand) and hired to help him with a spell to figure out who murdered someone's dad a long time ago. She doesn't know she's a witch, but the warlock is hot and pays well, so she gives it a shot and accidentally reanimates the dead guy (alive in the current time, but looking the age at which he died.) This trick garners her a lot of unwanted attention from a power hungry witch, and she ends up taking a permanent job with Rand and moving to England with him. There she dates a werewolf in spite of her attraction to Rand and learns magic from fairies. But the power-hungry witch back home will do anything to have Jolie in her power, and wants to rule all the supes anyway, so a war is brewing with plenty of guerilla attacks. Foes become friends, friends turn out to be foes, and neutral parties are courted to join sides. It seems every hot, powerful male supe is out to seduce Jolie while Rand dumbly tries to maintain employer-employee distance. Eventually, Jolie discovers she's got more than one trick up her sleeves.
(less)

like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 Trang rated it 1 of 5 stars

Girl-next-door Jolie one day found herself visited by a drop-dead gorgeous warlock who insisted that she had great potential as a witch and helped her discover her rare talent in resurrecting the dead. Innocent Jolie suddenly was caught up in an Underworld war that had a lot to do with attractive warlocks, vampires, and werewolves who competed against each other over her. While hiding away from the evil witch who tried to rule the Underworld, Jolie did not waste any time practicing magic and eng...more Girl-next-door Jolie one day found herself visited by a drop-dead gorgeous warlock who insisted that she had great potential as a witch and helped her discover her rare talent in resurrecting the dead. Innocent Jolie suddenly was caught up in an Underworld war that had a lot to do with attractive warlocks, vampires, and werewolves who competed against each other over her. While hiding away from the evil witch who tried to rule the Underworld, Jolie did not waste any time practicing magic and engaging in hot romance with her protectors.

To each his own. My apologies to this book's fans but it was entirely out of curiosity to find out how silly this could get that I got through half of this book. I would say that it has some good contents and some new contents. Unfortunately, the good ones are not new and the new ones are not good.

The first witch and warlock fight was a big let-down for me. I expected some serious spells or summons, not a fist-and-knee brawling between a man and a woman. Nice try at being creative, though. What irritated me the most is the fact that the plot, and especially the heroine, is something you'd see at least a hundred times in many shoujo manga (Japanese teen girls comics). The (poor and nothing special) heroine is a potentially powerful supernatural who has yet to discovered her rare abilities. In the mean time, the innocent, naive, and defenseless girl would be sought by evil forces who try to rule the world using her power. Luckily for her, heroes who are ready to die for her are plenty and happen to all be powerful, rich, perfect in appearance, and/or from a high social status. They also happen to fall for her immediately and will compete each other on the race to winning her hand.

I had trouble determining the age of audience. There's too much sex for young readers and too little content for adult ones. 2/3 of the book is dedicated for describing how hot the male characters were, how Jolie and they lusted after each other, and how they exchanged flirtation or sex acts. I guess the blame is on me for expecting too much content from a fantasy book that's categorized as romance, but even the romance was not of my taste. Lust comes too intense too fast too easy and too often here. I found myself scanning over the pages to find some serious plot development as soon as I reached about 1/3 of the book. To my dismay, there wasn't a lot.

I can't determine which annoys me the most, Jolie's ability (resurrecting the dead without penalty to her or the resurrected? Come on!), her quick lust, jealousy and gullibility, her friend Christa who'd sleep with any handsome guys and is otherwise useless, the guys who are all flawless, the guys who hopelessly swoon over her (boobs or legs), or the tediousness and redundancy of the lust (I have trouble calling it "love") scenes.

This is, literally, bad romance. I give one point for the mental and physical effort of creating the story. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Books, Wine and G...: Sue and Beth Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble	9	22	Sep 12, 2012 04:16pm
GIVEAWAY/Interview (Pick 1 of her 3 books in PAPERBACK)	1	41	Mar 10, 2011 08:05pm

combine
Other Editions (5)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy > Paranormal

204 users

Romance

130 users

Romance > Paranormal Romance

127 users

Fantasy

103 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

98 users

Paranormal > Witches

65 users

Paranormal > Vampires

64 users

Fantasy > Magic

49 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

38 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

26 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Haunted on Bourbon Street
by Deanna Chase
Me and My Ghoulfriends
by Rose Pressey
Opal Fire
by Barbra Annino
My Familiar Stranger
by Victoria Danann
Once Bitten
by Trina M. Lee

About H.P. Mallory

I started my writing career as a self-published author and was lucky enough to hit both the Amazon and the Barnes and Noble bestseller’s lists with my two series, the Jolie Wilkins series and the Dulcie O’Neil series. Most recently I hit the New York Times and the USA Today lists with books in the Jolie series.

I signed with Random House (Bantam imprint) to write three books in the Jolie Wilkins se...more

More about H.P. Mallory...

Books by H.P. Mallory

A Tale of Two Goblins (Dulcie O'Neil, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Fire Burn and Cau...

1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Fire Burn and Cauldron...

“The only thing separating Americans and Brits is a comman language.” — 25 people liked it

“You want some more?" Christa asked, her right eye drooping like an old lady's pantyhose. It was a sign that Christa was drunk. She said it was a form of lazy eye; I just thought it was hysterical and laughed although I tried to hide it with an inconspicuous cough.” — 15 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
avg rating	preview: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble Goodreads rating: 3.95 (6269 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8542839-fire-burn-and-cauldron-bubble?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329352960l/8542839.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8542839-fire-burn-and-cauldron-bubble?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory[/url]

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble (Jolie Wilkins #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website