This is the first book in a series, I believe. Daffy finds out her husband is cheating on her almost at the same time she finds out he has a lot more magic than she realized. Following soon on those revelations are that she is a kitchen witch, and oh, yeah, her husband’s ex-wife is on a mission to get her sight back after being is prison. And, the only way she can do that is to get G’s son’s eyes, someone Daffy has raised like her own son. Now might be a good time to whip up a batch of brownies and then go after the witch! This story started very well. The characters were fun, it had a good plot, and the writing was great. However, I have to admit, like a lot of reviews I read, G’s attitude really, really turned me off. I have read books where one of the characters has committed infidelity, but G really didn’t seem bothered about it, and he didn’t even try to stop or find other ways around his “affliction.” It got the point where I was so focused on him and his antics, I lost my way with the book. I think this writer and book have lots of potential, and quite frankly this book could be a 5-star, but G either really has to be completely replaced or have some major attitude changes. If you don’t mind that type of character, I think you will love this book. I did like it because I saw some good things, but I am still a little hesitant. 3 ½ stars. Thanks to the author for the e-copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

There is magic in the world and Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Descants is about to not only find out but be thrust into the middle of a very dangerous situation. Daffy is the central character in this story. She has always been very good at baking, in fact people call her creations magic. Turns out they are right. I liked how the story started with Daffy finding her husband has not been faithful. From there new characters are added, danger builds and Daffy grows into a very different person. The main danger is solved, a different world full of magic is built and the backstory for the main characters is revealed. A fun start to a new series.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I picked this book up because the cover is gorgeous and the blurb sounded really fascinating. Soccer mom urban fantasy? YES, PLEASE! There’s so many UFs with hot young single things who end up in relationships with various paranormal creatures - and don’t get me wrong, I love those books as much as anyone - but the prospect of an older mom with a long-term relationship as the heroine sounded so fresh and unusual to me. Of course, I had assumed that the allegations of infidelity would turn out to be untrue. But, oh, I was so wrong. Not only has G (what the heck, dude, you’re a freaking glorified policeman, not a celebrity) cheated on his wife repeatedly over their thirteen years of marriage, but he’s completely unrepentant about it. Oh, and also, he’s a wizard, he actually works for a global wizard law enforcement organization instead of a software company, and the kids will probably start manifesting their magic soon which might make them act basically insane. Needless to say, Daffy is pretty upset that he’s been lying to her for the entire thirteen years they’ve been married, kicks him out, and files for divorce.

There were several enjoyable things about this book. I loved the kids and watching them manifest their magic. I found the explanation of wands, and how a magician finds them, especially interesting, though a lot of the rest of the magic system seemed hazy and unexplained. I loved reading about the intersection of the mundane and magical - Daffy worrying about how to get the kids to their various activities and also giving them enough time to do homework and practice their magic. I liked her interactions with her friend, Gayle, and also the start of a new romance with a fellow dance parent. I also liked the villain and the plot revolving around her.

But then there’s G. As far as I can tell, G is basically irredeemable as a human being. At one point, G admits that he didn’t love Daffy when he married her and basically was using her as an unpaid nanny for his kid from his first marriage. Oh, and a convenient sex outlet, because, apparently, after you work “major magic,” you end up with “needs” that can only be fulfilled by, well, sex. But what really upsets me is the endless lying he does in order to “protect” Daffy and the kids. At one point towards the end of the book, G apparently has finally realized what he’s done wrong:

<blockquote>"He’d blown this trust thing with Daffy. He needed to earn it back and make sure he never did anything to lose the trust of any of his children. Ever.”</blockquote>

Unfortunately, he thinks this while he’s supposedly taking their 10-year-old daughter out for ice cream, but is instead using her to magically search a dangerous criminal’s house. And that is the whole problem with G. He seems incapable of actually telling Daffy the truth and he continuously puts the kids in harm’s way.

Overall, an interesting premise, but it's hard to get past G's infidelity and disrespect.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read almost half of this book, and I am not connecting with the characters. Furthermore, I was hoping that the husband caught cheating was a misunderstanding, but nope, he lies and continues to cheat. I can’t get behind a character who lets down his wife and kids. I think it is best for me to part ways with this one.

I did not finish this book, thus I will not be writing a full review or rating this book. Thank you for the opportunity. I marked it two stars on this site only because the site would not let me send it without rating.

On her 13th wedding anniversary she drops the bombshell that she wants a divorce, thanks to her husband’s infidelity and lies about his constant work travel. As she leaves the restaurant she then finds out that her husband is a wizard and the company is a front for a council he works for as a sheriff. As the story unfolds G, the cheating husband can’t stand to part with information that might have helped his family come to understand that they have magic and might be in danger from something he is working on and his past. Daffy works hard at trying to keep a normal life for the kids even as she and them find out they have magic and their father can do the same. So much of the plot of the book would be brushed aside if the characters could bother to share info. G about his first wife not being dead and how and why she is on the rampage. The council for destroying the info of how his first wife escaped jail and hiding that fact from him until he realizes she is the killer he is tracking. The kids that even after being told they have magic and start exploring their powers they still don’t tell the each other or their parents when something odd magical happens around them.
The characters are flawed and there isn’t a happily ever after at the end and there is room for more stories in the series. But I do want to see more in this setting to see how they are all going to grow up and that includes both parents in this story.

Daphne “Daffy” Rose Wallace Deschants has just found out that after thirteen years of marriage her husband, “G”, is a lying cheat and she’s determined to kick him to the curb. Daffy knows that she and her three children should be just fine since she has her coffee shop she runs with her best friend but when Daffy confronts G to end things she finds out he has even more secrets that he’s been hiding. Just after their dinner and discussion about his cheating ways they are confronted by a robber that G stops with his magic wand and Daffy comes to realize G is a wizard.

Even though Daffy is determined to send G packing things aren’t always that simple when you have children together. Just as G is out of the house Daffy finds she needs his help with the kids when they all seem to start showing signs of coming into powers of their own. And just when Daffy thinks she is the only one in the family that is normal it becomes apparent she is a kitchen witch herself. But to make matters worse for this family more of Gs secrets come into play when it’s found that his past is catching up with them and they are in danger.

A Spoonful of Magic by Irene Radford is an urban fantasy read bringing witches and wizards into an everyday world for this family that once seemed relatively normal. For me this was another of those books that I just couldn’t decide from one minute to the next whether I loved the story or hated it. This is really due to the fact that in my mind reading the synopsis for the book that Daffy would be sending her cheating ex packing but it ends up this poor excuse for a man is a big portion of the book. If you’ve ever watched a movie or show and covered your eyes during the eeeww parts then that is how I felt when G is involved but you can’t cover your eyes while reading.

On the plus side though I did like Daffy and her kids and the idea behind the story the author had come up with. This family discovering their magic when all seemed like normal day to day life until then was actually a fun idea. And then to ramp up the action to find there was also danger in this hidden world that had been brewing for years was a great idea. The problem still rested with the cheating hubby with his lame excuse of blaming magic when even the children were doing magic without “needing” sex. I honestly just wish the author had done her story and eliminated the cheating side and I think more readers would love this urban fantasy. In the end for me I decided on 3 stars for this one as parts of it were great.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book begins with a confrontation between a woman and a cheating husband. Daffy has been married to G for fourteen years and has adopted his son and had two children of her own with him. A "concerned" neighbor has emailed her photos of G with another woman and in their hometown of Eugene, Oregon, when he told her that he was out of town. G has been keeping secrets from her for their whole marriage. The biggest is that he is the Sheriff for an association of wizards.

Eugene has lots of eccentrics, many of whom believe in magic, which makes it a great city for those with real magic to hide. Now, a criminal that G thought was in a magical, escape-proof prison, has escaped and is targeting G's son Jason. It turns out that his first wife didn't die in childbirth but went insane with her magic and murdered many before being imprisoned and having her magic stripped from her.

G doesn't want to share this information with Daffy though he does tell her to watch the children closely. These children are all developing their own magical gifts. Jason, a gifted dancer, is also developing telekenesis. Belle is blooming from her middle school ugly duckling phase into a siren. And the youngest, ten-year-old Shara has never met a puzzle that she can't solve.

Daffy has a wonderful gift for baking and preparing herbal remedies but she has never considered herself as having magic. Raised by parents with a very restrictive religious faith caused her to repress her gifts. But now, after living with G and being surrounded by his magic and the children's magic, her gift is finally showing up.

I liked the magical belief system in this book. I liked the strong relationship Daffy has with her children. I disliked G's lack of marital fidelity and could understand why Daffy divorced him. I liked the thriller part of the story as G has to track down his ex-wife before she manages to kidnap Jason. I liked that Daffy was beginning to find out who she was outside of her relationship with G.

This was a nice start to a new urban fantasy series.

I was intrigued with the premise of this book. I was a little disappointed in how the story played out. I'm not sure what I expected but it was just a little looser in truth and trust than I though would show in a 13 year marriage. I'm guessing there will be a book 2 since the ending was less than satisfying. Irene Radford has a large number of titles listed on Goodreads but this is the first book of her's that I've read.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Daffy and her kids, her husband not so much. He was very nonchalant in his maltreatment of her, and I just couldn’t reconcile this with his supposed love for her. Daffy was kept in the dark about many things, some by personal trauma/denial, and a large amount by her husband who is a magic bigwig. Once Daffy becomes aware of all going on around her, and especially when it starts to endanger her family, her personal growth begins. And it’s wonderful to see. Fun book to read so close to Halloween.

Just not my cup of tea. I really like paranormal and magic but this one wasn't for me. I didn't like the male lead character. Found him arrogant and disliked his excuses for cheating on his wife sexist and childish.

DNF so will not be rating or reviewing. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title.

I've read other books by this author and while much different than the her other ones, I enjoyed this one very much. Some of the characters are not so nice, but I look forward to more in this series to see how the kids and Daffy grow.

First good: The family dynamics were interesting especially when the children started learning magic. Then they become a very cohesive unit.
Bad: There were parts of the story that felt vague. We are constantly told that their town is so weird that believing in magic is easy. We are never given examples of this just characters saying our town is weird. Who out there keeps asking for love triangles? It wouldn't go away. And with that open ending I guess there will be more.

This is my first experience with Irene Radford. Sadly I’m disappointed in what I read. A Spoonful of Magic turned out to be depressing and a major headache .

I picked this one up; because I found the cover to be beautiful and the blurb to be intriguing. Even though the blurb mention’s that Daffy’s hubby G has been unfaithful I was hoping it was a misunderstanding and not true, especially since G’s a Sheriff for the International Guild of Wizard’s. Sadly it didn’t turn out that way.

G is a cheater. As soon as it was true and came to light I should have DNF’d this book, but nope I kept going. I new I should have stoped, but their was something that compiled me to finish. Maybe I was hoping for a turn around, I just don’t know.

Cheater’s are a no no for me. That scenario is one I don’t like to read about, one that bothers me greatly. Their is no excuses for cheating. Non. So why does he cheat on his wife? Well it’s his magic. When he uses a lot of magic he ends up having to much pent up energy and the only way to get ride of it is to have sex. Since he’s out being sheriff of his territory and never home or near his wife, he sleeps with other women (one night stands). This set up for the magic is wrong. What was even more unfortunate is that G, Daffy’s X-Hubby had no remorse about what he did to his wife, doesn’t change his way, and continues to lie, cheat, and manipulate throughout the story.

As for G and Daffy I never felt the love from G, but Daffy she loved him. G picked Daffy up to be a mom to his son and used his wife as a nanny. It was sad how G treated his wife, whom you can clearly see loved him deeply. He kept secrets lots of them, doesn't talk to his wife now and then, nor does he tell her the truth, and when he does it's not the whole story. As for Daffy she has magical powers, but they have been layton until now. She also doesn't have the sexual urge like her X until they do a major power spell, but even then she doesn't give in and finds other ways to work off the excess energy.

To wrap things up A Spoonful of Magic showed some promise with the plot that was fascinating at times, the lesser characters where appealing, but ultimately the unorthodox morality Radford created in her magical world was just to hard for me to consume.

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Berkley Publishing via NetGalley with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

This is a book that I should have not wasted time on... but I received an ARC from NetGalley and I felt an obligation to read it before I started trash-talking.

Daphne "Daffy" Rose Wallace Deschants finds out on her 13th wedding anniversary that her husband is a wizard, that her three children also have magic and she herself has magical potential. And her husband routinely cheats on her... plus his first ex-wife is not dead, she was in magical prison and now she's escaped.

Why I started this book: Awesome cover and a great set up. I wanted to find a new strong female paranormal character, and a mother main character could have been awesome! Struggling to balance carpools and kicking butt. Epic.

Why I finished it: Guilt. There were so many times and places that I should have stopped. When Daffy learned that her whole marriage was magically-manipulated by her ex, and then she shrugs and asks him to watch the kids. Or when he repeatedly keeps manipulating her, and she stands up by telling him later, first I'm making you lunch. Or how, when the reader is getting "G" point of view... it's all about how she's still his wife, but since they are on the outs, he can sleep with anyone. But the showstopper was that her son's best friend and their neighbor, gets sucked into the posse of the wicked witch and instead of fighting to reclaim and rescue the boy, Daffy is like well it just goes to show when you parents are ultra-conservative religious nuts, of course their son will turn out like that. Serves them right. EEK!! Run away.

Super cute! Daphne and her family are a magical bunch. The children are just coming into their magical abilities and need their father's help. Their father, known mostly as G, is from a long line of magic users. When an enemy threatens, they must all be prepared and Daphne better be ready. Magical Brews is the shop where Daffy creates magic in the kitchen.

This is a light paranormal that's fun to read. These are good characters, and even the children have a major role in here that is essential to the plot. The husband and wife dynamic is unconventional. I won't give anything away on that.

Daffy is great, and I wish I could try one of her melt-in-your-mouth pastries. You can almost taste them! A pleasurable treat that focuses on this family and has a Halloween backdrop. I think fans of cozies will like this while sipping their favorite fall drink.

Reviewed by Janet of the GothicMoms Review Team

I was a bit disappointed in this book. The MCs are superficial and seem to believe their magic makes them immune to the rules and morals of human society. The plot is very interesting, however, and I did enjoy that aspect of the book. I will try another Irene Radford book because I believe she is a talented writer that I will enjoy in a different setting.

This is a great new urban fantasy by a proven author. Radford brings magic into suburbia with this novel.

I didn't want to like Daffy but this mother, witch, wife kicked butt. I loved her for what she did in the end. This a a fast past story with a lot of heart. Characters that are written well but the writer shows that they have room to grow. Storyline is well written with a ending that makes you hope for another book along the way

<i>A Spoonful of Magic</i> is a disappointing read. The poofs of magic are more easily understood than the main characters and far more likable. The story showed some promise with a plot that was at times intriguing and some interesting lesser characters, but ultimately the bizarre choices Radford has made about morality in her magical world are just too hard to swallow.