Amanda Santorelli is a mousy young woman who hides her personality behind clothes that are too big. She barely says two words, rarely voicing her true opinion but saying what she thinks people want to hear. All of her nights are spent dreaming about Mark Abbott, her playboy boss she can’t get out of her mind.

When Amanda’s quirky Aunt Lilly finds an book of spells, she takes it upon herself to cast a spell on Amanda to make her more outspoken. Now Amanda can't stop her runaway mouth and blurts out every thought that crosses her mind. The spell won't be broken until Amanda finds her perfect mate. However, the new Amanda intrigues Mark and he decides his assistant is more his type of woman than he ever imagined.

Hocus Pocus is a book that was given to me and I probably never would have decided to pick it up on my own if I saw it in the store. I am quite happy though it was given to me since this was such an enjoyable read. This was a light and breezy read, with plenty of humor providing several laugh out loud moments. The story is an original one and bound to keep you reading to see what antics they’ll be up to next.

I love Amanda who has a lot of spunk though she always kept it hidden. Once the spell was cast and she comes out of her shell, by her own devices or not, she really perked things up and finally got the attention she deserved. Amanda is also highly intelligent and she finally lets that show when the new Amanda arrives on the scene. I liked Mark as well, though he didn’t especially stand out in any way for me.

I enjoyed my visit with Amanda and company in Hocus Pocus. I was pleasantly surprised to see there is a sequel available, Now You See It, featuring Sarah Santorelli and of course the loveably wacky Aunt Lilly. I think I’m going to have to go get me a copy of that one also.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, March 2008. All rights reserved.