666 Park Avenue (666 Park Avenue 1) [Paperback]

When Jane Boyle falls in love with Malcolm Doran, she throws caution to the wind, quits her job, and plans to move to America from France to marry him. Her new life comes with some unexpected surprises, though.

Malcolm's family is a bit strange, to say the least. His mother, however, seems thrilled to be gaining a daughter-in-law, and she eagerly pulls Jane into plans for one of the biggest society weddings of the year. Unfortunately, Jane's humble country background does not prepare her for life as a New York socialite.

If living in a new country, with a new fiancé, and his very odd family is not enough, after finding her grandmother's dead body and a mysterious letter from that guardian, Jane has to come to terms with what the strange experiences she has had all her life really mean. She sees people that others don't; she hears voices that no one else does; she makes electronic devices go haywire.

A letter from her grandmother states it simply: she is a witch.

Jane does not have anyone to turn to for help, so when a young woman she meets at her new job befriends her, Jane is thrilled. But her adventures lead her to question the people she thought she could trust, and to wonder if marriage into the infamous Doran clan is the best idea.

Pierce's first novel is a fun paranormal romp that introduces humorous questions about who really runs New York's high society - and what the phrase "My mother-in-law is a witch" means when it's true! Readers will not only enjoy meeting Jane and her new friends, but they will look forward to the next book in the author's debut series.

*Note: Due to graphic sexual scenes and situations, this title is recommended for older and more mature readers.

Reviewed by: Theresa L. Stowell

Jane Boyle works in Paris where she is an architect. She grew up in rural France, in Alsace, with her Grandmother, after her parents died in a car crash when she was only a baby. After a whirlwind romance in Paris, she falls in love with Malcolm Doran, a very handsome, highly successful man. He proposes to her, and she accepts and sets off for New York City to make a new life there with him. She visits her Grandmother who she hasn't seen for many years, and who was always very overprotective of her, intending to share her good news before she leaves France, but sadness awaits her. Before leaving, Jane finds a note to her from her Grandmother, as well as an unusual ring, revealing something quite amazing and magical about herself and her past; something that explains some of the mysterious happenings she has experienced previously in her life which she hadn't been able to explain. 'She 'had power', but she didn't know how to use it - or how not to use it.'

Jane sets off with high hopes for her new start; it seems like a 'fairy-tale romance with a modern-day prince', despite the new knowledge about herself that now weighs her down. When she meets the rest of the Doran family at 666 Park Avenue though, she realises how wealthy and revered they are in New York City, and she also discovers they have some secrets of their own. Jane has trepidations about fitting in with the family, having come from a humble background herself, and now finding she is joining a New York society family. Then she discovers more about their past, and who they really are, and then the trouble really starts for Jane. If she thinks that the wedding planning is being taken out of her hands rather a lot, how will she cope knowing that Lynne, her mother-in-law to-be is none other than 'the wicked witch of the Upper East Side.'?

After first 'trying to ignore it in the hope that it would go away', as she learns more about those around her, and sees magic happen, Jane starts to try and understand her power and discover what her magical skills might be, where they originate from, and how she can control them. She finds herself rather swamped by the domineering Doran's, Lynne in particular, and I was willing her to assert herself and try and find the strength to stand up to them more sometimes early on in the story. But she discovers the dark history of witches and witchcraft within the family, the city and beyond, and eventually acts as she realises the truth about her new life and her situation. I felt for her in her new home, as she realised the plans they, and Lynne especially, had in store for her, and the expectations placed on her that were so far removed from the life she had known in Paris.

The house, 666 Park Avenue itself, comes across as being a spooky place, populated by the enigmatic, powerful Doran family; people appear suddenly and make you jump, there are secrets locked away, and the house is almost a character in its own right as it features strongly in the book.

I found this an exciting, fun and entertaining story which builds to a thrilling finish. There is romance to enjoy, glamour in the New York locations and fashions, and of course, magic! This is perfect if you are looking for something light-hearted and diverting to read, whether for reading over summer or alternatively curling up with on a cold dark night. As someone who doesn't read very many paranormal type novels, this felt like a good introduction for me to this genre, as it wasn't overly heavy on this element, but there was enough, for me, to make the story into a magical one. I would say this is more of an adult, or older young adult read than a young adult book due to some of the content.

666 Park Avenue is the start of a new series that could be compared to an adult Gossip Girl with less focus on the gossip and more on Witches. These aren't your run of the mill tie-dye, earth loving, sisterly coven witches who would rather live in the woods somewhere and commune with the goddess, no - these women are power witches, dressed in designer clothes, an abundance of money at their fingertips and their finger on the New York pulse by way of controlling the socialite scene. These women are feared and revered throughout the scene and woe betide anyone who gets in their way because when you have a socialite with a superiority complex and you give them unrivalled powers with the chance to obtain more - you've created a monster who will stop at nothing, and I mean nothing to get what she wants. And they've set their sights on Jane Boyle who knows nothing about her powers until the death of her grandmother- who happened to be her last remaining relative. When Jane moves to New York following that and the whirlwind proposal from NYC's most eligible bachelor- Malcolm Doran - she thinks her fairy tale has come true but she soon discovers there are no closets big enough to hold this particular `esteemed' families skeletons and as she begins to discover them, she begins to fear for her safety and of those she has come to know. Can she save herself from the strongest witch of all? - Malcolm's mother!

I really enjoyed this book, at first I thought it wasn't my thing - I'm not a fan of women who deem the way others perceive them as paramount importance to their lives, where your thoughts are meaningless because you're expected to act in a certain way, maybe I'm stereo typing 'socialites' but let's face it the ones we see in the media aren't my kind of role models and not something I would aspire to be therefore not a topic I really want to read about plus it mentions designers & labels a lot - again, not my thing (I'm a jeans & t-shirt kinda girl) I didn't want to spend a time reading about someone shopping in expensive stores etc. but I got why it was done because she is thrust into this world and a lot of value is placed on appearance so it goes with the territory. When I looked past that and the story got going then the witchy part got introduced, that's when I got into it, surprising myself with how much I actually did like it.

There are a lot of characters to get to know in this and I liked the majority, Jane is nice - I liked her a whole lot more once she wised up to a few things and we see her get some backbone. I don't want to say a great deal about most of them for fear of spoiling the story, let's just say that not everyone is who they appear to be - that will be a major thread really because as we begin to get to know people we also find out who can be trusted and who can't.

The storyline is interesting but because its book one, we only really touch on some of the things happening, I think the focus on this is that Jane discovers she has powers and someone else wants them - but that's not all she wants and it's a shocker believe me! There are a few complications thrown in because when Jane first arrives she has nothing to lose but then she gains a couple of allies and now they are targets so it changes some of her decisions. There are a lot of twists and turns, you think it's going one way and it goes another plus as I said there are a LOT of skeletons in the Doran's closet - we get a couple - but it leaves you with the feeling that there is a whole lot more and Jane is likely to blow the lid off the lot. I really liked the little bit of history we got about the `families' & we also get the hint of a love triangle that I'm not too fussed about - I'm not a fan of infidelity and it could very well go there which would spoil it for me. The pacing was good and everything was kept moving swiftly, throwing discoveries out along the way and I liked that it wasn't just a big reveal at the end and as I said plenty of twists and turns and a great start to what promises to be a great series and I will be definitely looking out for book two.

Things I'm hoping for the sequel are. . . more answers - I want to know about Jane's heritage and what really happened to her parents, I want to know more about the Dorans and what they're up to, particularly more about a secret that was exposed in this book, I want more of the history of the witches, I want to meet some of the other `families' & I want Jane to master her powers - I'm not asking for much ;)

Now, I was made aware just before I read this that it has been made into a TV series soon to be aired and that is how I visualised it when reading and I have to say it has all of the elements that would make me watch it, there are pivotal moments where you can see an episode ending and the drama of the reveals, so if you want a heads up on it - get reading this and be ahead of the game. I'm curious to see if they do it justice.