Estella Morgan's magic is on the fritz. No magic spell is working as intended. All because she turned her cheating ex-boyfriend and his girlfriend into rats. It was an accident, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't regret it, or that there won't be consequences. Now she needs to find a way to reverse the spell, and her roommate and friend Christine comes up trumps. She knows someone who knows someone who lives by a witch doctor. But when the price of help is seducing a rogue warlock and convincing him to give up black magic, will she be able to follow through?

Aurelia Abbott's Toil And Trouble is a short story about a young witch whose magic is going astray. Estella is someone who feels things very strongly, and sometimes her emotions get the better of her – as they did when she was confronted with her ex and his girlfriend. Being an innately honest and decent person, she is not going to leave them in their rodent form, though women everywhere will no doubt disagree with her decision. Yet, nothing is free and Estella must give to receive – though doubtless she is eager to complete her part of the bargain when she gets her glimpse of the man she must seduce. There is a twist in the tale, and this paranormal short story is not a happily ever after type of scenario. That is, it is not a romance with hero and heroine getting together and setting themselves up for a life of love, though there is some sex, albeit not overly described nor containing much foreplay. Toil And Trouble is a rather well written short tale, fairly enjoyable with a smoothly flowing plot.

Reviewed by: Elizabeth