Gabi Stevens – The Wish List

The first book in the Time of Transition Trilogy series, published April 27, 2010.
Genre: paranormal romance



Kristin Montgomery is more than a little shocked when her aunts inform her they’re fairy godmothers. Worse, after dropping that bombshell, they hand her a wand and head off on a world cruise. Now Kristin’s uncomplicated life as a CPA in San Diego has disappeared like magic, and she not only has to deal with her burgeoning magical powers but also a reluctant – and distractingly sexy – magical arbiter.
Tennyson Ritter is a historian. A scholar by choice, he is yanked from his studies to act as arbiter for the newly chosen fairy godmother. He doesn’t want to waste his time with a woman who doesn’t know anything about magic or the magical world, but soon the beguiling Kristin draws him away from his books and into her life.
But before Kristin can hone her skills and pass the tests necessary to fully claim her powers, she and Tennyson must work together to defend the world – both magical and human – against those who would claim her powers for their own.


Kristin is going over to her aunts Flora, Rose and Hyacinth, as they have asked her to stop by. What she gets into, is the little cottage she loves so much, in total disarray. Her aunts are packing up. And during that little half hour of chaos, she is told that her aunts (not biological aunts though) are fairy godmothers, that they are finally retiring from the job, and that she is the next one. O, and she will get an arbiter appointed by the council who will test her and determine whether she is worthy to be a fairy godmother.
Kristin has a very hard time believing all this. She is a CPA, her world consists of logic, not magic! Her aunts are going on a world cruise, and she is welcome to stay at their cottage for an unspecified amount of time. That last thing is very welcome, as the lease on her own ratty apartment was up and she needs a new place to stay.
And so she says goodbye to the aunts, and sets out to move her things into the cottage. But when she reaches her apartment, she is scared half to death by a huge man waiting for her. He tells her that her wand is following her and she should do something about that, or does she wants to be found out by the humans? To Kristin’s surprise, he has her wand, and she has no idea what to do with it. And when he follows her up to her apartment, she sure is not happy, she has no intention of allowing him inside. But Tennyson gives her little choice, and at least he is handy to have around as he packs her stuff with one flick of his own wand. And he shows her what to do with hers, how to store it properly.
Tennyson Ritter was busy studying when he got the assignment to be the arbiter for the new fairy godmother. And he has totally no understanding for Kristin, that this is all new to her, and that she doesn’t really believe anything about it. So when he wants her to use her new and unknown magic ability to transport her stuff to her new house, she refuses. No way is she going to fry her stuff! So she makes him help her move everything the oldfashioned way. Which he grumblingly does, until he gets fed up with all the manual labor, and summons the rest of her things for her.

The next morning, Kristin meets another Arcani man who is interested in her. He tells her he came to visit her aunts, but if Kristin needs his help, he will gladly give it to her. Kristin is a bit overwhelmed that this very handsome suave Frenchman, a sorcerer, is interested in her, but she likes him. And she agrees to go out with him the next evening.
The day is not done with surprises for Kristin, as she also meets Callie, a sprite, a tiny fairy who becomes her friend. Tennyson refuses to teach her stuff, but Callie and her friends really like to help her find her magic powers and train them.

Tennyson’s day is not going all that well. While he is busy with his studies, a giant earthquake almost destroys the Academy. But it is not a natural earthquake, it has magical properties, and his friend and mentor is killed by it. Someone is hunting for the fairy godmothers out of revenge, and Kristin can be the next target. So he needs to go back to her, to protect her. Even if she really does not want him in her house. And he sure is not happy with her having a date with another man! So Tennyson sets out to follow them, to keep an eye on her, and when Kristin catches him in the act, she is furious when Lucas even agrees with him! At that point, she just vanishes on the two of them, leaving them standing in front of the restaurant without her. She will not be fought over!

Danger keeps following them, but is Kristin the target? Or is it Tennyson? They will have to find out who is behind it all, and fast, especially when the cruise ship her aunts are on, meets with an accident in the middle of the ocean. Luckily, Kristin is a fast learner, and as a Rare One, she is very powerful. When the cottage is destroyed by lightning while they are out doing some grocery shopping, Tennyson takes her to the house of a friend of his. A groundling, so no one should suspect they are hiding there. When the little son, Jake, spies Callie though, they have no choice but to tell Zack everything about them and their world, and Zack is very cool with that.


I have recently read the reviews about this trilogy over at Books and Things blog, and I just knew I had to read those books. So I went to my favourite online bookstore, and bought them. And I am not sorry I did, as I really like those books (yes, I started book 2 immediately). I like Gabi Stevens writing style, it is nice, well paced and has humor when needed. I like the world Gabi Stevens has created and the many creatures that live in it.

Kristin is a Rare One, born from normal parents (called groundlings), but with magic. A fairy godmother only comes around every 70 years or so, in a time called the Time of Transition. The new fairy godmothers are learning about their powers and how to use them, and the old ones are loosing some of theirs. They were created by Merlin to be a conduit between the Arcani (the magical people) and humans. And it is his magic that creates the fairy godmothers, and chooses the next ones. The current ones always know when their successor is born, so they can keep an eye on her. But they are not allowed to tell her anything or help her prepare, or teach her magic.
The reader learns all this when Kristin learns, so luckily there is no huge info dump. It all comes in little bits and pieces.

It took me a while to get to like Kristin, as she cries a few times in the beginning of the story. I also don’t really feel the connection between Kristin and Tennyson, a bit more “being nice to each other” would have made it more believable. After all, Tennyson is very grumpy and impatient with her, and Kristin calls him a troll. Being handsome is not enough to make you fall in love with a man.
There is also the secondary storyline about Callie, who immediately recognizes Zack as her mate, and she really hates that, as she likes being small over being big. But Zack is such a cool character, I liked him a lot, and I hope there will be more about them in the next book.

The three aunts are fun characters as well, and still a force to be reckoned with. I am looking forward to finding out what happens in the next books.

I have to say, the plot was sometimes a bit predictable, but overall, I really liked this book.

8 stars.

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian