The Magic Jack O'Lantern

Miss Polly Peach lived with her uncle and the resident "brownie" (which is sort of like a big fairy) named Bodkin. Brownies are the invisible little creatures that reside in many homes of England whose task is to take care of the little things humans forget to tend. Brownies often supervise the work of bees and have quite a sweet tooth. Bodkin was in love with another brownie named Nutmeg. One night Nutmeg went home promising to see Bodkin the next day, only to suddenly disappear. Now the only reason Bodkin remained was due to Polly. Polly was the only one that Bodkin allowed to see him. They were close friends. That is, until the day Bodkin found out her Uncle Hordwell might have had a hand in Nutmeg's disappearance! Sir Dominic Fortune had been tossed aside by a scheming mistress. He went to Bath to lick his wounds but the mistress follows. Every time Dominic saw angelic Polly, she was in the middle of chaos! It was if bad luck followed her steps. (He had no way of knowing that Bodkin was causing all the trouble.) Yet as Halloween approaches, Dominic begins to change his mind. Perhaps anything CAN happen, even love. ***** I have always loved the holiday of Halloween, so I could not help but find this story to be absolutely delicious! It is full of action, romance, and magic galore. I loved it! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch

Miss Polly Peach lived with her uncle and the resident "brownie" (which is sort of like a big fairy) named Bodkin. Brownies are the invisible little creatures that reside in many homes of England whose task is to take care of the little things humans forget to tend. Brownies often supervise the work of bees and have quite a sweet tooth. Bodkin was in love with another brownie named Nutmeg. One night Nutmeg went home promising to see Bodkin the next day, only to suddenly disappear. Now the only reason Bodkin remained was due to Polly. Polly was the only one that Bodkin allowed to see him. They were close friends. That is, until the day Bodkin found out her Uncle Hordwell might have had a hand in Nutmeg's disappearance! Sir Dominic Fortune had been tossed aside by a scheming mistress. He went to Bath to lick his wounds but the mistress follows. Every time Dominic saw angelic Polly, she was in the middle of chaos! It was if bad luck followed her steps. (He had no way of knowing that Bodkin was causing all the trouble.) Yet as Halloween approaches, Dominic begins to change his mind. Perhaps anything CAN happen, even love. ***** I have always loved the holiday of Halloween, so I could not help but find this story to be absolutely delicious! It is full of action, romance, and magic galore. I loved it! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch.

I loved every page of this amazing confection of laughter, magic, brownies, Halloween and - above all - Regency Romance! From the first to last page it's an enthralling escape and comes top of my feel-better rating. A great read, and will be again and again, I'm sure!

Ahhhh. She's done it again! The well-spring of creativity that continues to bubble within Sandra Heath is displayed with terrific effervescence in her October book "The Famous Jack-o'-Lantern" from Signet. Miss Polly Peach is an heiress; her untitled father owned Peach's Bank in London. Unfortunately, Polly's parents were killed in a carriage accident, and she is consigned to her Uncle's guardianship. Uncle is Hordwell Horditall, a wealthy if parsimonious country gentleman who is infatuated with titles and the nobility. He determines to wed his ward to the impoverished Lord Benjamin Beddem, the second son of the Duke of Lawless, but who claims that he will be the next duke. Lord Beddem has a sister, Lady Georgiana Mersenrie, who has been carrying on with Sir Dominic Fortune, but suddenly struck by the desire for a grand title of her own, throws him over for Algernon Lofty, Marquess Hightower, heir to the Duke of Grandcastle.From Horditall House, and sundry other locations, all the parties gather in Bath to celebrate Halloween along with the Duke and Duchess of York, and their Russian guests the Count and Countess Gotenuv. And not to forget - or ignore - the brownie population of these estimable residences. You see, every home in England is protected by its resident brownie - so named because of the color of its fur. With a long tail that can cause severe damage if the brownie becomes engraged, (thus becoming at least temporarily, a boggart) these mostly benign little creatures remain invisible, unless a certain degree of trust is established with at least one of the residents in the home. The major function of the brownie is as keeper of the keys, kept on a belt worn around the waist. This belt must be protected at all times, for if a human should capture the belt, the brownie goes right along with it, and remains a subservient captive, even if against his/her will.The scene is thus set for mayhem in Bath's Royal Crescent, where Lord Beddem has relinquished his middle-location townhouse to Sir Dominic, while he (Beddem) moves to No. 1, along with Uncle Hordwell. The Horditall's brownie, Bodkin, accompanies Polly to Bath, where he meets up with Ragwort, the brownie in No. 1. They are each busily searching for their lost lady-loves; Bodkin's Nutmeg has been kidnapped (brownie-napped?), whereas Ragwort's Caraway has refused to play second fiddle to Ragwort's love of the grape.The only warning I would offer to a reader of this book is to read it while in your own solitary company. Your entire repertory of laughs, guffaws, giggles and other expressions of mirth will be well-exercised while reading about Polly and Dominic, and their sometimes invisible helpers (?) with the resultant havoc, and such may even prove embarrassing!