TROLLS IN THE HAMPTONS was an oddball choice for me to read. Its contemporary fantasy (not quite urban as it deals with mainly 'high end' fantasy creatures like fairies, trolls and elves), but the blurb just didn't pull me in. It kind of peaked my interest, but not anywhere near the level of 'I should read this before anything else'. It was the cover that convinced me; a realistically drawn young woman with the backdrop montage of retro-comic art.

The story takes a little while to get going. Fafhrd the big troll shows up very early on, but the actual plot to the book takes a little longer. The first third or so is taken up with what it’s like to be a moderately successful writer/artist in New York City. I recognized some of the places that Jerome mentions--definitely Penn Station and the LIRR--but I had no idea there was a 'Jitney' bus line from Manhattan to the Hamptons.

The fun begins when Willow arrives back home in Paumanok Harbor (in a truly astounding series of coincidences) and she begins to look at her neighbors and relatives in a new way. It was creepy how everyone seemed to know everything and like Willow I wondered if that was a product of being a nosy small town of the supposed powers they all had.

There are large moments of info-dumping, mostly in regards to the supernatural realm that can get long-winded and exhausting to read. Multiple times I wished that Grant was really speaking to me with his British accent because I'm convinced that's the only reason Willow was able to listen.

One of my few pet peeve tropes is used, of insta-love due to fate or genetic disposition, though Willow is a tough girl to sell. She has a lot of neurosis and that makes her skeptical about anything beyond the animal attraction she feels for Grant. Who from all accounts seems to totally deserve it. I do think Willow held onto her skepticism for far long given the evidence to the contrary, but I don't blame her.

In all this was a diverting read. I'm curious to see how the next book (Night Mares in the Hamptons, due out in May 2011) works itself out. The blurb is another one that doesn't catch me, but it makes me question the ending of this book.

Review originally posted at Night Owl Romance ( )

This book had such promise, but the (at times) sloppy writing makes me hesitant to recommend this to anyone.

Starts out fairly well but then devolves into trite "Magic in your world? More likely than you think" plot. ( )

I adored this book! I found this book in a library used bookstore and picked it up on a whim. I am so glad I did! It is a paranormal tale that is different from most with the main character coming from a lineage of magic but not knowing it because she refused to follow in her family's chosen path. Alas, fate wins out and magic comes knocking at her door. Very cute, easy to read, and I am buying the rest of the series online ASAP! ( )

Actually liked the sample. Hesitant as some reviews say the action and humor in first pages turn into a whiny, angst ridden romance. $7.99 kindle and I've a lot of preorders coming down the wire this summer (plus vacatation expenses) so will come back to in the fall and decide.

Graphic novelist Willow Tate can’t believe her eyes when a red-skinned troll appears to leap from the pages of her sketch book and into the streets of Manhattan. Things get weirder when she meets handsome Agent Grant from the so-called Department of Unexplained Events. He says a rift has opened from a fantasy world and the troll has come through to help rescue a kidnapped boy with special gifts. Willow has to help him in this search or disaster will ensue. Thus Willow gets swept up into a chaotic whirlwind involving a whole side to life that she’d only imagined on paper. Can she reconcile her views with this new reality? This entertaining tale will keep you smiling as you read about Willow’s misadventures and her introduction to another world she hadn’t known existed. ( )