666 Park Avenue

I don't watch soap operas, but I got hooked on 666 Park Avenue when it debuted in the fall of 2012. There was black magic in a continuing story, so it might as well have been a soap opera.Then it was cancelled with so much left unresolved.Last Saturday, 7/13/13, was the final episode, unless the series gets picked up by SYFY or a similar network. Since I couldn't wait, I looked through the files Amazon maintains.This book is SO much better. (So was Jurassic Park, Frankenstein, and True Blood and the three part Lord of the Rings, to name a few.) Forget what you saw on that boob tube, aside from a few characters who've retained the same names, this is a vastly different story.Jane Boyle was orphaned at less than a year old when her parents were killed in a car wreck. She's shipped from the U.S.A. to be reared by her maternal grandmother in a small village in France. Jane thinks her grandmother is mental; the woman sees dangers in every shadow and refuses to install a phone. Yet when Jane nearly drowns in a pond and wishes for the woman she instantly materializes and saves the child's life.When Jane goes to college to become an architect, she vows never to return to her childhood home.She meets with success in her chosen profession and has become a personal buyer of antiques.Enter Malcolm Doran, rich American.Jane can't believe this Adonis would even look at her. They wind up in bed on their first night and every night after for several weeks. Malcolm proposes to Jane.She decides she should visit her grandmother before leaving for Malcolm's home in NYC.Things aren't quite right when the two pull in, little things. They open the door to find her grandmother dead. A hidden letter in Jane's old room tells her she is a witch. It explains why the topic was not discussed when Grandmother was alive.The envelope also holds a plain silver ring, one that suddenly gives her the power to read most peoples' minds. It will amplify her powers in the future as well.Jane and Malcolm hold a funeral for Jane's grandmother and Jane can barely stand it. Every villager has something crude to think about the girl who never returned for a visit. Some even think she was guilty of murder. Jane runs out on the proceedings.Back in NYC, Malcolm introduces Jane to his huge family. All the aunts and cousins live together under one roof. Malcolm's mother, Lynn Doran, runs the show. After introductions, Jane finds one wall dedicated to the family tree.Lynn plans the wedding like a general planning a battle. She expects her word to be law and her opinion to be the only one. When she hears that Jane plans to work she explodes. Jane goes on the interview anyway and finds the person who was once so enthusiastic, now hates everything about her.It happens all the time: what Lynn Doran wants, Lynn Doran gets.But Jane runs into a few people who can help her develop her talents. They work together, but that puts them in danger of suffering the wrath of Lynn.I can say no more. This is an action packed, friend in need, where do I hide, kind of story with a blurry line between the good guys and the bad guys.ABC lost out when they rewrote the script.

Charmed meets Monster-in-Law in this debut novel from author, Gabriella Pierce.666 Park Avenue was a novel that took me by surprise. At a first run of the synopsis, I somehow missed the last bit where it mentioned that character Jane, was a witch as well. I was a bit surprised to discover that after the few dozen pages when she comes into understanding why electronics and her have never gotten along. I was not particularly fond of the way she discovered her "abilities" that up until then had been pretty much dormant. It seemed a little less fresh to have someone find out about their abilities later in life by the death of another. Aside from having my reservations, I still enjoyed how it was later needed for the storyline.This novel is more of a mystery, than it is a thriller or supernatural/magic read. It has the elements of a delicious romance novel, the easy-flowing text of a light read, but a very ominous presence of an actual supernatural theme that I was looking for based on what was offered in the beautiful cover and synopsis. I think I would have preferred Jane and Malcolm to have been married earlier on in the book and discover these things after, that way there would have been a lot more space for the action and wondrous possibilities that were hidden behind the wedding details and only ever given the chance to see the sun toward the very end. I still enjoyed this read, especially the romance, and will--in time--read the sequel. The idea and story were both imaginative and exciting and it was a great debut for the author whose talent is very apparent. I have already purchased the sequel, "The Dark Glamour" and will continue on with Jane's story at another time.I am interested to see how the TV show will turn out. Judging from the trailer, I can see that it was taken in a whole new direction.

Great first book and I look forward to this becoming a real series. It is more than a cozy and less than a literary excursion. Ms. Pierce has woven a witchy tale that has layers of intrigue, no one is to be trusted and nothing is as it seems on the surface. We are given a basic story: young woman with no family to speak of has whirlwind romance, loses last family member, inherits magic (and discovers she has her own), moves to Manhatten and meets fiance's family, discovers New Family are powerful and deadly witches and thus begins an all out adventure. Won't spoil the rest of the story but trust me, this first book sets up the second (and even better book) deliciously.It took me a bit to get into our heroine, maybe because I wasn't sure of her personality or her motivations but slowly her character evolved (mostly due to influences outside of her) with the assitance of the friends we meet who will end up taking this witchy adventure with her.Women are the power in this series but they guys here are also interesting, compelling and mysterious, too.One last comment: ABC has recently planned a new 2012 Fall pilot "based on the book," they say. Well, the advertised pilot is NOTHING like this book. Shame on ABC and goodie for the reader -- THIS story is worth reading. Beware of TV pilots that "use" popular books to draw interest but don't have the juice. ABC advertises a couple who take on high rise mgmt only to discover the tenents have made deals with the Devil. That has NOTHING AT ALL to do with this book/series.

I bought this eBook after reading a review for it on Jera's Jamboree, it sounded like my kind of read and I couldn't wait to get started.First of all was a quick introduction to Jane's life, she lived in France and had been brought up by her Grandmother. She was in the process of buying a dress for a date with her boyfriend Malcolm and it was clear that he meant a lot to her. After an unexpected proposal the couple took a trip to her Grandmother's house and what they found there was shocking!The discovery of a ring showed Jane everything she needed to know and a letter from her Grandmother gave me chills. It was pretty obvious that her life would change dramatically from that moment onward.Jane and Malcolm's arrival in New York was really interesting, particularly when Jane was first introduced to the strange Doran family. They all lived together in an incredible building and this idea fascinated me (I don't think I could share a house with my entire family though). Malcolm's behaviour confused me in New York and I wasn't sure if I trusted him or not, when the reasons for this were explained I felt relieved and I looked forward to viewing the story from a different angle.I can't write this review without mentioning Harris, there wasn't a huge amount of information about him (I'm hoping to find out more in the next instalment) but I just loved the tension between him and Jane - there really was a spark and I'm hoping that it wasn't just the magical kind.I enjoyed the times when Jane practiced her magic and seeing her grow with confidence as she achieved more and more. The wedding day signaled a massive change and yet another shocking discovery, one that I really hadn't seen coming.The ending left me wanting more and I can't wait to read the next book The Dark Glamour which I already have waiting for me on my Kindle.This was an exciting read - unpredictable with an eerie, dangerous feel to it. I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy witchy books!

666 Park Avenue is like an old fashioned bonkbuster mixed with the supernatural. You have the orphan girl wooed by a charming, rich and sexy guy. But he doesn't come alone, his family are old socialites of New York, filthy rich, influential and feuding with other wealthy family dynasties. And they're all witches! Seriously, I don't know if anyone's mixed the two before (I generally don't read adult paranormal romance...maybe I should) but what a PERFECT match. It makes for an addictive, guilty pleasure read and I enjoyed every word!Lynne was by far my favourite character...she's EVIL! Gabriella Pierce may cliché the characters a little, but it works perfectly and she gives the reader exactly what you want from this type of book. It's fast, glamorous, and full of shocking revelations about the family. Because the two themes went so well together, I had no problem with accepting witchcraft in this story...it's done very well in my opinion. It's quite subtle in the detail but powerful in the execution!It isn't the most life changing book you'll come across, but it's fun from beginning to end. It's also quite steamy at times, so one for the grown ups I think! This is the type of book you'll enjoy when you need some good old comfort reading...accompanied by wine and chocolate to make a perfect evening of indulgence. With a cliff-hanger ending, I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, released in September!

The title on the book put me off a little, but it was on special on the kindle so I figured I'd give it a go - I've found many good books on the daily deals so I thought why not!If you look past the childish name, there is a good, adult story here, not a YA book, which was my first thought when looking it up. It was a little while since I've read it and whilst I can remember the story and the twists and turns, I can't tell you a single characters name. I don't think thats a good thing.I liked the story, it was different, fast and interesting. The witch and wicca story line is great, something different in a world of werewolves and blood suckers. I did add book number 2 to my 'to read' list, however the fact that I"m at a loss as to who was who suggests that I'll never make it to part two

I have had this book on my Kindle for months, before the TV series based on this book was broadcast. I unfortunately (depending on your point of view) missed it, but I did find the book highly enjoyable. I can see why die-hard fantasy fans who enjoy the genre of witchcraft and paganism nay have issues with it but for a uninformed reader of the occult it isn't too bad.This is no classic work of literary fiction but it is entertaining and has twists and turns to keep you interested. I would have to say its more what I consider chick-lit but nonetheless it hasn't stopped me from buying the sequel to read on Kindle.

I purchased this book because of the tv series and I wanted to read about the characters more on depth than shown in the series. So I was completely amazed that the only resemblance to the tv series were their names and the building on Park Avenue, so the front cover of the book was extremely misleading. However, I really loved the book and went on to read the following two. It's a shame really that the script writers didn't film the book as is, as it would have made an excellent series in its own right, using the title to film a completely differet story seems crazy to me.