PETTY MAGIC

Elderly witch who uses her powers to seduce young men falls hard for a chap who bears an uncanny resemblance to a long-lost love.

A spritely 149 years young, Eve Harbinger certainly believes in getting the most out of her golden years. A grand dame from a venerable family of beldames, she lives among her own kind in a secret warren in New York City and spends her evenings on the prowl. Using magic to transform herself into the dewy beauty she once was, she preys on the struggling actors and frat boys she finds in Manhattan nightspots—making sure to leave her bewildered, satiated playthings before dawn. She also spends a fair amount of time in her ancestral town of Blackabbey, N.J., surrounded by her clan. It is in Blackabbey that she first spies Justin, an agreeable recent college grad working at the family antique store. He’s cute and a dead ringer for Jonah, the great love of her life who she met when they were both spies in Europe during World War II. Jonah knew who and what Eve was, and her special skills helped them get out of many a tight spot during the war. But sadly not all. Against the advice of her family, she starts a relationship with Justin, using all her strength to stay young in his presence. He’s smitten, while she wonders if he really is a reincarnation of Jonah and a second chance at happiness. Meanwhile, there is a crisis in her coven as her sister Helena is accused of a decades-old crime. The Harbinger gals band together to protect one of their own, even as the truth finds a way of asserting itself.

Sure, the plot could stand some pruning, but DeAngelis (Mary Modern, 2007) cleverly conjures up a parallel—and fun!—supernatural world within our own, making Eve a memorable, imperfect heroine.