Although Simply Magic is partially a paranormal romance, don’t expect vampires or even ghosts. This is a charming story about wishes. The bulk of the novel is set in Nevada in 1875, and although the hero is a former marshal, the emphasis is on town life and family.

Though born into wealth, Phoebe is now cold and hungry. Because of a wish made out of desperation, Phoebe ends up in the growing town of Rimshot, Nevada – along with her faithful butler, Simmons. Suddenly, Phoebe finds herself a part owner of a saloon. Phoebe’s partner is former marshal Riley Burnett, who would go back to his old job in a minute if it weren’t for his daughter. Phoebe and Riley start out on the wrong foot, of course. After all, how many people bring a butler to Nevada? She’s sure she’ll never fit in.

Things change when Phoebe starts to help with the care of Riley’s daughter. Phoebe makes plans to turn the saloon into a hotel, and Riley agrees to go along with it despite his doubts. Will his growing feelings for Phoebe convince him to give up his plans to leave Rimshot to become a marshal again? And then there are the mysterious “incidents” which threaten the future of their enterprise. Who is behind them? Can they be stopped?

Both Phoebe and Riley are unsure of themselves. Phoebe thinks she is unattractive and feels guilty because after her father died in debt, she was forced to steal in order to survive. Because he has been out of his daughter’s life for so long, Riley believes he is an inadequate father. Phoebe’s uncertainties don’t overwhelm the story because she overcomes them at a logical pace. On the other hand, Riley takes longer to see reason. For one thing, he thought his daughter would be better off with his wife’s selfish parents, which didn’t make sense. It also takes him just a little too long to realize that he doesn’t want to leave Rimshot for his old job. Luckily, he eventually realizes he’s better off starting a new family in town instead of escaping his problems.

The secondary characters add charm to the story. Readers will adore Phoebe’s butler, Simmons, who stays with her through thick and thin, even though she can no longer afford to pay him. In addition, the charming townsfolk make the trip to Rimshot interesting without detracting from the main story.

Simply Magic is filled with both humorous and heart-warming incidents. Unlike most Westerns, the emphasis is on adjusting to town life rather than corralling the bad guys. That’s why the subplot involving the mysterious incidents seems jarring, especially at the conclusion. Meanwhile, the subplot where Riley considers sending his daughter to live with his late wife’s relatives never pans out. This sub-plot fizzled out, and although I’m glad the obnoxious relatives never arrived, I wondered why this thread was given such importance.

I enjoyed the time I spent in Rimshot. If the plot problems had been ironed out and if Riley hadn’t taken so long to figure out he liked living in a town after all, this would have received a higher grade from me. Fans of homespun romances will enjoy this despite its flaws. If you are tired of westerns about gunslingers and outlaws shooting it out, you might find this worthwhile.