When it comes to paranormals, I’m willing to try almost anything, just for variety’s sake. So when I saw that The Wish Listfeatured a fairy godmother, I had to read it. After all, who knows how it will turn out?

Kristin Montgomery just got some very interesting news. First, magic exists. Second, her three aunts are actually fairy godmothers. And third, she’s the next fairy godmother. Now Kristin has to deal with her newfound magical powers as well as a bad guy who wants to take over the world (duh). And on top of that, she’s got the major hots for Tennyson Ritter, her magician bodyguard. So what’s an ex-CPA to do?

Heaps, apparently. She has to save the world and learn how to be a fairy godmother, but luckily Kristin has friends to help along the way, including a pint-sized sprite named Callie, three peppy fairy godmothers, a genius surfer inventor who seems to channel Crush from Finding Nemo, and the aforementioned bodyguard who is also an arbiter, i.e. someone who makes sure she doesn’t screw up.

For a light, peppy read, The Wish List works. Ms. Stevens calls her magical beings the Arcani and gives them some background and, while it’s a bit simplistic and unimaginative, it works. The story is charming and the secondary characters are appropriately zippy and zany. They add a vitality that is, unfortunately, missing in the central characters.

You know there’s a problem when you think the leads should be friends and not lovers. Kristin and Tennyson are perfectly nice people, and in another story they’d have rocked – separately. But together, they have no chemistry. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Ms. Stevens shows promise, and there are two more books in the series coming up. I’ll be interested to see if her lead couple shows more magic (pun absolutely intended) next time round.