Review: Free Agent by J.C. Nelson

August 12, 2014 3.5 stars, Book Review 19 ★★★½

Review: Free Agent by J.C. NelsonFree Agent by J.C. Nelson
Series: Grimm Agency #1
Published by Ace on July 29, 2014
Genres: Adult SFF, Urban Fantasy
Pages: 294
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Goodreads

*This book was provided by the Publisher for review. No compensation was provided and all opinions are strictly my own.

When it comes to crafting happily-ever-afters, the Agency is the best in the land of Kingdom. The Fairy Godfather Grimm can solve any problem—from eliminating imps to finding prince charming—as long as you can pay the price…

Working for Grimm isn’t Marissa Locks’s dream job. But when your parents trade you to a Fairy Godfather for a miracle, you don’t have many career options. To pay off her parents’ debt and earn her freedom, Marissa must do whatever Grimm asks, no matter what fairy-tale fiasco she’s called on to deal with.

Setting up a second-rate princess with a first-class prince is just another day at the office. But when the matchmaking goes wrong, Marissa and Grimm find themselves in a bigger magical muddle than ever before. Not only has the prince gone missing, but the Fae are gearing up to attack Kingdom, and a new Fairy Godmother is sniffing around Grimm’s turf, threatening Marissa with the one thing she can’t resist: her heart’s wishes.

Now Marissa will have to take on Fairies, Fae, dragons, and princesses to save the realm—or give up any hope of ever getting her happy ending…

three-half-stars

Free Agent is the story of Marissa, an agent for a fairy godfather. She makes happily ever after come true for princesses by playing the wrong woman and setting the prince up to be healed from the heartbreak Marissa has doled out by his sweet princess. Marissa chose to become an agent and virtual slave for Grimm in order to save her dying 2 year old sister. She has to earn the magical equivalent of money called Glitter to pay off her debt. Whether or not it is actually possible has yet to be determined. Other assignments given to Marissa are imp removal, errand girl, and princess readiness training.

In Free Agent, Marissa is trying to set up Ari, the princess, with her prince. The problems start right away when Marissa finds herself especially attracted to Liam, whom she is planning to leave. Instead of her usual pretend date (3 dates, actually) she finds herself actually enjoying being with Liam and her feelings get caught up in wanting her own Happily Ever After. She’s slipping.

Other forces come into play, and we learn that Liam may not be all he is supposed to be and Marissa is left to help figure out what has gone wrong and who is behind it all. She is uniquely placed to stop a war between Fairy, Kingdom and Earth. She develops friendships, delves into her feelings about her family and life and gets ready to set up her future beyond being an agent for the very first time.

Overall I enjoyed this book. Marissa is a likable, if angry and impetuous, lead character. I like that she is building a life for herself and she stubbornly does what she needs to do to get the job done. Sometimes we all have to do uncomfortable or unpalatable things to keep moving forward. The world building is interesting, and there is an excellent evil villain poised to take center stage. I like the gnome postal service and the way that kingdom magically overlaps NYC. I think this series will be a fun read!

Maggie

Maggie

When not taking care of my two children, husband and mini doxy, rushing here and there on the go, I can always be found reading. Fantasy of course being my favorite genre, but not the only I'll read. Oh yes, and I throw bad books.
Maggie

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19 Responses to “Review: Free Agent by J.C. Nelson”

  9. Danya @ Fine Print

    Angry and impetuous…sounds like a typical UF heroine! 😉 This series definitely sounds like it has potential, and I like knowing that J.C. Nelson has written other UF books before. I could definitely do with a little lighter UF these days – I’ll keep Free Agent in mind!
    Danya @ Fine Print recently posted…Graphic Novels, Tough Chicks: Vol. 4My Profile

  12. Jessica @ Rabid Reads

    I glad you liked this one, b/c I needed some motivation to get back to it. I started reading it a couple of weeks ago, and got REALLY annoyed by Nelson’s description of the princess early on, and that plus the “glitter” . . . like I said–needed motivation, so THANKS 😉
    Jessica @ Rabid Reads recently posted…Review: Storm Front by Jim ButcherMy Profile

  14. molly mortensen

    This looks like a fun book. I’m a little concerned about the maim character, but I think I’ll give it a shot. Thanks for the review.