Kittens and Kidnappers by Nicolette Pierce

4 Stars

As a witch with subpar magic skills and dings on my personnel record with the Forgotten Falls Police Department, I must work hard to keep my position. I get a chance to prove myself when I’m pulled into a missing persons case.

Chasing down leads, I quickly realize this case is not ordinary. Something mysterious is happening to the inhabitants of Forgotten Falls and causing havoc to the town.

Delving deeper into the investigation, I uncover a dark secret that threatens not only the creatures I promised to protect, but the fate of witchcraft. With limited magic abilities, I continue my search even though I know I might not be able to save them or myself.

If you love magical mysteries, epic failures, secret societies, and misadventures, you’ll love Kittens and Kidnappers. Warning: Things are not always as they seem in Forgotten Falls, and my wolf boss is about to bite my head off. Save me.

Wren is back with another mystery to solve. We see her connecting more with people in town. Uncovering more secrets and hints of things to come. The story itself flowed nicely and the characters were more fleshed out in this one. Can’t wait for the next book.

Book 2 Black Moon Mystery

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Whiskers and Warrants by Nicolette Pierce

 

4 Stars

Wanted: Paranormal Tracker

Late nights, low pay, dangerous assignments, and a cranky boss (werewolf, actually). Apply in person. If wolf is in bad mood, run.

As an untrained witch arriving in the town of Forgotten Falls, I must fight to become a paranormal tracker. Getting the irritable police chief to hire me is a challenge I’m willing to take in order to leave my old life behind. But in a wolf dominated profession, I must prove I can do the job.

Stumbling upon a dead body, I leave the case in the police’s hands, knowing my subpar witch skills are better off tracking than sleuthing. But as I settle into my new town, clues emerge. The killer is on a mission and more people will die. After I receive a threatening message, I know I must act before it’s too late.

To make matters worse, the only room available to rent comes with an occupant. Thinking Niles is just an obstinate talking cat, I find I’m wrong. Niles has secrets of his own. In the hidden town of Forgotten Falls, where witches and paranormal creatures live, anything is possible.

LOVED this book. Met the author at an event and the cover drew me in and then the description was interesting, so I gave it a shot. With the book slump I’ve been in wasn’t expecting much but I blew through it and wanted more. I loved the Wren and finding out what is going on with her magic and her life was interesting. I loved the mystery and finding out how things work in this world. Immediately started book 2 and I can’t wait to see what all the answers for the Wren.

Book 1 A Black Moon Mystery

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Nevermore Bookstore by Cynthia St. Aubin and Kerrigan Byrne

 

3 Stars

Cady inherited a bookshop from her aunt. She needs to find proof her aunt owned it to be able to keep it. When her shop is broken into the mystery man she’s been speaking to on the phone, Fox, decides enough is enough and he will do whatever he can to protect her. She can never know it’s him as he is too screwed up to be with him.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It was a slow burn romance which was fine. However, I never really connected with Cady and Fox. There’s no world building. I felt like we were just dumped into this story, and nothing is really explained. The bad guys were obvious, and they aren't really punished in any way. It just was an ok read for me.

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Winner Cake All by Denise Swanson

 

2 Star

Dani is hired to cater an engagement party for Yvette and Franklin. It’s a bit chaotic but is coming together when a storm hits the party. Yvette is found murdered and everyone there is a suspect including her ex, Spencer. Will Dani prove Spencer isn’t the murder?

Yeah, I am done with this series. Some of the dialogue was clunky and didn’t work. I didn’t care for the story or the interplay between the characters. It just all around didn’t work for me.

Book 3 Chef-to-Go

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Leave No Scone Unturned by Denise Swanson

 

2.5/3 Star

Weird things are happening at Normalton University and Dani gets dragged into investigating as her business is being hurt by the weird. Will she be able to figure out what is the cause of all the problems?

This was the same as the last one. It was slow and all over the place. Plus, overly detailed on the cooking information. We see a little movement with Dani and Spenser’s relationship but not much. Overall, Meh.

Book 2 Chef-to-Go

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Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson

 

3 Star

Dani is tired of her dead-end career when she inherits property from someone she’s never met. She decides to open up a catering business and rent out some of her rooms to local college students. Life is looking up when one of her boarders’ friends winds up dead and Dani becomes a suspect. Not trusting the police, she decides to investigate the murder herself. Will she figure out who the killer is before it’s too late?

This book was okay. There were times it got bogged down with the cooking details. I also had some issues with Dani willingly going to the police station with the cop who is accusing her of the murder. He’s been harassing her and is borderline framing her for the murder. Why would you go with the cop doing this without a lawyer? The romance part was just meh. They kept going over the same stuff without resolving anything. Overall, it was an okay read.

Book 1 Chef-to-Go

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Romancing the Gravestone by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe

 

2 Star

Jane Landling has overseen the family’s cemetery for several years. During her usually rounds she discovers an extra body resting in Plot #39. To help the locals investigate Special Agent Conrad Ryan is called in. When he doesn’t solve it fast enough Jane takes it upon herself to investigate. Will she be able to discover who murdered the good doctor?

I love cozy mysteries and I HATED this book. I picked this up and put this down so many times before I finished it. It was incredibly slow, and Jane was so FUCKING annoying. It felt like the authors wanted to make a quirky main character, but she just came across as annoying. I didn’t care when she was in with the murderer and could have died. That might have made the book better. One of the big things that kept bringing me out of the story was the made up GBH. Why would you make up a new state agency without explaining what they are there for. GBI is real and would have worked this case. I love Showalter books so I don’t know if it was Monroe or what that made this such a bad book, but I am not interested in the sequel. I don’t care what happens to any of the people in this book.

Book 1 Jane Ladling Mystery

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To Catch a Witch by Heather Blake

 

3 Star

As You Wish is hired to organize the Wicked Mad Dash by Abby Stillwell. It looks like everything is going ok until blizzard conditions rage. That is until Abby is found dead. Darcy will find out who killed her and why but will she end up injured or killed herself?

This one frustrated me. It had a lot of repetitive information that after reading all the other books made it hard to listen to at times. I also had a LOT of issues with Harper.  I get she was in a lose lose situation, but this book bordered on a trope I hate. This one felt like it took forever to finish, and I really hated listening to this book. I ended up saying screw it and picked up the book to read. Then I skimmed the book so I could be done. The bad guy was also a meh. I also had an issue with all the secrets that are being kept by so many of the characters. It just felt like people were being dishonest with each other. I remember why I haven’t finished the series as this book always brings me to a halt. I’ll try some other books and then get to the last book where Darcy should be getting her HEA.

Audio

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 8 A Wishcraft Mystery

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The Witch and the Dead by Heather Blake

 

3.5 Star

Now that Darcy has a new home, she needs to clean out the garage to move all her stuff over. What she wasn’t planning on was finding Miles Babbage her Aunt Ve’s second husband. Ve didn’t know he was dead, and she really doesn’t know why he was in her garage. Darcy will investigate to clear her aunt but it will bring a lot of secrets to light that some people don’t want brought out.

I figured out who the bad guy was pretty quickly.  I also didn’t like some of the main people in this book.  In addition to all of that I also lost a lot of respect for Marcus (Harper’s boyfriend). It would give too many spoilers if I explained why. Overall, Darcy grew as a character and the book ends on a positive note for her but others in her life have theirs ending in chaos.

Audio

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 7 A Wishcraft Mystery

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Gone with the Witch by Heather Blake

 

4 Star

Darcy is asked to enter Missy into the annual Pawsitively Enchanted pet contest to see if someone is rigging it to ruin it. She is happy to do it until she finds her main suspect dead. Now she is on the trail of the murder and dealing with a pet snatcher. Will she track down the pet snatcher AND find out who murdered Natasha.

Glinda whose been the one character we are meant to hate is growing on me. She’s not that bitchy anymore since she’s not going after Nick. I loved seeing the progress Darcy’s relationships take in this book. I also liked the mystery itself. It wasn’t a complex one but it was still a good read.

Audio

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 6 A Wishcraft Mystery

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Some Like it Witchy by Heather Blake

 

4 Star

The old Tavistock house is up for sale and Darcy would kill to own this amazing house. However, she doesn’t have the funds and with things getting serious with Nick they don’t need two houses. When she is hired by Cherise to look it over for her bid, they stumble on the real-estate agent Raina Gallagher. Raina had a lot of enemies but there is a dark legend about millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds in the house. Who killed Raina and are there more people in danger?

There were so many suspects with this book. I know who I wanted it to be. I enjoyed the duel mystery in this book.  Trying to figure out if it was the diamonds and Raina that was the cause of Raina’s death kept me guessing as to who the bad guy was.  It made me like the book that much more because it did keep me guessing.  Small spoiler not on the mystery. I loved that Darcy ended up getting the house because of Aunt Ve.

Audio

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 5 A Wishcraft Mystery

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Goodbye Witch by Heather Blake

 

4 Star

Starla Sullivan thinks she’s going crazy.  She’s seeing her ex-husband Kyle all over town and wants Darcy’s help.  He abused her before he disappeared from the police station. Now years later his body is found dead in her apartment. Darcy will figure out what happened and do whatever she can to keep her friend safe.

This book made me soooo mad in a good way. I loved how it all worked out in the end. I loved Kyle’s mom. She was the sanest of the whole family. We finally getting some answers to questions that have been alluded to in other books. It was definitely a good addition to the series.

Audio

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 4 A Wishcraft Mystery

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The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy by Heather Blake

 

4 Star

As You Wish is hired to plan the soiree of Harriette Harkette. Everything is going as planned until the cake isn’t delivered by Michael Healey. When Darcy goes looking for him, she finds him just as he takes his last breath. Since she was there when he died, his ghost is now attached to her. She will need to figure out who wanted him dead and what does it have to do with the midnight black Witching Hour rose.

I enjoyed this one even though I figured out who the bad guy the first time they were introduced. Seeing how Darcy figured it out made it that much better. The ending had me concerned with how things were working out, but it ended well. I loved seeing the continue progress in relationships between Darcy and everyone else. So far I think this is my favorite book in the series.

Audio

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 3 A Wishcraft Mystery

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a Witch Before Dying by Heather Blake

 

4 Star

Darcy is hired to clean out Elodie Keaton’s mother’s house she was expecting it to take time and energy because of the hording. She wasn’t expecting to find the body of Patrice Keaton. To help Elodie heal she is determined to solve the murder of Patrice but all she has to go on is she was seen a year ago arguing with her boyfriend Anicula.

This book had so many sweet parts but also parts that made me cry.  I love when books come together and give me all the feels. There was growth with each of the characters. You get to see Darcy have fun with Mimi and her relationship grow between all of the other characters.  It was a good addition to the series.

Audio

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 2 A Wishcraft Mystery

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It Takes a Witch by Heather Blake

4 Star

Darcy Merriweather and her sister Harper find out at the death of their dad they are from a long line of witches who can grant wishes. They move to Enchanted Village in Salem, Massachusetts to live with their aunt and learn about the craft. They are spending their time learning their new craft when a wanna-be witch turns up dead strangled by Aunt Ve’s scarf. Ve’s fiancé Sylar is accused of murdering the woman. To help Aunt Ve Darcy investigates who has the motive. Will she track down the murderer before someone else is killed?

This was a super cute cozy paranormal mystery. It’s all told from Darcy’s POV and she is getting over the loss of her dad and her divorce. The community is super cute. I will say I kind of hate her dad for not letting her know about her heritage. Who the bad guy was wasn’t a huge surprise but it was still an enjoyable book to read/listen too. Overall, it is a cute light mystery,

Audiobook

I wasn’t sure if I would like Coleen Marlo but she does an amazing job with each of these characters. I enjoyed how she gave each character their own voice. Even listening to it faster didn’t take away from the story.

Book 1 A Wishcraft Mystery

Amazon

Pink is the New Black by Vella Day

3 Stars

Glinda Goodall has lived in Witch’s Cove, Florida forever.  She works for her aunt in a Tiki Bar Grill where you regularly see her aunt talking to her dead husband’s ghost.  Glinda has her familiar to keep her company when she’s not working, her pink iguana, Iggy.  Everything is going along nicely until the sheriff is murdered and her best friend’s brother is accused. She is determined to find out who murder the sheriff even if it reveals secrets that people don’t want revealed.

I wanted to like this book.  It sounds interesting and funny but it ended up not being either.  It seemed discombobulated in the telling of the story.  It jumped around a bit and made it difficult to keep track of where we were in the story.  I don’t know if it was just because it was the first book in the series so there was a lot of set up needed but it just wasn’t working for me.  I will read the next book and see if it is better because I’ve read other books by Vella Day that I adored so here’s hoping it was a one off and the next book is way better.

Book 1 Witch’s Cove Mystery

Cupcake Caper by Kelle Z. Riley Book 1 – 3*

Dr. Bree Mayfield- Watson is a chemist who stumbles across her dead boss. Police suspect she is the murder and she is set on finding out who did it.

I enjoyed Bree’s interactions with the other characters. She was smart but not obnoxious about it. It was written well and had good pacing. I never felt like the book needed to move on because I was getting bored with it.

For how smart Bree is supposed to be she made some very dumb decisions. I get her wanting to look into who murdered her boss particularly when the cops accuse her of being the murder. However, even after they accuse her of it she talks to them freely. Why wouldn’t she have a lawyer with her? Also she found out some very big things and doesn’t take it to the cops even though she has their contact information. My other issue with the story was with a character that I assume is going to be a love interest. He breaks into her place and bugs her home and office to find out information for his employer. Ethics aside of breaking into someone’s home he just comes across as a creep but it is hinted that they might become a couple in a later book. My last issue was with her name. She was very selective on whom she would correct on her name and it became tiresome to listen to her say her name wasn’t Dr Watson but Dr Mayfield-Watson. I don’t know if the police did it to get under her skin but Bree made a big deal out of it a couple times and then just let it go.

Even though there were some major points I found irritating as an amateur sleuth the story was interesting and getting to the end was worth the read. I am hoping some of the other issues will be worked out in the next book in the series.