Cozy

The Trouble with Magic (A Bewitching Mystery #1) By: Madelyn Alt

the trouble with magic

The Trouble with Magic (A Bewitching Mystery #1) By: Madelyn Alt

Plot:

Antiques-shop clerk Maggie O’Neill was a little weirded out when she discovered her new boss Felicity was a witch. But when Felicity becomes the suspect in a local murder, Maggie must enlist Felicity’s Wiccan friends for help–and discover her own spellbinding talent.

Review:

The title really should have been The Trouble with Magick. This is not a supernatural book, this is a Wiccan cozy mystery. There’s a huge difference. If you’re looking for magic spells and flashy supernatural fixes then you’ve come to the wrong place. All the magic that is referenced in this book is based on Wiccan beliefs, magick. It’s possible in the next books that changes, but nothing in this book seemed out of the realm of what Wiccans believe.

Set in a small town that is apparently ruled by the Catholic Church, at least that’s how it feels, there’s a lot of bigotry against people with different beliefs and evidently the Wiccans are the only ones that are able to think with open minds. That turns out not to be true in the end and, I’m not sure if the author intended this, Maggie ends up being as close minded as those she is judging.

The killer seemed fairly obvious and I got tired of Maggie trying to force the clues to fit who she thought it was, she was more than a bit pigheaded. Also, for someone that spent a lot of time driving around in her car thinking she didn’t learn a lot.

She currently has two love interest, a police officer and another Wiccan. The police officer comes off as a bigot but for whatever reason Maggie is still really into him. It turns out that he was more than he seemed, but the book just kind of threw that at you at the end, so I’m left wondering if Maggie is a reliable narrator. The second love interest is the nephew of a librarian Maggie knows and uses to get info from, he also apparently was in the military but learned nothing about guns.

It wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, but the book was alright and I plan on at least reading the next in the series.

3/5

Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #4) By: Jenn McKinlay

Red Velvet Revenge

Red Velvet Revenge (Cupcake Bakery Mystery #4) By: Jenn McKinlay

Plot:

It may be summertime, but sales at Fairy Tale Cupcakes are below zero–and owners Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are willing to try anything to heat things up. So when local legend Slim Hazard offers them the chance to sell cupcakes at the annual Juniper Pass rodeo, they’re determined to rope in a pretty payday! But not everyone at the Juniper Pass is as sweet for Fairy Tale Cupcakes as Slim–including star bull-rider Ty Stokes. Mel and Angie try to steer clear of the cowboy’s short fuse, but when his dead body is found face down in the hay, it’s a whole different rodeo. With a vengeful murderer on the loose, the ladies are quickly realizing that while they came to save their business, they may have to save themselves–and that’s no bull.

Review:

Oh my god!!! Why??? So the book ended on a romantic relationship cliffhanger for Mel and Angie both. Of course my library does not have the next book and neither do any of the used bookstores in the area. I really need to find a way to secure income for buying books.

Anyway, I thought more of the story was dedicated to relationship stuff than mystery stuff,but that could be because that’s becoming my favorite part. The mystery was good, plenty of twists and turns, but even with all it’s drama I didn’t really care about it. I needed Angie to get her head out of her ass or Mel to knock some sense into her. Neither happened.

Maybe it’s a good thing I don’t have the next book. Some character traits are starting to grate on my nerves. Mel has some boundary issues and they always seem to be in flux. One minute she’s asking incredibly personal questions like who do you think murdered your husband and the next she won’t push Angie on who she’s in love with. Angie is all temper and was a real bitch in this book. She’s always threatening to kick someone’s ass but never does. Mel really nailed Tate when she called him a wuss, dude just tell her how you feel already.

I’m excited to read the next in the series, but I also think it’s a good thing I’m going to have a little break from the characters.

4/5

Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Mysteries #3) By: Jenna McKinlay

Death by the dozen

Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Mysteries #3) By: Jenna McKinlay

Plot:

Melanie and Angie are determined to win the Challenge to the Chef to promote their Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery. Mel’s mentor from culinary school, Vic Mazzotta, may be one of the judges, but Mel and Angie will have to win fair and square. But, when Vic’s dead body is found inside a freezer truck, Mel and Angie will need to use their best judgment to find the cold-blooded killer or they may lose more than the contest- they may lose their lives.

Review:

Another great installment in the series. Her cupcake/pastry descriptions are really making me want to bake.

This time Mel had someone she was close to murdered, however they were still a heel so as a reader it didn’t really affect me. It worked well as believable motivation for her to investigate, though. The killer was obvious only if you’ve watched too much Law and Order but was still very entertaining.

The Tate-Angie-Roach love triangle is still going strong and I’m happy that the love triangle I foresaw in the previous book for Mel did not come to pass in this book. Really hoping the relationship stuff gets settled soon, people can be happy in their relationships and still find themselves surrounded by murder, right?

4.5/5