Charms and Chocolate Chips

Title: Charms and Chocolate Chips
Author: Bailey Cates
Published: November 5th 2013 by NAL
Format: Paperback, 336 pages
Genre: Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Series: Magical Bakery Mystery #3

I had a difficult time getting into this book, and when I was ready to give up, it began to grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, by the end, I felt that this book took a darker turn than I was expecting, with an ending that dragged on for a bit.

Since the last book, it appears that Katie Lightfoot, when not working at the Honeybee Bakery, is volunteering with a local conservation group. When Katie finds fellow volunteer Autumn Boles dead, she is hesitant to get involved, yet when that naggy witchy feeling comes, she knows that she must use her light witch talents to protect herself and her friends -- especially when there is black magic around and the voice of her deceased grandmother is urging her on.

Other than the dark tone of this book, I did enjoy seeing the appearance of Katie’s mother and how the women in Katie’s life could come together when one of them was in danger. A new path has opened, and now with Katie taking her responsibilities more seriously, it will be interesting to see how good versus evil will play out in future installments. *

A Body in Seaview Grange

Title: A Body in Seaview Grange
Author: Dee MacDonald
Published: November 12th 2020 by Bookouture
Format: eBook, 253 pages
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Kate Palmer #2

Never rule out the improbable since they are also the most probable. Not the exact Sherlockian quote, but it does apply when it comes to book two in the Kate Palmer series by Dee MacDonald.

Kate figured her retirement in the Cotswall’s would be relaxing, but with an undependable sister and a cottage in need of repairs, Practice Nurse Kate is putting in days at the surgery to make ends meet. Being the newest member of the team, Kate is on call when in-home care is needed, and this time the request comes in for a check-up at the local retirement community called Seaview Grange. What Kate didn’t realize was her re-check with Edina Martinelli would also be the last for the annoying ex-opera singer when after a tumble down the stairs, Edina is found dead from a drug overdose. Needing to clear the name of the doctor suspected of overprescribing, Kate starts sticking her nose into the business of residents of Seaview. When she is sure that she has eliminated all the probable people, she is lured back, and going against her common sense, comes face to face with a devious killer.

Past characters are still there, Angie is as unpredictable as usual, but now with a twist of fate, she may have a future. Detective Inspector Woody Forrest has revealed his real first name, and much to Kate’s delight, she finds herself even more enamored. Now with Kate’s need to recover from her latest adventure, she will be jetting off to America to meet Woody’s family and another chance to see where their relationship is going.

I enjoy this series. Kate isn’t your usual vapid twenty something sleuth with bouncing curls. She brings her experience and compassion, and though there are momentary character hiccups in good judgement, she finds herself in unusual and entertaining situations without going all Lucy and Ethyl on the reader.

Gone Before Christmas

Title: Gone Before Christmas
Author: Charles Finch
Published: October 3, 2017 by Minotaur Books
Format: Kindle, 80 pages
Genre: Historical Holiday
Series: Charles Lenox Mysteries #10.5

A novella that incorporates a conversation between Charles and his brother Edmond while recounting a recent case and conveying a bit of sibling rivalry to a warm conclusion during the snowy backdrop of Christmas in London.

Charles Lennox, called in by Scotland Yard, is asked to solve the suspected murder and disappearance of a Lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards -- with the only clues being a spray of blood in the cloakroom and a few personal items on a bench. As rumors and innuendos spread about the Lieutenant’s work and possible collusion, Lennox, with very little to go on, and giant leaps, neatly ties everything before sitting down to his own Christmas dinner.

With a Charles Lennox novel, you must disband a bit of credence since all the facts are not shared with the reader, and you end up playing a game of catch up before the final page and all parts are revealed. Gone Before Christmas is no different, just in novella form.

Sanctuary

Title: Sanctuary
Author: V. V. James
Published: September 8th 2020 by Sourcebooks Landmark
Format: Paperback, 464 pages
Genre: Paranormal

Heading into this book, I was a bit apprehensive. There are two definitive sides -- you either love it or hate it; is the hype worth it or just the work of an aggressive advertising team? For me, it was well-hyped and well worth reading. I am a person who likes to figure things out early, and when there was a subtle sentence in the first third of the book, I knew that I had found the zinger. That one thing that would put the end, whatever it may be, into perspective. Well, I was wrong, and the ending caught me by surprise. Well played, Mr. James.

Nothing like mass hysteria and a modern-day witch hunt to get the juices flowing. Witches are now a protected group in the United States; and when much loved high school football star Daniel Whitman falls from a balcony at a party house, which later catches fire, the town goes into hysterics after a video showing Harper, a non-magical and daughter of the local witch Sarah, placing what appears to be a curse on Daniel before he fell.

Told from many perspectives, the stories, and secrets of Sanctuary, Connecticut, come out. It appears that everyone has something to hide and, at one point or other, have used Sarah’s help when dealing with everything from the mundane to the extraordinary. And the biggest secret of all is what happened six years prior when Det. Maggie Knight met all the actors for the first time which set this tribunal in action.

A fascinating grab you from the beginning book. At first, I was concerned with all the characters thrown at me, but soon V. V. James slowed the pace a bit and let each tell their own story. There are a couple that remains in the periphery which only makes you wonder about them more. But don’t underestimate. Each one has their place by the time you reach the final chapter.