Ghost of a Potion by Heather Blake

Ghost of a Potion by Heather Blake, 323 pages

From the MARC: "...it's Halloween in Hitching Post, Alabama, and potion shop owner Carly Bell Hartwell has an especially spooky customer to handle... With all the ghosts that haunt her at this time of year, Carly doesn't exactly rush to celebrate Halloween. Even a costume ball organized by her boyfriend Dylan's mother, Patricia Davis Jackson, holds little allure. But to please Dylan, who wants peace between the two women, Carly reluctantly agrees to go. Gossip around town is that architect Haywood Dodd plans to make a big announcement at the party. But before he can address the crowd, he's found dead with Patricia standing over him, holding the murder weapon. Anxious to clear Patricia's name and perhaps broker a truce with her, Carly would love to use her snooping skills to find the real killer. Only she has bigger problems to deal with-ghosts are flocking to her for help, including a very persistent Haywood Dodd..."

This third installment of the Magic Potion Mysteries might be my favorite. Blake's approach to ghosts felt novel, the mystery was well woven, and the Dylan reveal was actually surprising. I sincerely wish Blake hadn't abandonded this mystery series, because while this book doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it does end in a way that tantalizes me with what-could-happen. 

 

One Potion In the Grave by Heather Blake

One Potion In the Grave by Heather Blake, 325 pages

From the MARC: "When Katie Sue Perrywinkle walks into the Little Shop of Potions, Carly is surprised and delighted to see her old childhood friend. Katie Sue fled her hometown and a troubled family over a decade ago. But she’s not back for a social visit. She’s come to settle a score with Senator Warren Calhoun, who is in town for his son’s high-profile wedding.

 

But before Katie Sue has a chance to voice any objections, she’s forced to forever hold her peace. After finding her friend dead, Carly vows to find her murderer. Were the corrupt Calhouns willing to go to any lengths to avoid a scandal? Did Katie Sue’s family take the term “bad blood” to a whole new level? And why did the bride-to-be come to Carly for a love potion? As Carly gets closer to the truth, a killer is planning a very chilly reception.…"

Unusually for a second-in-series, I enjoyed this book as well, if not more, than the first.  Slipping back into the world of Hitching Post was comfortable and comforting. 

 

A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake

A Potion to Die For by Heather Blake, 327 pages

From the MARC: "As the owner of Little Shop of Potions, a magic potion shop specializing in love potions, Carly Bell Hartwell finds her product more in demand than ever. A local soothsayer has predicted that a couple in town will soon divorce -- and now it seems every married person in Hitching Post, Alabama, wants a little extra matrimonial magic to make sure they stay hitched. But when Carly finds a dead man in her shop, clutching one of her potion bottles, she goes from most popular potion person to public enemy number one."

I really enjoy magical realism, witchy comfy reads, and Blake's world was a comfortable, entertaining place to be. 

 

Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart

Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart, 304 pages

From the MARC: "Among the countless revelers at the town's much-anticipated Halloween parade, a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep is the only one making people scream bloody murder. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the Knit and Nibblers find the nursery rhyme character dead with thick strands of yarn looped around her neck. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, are set on pinning down who wanted the woman gone forever, but it'll take every trick they can muster to catch the culprit without becoming the next poor souls to join Little Bo Peep's dark, endless sleep."

This was a quintessential cozy murder, complete with small town, knitting, and cats. It was a fun read. 

 

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore

The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore -- 376 pages

When Jeanie's aunt gifts her the beloved Pumpkin Spice Café in the small town of Dream Harbor, Jeanie jumps at the chance for a fresh start away from her very dull desk job.

Logan is a local farmer who avoids Dream Harbor's gossip at all costs. But Jeanie's arrival disrupts Logan's routine and he wants nothing to do with the irritatingly upbeat new girl, except that he finds himself inexplicably drawn to her.

Will Jeanie's happy-go-lucky attitude win over the grumpy-but-gorgeous Logan, or has this city girl found the one person in town who won't fall for her charm, or her pumpkin spice lattes…

We'll Prescribe You A Cat

 We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida (translated by E. Madison Shimoda) // 297 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

Tucked away on the fifth floor of an old building at the end of a narrow alley in Kyoto, the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul can be found only by people who are struggling in their lives and who genuinely need help. The mysterious clinic offers a unique treatment to those who find their way there: it prescribes cats as medication. Patients are often puzzled by this unconventional prescription, but when they “take” their cat for the recommended duration, they witness profound transformations in their lives, guided by the playful, empathetic, and occasionally challenging yet endearing cats. As the clinic’s patients grapple with their inner turmoil and seek resolution, their feline companions lead them toward healing, self-discovery, and newfound hope.

--

Lately I've loved reading the "Japanese + Cats" genre of books; they're short and cozy, and I'll love anything about cats. This one did not disappoint in that aspect. It's super cute and simple, though I do wish it was a bit longer. The concept of going to a magical doctor that gives you a cat to fix all your problems is super fun, though it did get a bit repetitive. The last little vignette tried to build up more narratively, but did leave me a little longing. Overall, not bad, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel!

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

 

Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack  342 pages

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can't get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

This was a cozy mystery. The narrator was also the protagonist. She was funny and made many pop culture references which may be confusing to future generations. She talks directly to the reader in some instances. If you don't mind that, you should like this story.

Death of an Outsider by M.C. Beaton

 

Death of an Outsider  (Hamish Macbeth #3) 194 pages

The most hated man in the most dour town in Scotland is sleeping with the fishes, or-more accurately-dumped into a tank filled with crustaceans. All that remain of the murdered victim are his bones. But after the lobsters are shipped off to Britain's best restaurants, the whole affair quickly lands on the plate of Constable Hamish Macbeth.

This was a cute, cozy mystery with quirky characters. The negative is that near the end of the story Constable Macbeth gets an idea and goes out of town. He returns and just tells the reader all that he did to solve the case.  

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 1 and 2

 

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui, 192 pages, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions...and a member! They're eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: "Let's eat the monsters!" Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons...none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 2 by Ryoko Kui, 192 pages, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

With the possibility of starvation as a constant companion, Laios' party continues advancing deeper into the Dungeon. The adventurers have made it to the third floor but only rotting zombies, ghastly spirits, living paintings, and golems await them--all of them absolutely inedible. After coming this far by adapting and learning how to live off the dubious bounties of the Dungeon, how will they manage when even the meanest monster won't make a decent meal?

This is quickly becoming a new favorite series of mine. I have been meaning to read it for a few years, and am just now finally getting around to it. This is a nice cozy fantasy about a group of adventurers exploring an underground dungeon to save one of their other party member's who got eaten by a dragon. The cast of characters is adorable and I love all the little recipes that we get each chapter.

The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb

 

The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb   287 pages

After a devastating loss, Brynn Wilder escapes to Wharton, a tourist town on Lake Superior, to reset. Checking into a quaint boardinghouse for the summer, she hopes to put her life into perspective. In her fellow lodgers, she finds a friendly company of strangers: the frail Alice, cared for by a married couple with a heartbreaking story of their own; LuAnn, the eccentric and lovable owner of the inn; and Dominic, an unsettlingly handsome man inked from head to toe in mesmerizing tattoos.

But in this inviting refuge, where a century of souls has passed, a mystery begins to swirl. Alice knows things about Brynn, about all of them, that she shouldn’t. Bad dreams and night whispers lure Brynn to a shuttered room at the end of the hall, a room still heavy with a recent death. And now she’s become irresistibly drawn to Dominic—even in the shadow of rumors that wherever he goes, suspicious death follows.

In this chilling season of love, transformation, and fear, something is calling for Brynn. To settle her past, she may have no choice but to answer.

This was an easy read. Cozy. I wasn't bored but it's not a story that sticks with me and I tell my friends about.  

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander

 The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander

336 pages

★★★★

Jess Metcalf is perfectly content with her quiet, predictable life. But when her beloved grandmother passes away and she loses her job at the local library, Jess' life is turned upside down.

Determined to pick up the pieces, Jess decides it's time for a new beginning. Unable to part with her grandmother's cherished books, she packs them all up and moves to a tiny cottage in the English countryside. To her surprise, Jess discovers that she's now the owner of an old red phone box that was left on the property. Missing her job at the local library, Jess decides to give back to her new community—using her grandmother's collection to turn the ordinary phone box into the littlest library in England.

Checked Out For Murder by Allison Brook

 

Checked Out For Murder  by  Allison Brook

The fourth in a Haunted Library Mystery series.  Carrie and Evelyn have their hands full with a mysterious psychic that comes to town and later turns up dead, while Carrie's overbearing mother arrives in town. More murders to solve.  

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes

Flying Solo by Linda Holmes, 320 p.

"Smarting from her recently cancelled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety. Along with boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie's curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to the never-married Dot that ends with the line, "And anyway, if you're ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling."

Laurie is told that the duck has no financial value. But after it disappears under suspicious circumstances, she feels compelled to figure out why anyone would steal a wooden duck--and why Dot kept it hidden away in the first place. Suddenly Laurie finds herself swept up in a righteous caper that has her negotiating with antiques dealers and con artists, going on after-hours dates at the local library, and reconnecting with her oldest friend and first love. Desperate to uncover her great-aunt's secrets, Laurie must reckon with her past, her future, and ultimately embrace her own vision of flying solo." --Goodreads blurb

While this was a very similar storyline to Holmeses first story, it was just as good, maybe even better. This was another fun, easy-to-read romance. The mystery was fun with this one, and I never knew a book with a carved wooden duck could be so interesting!

 

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes, 289 p.

"In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out."--Goodreads blurb

This was my first time reading a Linda Holmes novel, though I've been a fan of her freelance writing and public radio stuff for years. This was a very easy, low-stakes read. It was well-written and went very fast. I'll continue to read Holmes. 

 

Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World

 Cozy: The Art of Arranging Yourself in the World by Isabel Gillies

Author Isabel Gillies shows you how everyday things can be "cozy." She basically helps you to become more mindful of the mundane and refocus your thinking on every day situations to make things look a bit brighter. 

This book was a bit strange. Never thought about how pencils could be cozy before. I did enjoy it though. 

Potions and Pastries by Bailey Cates

POTIONS AND PASTRIES BY BAILEY CATES  PGS 274



It’s been exactly two years since Katie and her aunt and uncle opened the Honeybee Bakery, where they serve delicious—and bespelled—treats to the good people of Savannah. After a dinner celebrating the bakery’s anniversary, they all take a stroll along the waterfront and meet Aunt Lucy’s friend Orla, a colorful character who has been telling the fortunes of locals and tourists alike for years.

The next day, Orla meets with what seems like a terrible accident, but Katie’s witchy intuition tells her it was something more sinister. Together with her trustworthy coven and her firefighter boyfriend, she’ll race to find out what happened to the unfortunate fortune-teller before the piping hot trail goes cold....

It’s been exactly two years since Katie and her aunt and uncle opened the Honeybee Bakery, where they serve delicious—and bespelled—treats to the good people of Savannah. After a dinner celebrating the bakery’s anniversary, they all take a stroll along the waterfront and meet Aunt Lucy’s friend Orla, a colorful character who has been telling the fortunes of locals and tourists alike for years.
 
The next day, Orla meets with what seems like a terrible accident, but Katie’s witchy intuition tells her it was something more sinister. Together with her trustworthy coven and her firefighter boyfriend, she’ll race to find out what happened to the unfortunate fortune-teller before the piping hot trail goes cold….

It’s been exactly two years since Katie and her aunt and uncle opened the Honeybee Bakery, where they serve delicious—and bespelled—treats to the good people of Savannah. After a dinner celebrating the bakery’s anniversary, they all take a stroll along the waterfront and meet Aunt Lucy’s friend Orla, a colorful character who has been telling the fortunes of locals and tourists alike for years.
 
The next day, Orla meets with what seems like a terrible accident, but Katie’s witchy intuition tells her it was something more sinister. Together with her trustworthy coven and her firefighter boyfriend, she’ll race to find out what happened to the unfortunate fortune-teller before the piping hot trail goes cold….

ABOUT POTIONS AND PASTRIES

In this New York Times bestselling mystery series, witch Katie Lightfoot bakes enchanted treats—and faces more than her fair share of toil and trouble….
 
It’s been exactly two years since Katie and her aunt and uncle opened the Honeybee Bakery, where they serve delicious—and bespelled—treats to the good people of Savannah. After a dinner celebrating the bakery’s anniversary, they all take a stroll along the waterfront and meet Aunt Lucy’s friend Orla, a colorful character who has been telling the fortunes of locals and tourists alike for years.
 
The next day, Orla meets with what seems like a terrible accident, but Katie’s witchy intuition tells her it was something more sinister. Together with her trustworthy coven and her firefighter boyfriend, she’ll race to find out what happened to the unfortunate fortune-teller before the piping hot trail goes cold….

ABOUT POTIONS AND PASTRIES

In this New York Times bestselling mystery series, witch Katie Lightfoot bakes enchanted treats—and faces more than her fair share of toil and trouble….
 
It’s been exactly two years since Katie and her aunt and uncle opened the Honeybee Bakery, where they serve delicious—and bespelled—treats to the good people of Savannah. After a dinner celebrating the bakery’s anniversary, they all take a stroll along the waterfront and meet Aunt Lucy’s friend Orla, a colorful character who has been telling the fortunes of locals and tourists alike for years.
 
The next day, Orla meets with what seems like a terrible accident, but Katie’s witchy intuition tells her it was something more sinister. Together with her trustworthy coven and her firefighter boyfriend, she’ll race to find out what happened to the unfortunate fortune-teller before the piping hot trail goes cold….

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson, 301 pages

The first book in her "Goldy" series, Davidson begins the story of Goldy and her catering business. These stories are clean mysteries, with some romance and mentions of sex, but does NOT give intimate details.

In this opener, Goldy caters a funeral for a local teacher and ends up having her business shut down when someone is poisoned halfway through the event.  Even more bad news for Goldy is that the poisoning victim is her former father-in-law and her ex-husband is pointing fingers at her.

Fun story with lots of plot twists - and a few recipes thrown in for good measure!