Month: April 2025

Review: The Magic of Death

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal

4****

Blurb: Witches, Murder, and Ghosts, oh my!
Welcome to Dead End, Texas, a tourist town where it’s spooky season all year long… Star Bell comes from a long line of witches originating all the way back to Salem—if her granny is to be believed. While the rest of her family employs their magical abilities in their assorted businesses on Main Street, Star flat out refuses to use her own because communicating with the dearly departed has never brought her anything but trouble. And the one spirit she wants to talk to—her sister Astra—has ghosted her. So why bother? And if that’s not enough for an almost forty-year-old to deal with, she’s living with three generations of Bells. Between her sixty-year-old aunt who is acting like a teenager and her teenage niece who isn’t acting much like herself, Star doesn’t have a moment of peace these days. But when her niece becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, Star must embrace her power and enlist the spirits of Dead End to help find the real killer before she becomes a permanent resident of Dead End herself.

THOUGHTS: This was an intense, but fun paranormal cozy mystery. Star is the main character and she can see and talk to ghosts. Which can be both good and bad. She also gets visions – ones that, in this case, show events that happened years ago but lead to the recent killings in their small town of Dead End. There are a lot of corruptions and secrets abound throughout. Star’s family is quirky and interesting in that they are witches. Star uses her gift/curse to help her discover the killer(s), but nearly ends up being a victim herself.

The story plot was intriguing and had a satisfying end. The characters well done, and the scene setting fit the story. What the story needed though was better editing. There were quite a few glitches throughout, but that didn’t lower my enjoyment of the story.

Recommended.

Spotlight: Between Today and Someday

Series: The Wonder of Wildflowers

Author: Ann M. Trader

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Steamy, Strong Language

Blurb: Blurb: Prim Vreeland is an emergency department nurse, and after a string of disappointing relationships, her own heart needs life support. On a leap of faith, she moves home and is surprised when her brother’s best friend—and her secret childhood crush—has the same idea. As attraction sparks, she finds her usual steady footsteps treading on quicksand. Sportfishing media influencer Chase Bova realizes it’s time to swap life on the road for hometown roots. When he crosses paths with Prim, she tangles his line, tying it in knots. Her charm reminds him why he’d steered clear of her years ago…and should probably do the same now. As their irresistible connection turns into romance, questions of honesty and commitment linger. Will Prim and Chase dig deep for the courage to face their past and together, discover what really lies between today and someday?

Buy link: Books2Read Universal Link

Author Bio: I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring recipes on the lighter side of southern comfort foods. I’m a member of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, and I love relaxing on my back porch to read and write. These days I take walks around my neighborhood, but when I was sixteen, I hiked the Grand Canyon with a group of friends. I love watching television dramas (in no special order) Palm Royale, The Buccaneers, The Bear, 1923, Emily in Paris, Outlander, Shrinking, Shogun, Bridgertons, Outer Banks, Stranger Things, The Crown, and Peaky Blinders and reading a great romance book.

Social Links:

https://www.amazon.com/author/annmtrader

https://bsky.app/profile/anntrader5.bsky.social

https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ann-m-trader

https://www.facebook.com/annmtraderbooks

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21925238.Ann_M_Trader

https://annmtrader.com

https://x.com/anntrader5

Review: Spirits, Rock Stars, and a Midnight Chocolate Bar

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Paranormal

4****

Blurb: It’s date night! And medium Pyper Rayne is finally getting some alone time with her oh-so-sexy new boyfriend, Julius. But when a representative from the Witches’ Council shows up during appetizers, the romance portion of the evening comes to a screeching halt. Julius is needed to deal with paranormal activity—on a cruise ship to the Caribbean. An all-expense paid cruise to the Caribbean sounds like the perfect second date… until Pyper witnesses the death of a famous rock star. Suddenly Pyper and Julius are caught in the middle of a decade-old homicide. Now the race is on to solve the mystery or history is destined to repeat itself.

THOUGHTS: Wow! I loved this book. Okay, I had a little trouble getting into it because it’s the second in the series and I believe the first book probably set everything up. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it.

In this one, the main character, Pyper, her boyfriend, Julius, and their friends are assigned to a cruise to get rid of nasty ghosts/spirits. And there is a lot of nastiness going on. The characters are the best part of this story. Pyper is a medium who can see and talk to ghosts. Julius was a ghost but now is real and a witch who works for the council of witches. And then there’s Ida May – an irreverent ghost who follows Pyper around, adding a bit of comedic effect to the story that gets rather intense at times.

Even though this is a mystery, there is also romance going on between Julius and Pyper – but it’s all very clean. After all, Julius is from the 1800s and is a very proper gentleman (hah!). But there is a satisfying ending (in more ways than one).

Recommended.

Review: Ropes & Last Hopes

ROPES & LAST HOPES by Trixie Silvertale

Fiction, Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: When a suspicious death takes the life of a friend, our psychic sleuth must expose a killer’s dirty laundry… Mitzy Moon hopes for a normal day running errands. And this time, she’s determined to get her grandmother’s couture properly cleaned. But her day gets stuck in a spin cycle when she encounters crime-scene tape at the dry cleaner’s and a puzzling murder. With her only way into the case through an undercover stint in the women’s wrestling league, Mitzy charges ahead with little help from her mentor, Ghost-ma, or her entitled feline. But if the bell rings before she corners the suspect, more lives could end up on the ropes. Can Mitzy hold a murderer down for the count, or will she be taken out in a lethal smackdown? Ropes and Last Hopes is the prequel novella to the hilarious new paranormal cozy mystery series, Harper and Moon Investigations, a spinoff from the popular Mitzy Moon Mysteries. If you like snarky heroines, supernatural intrigue, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s wedded whodunits.

THOUGHTS: Mitzy Moon has inherited from a bookstore, a strange building, and a fortune from her grandmother. Oh, and a closet full of high-fashion clothing. And the ghost of her grandmother loves to tell her how to live her life. Grams lives with her as does a wildcat that seems to have a way with clues to mysteries. In this one, a beloved lawyer who helps endangered women with her skills is killed and Mitzy goes undercover (without much covering) as a female wrestler in order to help find the killer.

There were parts of this that I loved, and parts that had me scratching my head in confusion. If this is supposed to be the prequel to a series, there sure does seem to have been a ton of stuff going on before hand. I found the beginning rather confusing, but by the end, I was enjoying the read. But it took me almost a hundred pages to get there.

Still, not a bad story and it has a mostly satisfying ending (while setting up for the next book). Recommended.

Review: A Curse for Samhain

A CURSE FOR SAMHAIN by Dahlia Donovan

Fiction, Paranormal Cozy Mystery Romance

Blurb: Welcome to the Skeleton Crew. Bring your knitting needles and a good, strong brew. Gender fluid, autistic vampire Hyde Snodgrass runs Between the Leaves—a cosy village book store. Their life revolves around books, all things autumnal, and the two cats who rule their world. The shop also plays host to a weekly knitting group called the Skeleton Crew. When one of the leaders of the village coven fails to show up for the weekly knitting meeting, Hyde finds themselves investigating a horrific murder side by side with their long-term crush, Teresa Vega. Suspicion immediately falls on other members of their group. Hyde and Teresa struggle to find answers to the growing list of questions. It’s made all the more difficult when the killer has them in their sights. Can working together spark the romantic flame within them? Will they solve the mystery before death comes too close?

THOUGHTS: I absolutely loved the characters in this story. The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars was the ending. I felt a little let down by it. But…the characters! Thank you so much for making them who they are. Hyde is a youngish vampire who sometimes goes by she and sometimes by they; they are also autistic; and they own a bookstore in this amazing hamlet where paranormals who don’t fit elsewhere fit. Hyde’s girlfriend, Teresa, is a witch who owns a taco bus and has anxiety/panic attacks. Having two main characters like that, and having them live their lives as they are really touched me.

In this story, Hyde and Teresa are trying to figure out who killed another witch in town, broke into and trashed Teresa’s bus/home/taco business (all in one), poisoned Hyde, and more. We do find out who the murderer is but not necessarily who did all the rest. It’s a little fuzzy.

But even with fuzzy, I would highly recommend this book if only because of the characters and the setting. Nicely done.

Review: Put Another Crime in the Jukebox

PUT ANOTHER CRIME IN THE JUKEBOX by Misty Simon

Fiction, Cozy Mystery, #2 in Series

5*****

Blurb: Welcome to the Sunny Side Up Diner, where the jukeboxes jive and the secrets thrive…With her dream of opening a diner in her small hometown realized, Jax Tapman finally feels like her life is on the right track. She and her best friend and business partner, Dani, have lots of customers. Things are promising with her new boyfriend, Eliot. And she’s looking forward to a relaxing evening at the local movie theater with Dani and her bestie’s mom. Unfortunately, there’s one thing that can always ruin a gal’s good mood—murder. When the curtain goes down on the film, Jax finds a woman’s dead body in the front of the theater. Worse yet, the victim was last seen alive in a knock down drag out fight with Dani’s mom. Suddenly Dani’s desperate, her mom’s a suspect, and Jax finds herself caught up in another murder investigation that has her in way over her head. She quickly finds that diving into the history of the two older women is not as easy as whipping up the fluffy pancakes everyone loves on a Sunday morning. Between the secrets, lies, and a pair of mysterious keys Jax finds hidden in her vintage jukebox, she’s not sure who to trust. With her friendship on the line and danger closing in, it’s up to Jax to uncover the truth…or die trying.

THOUGHTS: I fell in love with this series with the first book and this one was a good addition. In this one, Jax is trying to help her best friend Dani prove that Dani’s mother didn’t kill off her old enemy. They come up with a lot of suspects, but almost all paths lead to Nancy (Dani’s mom). As bad as Dani’s relationship is with her mom—and it is nasty—Nancy is still her mother. So Jax, her new beau Eliot, Dani, and Dani’s new boyfriend Ian go into sleuth mode and look for the real killer. But there are a lot of snags along the way. Like threatening notes left on Jax’s windshield.

I love the “Spy Spindle” that they use at the diner – when someone hears some bit of gossip that might have something to do with the murder, it goes on an order sheet on the spindle. I love how Jax’s cat Stella Luna is obsessed with Eliot. I love the quirky characters and the setting and the way everyone interacts with everyone else. This story is in true Misty Simon style with laughs among the sleuthing. Expect fun, great characters, and a thread with a key attached that continues from the first book into this one and goes on. I can’t wait to read the next one.

Definitely recommended.

Review: Tea and Trickery

TEA AND TRICKERY by Wendy Ledger

Fiction, Paranormal Cozy Mystery

3***

Blurb: A haunted house. A talking cat familiar. A ghostly ally.Ella Kelly thought she’d found true love. But when she discovered his cheating ways, Ella was more than ready to leave her old life behind . . . if only she knew what to do next! Her wish came true with a surprising a charming tea shop in an intriguing California town. But managing a tea shop can brew up all sorts of troubles. There’s a murder to solve, a haunted house calling her name, and a cat familiar who’s not sure he’s up to the task. And maybe her mother could have told her she was a witch? Will Ella and her shy sidekick be able to crack this case and bring peace to her town? Tea and Trickery is the first book in the paranormal cozy series, The Witches of Whittaker Mysteries. If you love magical cats, tantalizing teas, and supernatural shops, you’ll adore this enchanting tale.

THOUGHTS: This is a paranormal cozy mystery. The main character, Ella, dumps her cheating boyfriend and heads for a small town where her aunt left her a tea shop and apartment—oh, and a shy cat. She also left a legacy as Ella finds out she’s a witch and her cat, Rumor, is her familiar. And there are other witches in the town, and a family—the Whittakers—who do not like Ella’s family. She discovered all this when the ghost of her aunt shows up to talk to her. 

Yes, there is a lot going on in this story. I loved Rumor, the cat. He’s so shy and unsure of himself but ends up being a hero in the end. Unfortunately, I kept getting Rumor the cat mixed up with Rowan, her uncle. (There’s a reason not to name major characters with similar names.) There were things in the story that didn’t quite make sense to me, and it had a strange, but satisfying ending. 

Overall, it’s a cute story, but without a lot of meat and we’re left with a dangling thread at the end that leads to other stories I hope. 

Recommended with cautions.

Review: Ghost Appeal

GHOST APPEAL by Louisa West

Fiction, Paranormal Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: I didn’t choose the boo life. The boo life chose me.
I’m Ivy Hearst and I’ve always had a spook-tacular talent for seeing ghosts. It’s just part of who I am. When I was small it used to give me the heebie-jeebies, but as I got older I learned to embrace my gift. Now, as a spiritual medium, I get to help others handle their own spirit experiences and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Normally. Seeing the ghost of a dearly departed client whose house I just performed a spiritual cleansing in? That’s a new one. And it’s landed me in hot water. Now I’ve gotta put my gift to work and ghost-bust a murderer. With a bossy apparition all up in my business and the Savannah PD side-eying me as a suspect, this won’t be easy. A web of mystery and danger is being woven around me. Evil spirits and the killer are closing in, and I’ll have to walk the shadowy line between the dead and the living to uncover the truth. The clock is ticking, and the supernatural forces around me are only growing stronger. Can I bring a murderer to justice before I get thrown in the slammer–or into the afterlife myself? Ghost Appeal is the prequel novella to Louisa West’s new series of Sleepy Hollow Mysteries. In it, Louisa does a great job introducing the reader to her main character, spiritual medium Ivy Hearst. Set in the haunted city of Savannah, Ivy has been able to see ghosts all her life and has chosen to help others deal with their supernatural visitors. However when a particularly dangerous entity sets its sights on Ivy she is forced to make a change that will take her all the way to Sleepy Hollow, NY. This is a great beginning to what promises to be a fun new series. Ms. West has done a great job setting the stage for book one and I can’t wait to read it.

THOUGHTS: What an interesting start to a new series. Ivy lives in Savannah, Georgia and deals with ghosts. But demons? That’s a whole ‘nuther world—and not a good one. She takes on Polly, a witch, as a client to help cleanse her home of a dark spirit but things don’t go exactly to plan as the next day Polly shows up on her doorstep—dead. In order to prove that she didn’t do the deed, she needs to find the real killer, but it means dipping into some dark places that could mean her own death. Getting away from the evil that is pursuing her, she needs to leave Savannah. With the help of a friend, she gets a job in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Yes, that Sleepy Hollow! And the series is off and running.

Interesting characters, good setting (hot and humid!), twists and turns that keep you interested. And a good prequel to the upcoming stories.

Recommended.

Review: Black Magic Murder

BLACK MAGIC MURDER by Polly Holmes

Fiction, Paranormal Cozy Mystery

4****

Blurb: Careful what you wish for! Graduating to a fully-fledged witch on my upcoming birthday should be a momentous occasion, but when a local hairdresser turns up dead, I know it’s going to be one hell of a week. Saltwater Cove’s resident infuriating fae looks like a good suspect for the murder, but insists she’s innocent and reveals a huge secret too amazing to be a lie. But if she didn’t do it… then who did?
The murder triggers the return of a dark force… dark enough to send even the most experienced witches into panic mode. Harriet, Jordi and Tyler join me as I try to find the culprit, putting my magical abilities to the ultimate test. When the killer strikes even closer to home, I need to up my game if I’m going to keep evil at bay.…or have I finally met my supernatural match? If you like witty witches, talking cats, and magical murder mysteries, then step into the fun and flirty romantic paranormal cozy mystery world of the Melting Pot Café series where the spells are flowing, and the adventure is sure to leave you craving more.

THOUGHTS: This was a fun story with a lot of twists and turns. Although this is the sixth in the series, you don’t really have to have read the others to understand what’s going on. I didn’t – though I’m going to. And is seriously suggest you do as well so you do get some of the nuances of the story – like them hunting for a Sphere that appears to be a continuing plot line.

In this one, Evelyn is approaching her twenty-fifth birthday which is when she’ll become a full-fledged witch. If she passes the test of the Council. Everyone wants to throw her a grand party, but she wants nothing to do with that. Especially since she has to prove to the cops that she wasn’t responsible for a recent murder.

I enjoyed the quirky characters, the family/friend dynamics- and the ending (not giving it away, but it was good). But the series is definitely not over as the thread of the Sphere and the mystery surrounding the deaths of Evelyn’s parents continues on.

Recommended.

Review: And For My Next Trick…

FOR MY NEXT TRICK… by Andrew Grey

Fiction, M/M Contemporary Romance, Cruise, novella (88 pages)

4****

Blurb: Nathaniel picked his pocket, stole his watch, put him in his own handcuffs… and that was just the foreplay. Nathaniel Weatherby works as a cruise ship magician and comedian. He’s also a thief, or at least he was. He left his family and their family business behind some years ago and uses his skills to entertain rather than cheat and steal. But when jewelry goes missing on board, his past comes back to haunt him. Maryland police officer Randy Messier is on the cruise ship hoping for a little vacation, but also to keep his eyes open. There have been rumors, and the cruise line is determined to keep its passengers safe. Randy isn’t sure what to do when he gets pulled on stage, but he doesn’t expect Nathaniel to comically rob him blind and leave him in his own handcuffs. After getting Randy’s attention on stage, the two men circle each like moths to each other’s flame, drawing them ever closer. But when jewelry is stolen, Randy’s first suspicion falls on Nathaniel. Even when Nathaniel has an alibi, Randy still isn’t convinced. It becomes clear that the only way for them to possibly move forward is to catch the real thief. Even then, their growing attraction might not be enough.

THOUGHTS: This isn’t the “Love Boat” but there is definitely romance on the high seas as Nathaniel meets Randy while both are working on a high-end cruise ship. Nathaniel is a professional magician working as entertainment for the cruise while Randy is a Baltimore detective working undercover with security to find a thief. When jewels go missing, Randy’s first thought is Nathaniel, but cameras prove it wasn’t him. Unfortunately, Nathaniel knows who the thief is and goes about trying to help Randy catch them. Meanwhile, romance blossoms for both men and they have to figure out a way to make things work.

The characters are realistic and I loved the interaction between Randy and Nathaniel when the magician pulls him up on stage and uses him as a patsy, lifting his wallet, ID, and even his handcuffs – which Nathaniel easily gets out of and clicks on Randy while they’re dancing in front of the audience. Best scene of the book for me. And the ending was perfect. Nicely done.

Recommended.