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.