Book picks similar to
Hopeless Pocus by Rachel Rivers


paranormal
mystery
first-in-series
cozy-mystery

The Chocolate Magic Café


Olivia Swift - 2018
    When she inherits an old stable from her aunt, she decides to convert it into a chocolate shop and café. The best contractor to help with the conversion is the man she has argued with since she was fifteen. The work sparks off spirit activity marked by the appearance of a mysterious ghost cat. Magda’s beautiful Birman cat, Crystal, starts to act strangely. What can it all mean? This is a story of friendship, friendly ghosts, cats, chocolate and true love.

Desert Shaman


S.M. Blooding - 2018
     Paige Whiskey is now the unofficial liaison between the Elder Council and the paranormal community, and she’s been put on a mission for months now to bring more paranormals in. Trouble is brewing on the horizon. Everyone can feel it, but no one has a clue what it might be. When the regional alpha gets a call from the Utah pack, requesting a trial with Paige, she’s not quite certain what to expect. The only thing she knows for sure is that her family is growing in shifter power and the region needs to more shifters to help counter and control it. But what she learns in Utah brings the kind of understanding she doesn’t quite know what to do with. The ancients are coming, and they’re using her family to arrive.

Murder Any Witch Way


N.M. Howell - 2016
    It’s even harder when you live in a town that doesn’t believe in witches. When young witch River Halloway moves to sleepy Brimstone Bay for her very first journalist job she doesn’t expect to cover anything ground-breaking, until a paranormal festival comes to town and a body is found on opening night. Now, with all evidence pointing towards a witch, River must find the true killer before she becomes the prime suspect, or worse, the next murder victim.

Wicked Days


Lily Harper Hart - 2015
    She certainly doesn’t need to second guess her life, or her witchy ways ... that is until Shadow Lake’s newest police detective enters her life. Jack Harker is haunted by a past he refuses to talk about, and he’s not looking forward to a future with anyone – especially a sassy witch with boundary issues. Jack and Ivy find their paths crossing on a regular basis when a dead body is discovered on the edge of Ivy’s property. Jack doesn’t want any romantic entanglements, but there’s just something about Ivy that keeps drawing him in. When the truth is finally revealed, Jack has to decide what he believes – and he has to do it before a murderer turns his attention to Ivy. Can Ivy heal Jack’s wounds? Will she even get a chance to try?

Murder & Spice


Wendy Meadows - 2016
    It is perfect for those moments when you are waiting at an appointment or want to enjoy a quick read.Havenholm is a small town with big dreams, good hearts and a corporate problem. The tiny hamlet has attracted the attention of developers seeking new blood and fresh real estate, something Havenholm has in abundance. As news of the incoming business leaks over the town, rumors swirl, anger stirs and a meeting is called at the Town hall. Cassandra Dean, single witch and owner of The Spicery, is no stranger to change. Few knew what to expect when she first opened shop, yet despite the complaints and questions, her business survived and is now a staple, nestled comfortably near the coffee shop and pharmacy. Progress comes to every area and Cassandra attends the meeting to discover what face this new progress will wear. Yet what should have been an informative gathering soon descends into shouts, accusations…. And murder. “A cozy witch mystery with the perfect combination of intrigue, danger and suspense.”

Charmed to Death


Constance Barker - 2020
    Her Beagle familiar Gus teleports and talks, that is, only to those in the supernatural persuasion. Her best buds Percy, the local news reporter and gossip can hear whispers from yards away, and Millie, the local alpaca owner, makes all sorts of clothing from her enchanted animal's wool. Of course the garments give the buyer the warmth, peace and comfort they need.While things have been pleasant since the seasonal opening of the Farmer's Market, a scream breaks through the crowd. A murder of one of their own vendors has occurred. Elle and Gus take matters into their own hands and paws, much to the annoyance of the hot detective Jason, panther-shifter.Also on hand are some of the regular Farmer's market vendors with their bevy of delightful goods. Join the community and see what happens in the first Farmer's Market Witch Mystery Series book.

A Witch Called Wanda


Diana Orgain - 2017
    In a short time she makes new friends, is adopted by a lovable mutt, and finds the perfect locale to open a little music cafe. When she makes the owner an offer it seems she’s too late, and all she can do is close her eyes and wish.The next day Maeve learns the building could be hers - but only because her competition was killed overnight...and now the handsome local detective thinks she’s behind the murder. Can she clear her name and prove she’s innocent, or has she fallen into a carefully laid trap that will put her behind bars for good?Curl up with a cozy tale that keeps you guessing. Fans of Adele Abbott’s witch mysteries will love this whodunnit. Don’t hesitate - grab your copy of this magical adventure today!

Perils in Provence


Carolyn L. Dean - 2018
     A dangerous past life. A new mysterious boss. An old chateau with some very suspicious characters. Jennifer was happy working as a baker at the Ravenwood Inn, but when fate comes calling in the form of Gable Landon, she’s ready to jump at the new career he offers. Soon she’s globetrotting from Oregon to Bruges, then on to Provence to assess a rundown property her boss might want to buy. The charm of southern France and its food and landscape is almost intoxicating, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s made a new friend, a French bulldog named Orly. What Jennifer hadn’t expected, though, was stone cold murder. Clean language, and only rated PG because hey, there’s a murderer running around in this book.

Beached & Bewitched


Emery Belle - 2018
    The most boring job on the planet? Check. A boyfriend of eight years who still hasn’t put a ring on it? Double check. A squirrel that can’t stop gorging itself on her tomato plants? Make that a triple. But on the eve of her thirtieth birthday, Wren can’t shake the feeling that things are about to change. And they are. Just not in the way she planned. After a series of unexplainable events makes her question her sanity, a strange little man arrives to deliver an even stranger message: Wren isn’t so ordinary after all. She’s a witch, and in order to claim her powers, she must leave everything behind and journey to a place she never even knew existed. Suddenly, Wren is thrust into a fantasy world come to life, where taxis sprout wings and take to the skies, merwomen teach sold-out water aerobics classes, and scent-challenged ogres panhandle on street corners for unusual delicacies. Add in a new job, a hunky coworker, and a full schedule of magical lessons, and Wren’s formerly boring life is nothing but a distant memory. But before she’s able to even test out her training wand, Wren is confronted with a murder she feels compelled to solve, a list of suspects with plenty to hide, and a mysterious man in black who seems to be tracking her every move. Turns out even fantasy worlds have their dark sides.

Paranormal Nonsense


Steve Higgs - 2017
    What if a serial killer dubbed ‘The Vampire’ starts a murder spree in your town? As the bodies mount up the police are getting nowhere and Tempest feels that solving the mystery falls into his adopted job description. Stopping the killer would be enough motivation, but when the alluring PC Amanda Harper, AKA PC Hotstuff asks for his help, the lonely voice from his pants demands he do all he can to solve the case, find the killer and win a one-way trip to her knickers. Aided by his friends and two faithful dogs, encumbered by his mother (Why are there no Grandchildren, Tempest?), advised by a clearly deluded occult book shop owner and surrounded on all sides by beautiful women who just want to be friends, Tempest soon finds himself up to his eyeballs in wannabe-vampires who want to kill him. Is ‘The Vampire’ real? Does Tempest have any idea what he is doing? Will he ever get laid?

Bait and Witch


Angela M. Sanders - 2020
    Instead, thanks to newfound magic abilities—and a killer on the loose—she’s leapt out of the frying pan and into a cauldron of trouble . . . Josie Way loved working among the Library of Congress’s leather-scented stacks—until she uncovered corruption and made herself a target. As Wilfred, Oregon’s new librarian, Josie can stay undercover until the case goes to court. But life in this little town isn’t as subdued as she expected. The library, housed in a a Victorian mansion, is slated to be bulldozed. Still digesting the news that her safe haven is about to become scrap lumber, Josie discovers a body in the woods . . .Almost as shocking, Josie learns that she’s descended from a long line of witches—and her powers have suddenly sprung to life. With help from a spoiled alley cat who just may be her familiar, Josie’s thumbing through a catalog of suspects, hoping she can conjure a way to save her library—and her life. . .

The Trouble With Magic


Madelyn Alt - 2006
    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.

Murder's a Witch


Danielle Garrett - 2016
     Well, technically, she has lots of them. After a scandal uproots her entire life, she is forced to relocate to a halfway house for displaced paranormals. It’s her last shot for a fresh start. But keeping secrets isn’t easy in a town that goes through gossip faster than tissue paper, even for a powerful witch. When a grisly murder rocks the small town of Beechwood Harbor, Holly finds herself unwillingly entangled in the investigation. With everyone watching, Holly must solve the case before she’s forced to abandon her new-found home and live life as a witch on the run. But with a paranormal investigator tailing her every move, a civil war brewing between her vampire and shifter roommates, and her ghostly landlord on the edge of a breakdown, she can barely think in complete sentences. How is she supposed to track down a murderer? Holly has to make it work, or risk losing everything … again. Murder’s a Witch is a cozy witch mystery with a spunky twist. Come see what’s brewing in Beechwood Harbor in this first installment of The Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery Series.

As Witch Would Have It


Mara Webb - 2020
    Weeks. Months. Years. When real life gets too hard Chelsea decides to fly back to Pendle Island, a place she has not been since she was born. She’s looking forward to a vacation, but when she arrives, she’s quickly thrown into mayhem. Her Great Aunt Griselda has died, and Chelsea is needed at the funeral. She’s barely halfway through a stack of breakfast pancakes when her cousin Lizzy drops another bombshell. Chelsea is a witch, and her Great Aunt didn’t just die. She was murdered. Things go from bad to worse when Chelsea and her cousin start to follow the breadcrumbs. Her Great Aunt had been an infamous miser and hated by just about everyone on Pendle Island. Witches don’t get much more wicked than Griselda. After an ancient legal loophole leaves Chelsea as the sole heir of Griselda’s estate, she suddenly finds herself in charge of a haunted house on a hill, home to a mad pirate ghost, a talking cat, and a burly lumberjack with a curious secret. If that wasn’t enough, she’s got a dreamy sheriff to contend with, and a silver-tongued lawyer who is as charming as he is cunning. It’s a lot to process, especially when Chelsea learns about a family curse dangling over her head. The last thing she wants is to end up like her man-eater mother, but it seems she can’t help attracting attention… With a curse to run from, a murder to solve, and a needy cat to please, Chelsea finds her plate fills up very quickly. There’s also the small matter of avoiding death and learning magic, but that’s easy enough. Right? As Witch Would Have It is the first book in the Wicked Witches of Pendle Island mystery series. It’s fast, funny, and may contain a sassy animal or two.

Race of Thieves


S.M. Reine - 2018
    Between fake fire charms and his impenetrable confidence, everyone believes he’s the phoenix he claims to be. The lie is a necessary part of his branding. He’s determined to become a Hero, blessed by the Oracles and venerated by legions of followers. For now, he’s just one more thief slinging magical artifacts on the black market, hoping for infamy to strike like lightning. But he’s never going to become canonized if Gutterman, demon and loan shark, gets his pound of flesh from Cage first. A job offer from the biggest Hero cult in America lights a path to fame—and enough money to repay Gutterman. Unfortunately, Cage’s ex-girlfriend, Brigid Byrne, wants the job as bad as he does. Whoever steals an artifact named Nábrók will be hired. And Brigid doesn’t mind kidnapping, poisoning, and back-stabbing Cage to win… The race of thieves is on. And Cage is bent on scoring Nábrók before all his bad decisions catch up with him.