Wish Upon A Witch


Lucy May - 2020
    Really. Her name is literally Juliette Good. Apologies for the redundancy. Good witch or not, she often ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Returning home to Charm Cove, Maine after the holidays, she makes a nostalgic wish in the town’s fountain. As unfortunate luck would have it, seconds later the town’s ancient beloved balsam tree catches fire and is burned to a crisp. By virtue of being a witness, Juliette is also a suspect. Suddenly, wishes cast by random strangers in the fountain are granted almost instantly if Juliette happens to be nearby. In the less magical realm, residents of Charm Cove are up in arms over winter road maintenance and a few too many fender benders during the icy winter. Meanwhile, the only other person known to be present when the ancient balsam tree caught fire is Donovan Wick—a warlock who’s just moved back to town. He’s handsome and charming, and Juliette just might be falling for him. There’s not much time for romance when the witches and warlocks of Charm Cove are chasing down whoever cast the spell that harmed the tree, and the entire town is disgruntled over the state of the roads. The mundane and magical are all tangled together. Take a visit to Charm Cove, where Wicked meets Good and where you just might find there’s almost always more than meets the eye.

Magic Bites (Cozy Witch Mysteries Book 1)


Mary Tazzo - 2018
    Turmoil, murder, and cookie jar spirits are turning the paranormal world upside down. Katy can’t help digging for clues when Miss Priss turns up dead at the local bowling alley. Too bad her magic is rusty. She’s having a spell of a time finding answers. Magic is only good when you remember how to use it. Teaming up with her best friend, Katy hopes to reveal the truth before it’s too late. With an itch to become a better witch, she knows she’ll need to brush up on her skills, but with no time to spare, she needs to find answers before the killer strikes again. Magic Bites is the first book in the Witch Cozy Mysteries series and offers a family-friendly read with no foul language. Note: previously titled Sand-Witch on Rye

Death on the Seine (A Paris Booksellers Mystery Book 1)


Evan Hirst - 2017
    What could possibly go wrong? For Ava Sext, a transplanted Londoner who sells books from an outdoor stand that overlooks the Seine River, her day goes from bad to worse when the tall handsome stranger whose appearance her horoscope predicted disappears after he is almost killed before her eyes and that's before she discovers that he supposedly died weeks earlier! With the help of her fellow bookseller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste who not only know where the bodies are buried but probably helped bury them, Ava attempts to find her not-so-dead man before he turns up dead for real while trying to remain alive. Death on the Seine is a cozy mystery set in Paris, a city where food, wine and crime make life worth living… along with a few books and Mercury, the cat.

Escape From Danger (Escape from Reality Cozy Mystery, #1)


Courtney McFarlin - 2020
    She never thought she’d discover something shocking about her own past. She never dreamed she’d have an opportunity to fall in love. She never expected she’d soon be fighting for her life after getting too close to the truth.After the unexpected death of her father, Shay moves back home and discovers her father left her a legacy to live out her dreams. Her new business is set to open in just a few weeks, and she needs to figure out why there’s a dead guy in one of the newest escape rooms. Join Shay as she reconnects with her best friends from childhood, tries to solve a murder, and locks horns with the attractive detective assigned to the case. Sparks fly and danger lurks where Shay least expects it.

Murder at the Snowed Inn (Claire Andersen Murder for All Seasons Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)


Imogen Plimp - 2020
    She knew her fresh start would be exciting, but she never expected it to be tinged with enthralling adventure, romance that’s sweet as sweet can be … and murder!Adorable and resilient, former NYC chef Claire Andersen is no stranger to second chances. She and her stock trader husband George had decided long ago to trade in their life of ambition for one of quaint & quiet adventure—by opening up a cozy neighborhood coffee shoppe on the ground floor their Brooklyn brownstone. He was the coffee-connoisseur, she was the baker extraordinaire. Claire was so happy, she could just die. But fate had other plans—it came for her husband instead.After George’s passing, Claire decides (with a nudge from her doting foster daughter Al) to trade in her life of brews and baked goods for breakfast—bed and breakfast, that is! And what better setting in which to start over than Galway, Maryland—a charming, snowy mountain town (and favorite cross-county ski destination of Claire’s youth).All is well in Claire’s new B&B venture—and with her new oven constantly in use, it’s mouth-watering, even—until her first guest is murdered in-house. It’s not long until one of the suspects Claire questions about the murder winds up dead, too. Suddenly, Claire finds herself starting over yet again—and trading in her hostess hat (she’d just dusted it off, too!) for a secret life as an amateur sleuth.But it’s not all B&B business and bodies: Claire also finds herself in the throes of not one, but two potential romances—each more toe-curling and butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing than the other.Alongside her trusty new pal Evelyn (who’s feisty enough to make anyone blush) and her faithful bloodhound Rupert, Claire races the clock to get to the next victim—before the killer does. And she knows she’d better hurry. Because if the killer catches her first, she might run out of second chances.Author's Note: This book contains a non-binary character whose preferred pronouns are they/them. If the notion of a non-binary character (and its resultant use of grammar) is offensive, then this book is not for you!

A Friend In Knead


Judith Jackson - 2018
     It is springtime in Vermont, and Harriet’s life is finally on a roll. The Bluebell Café, her pride and joy, is a success, and someday soon it may even be solvent. In her scant free time she ghost writes her gran’s wildly popular advice column and tends to her beloved one-eyed, cross dressing, English Bulldog. But then Sevenoaks experiences its first murder in as long as anyone can remember, and the police investigation hits way too close to home. In order to save her café, Harriet and her best friend, Claire, are forced to conduct their own search for the killer. To further complicate matters, Harriet’s long-ago boyfriend – the love of her life – has moved back to town, and if her legs would just stop wobbling every time the two of them are together it would be easier to pretend she’s completely over him. A Friend in Knead is a cozy mystery full of tasty food, lots of laughs and a hit of romance. Includes some of The Bluebell Café’s most-loved recipes.

Heard It Through the Grapevine


Lizbeth Lipperman - 2013
    The problem is that Tessa is not in the coffin. Dealing with the wisecracking ghost of her sibling, Lainey and her three surviving sisters set out to fulfill Tessa's wish from beyond the grave--to find out who killed her.But hidden among the vines of the dead sister's multi-million dollar wine-making business lurks a killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Killer Bait


Martina Dalton - 2019
     Much to the chagrin of her brother, Zen, a homicide detective, Clarity throws caution to the wind and jumps into the investigation with both feet. Zen’s ultra-handsome detective partner, Hunter, encourages Clarity to learn self-defense—especially since she’s getting closer to discovering who the killer is. Using her social media sleuthing skills, she sets out to bait the murderer. Is she clever enough to entrap the killer? Or will she end up as the catch of the day?

Deadly Spells and a Southern Belle


Amy Boyles - 2019
     Only Witch’s Forge isn’t a supernatural paradise—here spells backfire, kudzu bites and magic is broken. That is, until Charming Calhoun arrives. Charming has everything a Southern Belle could ask for—a thriving matchmaking business and great employees. But when one of her employees goes missing in Witch’s Forge, she quickly realizes there’s something sinister afoot. Once she arrives, Charming discovers a world of strange. Her house has a mind of its own—adding rooms and coughing up objects. There’s also a broomstick that likes to spank and a pot-bellied pig with an appetite for chocolate. Then she butts heads with the local vampire chief of police. What? A handsome vampire cop in a town full of witches? Vampires and witches are mortal enemies. But Charming better stay on the vampire’s good side because when someone winds up dead, everyone’s a suspect. She’s got her work cut out for her. Can Charming solve the mystery and return to her old life? Or will she discover that in the Smoky Mountains her life truly begins? And if so, can Charming survive long enough to enjoy it, or will she become the murderer’s next victim? FIND OUT NOW!

A Witch Named Hazel


Sara Bourgeois - 2021
    She's baffled at the news that a great uncle she's never even heard of before has left her his old funeral home. Stranger still, the mortuary is in an unfamiliar small town. Fullmourn is less than thirty minutes away, but the place is a complete mystery.Things get even weirder, though…More shocking than a surprise Great Uncle and a peculiar small town is the "gift" she receives from a ghost. The gift is the craft. Witchcraft, to be exact. The spirit of an old witch has to pass her magic onto someone before crossing the veil to the afterlife. Since no one shows up for her memorial, Hazel was the "lucky" recipient of her strange and unusual powers.But, the whole witchcraft thing might have to wait…When Hazel gets into an argument with grouchy Fullmourn resident, George Cadell, she knows her reputation is about to bite the big one. Of course, George appears to be innocent in the squabble, so when he's found dead in front of the funeral home Hazel just inherited, she becomes the prime suspect.Hazel is one toadstool short of an alibi, and the hunky town Sheriff, Nicodemus "Nico," Quillen doesn't entirely believe in her innocence. But Hazel isn't the only one in Fullmourn who might have wanted George – an unrepentant jerk - on the other side of the grass. Hazel needs all the help she can get exhuming the real culprit.With her new familiar, Loftus, the cursed mouse, and her cousin, Rook, the mortician, at her side, Hazel's prepared to harness her unique abilities and summon any spirit, to catch the real killer. She's desperate to clear her name before the funeral home goes belly up, but will her mission lead her right into a killer's snare?

The Return of Betty Snickerdoodle


Pepper Frost - 2021
    Bea's made millions off those syrupy holiday romance novels — and now Cash wants a piece of the action! What Cash doesn’t know is that Bea’s no ordinary septuagenarian millionaire. She’s a fearless, wily ex-poker pro who loves nothing more than being underestimated. And now she’s concocted a high-stakes plan to teach Cash a lesson. It’s a gamble that just might blow up in Bea’s face. Luckily, she has a friend in her corner — Angela Garcia, the brilliant, beautiful marketer who used social media to make Betty Snickerdoodle a publishing phenomenon. Cash will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Can Bea and Angela stop him – and save their publishing enterprise – before it’s too late?

The Mystery of the Blue Dolphins (A Dog Detective Series Book 1)


Sandra Baublitz - 2014
    Clarissa's amateur sleuth uncle has died, evidently from a heart attack. But was the death truly an accident? An anonymous note hints that her uncle was murdered, and now Clarissa and Paw are determined to sniff out the truth. Soon the duo find themselves nose deep in their uncle's final baffling case: the theft of the fabulous Blue Dolphin diamonds. Clarissa's determination to find her uncle's killer leads her deep into a world of glittering gems and deadly secrets, where each new discovery threatens to bring her to the notice of a ruthless murderer who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks. Can Clarissa and her detective dog Paw crack the case, or will they become the killer's next victims? This is a 5200 word short story/mini mystery. Read time is approx. 30 minutes.

Frozen Fear: Murder In Season - Book 1


Anne Shillolo - 2020
    But injured cop Claire Beckett is right in the path of a killer. The death of a look-alike friend brings murder right to the front door of Claire’s quaint log cabin. After being shot in the line of duty she’s spending the winter in cottage country to recover, but it’s more than a vacation. Much more. The picturesque village of Falcon Lake serves up murder, kidnapping, a mysterious new neighbor, and a blizzard of clues and suspects. When Detective Constable Claire Beckett decides to spend the winter up north with her partner’s dog, Kojak, mistaken identity leads to a web of death and corruption that may lead all the way back to the city where Claire is still on the payroll. For the moment. An evening visit to Marina’s Café brings more than latte and dessert. Claire visits with her artist friends and enjoys some music, but by the end of the night, one person is dead. The local police are working hard, but Claire thinks the ‘crime of opportunity’ theory is all wrong. Falcon Lake just doesn’t seem like the kind of place where thugs wait outside the local businesses to rob them. She’s determined to find out who killed her friend Kayla, and why. Her neighbor is newcomer Miles Gallagher, and he’s distant and as chilly as the winter weather. But helping Claire stay alive and stop a killer may thaw his heart. Meanwhile things aren’t adding up for Claire at work. The tragedy of her boss’s ambush, where she herself was injured, is being laid at her doorstep. How can she clear her name and get back to work? Book 1 of the Murder In Season cozy mystery series.

The Gossiping Gourmet


Martin Brown - 2014
    But for love of his caramel chicken and cherry fudge brownies, everyone has a story to share regarding their fellow citizens—Stories that too often find their way into his weekly gossip-filled newspaper column, "Heard About Town." When the great chef and his admirers, the Sausalito Ladies of Liberty, take offense to a newly arrived Manhattan power couple, their insular world of tasty sauces and stinging insults leads to deadly results.Everyone has their own theory about who killed Warren. But it takes the combined efforts of Rob Timmons, the local newspaper publisher, and Eddie Austin, his childhood friend and Marin County’s top detective, to unravel this tale of delicious dishes and malicious deception.

Bittersweet Betrayal


Stephanie Damore - 2018
    Except one of them is dead. Ever since Nick passed, Claire has been able to see ghosts. Well the grounded ones anyway. When Nick’s not-so-dearly departed grandma makes an untimely exit, Nick relies on his ever-clever wife to track the clues and bring the killer to justice. Claire is more than willing to take the case if only to send Grandma up to the Pearly Gates and get her out of her hair...and bakery. If you love a clean paranormal mystery, heavy on the whodunit, you're going to love these quick reads!