Gone with the Witch by Angela M. Sanders

The book opens with an old outhouse being demolished and a set of bones being discovered. But whoever could the bones have been? There is a thought that they could be Martin Garlington. He disappeared almost fifty years ago. But the DNA says not and, besides, his wife, Helen, has just seen a man on a quiz show that she's convinced is her long, lost husband. She prevails on Josie to find out about the man, Bruno Gates, and ask him to come to town. 

Josie does find him and the man comes to town but he is decidedly NOT Martin. What he is, is a flirt who drinks too much at the bar, flirts a little too hard with the women of the town, and is found dead near where the old bones were discovered.

That is just the start of a mystery that unwinds the past fifty years. This time, Josie has some help in solving it. Her powers must be growing because she is once again finding the same book everywhere, but this time, when she opens it, Sherlock Holmes walks out of an illustration and into helping her solve the mystery. He also warns her that her own Moriarity is going to be making trouble for her.

This was a fun story with a lot of foreshadowing for future books. I felt like some of the characters could have been developed a bit more if they were going to be a part of the eventual solution. There are also some new people who have moved to town including a new rare book dealer whose last name is the same as that of a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out February 20, 2024

Follows Witch Upon a Star

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Witch upon a Star by Angela M. Sanders

Josie's sister is coming to visit! Sure, Jean is only there because of some MLM-ish scheme that teaches you to become a life coach, but Josie is still ecstatic. Until two dead bodies show up, both with ties to the same retreat Jean is attending. Josie is worried and, of course, she's going to investigate. But this will be while keeping her new powers on the down low. 

This was an enjoyable book to the series but I seem to be on a series of books where the characters make some bad decisions. Even her cat thinks her decisions are bad at one point but Josie barrels ahead. 

Thankfully, it's not like some other series where she's actively interfering but it seems to be getting close

 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out May 23, 2023

Follows Witch and Famous

Followed by Gone with the Witch

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Witch and Famous by Angela M. Sanders

Daphne Morris, A-list movie star, is coming to visit small-town Wilfred. Why? Because she is featuring one of Roz's books in her celebrity book club. The town is abuzz. And Josie knows this because everyone is still gathering in the library since the other places in town for gathering are either closed or burned down. 

When Daphne arrives, she brings her entourage (assistant, personal chef, stylist, etc.) She also brings a stalker and a lot of heartache as the men in town seem to fall for her good looks. 

A dead body is found in Daphne's tub but it's not Daphne. It's up to Sam (and Josie) to work through what is going on.

There are a lot of stories with bumbling sleuths doing stupid things and Josie isn't among the worst offenders but I'm not sure why she keeps poking around without talking to Sam if they are supposedly such good friends. I am enjoying Sanders' writing but the characters are a bit infuriating at times. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 26, 2022

Follows Seven-Year Witch

Followed by Witch Upon a Star

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Seven-Year Witch by Angela M. Sanders

Josie is still discovering how to use her magic. She is thrown off when her grandmother's letters come up telling her how to deal with hexes. She's confused and wary but moving ahead with helping the architect in town, Lewis, learn more about the mill that he is renovating into a retreat center. Meanwhile, old flame Sam is back in town. With his wife. And a baby.

So Josie just keeps living her life until Sam's wife disappears. Then a body shows up. And another body. Plus the levee is under siege with all the rain and there's all the books whispering about a curse and a mystery about Sam's great-aunt. There's... a lot going on in this book. Fast, fun and fluffy with some growth by Josie so three and a half stars rounded up for Goodreads.

Three and a half stars

This book came out August 24, 2021

Follows Bait and Witch

Followed by Witch and Famous 

Borrowed as ebook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Bait and Witch by Angela M. Sanders

Josie Way used to work for the Library of Congress but, after entering the witness protection program, she moves to Oregon where she becomes the librarian of a small town. What she quickly discovers is that the library, the legacy of one of the town's now disgraced founding family, is soon to be demolished. But she is ready to fight for the library, especially when the books begin whispering to her. 
First books often have the heavy lifting of having to establish not only characters but the world in which they live. Josie is only just finding out that her family has magical powers so there is a lot of story before we even find out more about where her powers come from and how they manifest. IT was an okay book but I hope the witchy side is built out more in subsequent books.

Three stars

Followed by Seven-Year Witch

This book came out December 29, 2020

ebook borrowed from CloudLibrary

Opinions are my own