Experimental Magic by Iris Beaglehole, Lorna Bennett (Narrator)

In the first book of the series, Rosemary and Athena discovered they are witches and are now trying to navigate their new normal. Athena is about to start school and Rosemary is just trying to figure out her powers. And money. For now, she's working in the bakery. 

Athena is trying to figure out how school is going to work. She missed all of the basics and isn't even exactly sure what her power is or if she has power. 

Both Athena and Rosemary have some learning to do in this book. When Athena follows the boy she met in the first book into another realm, it's up to Rosemary and Athena's new friends to help her figure out a way home. Although, Athena does do a lot to help herself (and her father) as well. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 5, 2023

Myrtlewood Mysteries #2

Follows Accidental Magic

Followed by Combustible Magic

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Accidental Magic by Iris Beaglehole, Lorna Bennett (Narrator)

Rosemary hasn't seen her grandmother in a long time. That's what makes it so surprising that she's been left her grandmother's whole estate. She's careful not to get her hopes up though anything will help. Her daughter's father has left them in a mountain of debt and Rosemary is drowning. 

Going to the small town to see what her inheritance is, Rosemary is also trying not to get her hopes up. She hasn't spoken to her grandmother in years and the house probably isn't much anyway. Once she's in town, however, she becomes a suspect in her grandmother's murder and isn't allowed to leave. 

The shocks don't stop coming when Rosemary discovers the other family legacy and has to figure out how to save them all.

Three and a half stars

This book came out July 25, 2023

Myrtlewood Mysteries #1

Followed by Experimental Magic

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Plus

Opinions are my own

The Witching Moon Manor by Stacy Sivinski

It's been a little over a year since the events of the first book. Anne, Violet, and Beatrix have missed their birthday together but the three are reuniting in their Chicago home. Violet is haunted by a mistake she made during her and her husband's acrobatic act. Beatrix no longer seems to have any words. And Anne has to prevent an apocalypse. 

I actually liked this one a bit better than the first because we are getting more character and world building. 

Three and a half stars

The Spellbound Sisters #2

This book came out October 1, 2024

Follows The Crescent Moon Tearoom

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski

This book is the equivalent of a warm cup of tea. Just nice. Maybe not super exciting, but an even read. 

Three sisters run a teahouse where they read the futures of the witches of Chicago. They have always been in lock step but that is starting to falter. Violet is entranced by an acrobat at a visiting circus. Beatrix's recent manuscript submission is about to take the literary world by storm, and Anne's powers are growing at a pace she is reluctant to reveal to her sisters. 

They are further thrown off balance when one of their regulars reveals that she sees a curse behind their eyes. Suddenly, their whole world is upside down. And it's not helped by the fact that the Council has decided that the three of them must help three witches complete their "Tasks" before the other three die. 

Three and a half stars

The Spellbound Sisters #1  

This book came out October 1, 2024

Followed by The Witching Moon Manor

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Witch and Tell by Angela M. Sanders

Josie Way hasn't been enjoying life lately. Her love life is in the dumps and someone is siphoning off her magic. Now, her friend's boyfriend seems to have disappeared and there is a townsperson who has started a crusade against cats. And not just cats in real life, but book cats as well.

There was a lot and yet nothing going on in this book. The pacing of these books seems to be slow, slow, A LOT IS HAPPENING, slow. It can make it reading the books a bit of a slog, sometimes. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out October 28, 2025

Witch Way Librarians #7

Follows The Witch is Back

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

A Ghost Hunter's Guide to Solving a Murder by F.H. Petford

World War II is in full force when Alma Timperly is informed that her aunt has died and left her a hotel in Cornwall. Alma is initially confused because she had no idea that she even had an aunt. But the lawyer seems nice and Alma's intuition is telling her that he is trustworthy. So she is off to take over the Timperly Spiritualist Hotel. 

There, Alma is surprised to learn that her aunt actually had the gift of talking to the dead. Even more surprisingly, Alma seems to have the gift as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if either of the two other spiritualists actually have the gift. That doesn't dissuade people from coming to see them at the hotel.
The hotel is fairly well run and Alma is pretty much able to step in. She also has a couple of suitors and seems to move quickly. However, they are in a war and life just moves quickly then. She'll also have to move fast to uncover the German spy that is operating out of her place.

There was a little much going on in this story but I enjoyed it overall. 

Four stars

This book comes out October 2, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Dragon Bound Elder by Thea Harrison, Sophie Eastlake (Narrator)

Dragos Cuelebre is bemused. Not only did someone steal from him, a dragon, they had the temerity to leave a note. His displeasure literally shakes the city.

Pia Giovanni knows that what she did was incredibly stupid and life-threatening but her ex-boyfriend is threatening to reveal her secrets to the world if she doesn't do this for him. Apparently, he needs to wipe out some gambling debts. She runs as fast as she can but Dragos finds her quickly. Unexpectedly, he doesn't immediately rend her limb from limb. Instead, over the course of a very fast week, the two fall in love. And deal with the enmity of a fey king, several kidnappings, and opening their hearts to each other.

What a great start to a series. I don't love one of the tropes used but though Harrison did it about as well as it can be done and the romance was a little too whirlwind but I am excited to listen to the next book in the series.

Three and a half stars

This book came out 

Elder Races #1

Borrowed as audiobook from Audible Premium Plus

Opinions are my own

Face the Fire by Nora Roberts

Four stars

This book came out 

Three Sisters Island, #3

Follows by Heaven and Earth

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Heaven and Earth by Nora Roberts

Ripley Todd has an okay life. Yeah, she's living with her brother and his new wife and, sure, she's having sort of a dry spell with her own sexual escapades and, well, she's a witch which she's not really enjoying but life is still okay. Then MacAllister Brooke comes to Three Sisters Island. Dr. Brooke is there to study the legend of the Three Sisters. He's very interested in mystical forces and UFOs and then becomes
very interested in Ripley Todd. 

She's not indifferent to him but they have two very different attitudes toward her powers. Of course, Ripley's going to have to learn to trust both Mac and her own powers in order to save her own life as well as those of her "sisters."

Four stars

This book came out 

Three Sisters Island, #2

Follows Dance Upon the Air

Followed by Face the Fire

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

Love At First Fright by Nadia El-Fassi

Rosemary Shaw is a horror author whose book has been optioned into a movie. Too bad the actor they've picked as the lead is a) not what she imagined for that character and b) a total jerk. She's not sure how she's going to make it through this shoot. 

Ellis Finch is a certified Hollywood hunk. He normally does action movies but he's decided that this horror film would make for an exciting change. Too bad the writer thinks that he's all wrong for the part. 

Add in the fact that Rosemary can see ghosts and there's a love spat to figure out on locaiton and there's a lot going on in this book. I generally liked Rosemary and Ellis's story but I was not expecting the dom/sub portion of this book. Nor the age gap (not one of my favorite tropes though El-Fassi does more than most to balance the relationship.)

Three and a half stars

This book came out September 16, 2025

ARC kindly provided by Ballantine and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts

Nell Channing is on the run. She's come to Three Sisters Island hoping that she can stay hidden in this small community. What she finds is more than safety. While in Mia Devlin's cafe, Nell notices the cook quitting. She harnesses up all of her courage and offers to try out for the job. Soon, she's part of the community, even to the point of seeing one of the locals, Sheriff Todd. Luckily, Zack grew up on the island, so when it turns out Nell is a descendant of one of the sisters and has to help break the cycle started hundreds of years ago. She'll have to harness her destiny to defeat evil. Yep, I said it.

Four stars

This book came out June 5, 2001

Three Sisters Island, #1

Followed by Heaven and Earth

Hard copy I own

Opinions are my own

The Irresistible Urge to Fall For Your Enemy by Brigitte Knightley with Thomas Judd (Narrator), Heather Long (Narrator)

I listened to this as an audiobook and it took some time to get into the worldbuilding. There was a glossary to start off with but I didn't really retain that information. However, as the story kept moving along I was able to pick up more of the language and understand the world that Osric and Aurienne inhabited. 

Going in, I knew this was a duology so I was expecting a cliffhanger... but there wasn't one which was so refreshing. Also refreshing? The banter between the two main characters. 

Then general set up is that Osric is a bad guy. But he's a bad guy whose life force is failing him and soon he won't be able to do "bad guy stuff" any more. When that happens, his crew will kill him. So he needs a way out. Unfortunately, the only person who can help him is a certified do-gooder meaning she will in no way want to help him. So, he decides to bribe her. It doesn't work on her, but it works on her mentor. The children in their area have a pox that they've been unable to create a vaccine for. He has the money, she has the talent. Together, nothing will be resolvedin this book but it's a wonderful start. 

Four stars

Dearly Beloathed #1

This book came out July 8, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinons are my own

The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong

Tao left her homeland when she was a child. She predicted her father's death and, when it came true, her whole world came crashing down. Now, she roams the countryside of her new home, telling small fortunes. Those are easier than life changing fortunes and allow her to make some money. Right now, she's just trying to stay one step ahead of the guild. Her life is better than it was before she left, but she's lonely. 

In this story, she starts to meet people (and animals) who are going to make it so that she has a core group of friends who can help her to continue to lead her life the way she wants.

This was a cute story. It dragged in a couple of places and I'm not sure that everything wrapped up cleanly but I generally enjoyed the story. 

Three and a half stars

This book came out November 5, 2024

Borrowed as hard copy from library

Opinions are my own

Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, narrator Em Eldridge

Definitely read the first two books before you read this one. You don't have to in order to enjoy the action, but the knowing the characters and the previous plot points really help add to the joy of this story.

Evie and the Villain are still trying to figure out how to bring magic back to the land. They are able to uncover another rhyme... although it's not really a poem so much as instructions that sometimes rhyme. They can tell that they are close though. Many of the components are in place. There's a lot going on and it was hard to keep track of people's histories sometimes but still a fun story. 

While Tristan and Evie are finding people who can help them like one who mentions that there's a curse on the Villain and one who may be able to return Kingsley to his human self. And that won't be a minute too late because he is becoming more and more like a frog every day.

Four and a half stars

This book came out August 5, 2025

Follows Apprentice to the Villain

Followed by ????

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Most Puzzling Murder by Bianca Marais

This was an interesting story that I probably would have enjoyed more as an ebook or hard copy. There are a number of puzzles in this book that would have been good to see. There is a website but my library book was returned before I could combine the two.

I also was not expecting the fantasy elements that came into the book. There are a lot of moving parts and the chapters switch around points of view so it's a lot to keep up with. The base story is that Destiny Whipp is invited to an island to become an archivist for a reclusive family who are actually wizards fighting for power.

Three stars

This book came out June 10, 2025

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Lady Avely's Guide to Lies and Charms by Rosalie Oaks

It has been nine years since Dacian killed Lord Charles Garvey and it is time for him to determine what actually happened that night. While he has always believed what he saw, he now wonders if there may not have been some Musing (magic) involved in the story. He and Judith head out with Judith’s husband’s son, Robert, to see what they can uncover.

All is not well at Garvey House  however. Lady Garvey refuses visitors and her granddaughter, Georgina seems to be a prisoner. The current Lord Gavey, Charles’ brother Kenneth, won’t come to the house at all, preferring to stay in the village. 

The story took a LONG time for me to get into and I had to power my way from about a quarter in to the two-thirds mark where it picked up again. There was a leap into the story that happened seven years ago that didn't make sense to me and then a lot of side characters that may be building to the overall arc of the story but didn't provide much other than very temporary red herrings for the end of the story. 

Three stars

Matronly Misadventures #2

This book came out November 13, 2024

Follows Lady Avely's Guide to Truth and Magic

Followed by Lady Avely's Guide to Guile and Peril

ARC kindly provided by Parkerville Press and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Journal of a Thousand Years by C.J. Archer The Journal of a Thousand Years by C.J. Archer

This book wraps up the Glass Library series. It's fast, but all of the plotlines are wrapped up. And it certainly starts off quickly with two different kidnappings, one being the deep betrayal of a friend. There's also a few deaths (only one on page). 

Sylvia gets some more time with her father. He is not impressed by having a daughter at first, but softens enough to not only give her a family heirloom, but to teach her how to use paper as a weapon. He shows her how to do it without even having to speak the spell out loud (the fact that she can do it shows just how powerful she is.)

With all of that happening, the end did feel like there was a lot going on in the last 16-20 minutes of listening but it was all happy, happy, joy, joy.

Three and a half stars

Glass Library #6

This book came out March 4, 2025

Follows Secrets of the Lost Ledgers

Borrowed as audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own

Sure 'Locked by Erik Henry Vick

Someone is dead from the bite of a Barghest. The rwo-headed demon dog rarely kills, usually being a potent of death rather than death itself. In Richard Brook's case, it becomes the murder weapon. 

A lot of forward movement in ancillary stories, especially Lerry's daughter who is wanting to become a vampire. He introduces her to Dru's father, one of the biggest baddies of the vampire community. Leery and Dru also solve a murder.

Three stars

This book came out October 2, 2020

Claw & Warder #7

Follows A Tail of Two Cities

Followed by 'Slay Fell Things

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

A Tail of Two Cities by Erik Henry Vick

Leery and Dru are about to team up with a team from another precinct. There is someone frying people and stealing gems. Once they figure out it is Dr. Agon who's a dragon, Leery ends up near death. It will be up to the rest of the team, and some of the side characters, to go up against this dragon and his lawyer daughter who is determined to keep him out of jail.

Three stars

This book came out October 2, 2020

Claw & Warder #7

Follows Gnome Schooled

Followed by 'Sure Locked

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own

Crazy as a Loon by Hailey Edwards

I've read any number of books about young covens and thought this one looked interesting. I'm not sure how well it landed. You've got a cranky old lady (who is still working against the monsters) whose husband is in a Billy the Bass object. We are not told why in this particular book. 

Out of her coven, Ellie is the only one who is still out in the field but she still hangs out with her old group. One of them, Betty, adopted a number of shapeshifters when she was younger. It is the youngest who comes to Ellie's house asking for help. His young nephew has been sent home from camp. There is something terrorizing the campers. So it's up to Ellie to help.

I wish the book had been longer because there were so many things hinted out but never carried through in the narrative.

Three stars

Yard Birds #1

This book came out July 4, 2023

Followed by Dead as a Dodo

Borrowed as ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Opinions are my own