Deadly Coins is the second in the Witch in the Woods series by Jenna St. James. It’s another terrific mystery that brings further insight into the some of the otherworldliness of the island and the creatures that live there, and the history of its inhabitants.
In this story, it’s all about a cold case that hit close to home for one of Shayla’s closest friends. There’s an investigation, suspicion that falls on an older group of people, and a dramatic twist.
Another satisfying story and slow burn romance.
I’m here for it. Plus a grumpy magical flying porcupine !
When game warden, Shayla Loci, and her cousin, Serena Spellburn, stumble upon a wounded dragon guarding gold coins, they have no idea it would lead to a clue about how Serena’s dad, Mac, really died nearly thirty years before. But that’s exactly what happened. Now Shayla and Sheriff Alex Stone must determine if Mac died of suspicious causes, and, if so, who caused his death and why. Between digging for thirty-year-old clues among supposed friends and experiencing a near-death fatality, Shayla is sure Mac’s death was planned. But can she prove it? With the help of Needles her flying porcupine, Shayla is unwavering in her pursuit to find Uncle Mac’s killer. But when things come to a head, and innocent people are in the way, will everyone come out unscathed? Or will Shayla have to make the ultimate sacrifice? If you like paranormal cozy mysteries and midlife main characters, then this series is for you!
Morning Glories & Murder is the sixth novel in Winters’ Willowmere Cozy Mysteries series and I find that, in a 17 book series, there’s elements of this that I still love and others that I find less appealing at this point.
Number one is the gorgeous language and the absolute beauty of the words Winters uses to convey a sense of character or atmospheric magic in her work. Succinct, poetic and witty, I love the expression of her voice here.
Her ability to create a mystical, living almost sentience that flows from the dirt and wood in Willowmere is amazing. It’s believable in feeling both ominous and beautifully ancient simultaneously.
The murder mystery each book is occupied with are also good. But each has felt a bit flat because of there’s been so much time spent on a convoluted, investigative work that apprehending the culprit is a rushed affair, concluded all too briefly.
Relationships too are sparsely linked, dryly written about and even more weakly linked. The reader must infer from bits of information where different relationships might be headed, if anywhere. I’m actually ok with that.
But it’s with the main character of Maeve Everhart where I personally have the most problems connecting. She’s been hinting at having considerable power but time and again she’s attacked. Yet Maeve is passive against violent aggressive tactics or undermining maneuvering.
Throughout story after story, she avoids taking evidence to the town’s sheriff, keeping clues to herself ( sometimes losing the key material), waiting and watching for “the soil” and Whim, the familiar to point to a possible motive or culprit.
It’s frustrating to read. Because essentially it’s wandering around as the culprit continues to escalate “evil doings” right until the last few pages. Then it’s boom, it’s whoever. Done.
Here she’s personally attacked in a number of ways, professionally, personally etc. And again, it’s an approach of “ idk, not sure what I can do about it “.
For me, I’m not sure if this type of character is worth the effort. Love the language, not connecting with any but the cat, a snarky wry individual on his best days.
Think I’ll give it a rest for now. Come back later when I need a hit for sentences like this:
“From his perch atop the hanging planter by the window, Whim offered a disdainful yawn and flexed one white-tipped paw. “It’s not the rosemary. It’s the coming crowd. You can feel the potpourri energy swelling already. Too many amateur aromatherapists. Not enough dignity in the ceramics.”
Sigh.
Not a fan of the covers, which doesn’t match up with the tone of the book.
Willowmere’s Summer Artisan Faire was supposed to celebrate beauty, craft, and memory. Instead, it begins with the discovery of a beloved potter’s body beneath her own shattered booth.
Maeve Everhart wasn’t looking for another mystery. But the clay doesn’t lie—and neither does the soil. As whispers of sabotage echo through the town’s sunlit streets, she’s pulled into a web of rivalries, forgeries, and unfinished work that someone was desperate to keep buried.
With her greenhouse rattled by secrets and old friendships tested by fire, Maeve must piece together a broken charm, a fractured legacy, and the truth that lives in what Petra left behind.
Because in Willowmere, every creation carries intention—and some were made to remember what others wanted to forget.
Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!
A New Beginning: A Millie the Miracle Cat Cozy Mystery by Courtney McFarlin has so much potential in the overall series storyline and engaging characters that I wish I actually enjoyed the book more.
Initially, how McFarlin started to develop her character and her initiation into the small town of Timber Falls, Colorado was a terrific setup.
Olivia Sutton is fleeing Portland, a failed marriage, a recently remarried ex, and lots of memories. She’s made arrangements to buy a bookstore in a small town in Colorado she’s never seen from a woman she’s only talked to on the phone.
She’s got a doubting best friend in Portland telling her to return, and all her belongings packed in her car. Right away I’m invested in this woman who desperately wants a new beginning.
She’s met with drama, murder and a mystery. And a town of strangers, some of whom slowly become friends.
Especially a small group of older women, who I just adore. They rank high as some of the best characters and aspects of the story.
Then there’s Millie, the cat she adopts.
This is the element I feel derailed the book for me.
Take Millie away or change certain parts of this cat’s “personality” and we continue to have a really good mystery series set in a believable place, filled with credible characters a reader can connect with.
Add in Millie, the woowoo factor and you’ll find, imo, a story at odds with itself. Both an emotional journey and interesting mystery series or an over the top “woowoo” tale that rides the line of goofy talking cat from outer space or whatever. Honestly, that element gave me a narrative whiplash when it popped up, because it was so unexpected in the way the author introduced it.
Anyway, for me, Millie kept taking me away from the story and developing relationships with the other characters. Just odd. So much that I’m probably not going forward with the rest of the series .
Check it out and decide for yourself if this is something you might enjoy.
A Millie the Miracle Cat Cozy Mystery (5 book series):
Olivia Sutton just moved to Timber Falls, a little town hidden in the mountains of Colorado, with the goal of starting fresh and leaving her past firmly in the rearview mirror. She’s got a plan and some hard-earned savings. How hard could starting over be?
While she’s scouting locations to start a new bookstore, she discovers a bedraggled stray cat, and something far more sinister.
Will the people in her newly claimed hometown believe she’s innocent? Is she losing her grip on reality or is her new cat capable of strange things?
Join Olivia and Millie the Cat as they work together to save Olivia’s reputation, find a killer, and begin living their new lives.
Im binging a number of new paranormal cozy mysteries at the moment and this is one of the better ones.
Jenna St. James’ Witch in the Woods series already has 35 released books ready to read for new readers which is fantastic. And each is a quick and well plotted story at around 170 pages so they just fly by.
James has also delivered engaging characters and an intriguing setup in a “hidden from normal people“ island that is inhabited by those who are paranormal beings or have parents who are.
Shayla Loci, a 45 year old law enforcement agent is returning home after being away for years working with a paranormal federal agency. Her strange parentage is highly unusual and huge part of ongoing narrative of the series.
She’s a terrific central figure here, and meshes well with all the town folk who have reoccurring roles and become important characters in the series. Especially the new sheriff and his preteen daughter.
There’s mystery and murder. And many developing relationships that bring up past issues and historical events.
The story keeps a fast pace and provides enough insight into the town’s history and new characters that my interest never waned.
Career-driven witch, Shayla Loci, is about to turn forty and is ready for a change. When she retires from capturing criminal supernaturals for the government, she figures her days of chasing bad guys are over. Little did she know her new job as the game warden on Enchanted Island would thrust her right back into harm’s way…and she wasn’t even officially on the clock yet! But when Sheriff Stone enlists her help to find out who killed an island resident, Shayla readily agrees.
Between sorting through alibis, gathering clues, and mentoring a wayward teenager on how to be a witch…Shayla’s life is hectic. If only her estranged dad–the King–wouldn’t insist she take her bodyguard, Needles, with her everywhere she goes. Just when Shayla believes she’s identified the killer, a new threat emerges…leaving her to make a snap decision that may cost her her life.
This new paranormal cozy series with a twist on midlife discovery will leave you guessing and hungry for more!
“It smells like someone overwatered ambition,” Whim muttered from beneath the herb stand, his tail flicking toward a pot of mint that looked more like mush.
It’s Spring Planting Weekend in Willowmere and the commentary is flowing fierce.
My favorite paranormal mystery is back in force. High quality language, mystical imagery, scenes that feel both gothic and cozy along with a haunting landscape follow Maeve and Whim, her familiar, when beloved florist Marigold Bloom is found dead, holding a bouquet of flowers whose language sends a bite instead of a message of love.
We get an excellent story, a serious mystery and series of clues to lead to a complex albeit mystical investigation.
However, the language and phrases by the author just continue to delight me. Clever and creative, conveying a sense of humor and character with a conciseness that is perfect.
Example:
“Good morning, Dorian.”
He tipped his glass. “The garden’s looking well-fed. Much like the town’s curiosity.”
Maeve shook her head and tried not to smile. Dorian was charming, curious, and a little too good at circling truths without landing on them.
That’s Dorian Quinn owner of the Lavender Lantern, one of the several unique community members of Willowmere.
Always a tad too charming, too much, too perfectly put together, even at a murder scene, sipping a cocktail.
There’s an ongoing sense of grief and hidden secrets that are unraveling under Willowmere now that Maeve has returned home. Secrets that her great aunt Hazel knew about and helped seal.
Along with her familiar, Whim, and Silas Merrick, a local beekeeper, one death at a time, (one story at a time) the secrets are being revealed.
It does make me wonder, like that old joke about (Midsomer Murders) Cozy Mysteries, how many people are still living at the end of the series in such a small village?
I’m throughly enjoying the process, the mystical elements, and the fabulous writing.
I’m highly recommending this for anyone who loves great writing, interesting mystery attached to a bit of mysticism. Haunting and poetic.
Not a fan of the covers, which doesn’t match up with the tone of the book.
The garden blooms again… but something beneath it never died.
Spring in Willowmere is in full swing, and Maeve Everhart is trying to keep her hands in the soil and her heart out of trouble. But when beloved florist Marigold Bloom is found dead among her foxglove and rue, the scent of grief is laced with suspicion. The bouquet wasn’t accidental. And neither is the silence blooming in its wake.
Everyone in town has something to protect—some secrets are personal, some are poisonous, and some are old enough to be buried in the land itself. As whispers curl beneath fresh blossoms and intentions are masked with petals, Maeve finds herself unraveling a plot that roots back generations… and may still be growing.
Because in Willowmere, the soil remembers. And this time, it might not forgive.
Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!
Moss & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 2) by Corrine Winters is another excellent read in this mystical mystery series by Corrine Winters.
I confess to reading them for the lyricism of Winters’ language and the intelligence of her sentences. The beauty and almost poetic nature of the narrative is what continues to draw me to this series.
There’s the very essence of strangeness that wraps around the characters and town from the beginning of each story. The soil itself is hiding dark secrets, rejecting something or someone that is not completely welcome in Willowmere. And it’s talking, in its own way.
Maeve Everhart and her cat, the familiar Whim, are listening.
What Maeve is isn’t ever revealed. At least not yet. But human she’s not. Nor are all who live there. Everyone has hidden secrets, hidden agendas, and Willowmere itself a foundation based upon lockes and hidden knowledge. A foundation that’s slowly becoming undone.
The mystery here is who poisoned Howard Fisk. The investigation is one of listening, to the land, the community and all that is left unsaid.
As Whim, the snarky familiar often reflects upon when a certain unpleasant woman makes an appearance.
“Whim made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “She’s the kind of person who alphabetizes her sins.”’
I could actually quote passage after passage. But it’s a quick terrific read at 135 pages. They all are.
I’m highly recommending this for anyone who loves great writing, interesting mystery attached to a bit of mysticism. Haunting and poetic.
Not a fan of the covers, which doesn’t match up with the tone of the book.
The past wasn’t buried. It was sealed. Now the earth wants it back.
Spring has come to Willowmere, but something in the soil still remembers winter’s dead. When a beloved gardener dies under mysterious circumstances, Maeve Everhart senses more than grief clinging to the air. The town whispers heart failure. Maeve hears the hum of old magic—something patient, poisoned, and planned.
As moss curls into forbidden spirals and long-lost artifacts surface from the dirt, Maeve digs deeper into a mystery tangled in land deeds, vanished women, and truths rewritten by those desperate to keep power. Her only allies: a sharp-eyed cat who talks too much, a quiet craftsman who never asks the wrong questions, and the land itself—if she can learn how to listen before someone silences her too.
Because the boundary has cracked.
And what was hidden never meant to stay quiet.
Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!
“Willowmere had secrets—buried in moss, whispered by roots, and now one of them just turned up dead.”
If ever there was a perfect example of the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover “ it’s the haunting, beautifully crafted Mildew & Murder (Willowmere Cozy Mysteries Book 1) by Corrine Winters.
The cover, a brightly colored, almost whimsical comedic Candyland of a piece, complete with a cat that bears no resemblance to the highly intelligent familiar inside, gives a reader a totally different feel than what this novel is about.
The expectations might be for some lighthearted funny cozy mystery. Because that is what the cover infers.
However what author Corrine Winters delivers is entirely different. We immediately get Maeve Everhart and her familiar, Whim, returning to Willowmere after a long absence. She’s not been back since her beloved great aunt died, her grief still very strong, along with other aspects that kept her away, secrets that are buried deep within her and the town.
Winters builds up the town , the atmosphere and tension within it continually throughout the story. It’s a beautifully crafted element of the book, creating the suspense as well as crafting a mystical foundation for the characters and setting.
This is a place where the deep woods and actual dirt talks, it remembers, the mystical nature of the forest breathes here, through moss and mycelium. And it’s sometimes threatening. There’s murder and more threats from many sources.
It’s layers of intrigue, fascinating characters and landscapes that feel simultaneously sinister and ancient.
Winters’ Willowmere, Oregon, a small town famous for its mushroom festival, and its inhabitants has so many hidden secrets and journeys ahead that I can’t wait to read more of these books.
Highly recommended. Just a fabulous read. Just not sure why the disconnect between the book and that cutesy cover. Very jarring.
Willowmere had secrets—buried in moss, whispered by roots, and now one of them just turned up dead.
When Maeve Everhart returned to the fog-draped Oregon town she once called home, she expected grief. She didn’t expect the body of a celebrated truffle forager to be discovered during the festival meant to crown him king of the forest. The town whispers “accident.” Maeve, whose magic stirs beneath her skin like the soil under stormlight, knows better.
With her sarcastic familiar cat as unwanted backup and a reluctant handyman-turned-ally watching her back, Maeve digs into the mystery growing in Willowmere’s woods. The deeper she goes, the more tangled it gets—false trails, altered spores, and someone rewriting the land’s memory for reasons that could turn deadly.
And the moss? It’s not just remembering.
It’s watching.
Get ready for a whirlwind mystery and cozy thrill ride in this paranormal cozy mystery. Get under a blanket and be prepared to be immersed!
Impurrfect Magic (Unfamiliar Magic Book 1) by Paula Lester belongs to that new trope of books where a older woman makes a drastic change in her life, finds her way to magic, mysteries and a feline companion, one who’s often her familiar.
It’s a cozy magical mystery story with cats. And this type of book is hugely popular among readers and writers.
And I’m reading a lot of them.
Impurrfect Magic (Unfamiliar Magic Book 1) by Paula Lester is cute, short and easy to read. The characters don’t have much depth to them and the location of Aurum Falls is descriptively unclear, and there’s no real foundation laid down for the town, characters, and even storylines.
Things just happen like a kid blindly knocking over dominoes. Which when it comes to murder investigation, crimes, and any kind of element that needs detailed support and evidence, this is likely lacking.
The former middle school science teacher decides to ask questions about the murder with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop. Even when she knows the sheriff, is newly back in town, and doesn’t even know what her uncle was involved in. It’s not a whole picture of her that makes sense.
Nor is anything that comes afterwards.
It all comes together quickly with some magical energy that is puzzling.
Anyway, if you’re not going to stop and think about it too closely, it’s a quick fun read.
Never trust a bossy kitten—especially when she comes out of a secret room.
When Ivy Patterson traded her chaotic life as a middle school teacher for the quiet charm of her uncle’s produce market, she never expected her return to Aurum Falls would lead to murder, magic, and a feisty feline companion.
But when her grumpy Uncle Vincent is found dead under mysterious circumstances, Ivy discovers a hidden world she never knew existed—a secret room, a magical kitten named Tabby, and a family legacy steeped in dark magic.
Armed with only her wits, latent magical talents, and a determined familiar, Ivy must uncover the truth behind her uncle’s death while managing a quirky small-town produce market. With danger lurking behind every secret, she’ll need to learn to embrace her imperfect magic—or risk losing everything she holds dear.
Perfect for fans of cozy mysteries with a magical twist, Impurrfect Magic is a spellbinding tale filled with humor, heart, and a dash of supernatural sleuthing.
All Fun and Games is the penultimate book and it’s a fantastic read. As Honor Raconteur gets closer to the series finale next year, the characters are more settled in their respective roles and relationships. That’s never been more satisfying and clear than seeing Jamie and Henri finally engaged and preparing for their wedding and future plans.
Jamie’s Queen’s Own are functional and adding to their numbers and the core group we’ve gotten to know so well. And that brings us to this complicated series of murders that Jamie, Henri and the Queen’s Own must investigate.
Cruel, seemingly unrelated, and yet Jamie can feel there’s something tying these horrifying acts together.
Alongside the investigations, the couple are moving forward with their new life together. Looking for new housing, and oncoming nuptials.
There’s wonderful twists and heartbreaking turns. And a lovely little end.
The last book in the series will be published next year and I look forward to seeing how Jamie and Henri‘s remarkable journey comes to a close.
Highly recommended.
No sexual content. A sweet kiss, nothing more. Magical energy, crime investigation and science fiction. Terrific work.
This is Honor Raconteur also known as AJ. Sherwood. A must read no matter what name she’s writing under.
Cover by Katie Griffin
The Case Files of Henri Davenforth (11 book series to date):
It’s all fun and games until someone gets murdered.
Well, the Queen’s Own certainly isn’t having fun, because what’s worse than one case? Two, of course. And what’s worse than two? Whatever madness Jamie’s currently in.
The body count is rising, all the MO’s are different, and cleaning charms have wiped the murder scenes of clues. It’s hard to link the cases beyond the use of the charms, yet Jamie is sure there’s a connection. But what is it?
They need to figure out the answer fast, because the clues suggest one of their own might be next.
My Kind of Town by Shelly Laurenston is a paranormal shifter romance that was previously written for and published in another anthology. I didn’t read that one. And it was the cover and the author’s fantastic honey badger series that drew me here.
I liked this but found that it’s the promise of its elements for future books the most intriguing. The main couple is engaging if not fully explored.
Thats primarily the issue with this story. Great ideas, an interesting storyline with fascinating magical characters and elements but none of those are really explained or given any meaningful foundation here. A coven with their powerful dark magic and found family ? Absolutely to know more.
A dying coven with different powers and magical abilities? Ok, so what happened to them?
The story offers up more questions than answers about the characters and never answers the original story plot about what brought Emma Luchessi, the Long Island witch down to the southern town of Smithville.
That gets forgotten totally.
So yes, I enjoyed it. Saw so much promise, and hope that the author ventures back to Smithville to finish what this story begins.
Pretty much instant sex, instant lust, well, you get it.
Emma Luchessi may be a witch from Long Island but she is used to her life being quiet. Some may even say boring. She doesn’t mind boring. Boring is safe. Calm. Peaceful. Like beige. One doesn’t get into trouble with beige. But a wrong turn off a southern highway is about to turn Emma’s beige life into everything but boring.
Kyle Treharne’s a good ol’ boy with a sheriff’s badge and a difficult population to manage. He wishes he had to worry about gangs and drugs and car-jackings. Instead, he has to worry about big cats fighting with wolves, bears fighting over honey, and hyenas fighting with everyone. And now, out of nowhere, he’s got a human outsider riling up all the locals by asking too many questions. She’s just so paranoid. And doesn’t trust Kyle a lick. These city gals. They just don’t know how to relax, do they?
Of course, Kyle is a big cat. He knows how to relax and he’d be more than willing to help Emma learn how. He’d be willing to help Emma do all sorts of things if she’d just give him half a chance.
But it turns out Emma coming to Smithville isn’t a simple accident. She’s been brought here and she’s bringing change and danger right along with her. Lucky for Emma, Kyle and the rest of the town like a bit of danger…
This story was previously available in the Sun, Sand and Sex anthology.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 