Category: Paranormal adventures,

Review: Over the River & Through the Wood (The House of Graves Series Book 2) by M.M. Crumley

Rating : 4.75 ⭐️

I really don’t know how I missed this author before, she’s astonishing. 

Over the River & Through the Wood makes Tessa Graves’ situation ever more precarious, the horror and ever present danger that the Patron threatens to her mental and physical state, and those around her is increasingly terrifying. And the hidden files of her father brings the truth of exactly how evil and vicious he and the Patron he as well as all the men of her family have become. 

It is a race to uncover who the Patron is, vs the mental pressure and physical force he’s bringing against her, the files she and Ollie and her grandmother are trying to fix and outside forces who have their own issues.

 

The deepest emotional struggle is that of Tessa, who, with help, has come to realize exactly what her father has done to her and her mind since she was 13. The missing memories, the chunks of her life, in fact, her life and consent, that was removed from her, until now. Grief, rage and loss is there  and the fact that she has no idea has to interact with others. And we are with her, in her head each second of every moment of every heinous act of her struggle to regain control of her mind and body . It’s gritty, raw, and utterly heartbreaking 

At the end I found I couldn’t stop, grateful that this was a finished series and kept going. The suspense, the intensity and, frankly, the building heartbreak, as Tessa lets a small circle of people into her life and heart even as the Patron is trying to dig in further for control, well, tissues are something to have around. Be warned.

Darkness is everything here, laughs a minor thing. The characters are brilliant. 

I absolutely love them. Binging is everything.

Connected Universe and crossover series:

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series)

Ghost Guy Series (2 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

Over the River & Through the Wood # 2

FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE BOOK 3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

        Over the River & Through the Wood (The House of Graves Series Book 2)

    

Blurb 

Tessa Graves’s to-do list: Find her lost memories, kill the Patron, and restore honor to the House of Graves, if such a thing is even possible… 

The Cadwel incident did not go unnoticed, and as a result the Graves gals and Curtis Nash may be up a creek without a paddle. Old clientele are seeking to insure they don’t end up like the Cadwels by removing Graves, Graves, and Graves from the picture, permanently. And the only way to keep the Hidden government off their case is by solving one for the Tetrarch. (Never mind that it’s an unsolvable cold case from before Tessa could tie her own shoes.) If that wasn’t bad enough, Tessa is discovering that her mind is far less her own than she realized and that the most dangerous threat to her family may be her… Can the House of Graves survive as the power of the Patron takes hold? Dive into a hidden world of magic and mayhem to find out now! Available in print, eBook and audiobook formats, OR read FREE with Kindle Unlimited and listen FREE with your Audible Subscription!

The House of Graves is a new series with all the nail-biting-mystery, laugh-out-loud humor, and supernatural action that you’ve come to expect and demand from bestselling author M.M. Crumley. So if you’ve been looking for a fun ride, jump on, because this is the series for you!

Lone Ghost Publishing

Publication date

September 23, 2023

Language

‎English

Print length

326 pages

Book 2 of 6

The House of Graves Series

Review:  What the Spell?: Spellbooked Magical Cozy Mysteries No. 1 (Spellbooked Mysteries) by Elle Wren Burke

Rating: 4⭐️

Kinley Paigewright, orphan, product of the foster system, suddenly finds herself not only a jilted bride, but someone who has magical powers. Abilities that were unlocked when her ex dumped her on her wedding day and caused a magical explosion of emotions and power. And that caused a very nice paranormal policeman to come wisk her away to Sea Breeze Island, one of the hidden places where magical beings can live in safety and a place she and her family once called home . Not that she remembers. 

This was a terrific story. Kinley is a character a reader can empathize with, coming from a foster care system that had her moving multiple times, to the unknown factor that is her history and the mystery of her parents . And who locked her magic?

Those are questions that I expect will be asked throughout the series.

Kinley’s introduction to her magic, the island and the sentient store and all the inhabitants is entertaining to read about .

There’s a mystery. That’s good but it makes little sense for Kinley to investigate and withhold information about what she finds out from the very person, the officer who has gone out of his way to help her along with his familiar. Why doesn’t she just work with Ryland, he and that tiny dragon don’t have an issue with it when they do start communicating.  So not doing it to begin with just seems poorly thought out. Especially when you consider she’s new to the island and the magical community .

But it’s got just enough depth to the characters and world building to stand out from the crowd. And the story is interesting so I’ll be picking up the next book in the series 

Spellbooked Mysteries (3 book series)

What the Spell? #1

Spell to Pay #2

For The Spell of It #3 – March 15,2027

Buy link

 Book 1 of 3: Spellbooked Mysteries 

Blurb 

Unfairly dumped right before her wedding, can this heartbroken bookworm come to terms with her witchy heritage without getting locked up for murder?

Kinley Paigewright is reeling. But she tries to roll with the punches when a paranormal policeman claims the odd energy that just destroyed her bridal suite means she’s a witch and whisks her off to an enchanted island. And when the jilted bride learns she’s supposed to inherit a snarky sentient bookshop, things seem like they’re looking up…until her obnoxious new upstairs tenant joins the dearly departed.

Pretty sure she doesn’t want to stay at the top of the hunky magical cop’s suspect list, Kinley struggles to find proof of her innocence in a town overrun with puzzles and potions. But unraveling the truth means digging into her absent family’s past, mastering her explosive talents, and trusting an exuberant feline familiar to help rewrite her future.

Can Kinley crack the case before her second chance at happiness vanishes for good?

What the Spell? is the whimsical first book in the paranormal Spellbooked Magical Cozy Mysteries series. If you like immersive settings, charming cats, and twice-hexed mischief, then you’ll love Elle Wren Burke’s enchanting tale.

Buy What the Spell? to conjure up a fresh start today!

Soaring Moon Books LLC

Publication date

June 11, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

282 pages

Book 1 of 3

Spellbooked Mysteries

Review: Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf (The House of Graves Series Book 1) by M.M. Crumley

Rating : 4.5 ⭐️

I honestly dislike when Amazon or the author’s publisher goes overboard in its marketing efforts for a story, needlessly I think, to say things like “laugh-out-loud humor” or “among the best female fantasy books”.

Because first I enjoy making my own impressions, especially if the writer is new to me, as Crumley is here, or it is realistically not true. This isn’t the best female fantasy story ever but it’s absolutely terrific in a horror story, PNR, thriller manner. 

Crumley brings the reader into the story at the funeral for Tessa Graves’ father. Standing at the gravesite, she’s the last Graves now in the powerful, old family firm of Graves, Graves, and Graves. A man apparently mourned but none but herself. 

Turns out with excellent reason. 

Step by harrowing step, the author shatters Tessa’s well constructed, calm and orderly life. Her life and her household, when her “crazy aunt” and her “unstable butterfly” grandmother move back into the family mansion she’s inherited, along with the butler who’s been living there for centuries. 

But the horror arises when evil is discovered. Not one but two villains (one deeply in the shadows) and  the beginnings of the heinous acts they have committed.

There is a series prior to this one, The Immortal Doc Holliday Series , and those characters figure greatly here in this one. And there’s a carryover plot from this series into the Doc Holliday Series in book 17 I believe. 

The writing is detailed, emotionally charged and very terrifying/horrifying in the dark physical and mental trauma that the main character is enduring constantly. To say that I was hurting for her and those who cared for her is saying the very minimum. 

Incredible storytelling and series. Yes I’ve finished it. Binged it in a day. Highly recommended.

Connected Universe and crossover series:

The Immortal Doc Holliday Series (21 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series)

Ghost Guy Series (2 book series)

The House of Graves Series (6 book series) :

Three Little Graves & the Big Bad Wolf # 1

OVER THE RIVER & THROUGH THE WOOD BOOK 2

FIRE BURN & CAULDRON BUBBLE BOOK 3

A HUNTING, A HUNTING WE WILL GO BOOK 4

AND HE WALKED A CROOKED MILE BOOK 5

HOLIDAY SPECIAL: DECK THE HALLS BOOK 6

Buy link:

 Book 1 of 6: The House of Graves Series 

Blurb 

Working as an investigator for the supernatural elite means living by three simple rules: don’t ruffle feathers, keep the clients (vampires, shifters, witches, etc.) happy, and never give them a reason to want you dead. Simple. Unfortunately, Tessa Graves just can’t seem to follow the rules. And that’s why 300 bloodthirsty wolf shifters are hot on her trail. Adding insult to injury, her newly-retired aunt and feisty grandmother have decided to become her new sidekicks… and roommates… and life coaches whether Tessa likes it or not. Can these three strong-willed women survive each other long enough to avoid being torn to shreds?

Review:  Hat Out of Spell (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 3) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4.5⭐️ 

Hat Out of Spell took the main character of Blythe Fairfield, her family history as well as the paranormal nature of the community of Cauldron Hollow to new levels. 

The author does this using the complicated murder of a recently returned and detestable man, using the investigation to examine darker, more intriguing areas of Blythe ‘s ancestry, that of the cemetery she’s renovating, and in-depth interviews into the community of witches and craftsmen who support them.

It’s small town dynamics but powered by a strong paranormal force, The Veil and old laws that Blythe has no understanding of. 

I just love this story, all the many complex plots threaded together, some resolved, but many more intense storylines that are just getting out there for Blythe to think about and accept. Like her Aunt Moira, and what her future might look like. 

Now to wait for the next book to be released. 

 What a fantastic series and group of characters. 

Just terrific. Great storytelling. 

Highly recommended. Love the author.

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow (4 book series)

If the Hat Fits #1

Under The Hat #2

Hat Out of Spell #3

Hat Trick #4 – June 23,2026

Bear Many Hats #5 – July 21,2026

Buy link

        Hat Out of Spell (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow Book 3)

    

Blurb 

Blythe Fairfield was just starting to feel at home.

She has a job at the local grocery store. A talking cat who insults her daily. A date with the sheriff that actually went well. And a cemetery full of dead relatives she’s been restoring one headstone at a time.

Then one of those headstones gets a new neighbor.

Griffin Midnight, a witch with more charm than sense, came back to Cauldron Hollow after breaking Blythe’s best friend’s heart. Now he’s dead in the Tallowmere family cemetery with a bottle of wine and two glasses, and the whole town is looking at the two women who had the most reason to want him gone.

One is Anya, Blythe’s best friend, who screamed at Griffin in public. Twice.

The other is Blythe, whose family graves someone turned into a crime scene.

Between a grandfatherly tea shop owner hiding a secret, a council member with a grudge against her house, and a killer whose magic is so subtle nobody knows it’s there, Blythe is running out of time and suspects. Pippin says the answer has been in front of her the whole time. Pippin says a lot of things.

But when Blythe opens her great-aunt Moira’s notebooks, she finds more than clues. She finds a secret that will change everything she thought she knew about her family, her best friend, and the familiar who’s been keeping his mouth shut since the day she arrived.

Some spells you cast. Some spells you inherit. And some hats are harder to take off than they are to put on.

April 27, 2026

Language

‎English

Print length

211 pages

Book 3 of 5

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow

Review: The Corpse Whisperer (Corpse Whisperer Book 2) by H.R. Boldwood 

Rating: 4⭐️

Necromancy, yes, zombies normally no. So I’m surprised that I’m so invested with this series and growing cast of characters.

Allie Nighthawk is a young woman who was born into a family of maternal ghost whisperers, a gift that increases generationally. 

She recently returned to her home town of Cincinnati, reclaiming her family home, rescuing a bulldog, reacquainting herself with her elderly neighbor, and working paranormal cases for the CPD. 

The last book ended with the death of her police officer partner, a character everyone, including the reader, was fond of. It showed that Boltwood isn’t afraid to eliminate her characters if she feels that the story or overall series arc calls for it. 

In a universe where zombies are more powerful and evolving, and there’s a deeper heinous design behind their evolution, it makes sense that those around Allie will be in constant danger, and some will fall. 

Part of the terrific and, at the end, moving part of this book, focuses on Leo Abruzzi, a zombie-bitten gangster who Allie has been charged with keeping safe until he can testify.  The relationship between Leo, Allie and Nonna, Allie’s elderly neighbor, turns into a real heartwarming tale. Then one of sorrow. 

The aspect of the book I’m not quite connected with is Leo, her new partner, his spineless relationship with the news reporter who hounds Allie’s life, and the reporter herself. This dysfunctional three way dynamic is absolutely irritating to read, and when you think about a cop dating a reporter during a high security event and she’s got instant connection with him and knowledge. And not Allie or Leo is telling their Chief despite their knowledge about a leak. 

Well, know that’s where I start skimming over scenarios .

I’m hoping this works it way out in the future books. Because it’s annoying. 

The hidden past isn’t so hidden anymore from the book’s final paragraphs. Something to anticipate!

Still terrific story!

Cover art by Dar Albert at Wicked Smart Designs

The Corpse Whisperer series: 

The Prodigal 

The Corpse Whisperer 

Sworn 

Torn

Whisperer Rising 

Buy link

        The Corpse Whisperer (Corpse Whisperer, the Series Book 2)

    

Blurb 

If you raise deadheads, you’d better be able to put ‘em down.

Nobody said it was pretty. But in this day, when vampires aren’t just for breakfast anymore, and the dead are disposable pawns for necromancers, someone has to ante up. Looks like I won the lotto.

Imagine my delight.

You should thank me, really, because the world is batshit crazy.

When the zombie population spikes and no one knows why, it’s up to me to solve the mystery. But there’s a hitch. I’m stuck babysitting Leo Abruzzi, a zombie-bitten gangster who’s turning state’s evidence. But the mob and a powerful necromancer will stop at nothing to take us down.

The Corpse Whisperer is a 2019 Imadjinn award finalist and H.R. Boldwood is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the Thomas More College Bilbo Award for creative writing.

Review:  The Prodigal (The Corpse Whisperer #1) by H.R. Boldwood

Rating: 4⭐️

Although listed as the first book in The Corpse Whisperer series, The Prodigal is considered by its author the prequel to the series. Its actual introduction to the corpse whisperer, Allie Nighthawk. 

These are my first books I’ve read by Boldwood so it’s my introduction into her writing as well as the universe of Allie Nighthawk. 

Allie is a ghost whisperer, someone who can raise the dead and equally important, put them back into the grave. In a world where zombies have been on the rise for the last few years, her talents are in demand. But the pay gap between the damage caused by the zombies and their destruction is seeing her bank account empty.

That’s got her heading back to Cincinnati, where she has a house and a past. 

There Allie’s got a rough landing into a situation where she’s in need of revenue, law enforcement is leery of her help, and the zombies are not behaving like normal. 

I really enjoyed this. It’s short but the characters, including Headbutt the Bulldog, are interesting and layered. And there’s a past darkness following Allie that seems to be a huge part of the series that is hinted at by the end of the book. 

It’s an entertaining read and sets the foundation for the series. A definite winner. 

Cover art by Dar Albert at Wicked Smart Designs

The Corpse Whisperer series: 

The Prodigal 

The Corpse Whisperer 

Corpse Whisperer Sworn 

Corpse Whisperer Torn

Buy link

 Book 1 of 5: Corpse Whisperer, the Series 

Blurb 

The Prodigal is a 2021 Imadjinn Award finalist, and H.R. Boldwood is a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the Thomas More College Bilbo Award for creative writing.

Murder. Mayhem. Zombies. Just another day in my hometown.

Welcome to my world—I’m Allie Nighthawk, a flat-broke zombie hunter with more attitude than cash. When I roll back into Cincinnati, I’m hoping for a fresh start. Instead, I land knee-deep in not one but two murders, a mess of mayhem, and more zombies than you can shake a machete at.

The good guys? They might not be so good. And the blast from my past? Yeah, he’s back—and not exactly bringing flowers.

Now I’ve got to juggle the walking dead, the maybe-not-so-living, and the very real chance I won’t get out unscathed. But hey, it’s all in a day’s work when you’re me: the Corpse Whisperer.

Oliver Heber Books

Publication date

March 18, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

188 pages

Book 1 of 5

Corpse Whisperer, the Series

Review:  Magic Can Bee Deadly: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Ella Bloom Mysteries Book 2) by Sarah Noffke

Rating: 4⭐️

There are many elements that I enjoy about this story. Noffke takes us further outside the town’s boundaries and introduces the reader ,as well as the two main characters, to a variety of different places and magical personalities. Some good and some not so benign.

New information is revealed about the circumstances surrounding Ella Bloom’s birth as well as the mystery behind Malcolm Fawkes’ closing of The Gloaming. Hints and clues, notes from a powerful agency, all leading towards a frustrating path for Ella and Malcolm.   This and the storyline of the book is excellent. Really interesting. 

But there’s small aspects of the story that made it equally questionable.  Early on , the author used an ethnic slur for a certain nomadic culture (substituting a “i” for a “y” doesn’t change name identity) for a someone who was clearly a Romani/Romany seller in the festival. That stood out immediately and it really surprised me that it was used. 

Another thing is a secondary male character that feels as though it’s being pushed into play as a potential romantic role for Ella. Those around her keep hinting at her being open to those who want to care for her. Insert romantic relationship trope here. 

However,  this guy has his mother running his life for him. His mother is actually setting him up on dates, and he’s going through with them because he’s sorry for his mother’s and basically has no spine. But sure, let’s get right on that romantic bandwagon, ugh. There’s so many flags here with him., Unfortunately , I believe that the author has written him into some sort of hero role. Time and the series will see if that’s true. 

I certainly hope not.   I rather she end up just taking his herd of goats. They seem to like her better. 

I had no idea this author was such a prolific writer and this is my first series that I’m reading authored by her. So I don’t have a lot to go on to know how she handles her characters and storylines. 

With these several things aside, I do think that Magic Can Bee Deadly is a terrific urban fantasy mystery story. The murder mystery is a good one, the investigation entertaining and detailed, and the town continues to evolve with new otherworldly folk and magical creatures. That’s intriguing! 

Moving forward!

Ella Bloom Mysteries (10 book series):

Dying For Magic #1

Magic Can Bee Deadly #2

Blue Blood, Black Magic #3

Verses and Curses #4

Raining Cats and  Curses #5

Half-Baked Curses #6

Signed, Spelled, Delivered #7

Murder Spelled in Thread #8

Spelled For Choice #9 – June 19,2026

Born For Magic #10 – July 24,2026

Buy link 

        Magic Can Bee Deadly: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Ella Bloom Mysteries Book 2)

    

Blurb 

The only thing sweeter than honey, is revenge.

When magic returns to Gloamington, the town holds a Spring Awakening Festival. It should be an opportunity to celebrate. Instead, it becomes the perfect stage for murder.

When the mayor is found dead at the festival, Malcolm Fawkes and Ella Bloom find themselves hunting a killer among the celebrating crowd. The sheriff calls it an accident but the great detective knows better.

The mayor had more enemies than friends.From the baker whose dreams he crushed to the beekeeper he battled, everyone had a reason to want Mayor Estes gone.

As magical races flood back to town demanding permits, properties and long-lost treasures, Ella and Malcolm race to uncover the truth. But in a town drunk on newly returned magic, where honey flows through everything and old grievances run deep, nothing is what it seems.

Can Ella and Malcolm catch a killer before it’s too late? Or will the sweetest revenge claim another victim?

Magic Can Bee Deadly is the second book in the enchanting Ella Bloom Mysteries.

One-Twenty-Six Press

Publication date

October 17, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

277 pages

Book 2 of 10

Ella Bloom Mysteries

Review; Earp & Chandra (Sundance, #2.5) by C. P. Rider

Rating: 4.5⭐️

Earp & Chandra is an excellent novella in the Sundance universe. It establishes the characters of Jedidiah Earp, a 70 year old Gila monster shifter full of regrets, and his ex-assassin partner for the night, Chandra Smith, a hyena Alpha in her 20’s but as fearsome a predator as they come. 

They are hunting for poachers in the desert territory of their pack and the story unfolds in an unexpected direction. 

It’s not exactly a standalone as many of the characters around them are the main characters from the Sundance series and this fits perfectly into the slot between stories.

But as providing further depth and insight into these remarkable characters and their own stories? It’s a fascinating read and great story .

I love every single bit of this and each interaction between Chandra and Earp, so fun, moving in their own way. 

A definite favorite here. 

Cover design by The Book Brander

Related to:

Sundance series 

Buy links to the book/series:

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.comThe Sundance Series (5 book series) Kindle Edition

Online Book Clubhttps://onlinebookclub.orgEarp & Chandra: (Sundance, #2.5) by C.P. Rider

Blurb 

A SUNDANCE SERIES NOVELLA

Seventy-year-old Gila monster shifter Jedidiah Earp has spent decades perfecting two skills: biting first and asking questions later. The desert scrub around Sundance, California, is his domain, and he knows every rock and ridge like the back of his scaled claws.

Chandra Smith is an entirely different kind of predator. The alpha hyena shifter may only be in her late twenties, but her years as an assassin taught her everything about tracking enemies—and making them vanish without a trace.

When paranormal poachers start hunting in their territory, the cantankerous old lizard and the lethal ex-killer form an unlikely alliance—and friendship. What begins as a simple mission to eliminate the traffickers becomes something neither expected: the discovery that the strongest bonds aren’t always forged through blood, and that sometimes family finds you in the most unexpected places.

EARP & CHANDRA can be read as a standalone adventure or as part of the Sundance series. It takes place betweenSUMMONED (Book Two) and SABOTAGED (Book Three)

VC Group, LLC

Publication date

April 21, 2020

Language

‎English

Print length

110 pages

Review:  Under The Hat  (Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow #2) by Sara Bourgeois 

Rating: 4.5⭐️

I really enjoyed Under The Hat more than the first story. The author is really defining her characters and the unique universe of Calderon Hollow here so we get a real sense of the nature of the town, and the magical strength of the powers of the families who live there.

Blythe Fairfield has made her choice to live in the house, accepting the magic and learn her role, whatever it may be. But the unstable Veil and shifting perspectives of the townspeople make it hard for Blythe to get a better sense of them and her new community.

I really liked how the different relationships are evolving here, between Blythe and the magical family on the other side of the ancient power feud, and even more so, between her and the Sheriff who “knows” instinctively that there’s something about her and the town that he can’t see or be involved with but also realizing it’s no less true. 

The details, the history behind the old feud, the darker aspects of the town, it’s slowly getting revealed. 

And it all gives depth to her and the series. 

Just terrific. Great storytelling. 

Highly recommended. Love the author.

Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow (4 book series)

If the Hat Fits #1

Under The Hat #2

Hat Out of Spell #3

Hat Trick #4

Buy link

 Book 2 of 4: Wicked Witches of Cauldron Hollow 

Blurb 

Blythe Fairfield chose to stay in Cauldron Hollow. She’s not sure the town has chosen her back.

Her relationship with Sheriff Paine Wilder is in ruins. Her bank account is worse. The only job she can find is running a cash register at the local grocery store, where her boss is a conspiracy theorist, her customers include a woman who screams about paying for eggs, and the one friend who made it all bearable keeps talking her into things she shouldn’t do.

Then a reclusive prepper turns up dead on his rural property, and Blythe finds more than a body. Buried beneath the man’s unfinished root cellar is a book of spells that should not exist, magic that breaks every rule Blythe has been taught to follow. She can’t leave it for the police. She can’t destroy it. And she definitely can’t stop thinking about what’s inside.

Someone killed a man for this book. And Blythe just brought it home.

Review: Dying For Magic: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Ella Bloom Mysteries Book 1) by Sarah Noffke

Rating:  4.5⭐️

Dying for Magic, the first in the Ella Bloom Mysteries by Sarah Noffke, introduced me to another terrific author.  I throughly enjoyed everything about this book and characters and anticipate diving into the rest of the series.

The characters and storylines, multiple plots, are very well developed and intriguing. And the more the story progresses, the better the exploration of the world becomes and the history of the Magic of the town of Gloamington.

I think the element I love best is that both of the main characters are enigmas. Ella Bloom, hired to become the 6-month assistant to the town’s favorite detective, has a past life full of questions and no answers. 

And she arrives to find that the older gentleman she’s been hired to assist, Malcolm Fawkes, a renowned paranormal detective, has no memory of her or his past life.

So author Noffke builds a narrative around two people, and several animals, who have memory issues.  All while struggling with daily tasks like identifying the local community citizens, and conducting a murder investigation that the police sheriff has tabled . It’s funny, compelling, believable, and absolutely engaging watching these two people build a friendship on such a shaky but shared experience. 

I can’t think of another book or series quite like it. 

I’m highly impressed and recommending this. And quickly going forward with this series. 

Ella Bloom Mysteries (10 book series):

Dying For Magic #1

Magic Can Bee Deadly #2

Blue Blood, Black Magic #3

Verses and Curses #4

Raining Cats and  Curses #5

Half-Baked Curses #6

Signed, Spelled, Delivered #7

Murder Spelled in Thread #8

Spelled For Choice #9 – June 19,2026

Born For Magic #10 – July 24,2026

Buy link 

 Book 1 of 10: Ella Bloom Mysteries 

Blurb 

Ella Bloom can see magic no one else can, and it’s leading her straight to a killer…

When Ella accepts a mysterious job in the picturesque town of Gloamington, all she wants is six months away from the noise of the city and a quiet place to call home. Instead, she finds herself assistant to Malcolm Fawkes, a renowned paranormal detective with no memory of hiring her—or much of anything else.

When magic that only Ella can see leads her to a murder, she discovers Gloamington isn’t the quaint small town it appears to be. Five years ago, it was a magical haven until something went terribly wrong. Now the town’s dormant wellspring—the Gloaming—is stirring again, awakening with Ella’s arrival.

With a reluctant Malcolm by her side, Ella must navigate a web of secrets, suspicious townspeople and her own mysterious connection to Gloamington’s magical past. Someone in town is willing to kill to keep magic buried forever. Ella’s unusual abilities make her their next likely target.

The Gloaming is opening once more. Could Ella Bloom be the key to everything?

Dying for Magic is the first in an enchanting mystery series from the creator of the blockbuster Beaufont universe.

One-Twenty-Six Press

Publication date

September 30, 2025

Language

‎English

Print length

262 pages

Book 1 of 10

Ella Bloom Mysteries

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