Magical cozy mystery: SPELLBREAKER

Hi, book buddies :-) I have been a fan of this author's books since The Paper Magician. It comes as no surprise that this new story is another favourite of mine! 💛

SPELLBREAKER

by Charlie N. Holmberg

WHAT IS THIS BEAUTY ABOUT?

A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in the newest fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells, and those like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in—and fondness for--the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation for the rise in the murders of wizards, and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s been destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

MY OPINION

Cozy mystery, magic spells, and quirky romance. Oh, my. This is perfect for fans of The Paper Magician. I am one of them, of course :-D 

With an atmosphere touched by Jane Austen, this Victorian mystery is crafted with wit and charm in equal measure. 

Elsie Camden is a smart, resourceful orphan working for a stonemason while dabbing in espionage and illegal wizardry. Can you imagine an alternative England where magic is almost monopolized by the aristocracy, mainly in male hands and excruciatingly monitored?

Here is this Robin Hood's helper, all prim and proper, using her clandestine magic to disenchant a world full of injustice and poverty. Mysteries abound on all scales, be they a cursed crop or a murderer after master spells. It's utterly engaging. 

I loved the blend of costumbrist society and quaint villages with a woman in pursuit of her roots, social justice and female identity, set in a plutocracy of magic where spells are hoarded for the privileged but are still employed in such practical ways. This world of nineteenth century England echoes with etiquette, chaperones, tea, and carriages, yet is believably woven with a myriad of magic details. I think we are predisposed to believe in an enchanted London, aren’t we?

I adored this tall, talented, vulnerable and brave heroine, so intent on doing the right thing and therefore the ideal character to fall in the middle of this plot of deceit and power. The male counterpart is both arresting on his own and flows beautifully into the events, which may seem scattered at the beginning but emerge as a masterful tapestry in the action-and-magic filled ending.

The resolution is satisfying enough to offer a complex villain and partial enough to open a path towards a broader scope of secrets to be unraveled in the next book. I'm ready for more adventure, more slow-burn yet exciting romance, and a colourful assortment of mysteries to decipher. 

Amazon - Book Depository - Bookbub - Goodreads

ABOUT THE MASTERMIND

Charlie N. Holmberg is the author of the Numina series and the Wall Street Journal bestselling Paper Magician series, which has been optioned by the Walt Disney Company. She is also the author of five stand-alone novels, including Followed by Frost, a 2016 RITA award finalist for Best Young Adult Romance, and The Fifth Doll, winner of the 2018 Whitney for Speculative Fiction.

Born in Salt Lake City, Charlie was raised a Trekkie alongside three sisters who also have boy names. She is a proud BYU alumna, plays the ukulele, and owns too many pairs of glasses. She currently lives with her family in Utah.

Website - Instagram - Facebook - Twitter

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Don’t you think it's beautiful?

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Cover Time: 👻Reckless Magic👻

Hi, book buddies ☺ It's Friday! 

It's also bookday as every day here on the blog 😉

What do you have for me, you ask.

Well, a pretty witchy cover.

RECKLESS MAGIC By Evie Hart

Reckless Magic by Evie Hart is coming on November 7^th in Kindle Unlimited! Make sure you don’t miss the release by signing up for Evie’s newsletter here: www.authoreviehart.com/newsletter

WHAT IS THIS ABOUT? 

Haven Lake’s famous summer festival is here—and so is another dead body.

Two months after solving the murder of the Head of the Witch Council and almost dying in the process, Avery Thorn has re-settled into life in Haven Lake. Snow is still ornery, Aristotle is still playing Scrabble in the attic with Lady Barnacles every night, and Grandma Cherry is threatening to cross over if her binding spell isn’t lifted. 

As the new historical tour guide for the influx of visiting paranormals, Avery doesn’t have the time to worry about her ghostly grandmother. She has enough on her hands between the grumpy Detective Dax Sanders, her new friendship with future werewolf alpha Cameron Martinez, and one persistent elf who won’t let her get out of a dinner date. Until she finds a dead body in the cemetery on the first night of the festival. A dead body that isn’t supposed to be there—and it belongs to the visiting werewolf alpha’s daughter. 

With the town on lockdown, Avery knows it’s only a matter of time before the pack from Haven Bay get involved and things go crazy. Between her, Nicole, and Dotty, they have to get to the bottom of this as quickly and easily as possible. But where the Thorn witches go, havoc is sure to follow…

You can read book one, DANGEROUS MAGIC, in KU today:

Amazon US → https://amzn.to/356XdvB 

Amazon UK → https://amzn.to/356XpuP

About Evie Hart

Evie Hart is the cozy mystery writing alter-ego of New York Times bestselling author, Emma Hart. Evie was born when her love of paranormal cozy mysteries jumped from her Kindle to the page, and now she spends days lost in a magical world where cats complain about not being able to open fridges and oranges can peel themselves. 

Get more information on Evie Hart and the Haven Lake world at www.authoreviehart.com or sign up for Evie's newsletter.

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Does it sound intriguing or what 😀

A cute witch can solve a mystery too!

Hi, book buddies :-) Did you have a good week? Mine was chaotic and frenzied, but I survived! :-D Happy summer, buy the way!

I still managed to read some books, the first of which is DANGEROUS MAGIC, by Evie Hart. As a rare treat, I got an arc from the author on Instagram, so here it is in all its purple glory <3

MY OPINION

Paranormal comedy has its perks. In this novel, such thing is a posh cat with a British accent.  Because, what else would fit better? :-D

The author has poured her outstanding wit in this new series of paranormal romantic comedies with stimulating results. Dangerous Magic embraces the world of witches, ghosts and talking animals that blends cozy mystery, life issues and sharp humour. Imagine Charmed meets Agatha Christie with a pinch of Desperate Housewives ;-)

A magical town that serves as a sanctuary for paranormal creatures is the stage for this cozy mystery. I had a great time thanks to the sarcastic writing style and the crazy atmosphere. Avery Thorn is back in town where her ancestors kind of rule because of their unprecedented magical powers. Witches, shapeshifters and vampires crawl Haven Lake in civilized terms. However, a gruesome murder with too many loopholes as to the motives puts the peace at risk.

Not only do sparks come out of Avery's fingers, but they also happen thanks to the provocative chemistry between the snarky witch and the persistent, too-handsome-for-his-own-good detective Dax Sanders.

The story grabbed my magination because magic occurs at every minute in everyday situations, mixing ordinary domestic life with the more otherwoldly events going on. Magical barriers, tracking spells, talking familiars with an attitude and insufferable ghosts, all gallop in a funny trot along with a baffling mystery that has the little town in upheaval.

I found the irreverent dialogues quite entertaining, and the petty animals take as much space as the witches. On the other hand, Avery's heritage proves to be a promising source of surprises. 

As she tries to harness her powers, the local murder, racial politics and more handsome men that a male runway, Avery Thorn's first adventure turns out to be a force of nature. I fell in love with the animals and the domestic dynamics of this family of witches. The ending solves itself in a traditional fashion with as much fun and feistiness as the rest of the book. And I admit that all the chemistry generated among the paranormal races had me anticipating the next crazy installment in this series. And hopefully with a little more heat between Dax and Avery? :-D Well done, Miss Hart.

SYNOPSIS

It’s not every day you have to return to your hometown to bind your borderline-poltergeist grandmother to the family property.

Unfortunately, today is that day for Avery Thorn.

All Avery wants is to report the binding to the Witch Council so she can fulfill her obligation, but finding a dead body and the Head of the Council on the brink of death isn’t in her plan.

Especially when she’s pegged as the number one suspect.

Now, it’s down to Avery and her cousins—and her sassy feline familiar—to figure out who tried to murder the Head of the Council. Magically bound to find the culprit, the last thing she needs is the new detective getting under her toes.

Unfortunately for her, she finds herself colliding with the hot cop more than she wants. And since her familiar hates him, it’s not always pleasant.

New magic and a devastating tragedy threaten to derail their investigations—but not quite as much as the person who isn’t happy they’re involved…

WEBSITE - FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM

Images: from author's website except for arc photo taken by Babel

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Are you on Instagram? :-)

@babelreader

Surprise from Emma Hart!

Surprise 😃

Dangerous Magic, an all-new cozy mystery from New York Times bestselling author Emma Hart writing as Evie Hart, is coming May 16th!

It’s not every day you have to return to your hometown to bind your borderline-poltergeist grandmother to the family property.

Unfortunately, today is that day for Avery Thorn.

All Avery wants is to report the binding to the Witch Council so she can fulfill her obligation, but finding a dead body and the Head of the Council on the brink of death isn’t in her plan.

Especially when she’s pegged as the number one suspect.

Now, it’s down to Avery and her cousins—and her sassy feline familiar—to figure out who tried to murder the Head of the Council. Magically bound to find the culprit, the last thing she needs is the new detective getting under her toes.

Unfortunately for her, she finds herself colliding with the hot cop more than she wants. And since her familiar hates him, it’s not always pleasant.

New magic and a devastating tragedy threaten to derail their investigations—but not quite as much as the person who isn’t happy they’re involved…

Sign up here to join the release tour for Dangerous Magic: https://forms.gle/CQpiQsoAzDQWsLWp8

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/DangerousMagicGR

About Evie

Evie Hart is the cozy mystery writing alter-ego of New York Times bestselling author, Emma Hart.

Evie was born when her love of paranormal cozy mysteries jumped from her Kindle to the page. The Haven Lake Mystery series is her first foray into the paranormal cozy world and begins with DANGEROUS MAGIC.

Connect with Evie

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2GBeDWV

Stay up to date with Evie by joining her mailing list here: http://bit.ly/2Gw3Jkg

Join Eve’s Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2vigSbl

Website: https://www.authoreviehart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoreviehart

I didn't expect this 💜