40) Peach Pies & Alibis by Ellery Adams

The Blurb :

Ella Mae LeFaye's Charmed Pie Shoppe is wildly popular in Havenwood, Georgia--which is not surprising since Ella Mae can lace her baked goods with enchantments. The shop's extraordinary success seems destined to continue when Ella Mae meets an engaged couple who hire her to handle the dessert buffet at their wedding.

But Ella Mae has a lot on her plate. She is also searching for the origin of her magical powers--and hoping to determine if the spark of attraction she feels for the handsome Hugh Dylan is authentic or just her new abilities gone awry.

Then Ella Mae discovers a high-standing member of the community dead, and a wedding guest becomes seriously ill at the event she's catering. Now she'll have to use all her sleuthing skills and culinary talents to prove her pies don't contain a killer ingredient . . .

My Thoughts :

The first Charmed Pie Shoppe mystery left me hungry for more and it was just my luck that the second part was due out within weeks of me finally getting around to reading the debut. The author isn't new to me but her obvious love of witches was and it was a huge surprise to find this series was going to have some serious magical elements weaved into it.

Peach Pies & Alibis actually went beyonf my magical expectations. In the first book, Pies & Predjudice, it felt like the author was testing the waters with the paranormal aspect. I expected things to be dragged out for another book or two, leaving me in suspense. However it seems that this second book was a magical coming out. Things went wild and progressed much faster than I thought it would and I loved every moment of it.

There were so many twists and turns in this book and even though I thought once about a certain person being the bad guy I brushed it off only to be shocked later when the villain was revealed. I should have stuck with my original suspect but the author did such a great job of throwing me off the trail! Spectacular plotting skills and a superb collection of characters really make this series pop but the recipes and magic will have me coming back for more.

Despite this being a cozy mystery it felt more like a paranormal mystery this time around. More urban fantasy mixed into the mystery and there were some interesting revelations and surprises. Definitely a series that will making its mark on my must read list and my pre-order list. I can't wait till the next book comes out but January is a long way away.

Well worth checking out and if you like pie you will be pleased with the recipes added at the back of the book.