58) A Toxic Trousseau by Juliet Blackwell

The Blurb :

Even the most skilled sorceress can’t ward off a lawsuit, and Lily is not at her enchanting best with her hands full as the temporary leader of San Francisco's magical community. So after her potbellied pig Oscar head-butts rival clothier Autumn Jennings, Lily tries to make peace without a costly personal injury case.

But any hope of a quiet resolution is shattered when Autumn turns up dead. As one of the prime suspects, Lily searches for a way to clear her name and discovers a cursed trousseau among Autumn’s recently acquired inventory. Lily must deal with a mysterious dogwalker and spend the night in a haunted house as she delves into the trunk’s treacherous past. She’s got to figure out who wanted to harm Autumn fast, before the curse claims another victim…

My Thoughts :

The Witchcraft Mysteries are an old favourite of mine and I can't believe this is already the eighth installment!  Juliet Blackwell is one of the best Paranormal Cozy Mystery writers and this series, as well as her other, have been keeping me happy for years!  I really look forward to the books and A Toxic Trousseau was one of my favourites so far in the series.

It seems things are heating up in the series and there are a few things that happen in this latest installment that are obviously setting the scene for things to come.  Maybe the next book will tie everything up and see the series coming to an end but I really hope it is just the beginning of the storm to come.  Fans of the series will have a squee moment next the end and right at the end a wow moment.  Also right from the beginning there is a certain mystery regarding a satchel that doesn't get explained completely but offers some interesting twists to the story as a whole.

Dog lovers will be happy with this book because they four legged pooches are everywhere.  There is also some great history tidbits and of course a very exciting mystery, a haunted house and Oscar shenanigans!  Everything that I have come to expect and enjoy from the series and this author with some wonderful characters and a lovely location.

Well worth reading if you like your cozies to have a paranormal twist.  Also worth reading if you just like cozies or witches.  There is something for both here.  Can't wait for the next installment!  It should be very very interesting if all that happened in the last few chapters of a Toxic Trousseau is anything to go by!

78) Spellcasting in Silk by Juliet Blackwell

The Blurb :

Lily would like nothing better than to relax, enjoy her friends, and take care of business at her store, which is booming thanks to San Francisco's upcoming Summer of Love Festival. But as the unofficial witchy consultant to the SFPD, she is pulled into yet another case.

A woman has jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge, and her apparent suicide may be connected to a suspicious botanica in the Mission District. When the police investigate the shop, they ask Lily to look into its mysterious owner, whose granddaughter also appears to be missing. As Lily searches for the truth, she finds herself confronted with a confounding mystery and some very powerful magic…

My Thoughts :

Juliet Blackwell has two paranormal cozy mystery series on my must read list and this is one of them.  The Witchcraft Mysteries are great reads and Spellcasting in Silk is the seventh installment about Lily the witchy vintage clothes shop owner.  The series is quite original and their are certain things that keep this one fresh and unusual.  The vintage clothes are definitely a nice concept but the addition of a pig familiar (who isn't really a pig) makes things very interesting and different.

However there is something about the magical aspects of this series.  I am enjoying the different views on magic but I have a feeling that the author wants to teach the reader about every single type of magic.  Meanwhile there is no focus on Lily's magic and what she is really capable of.  On the other hand she seems to be the go to witch when you need help but she hasn't even been in San Francisco a year.  This, I have to say, threw me a little.  I thought Lily had surely spent more than a year in the city by now.  She is so well known and so settled in.

I suppose a series grows there are always going to be small aspects that start to stick out.  I am not saying I didn't enjoy this book.  I liked it a lot.  Although I remember liking the other books in the series more.  The mystery was interesting but the investigation and conclusion were confusing.  There were a lot of characters and aspects involved that made it harder work than it should be to follow the story.

So I guess you could say this wasn't my favourite installment.  However I continue to love the series and look forward to seeing what happens next in Lily's world of magic and vintage clothing.  This remains a must read series for me and I am definitely keeping it on my pre-order list.  After all this is a wonderful paranormal cozy series that stands out from others.

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104) A Haunting is Brewing by Juliet Blackwell

The Blurb :


When Mel Turner is hired to rehab an old Victorian mansion to act as the eerie setting for a Halloween bash, she’s expecting the normal challenges—old wiring, bad plumbing, maybe a ghostly specter or two. But when a young man is killed after spending the night in the house, and the mannequins in the attic start to come to life, it’s clear that this is serious paranormal activity. Maybe this time, a real witch is needed.

Recommended by a mutual friend, vintage clothes expert Lily Ivory arrives to offer her help with the mannequins. Armed with Lily’s spells and Mel’s know-how, the two women must figure out the cause of all of the ghostly commotion—before Mel’s renovation project turns into even more of a deadly haunt…

My Thoughts :

I am a big fan of Juliet Blackwell's two paranormal cozy mystery series and when I saw they were getting together for a Novella treat in time for Halloween...well I wanted a copy straight away!  Luckily for me I got one!

This was a great short read and a very spooky one!  If you have a problem with dolls (eg Chucky) then you may want to give this one a miss or at least read it in the daytime because the story is very haunting.  Mel Turner takes the reins as far as the POV but the story takes place in Lily's neighbourhood.  The partnership BFF material and it was great to have the two characters get together for a murder mystery and haunting.

I don't want to say much more about this novella because it would give too much away but it is definitely worth reading if you are a fan of one or both series.  There are a few familiar characters involved and as the cover suggests Lily's pet pig, Oscar, also makes an appearance.  All in all it is a great match and a well thought out story.

Hopefully Mel and Lily will get together again soon.  They make a good team and could really do some damage and help together!  If you want a spooky short story to get you in the mood for Halloween then this is one I can highly recommend!

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74) A Vision in Velvet by Juliet Blackwell

The Blurb :

Lily Ivory hopes to score some great vintage fashions when she buys an antique trunk full of old clothes. But she may have gotten more than she bargained for.…

As soon as Lily opens the trunk, she feels strange vibrations emanating from a mysterious velvet cloak. When she tries it on, Lily sees awful visions from the past. And when the antiques dealer who sold her the cape is killed, Lily suspects a supernatural force might be behind his death.

Then Lily’s familiar, Oscar the potbellied pig, disappears. Lily will do anything to get him back—including battling the spirit of a powerful witch reaching out from the past. But even with the aid of her grandmother, unmasking a killer and saving Oscar might be more than one well-intentioned sorceress can handle.

My Thoughts :

The sixth installment in the Witchcraft Mysteries was a pre-order that came out this week.  I really enjoy the series and look forward to each new addition because the author has created a really nice bunch of characters with a super magical concept.  This new book was easy to get into and it is always easy to fall back into the San Franciso world of Lily Ivory and her shop Aunt Cora's Closet.

This time there is a murder and a missing pig to take up Lily's time but it is the magical cloak that brings everything together.  The historical aspect of the Salem witch trials and the different magical aspects that are combined in this new tale were interesting and engaging.  I enjoyed following the clues and putting things together with Lily as she tried to find her missing familiar and keep all her relationships in check.

Juliet Blackwell tells a great story and writes amazing cozy mysteries.  I have been following this series since it started and I can only highly recommend it to anyone who will  listen.  While this one looks cozy it is actually getting more and more Paranormal Urban Fantasy as things progress.  So this is one of those 'in the middle' ones that both cozy and Puf readers will enjoy.

Make sure you check out this series and also Juliet's Haunted Renovation series.  They are both packed with paranormal mystery, great characters and wonderful in-depth and well thought out stories.  Well worth giving a go if you are looking for something different or just need something to read on the beach this Summer!

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102) Tarnished & Torn by Juliet Blackwell

The Blurb :

As the owner of a popular vintage clothing store, Lily Ivory can enjoy a day of antique jewelry shopping and still call it work. But as one of San Francisco’s resident witches, searching for hidden treasures can sometimes lead to dangerous discoveries… 

When Lily arrives at an antique jewelry fair, her bargain sensors go off left and right—but she also picks up a faint vibration of magic. Could the hard-bargaining merchant Griselda be a fellow practitioner? It certainly seems that way when a sudden fire sends panic through the crowd, and Lily discovers Griselda murdered in a way that nods to an old-fashioned witch hunt…

A crime that hits close to home turns into an unwelcome flash from the past when the police bring in their lead suspect—Lily’s estranged father. Though he may not deserve her help, Lily is determined to clear her father’s name and solve a murder that’s anything but crystal clear. 

My Thoughts :

Five books into the series and things are looking a little complicated this time around.  Lily is missing Sailor but doesn't want to think about it very much.  Her dad is in town and a witch gets killed old school style.  It isn't the best plot ever and this wasn't my favourite of the series but there were aspects of the story that made me smile and laugh.  There were moments I felt happy with the case and the way it was spreading out.  However there were also times where I wondered if the author has the way in regards to Lily and her life.

As things progress I start to find Lily a little annoying.  Her shop practically runs itself because she is always off somewhere and her magical abilities only come into focus when she really needs them.  This time around, despite the story being about a witch being killed, I still felt there was a lack of magic.  Even the little familiar Pig/gargoyle wasn't enough to stop me wanting more witchiness.  Somehow the magical subject this time around just didn't make enough impact for me.

The plot was good although it reached out quite wide at points.  Certain aspects were just too neat and easy for my liking and things fell into place fast and easily.  Or at least it felt like it to me.  Certain characters just happening to turn up when needed and everything being connected is a very normal cozy mystery attribute but this plot was too obvious somehow.  I do like this series a lot but this installment made me realise how much I prefer the authors other paranormal mystery series.  Her Haunted Home Renovation series is one I really love and definitely like the characters more than this one.  That doesn't mean I won't be visiting this series again because I will certainly be keeping up with Lily.  There aren't enough Paranormal Cozy mysteries out there and this one has quite a few good books under its belt.  This just wasn't my favourite.

  

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126) In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell

The Blurb :

Lily Ivory is living her dream of owning a vintage clothing store—and practicing magic on the side. But when she encounters a sinister sleeping spell, Lily comes face-to-face with a nightmarish evil…

Taking a night off from running her successful San Francisco clothing store, Lily attends a local art deco ball where vintage fashions steal the show. But when a young woman at the event falls under a mysterious sleeping sickness, Lily senses that a curse was placed on the woman’s corsage.

Before Lily can solve the woman’s magical ailment, she’s asked to assist in investigating a string of poisonings in the Bay Area witchcraft community. She’s gained the trust of the local covens by supporting women’s charities through her clothing store. But soon, Lily suspects that one of her new acquaintances might not be so well intentioned and could be dabbling in dark magic and deadly botany…

My Thoughts :

This latest Witchcraft Mystery, In a Witch's Wardrobe, was actually a pre-order that has been lying in wait for me on my Kindle since it came out. I have been dying to read it ever since it arrived (like many other books I have) but with other books due for review I have had to wait to read some of the new releases I have. However this week I needed something a bit more relaxing and this was the one I chose. It was perfect and I managed to get it read in a day.

I have been following this series since the beginning and I have to say it is really starting to evolve. Four books in and I am really getting the feeling that not only Lily, but also the author, are at ease with the way the series is developing and with the powers the main character has. Also the nice group of characters in this series are really making the on-going story really interesting and special. The pot-belly familiar just being one of a few extras, who not only adds a nice charm to the series, but also a little giggle here and there.

The plot this time around, was once again, one I couldn't put down. The botanical angle had me itching for more information and I really liked the mirror spookiness. It was interesting to see what route Lily took in her eagerness to help somebody she didn't really know. Her abilities were practically the only thing connecting her to the case but she took the time and helped anyway. Such a great character, one you can admire.

This cozy mystery series has got to be one of my favourites. Actually any with a paranormal aspect are top of my must have list and this witchy twist really is a winner. The author managed to keep me guessing till the end and added some amazing magical content. A must read for me and one I must highly recommend witch and mystery fans try.