Just imagine waking up one day as an adult and discovering you are a witch? While your first reaction may be "How wonderful!", then reality sets in. You may have magical powers but you have no clue how to control them. How to keep them from interfering with your day--to-day life. You have no true control of when they come and go. Nor what havoc they may cause. You are slowly learning a few spells but, well, you're not in control. Even when they work, there may be unexpected twists. That's the situation in which Phoebe Winchester finds herself in this series. Disconcerting as they might be in your own home, now imagine it happening in public. How do you explain this?
Then things get worse. There's a murder. One you feel partly responsible for as it was your idea to bring Sebastian Marlow to your shop for a book event. You can't help thinking he might still be alive if you hadn't booked him for that weekend. Phoebe's stress level escalates which, as she discovers, sends her already out of control magic even further out of control. Fortunately, her ability to conjure up (sorry, couldn't resist the pun) amazing blends of ice tea and sourdough treats remains consistent. Even when she's stressed for time, Amy's Sugarplum Fairy bakery is close and, like Phoebe, Amy is constantly trying new, amazingly yummy recipes. Yes, there are recipes at the end. Grin.
Even in the midst of all this, her spiraling magic and a murder investigation, not only is Phoebe's likability quotient high, but so, too, it is for the other regulars. Romantic interest Rich Lofting, a childhood friend and now private detective, will win you over with his good sense of humor and, according to others, good looks. Unfortunately, it's another childhood friend, Leo, who is the prime suspect for murder, albeit not Sebastian's. Uh, that's a hint that things only get more complicated. He's referred to as a gentle-giant several times and there seem to be sparks between Amy and him, so you know Phoebe was working hard to prove his innocence. But, wait, who killed The Backyard Birdwatcher, as Sebastian is known as? There are several suspects but despite the similarity of murders, there seems to be no link between the victims. Add another chunk to Phoebe's stress level. And, what was that about discovering a new kind of bird?
That's as much as I'm saying about the plot. Ironically, maybe my mindset of the time, but I largely found myself more caught up in the drama over the wayward magic and watching real romance blooming between Phoebe and Rich. We also got to meet Honey's mother, Karma, who tries to help Phoebe with her witch-y problems. Now, true, she doesn't have concrete, specific answers but she gives Phoebe help in an intriguing way and that seems to reassure Phoebe's mind. I hope Karma becomes a regular character. And, oh, we can't forget Bob the cat. He gets a bit of a story line this go-round, too, which, may lead to.... nope, not sharing that little tidbit. You'll just have to read the book. Thanks #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for inviting me for this early visit to Raven Creek to catch up with Phoebe and the gang.
No comments:
Post a Comment