About the Book
Genre: Cozy Mystery, #1 An Abracadabra Mystery
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Release Date: May 2, 2017
ASIN: B01JWDZSQQ
Synopsis from Goodreads:
What’s in a murderer’s bag of tricks?
Twenty-something Kailyn Wilde has learned to embrace her unpredictable life as a descendant of small-town New Camel’s most magickal family. She just didn’t expect to inherit her mother and grandmother’s centuries-old shop, Abracadabra, so suddenly. The surprises keep coming when Kailyn goes to finalize the estate at the local attorney’s office—and stumbles over the body of her best friend Elise’s husband . . .
As a brash detective casts the blame on Elise, Kailyn summons her deepest powers to find answers and start an investigation of her own. What with running a business, perfecting ancient spells, and keeping up with an uninvited guest of fabled origins, Kailyn has her hands full. But with the help of her uncanny black cat Sashkatu and her muumuu-clad Aunt Tilly, she’s closing in on a killer—who will do anything to make sure she never tests her supernatural skills again!
My Review
Kailyn Wilde has her work cut out for her. She inherits her mother and grandmother’s magic shop. Somehow she manages to conjure up a bumbling older magician named Merlin. She, also, has to keep tabs on her Aunt Tilly, a psychic with a shop right next to her magic shop.
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time - Kailyn and Aunt Tilly find their lawyer’s dead body in his office. Their lawyer happens to be married to Kailyn’s best friend, Elise. All three women find themselves the prime suspects, but they aren’t going to wait for the police to arrest them. They do their own investigation. Kailyn sticks her nose where the police don’t want it and finds more suspects than she ever imagined possible, not to mention a few deep dark secrets as well.
What can be better than a brand new cozy mystery with some magic tossed in? This book reminds me so much of the classic TV series Bewitched – we have Kailyn trying to keep her family’s magic a secret, while her older aunt’s magic spells keep going astray. This book has everything – humor, magic, mystery and a touch of romance. I was totally taken by surprise by who the killer turned out to be.
Magick and Mayhem is a cute, delightful cozy with just the right blend of mystery and romance. I read a sneak peek of the second book in the series and it looks to be just as good.
For reading challenges:
Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2017 (Paranormal)
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Author Bio
I started writing stories as soon as I learned how to put letters together to form words. From that day forward, writing has been a part of my life whether it was my first attempt at a novel in seventh grade or the little plays I wrote for my friends to perform for neighbors and family. After college, when I was busy teaching French and Spanish to high school students, I was also writing poetry — some of it in French.
After several years, I left teaching to be a full time mom, and when my two children started school, I went back to writing. To my delight I found that the muse was still there, still waiting patiently for me to come around. My first novel, Ghostfire, was published at that time. It went on to be condensed in Redbook magazine (the first paperback original the magazine had ever condensed.) Then came The God Children and The Portal. Redbook also published my first short story, which was subsequently sold to several foreign magazines. With two great kids, a golden retriever and a loving, supportive husband (whom I’d met at the beach when I was fourteen — but that’s a story for another day), I felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be in my life. But fate had another plan for me, and it went by the name of “breast cancer.”
Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was that the cancer was discovered at such an early stage, but at the time it was all very overwhelming. Once I was back on my feet, I wanted to help other women who were newly diagnosed, worried and afraid. I became a Reach to Recovery volunteer for the American Cancer Society and went on to run the program for Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. A number of years later, with the help of my surgical oncologist and two other volunteers, I started Lean On Me, a nonprofit organization that provides peer support and information to breast cancer patients. When Lean On Me celebrated its tenth anniversary it no longer required as much of my time, and I once again found myself free to pursue my first love — writing.
Author Links
Purchase Links
Tour-Wide Giveaway
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Participants
May 1 – Valerie’s Musings – REVIEW
May 1 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT
May 2 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
May 2 – Books Direct – SPOTLIGHT
May 3 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 3 – Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf – INTERVIEW
May 3 – Bubble Bath Books – REVIEW
May 4 – Readsalot – SPOTLIGHT
May 4 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
May 5 – Books,Dreams,Life – SPOTLIGHT
May 5 – The Broke Book Bank – REVIEW
May 6 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
May 7 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
May 7 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW
May 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW
May 8 – A Blue Million Books – INTERVIEW
May 9 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST
May 10 – Book Babble – REVIEW
May 10 – Varietats – REVIEW
May 11 – FUONLYKNEW – REVIEW
May 11 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 12 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
May 13 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – REVIEW
May 13 – Deal Sharing Aunt – SPOTLIGHT
May 14 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
Yvonne, thank you for hosting this terrific giveaway. It sounds like a super fun cozy!
ReplyDeleteI was already on board but when you compared the book to Bewitched I was definitely in! This sounds really cute!
ReplyDelete