Melissa Bourbon

The Book Magic Mystery series is such a splendid way to spend a couple of hours. It starts with a curse; the women in the family are doomed to die in childbirth and their men doomed to be taken by the sea. Add in the special power the women sometimes have as bibliomancers, that in itself makes this series intriguing. What avid reader wouldn’t want to be able to do that?

In Murder at Sea Captain’s Inn, Pippin and her brother Grey are the latest descendents of the Lane family. Pippin is show more desperate to find a way to break the family curse if only to save her brother from his seemingly preordained fate. She has turned the house they inherited from their parents into a bed and breakfast and she has her hands full with the grand opening. It is bad enough that one of her guests has turned up dead, but as Pippin gets pulled into investigating, it turns out that the woman may have known something about the curse that has been following the Lanes for the past two millennia.

Melissa Bourbon knows how to tell a story. Honestly, that is all that needs to be said.

There is so much going on in the 250 pages of this book. Pippin has picked up her father’s investigation into her lineage and is learning to have confidence in her role as a biblimancer. That narrative alone is fascinating. I could read a 500 page book on that aspect of the story alone. The Lane women are so genuinely interesting, I keep coming back for more.

I truly enjoyed the tidbits of archeology and history laced into the plot. With a budding archaeologist in the house, I admit to being just a little too excited to read about optically stimulated luminescence in the course of a mystery novel. I mean that doesn’t just pop up in a typical conversation. I also love that I didn’t see whodunnit until it was explained. When Pippin figured it out, I was hoping she was wrong because I just didn’t want to believe it, but of course it was there in the clues the whole time. How did I miss it? Simply put, the clues are so subtly woven into the story that it is easy to forget that we, as readers, are here to help Pippen solve a mystery.

I do think this reads well as a stand alone if this is your first experience with the series. Still, book 1 and its prequel are so worth the effort. The story isn’t all told yet, so I will be back for more.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, and I am leaving this review voluntarily show less

Harlow’s great-great-great grandfather was the infamous Butch Cassidy, and since his time, all of the Cassidy women have been blessed with a magical ability. When Harlow inherits her great grandmother’s farmhouse, she gives up her career as a fashion designer in New York City and moves home to Bliss, Texas. Though not certain what her “special gift” is yet, Harlow knows that she has an amazing talent for dressmaking.

Harlow turns the first floor of her farmhouse into a custom show more dressmaking boutique. Her first customer is soon-to-be bride Josie, a childhood friend marrying into the town’s oldest and richest families. Designing dresses for the wedding party would be a huge boost for her business, but the dream quickly turns into a nightmare when Josie’s boss is found murdered in Harlow’s front yard. With a little ghostly assistance from her dearly departed great grandmother, Harlow sets out to find the killer and save Josie’s wedding.

PLEATING FOR MERCY is a fantastic first book in a new cozy mystery series by Melissa Bourbon. I was quickly absorbed in the book and did not want to put it down! It was a nice blend of mystery, a little romance (more Will, please!), and the supernatural, but the mystery itself took center stage. The plot was fast-paced with many twists along the way. The cast of characters was large, but each character was memorable. I loved the dialogue between them, especially the Southernisms. Though I’m not into it myself, I found the descriptions of sewing and dress design very interesting, and they were woven nicely into the story. This book will be especially appealing to those who are handy with the needle and thread. Highly recommended!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

Murder in Devil’s Cove by Melissa Bourbon is the debut of A Magic Book Mystery series. I thought the story was well-written and absorbing. I liked the characters, especially the elder Mr. McAdams. The author took the time to establish the main characters and well as the town. I enjoyed the descriptions of Devil’s Cove and the house the twins inherited. It was fun following Pippin as she explored the town and made friends. The mysteries were fascinating. Two murders that occur two decades show more apart. The second half of the book had me quickly flipping the pages of my ereader. The suspense increased as we got closer to the end and the identity of the killer. I could not wait to see if I had guessed correctly (I love solving whodunits). The paranormal aspect was interesting. Pippin discovers her special ability and must figure out how to use it. Magic and books are a wonderful combination (bibliomancy). I look forward to learning more about the families magic and the lore. I thought the author beautifully intertwined magic and mystery. The one thing I did not enjoy was the foul language. Murder in Devil’s Cove is an intriguing tale with forbidden books, a departed dad, family folklore, mysterious magic, renovation revelations, and one bewildered bibliomancer. show less

Generally a very good cozy series; one of my favorite. This one was not its best entry.

Harlow is making custom aprons for each of the members of the local Red Hat Society, and the morning after delivering her first apron, she finds their leader dead in a cemetery, a victim of murder. The victim's sister, knowing Harlow is, to paraphrase, 'good at solving these things' asked her to 'investigate'.

Now, this is a general rant about cozies and not specific to this one: but if we're already show more suspending disbelief enough to read a cozy mystery, can we just dispense with the acknowledgement that said amateur sleuth seems to solve a lot of murders? I hate when the author feels like they need to include the "request" that includes the whole acknowledgment of past capers. It just feels stupid to me. /rant over

I love the characters and love Harlow and Will together. The author just writes people you want to be friends with. But I lost patience with the number of times Ms. Bourbon felt the need to summarise the plot and the suspects and the evidence for/against their guilt. This took place at least 4 times (possibly 6) from beginning to end and the repetition drove me nuts. She also had a character (Georgia) who wan't in a scene contributing dialog to it.

Finally, I knew who the murderer was from almost the very beginning; page 158 confirmed it, which was just past 50%. It was so obvious, in fact, that I kept thinking I must be wrong - it was too obvious.

Oh well, I enjoyed visiting Bliss and catching up with the characters. Not every series entry is a winner, and I'll still happily look out for the next one. show less