Bailey Cates

BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, AND BISCOTTI is the second book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series, and I enjoyed it even more than the first.

Katie Lightfoot is settling in as co-owner of Honeybee Bakery in Savannah, and getting used to her new found magical powers. While having a lovely breakfast picnic in the park, Katie and Declan (one of her two love interests) find a dead body.

The deceased man's mysterious tattoo fascinates Katie, and with help from her other love interest, Steve, she finds out show more he belonged to a super secret group of powerful (and misogynistic) druids. She also learns that the man's killer may be planning something darker and more dangerous when some important books from his library go missing.

Katie and the witchy ladies from the Spellbook Club reluctantly join forces with the devious druids to catch the killer.

The mystery in this book was a bit darker and more complex than the first book, and it really drew me in. Magic in this story was explored on a deeper level as well, though Katie used her smarts, not magic, to figure out the culprit.

The Declan-Katie-Steve love triangle continues, and Katie doesn't seem any closer to deciding who she wants most, though readers get to learn much more about Steve in this book. (I'm really liking Steve.)

BEWITCHED, BOTHERED, AND BISCOTTI is a must read for fans of paranormal cozy mysteries. I can't wait for the next in the series!

Review copy courtesy of the publisher. show less

Advice: do not read this book right after baking something.

So I had some bananas that went overripe on me and I whipped up a batch of banana muffins this afternoon. Afterward, I picked up Charms and Chocolate Chips to dive into the newest release in a series I'd definitely rank in my top 15 (maybe top 10).

4 Banana muffins later (thank god it's a low sugar recipe!!) I finished the book. I wasn't even that hungry, but the descriptions of decadent cookies, mini-pies, pound cake, muffins that show more this book is rife with...well, the deck was not stacked in the favour of self-discipline.

Anyway, now that the remaining muffins are in the freezer, from which they can't so easily jump onto my thighs, and the book is finished, I can say this was a very solid effort in a very solid series. I'd have rated it 4 stars, except that one character just irritated the fool out of me. If you guessed it to be the busy-body of the book, you'd be right. The author does get an extra credit point for making the busy body meddler Katie's uncle Ben, and not her aunt as is the stereotypical choice, but he was irritating nonetheless. Do family members actually meddle in their adult relatives love lives? If so, I'm going to have to re-evaluate my attitude about my own family. At least they mind their own business.

The rest of the cast of characters is, thankfully, delightful. Each one is likeable and knows when to butt out. Katie's mother makes an appearance in this book, and the results were maybe a little pie-in-the-sky, but I still found it reasonable and believable. The almost-love-triangle seems to be resolved, but luckily that doesn't mean either man disappears. I'm glad - I like both Steve and Declan and I look forward to reading more about them both in future books.

This is a book/series steeped deeply in paranormal and witchcraft, albeit a somewhat more cozy flavoured witchcraft. There's still plenty of evil but it's not as dark and oppressive. When I first started the series I was a little worried I'd be reading about Disney branded witchcraft, but that's not the case. There are themes in these books such as: what is light? what is dark? what can power do? the costs? benefits? It's not heavy, but it's not sweetness and light either. I appreciate what the author is trying to accomplish here and I think it works well within the confines of a cozy mystery.

The murder plot itself was very well done. I was completely led by the nose throughout most of the book and the ending was a thoroughly entertaining showdown.

I'll definitely be looking out for the next book and maybe Uncle Ben will get another hobby. show less

Katie Lightfoot (yes, I kind of hate her name too) thankfully wasn't too dampered by the previous diagnosis of what a unique witch she was at the end of the second book. While she's settling in with her powers in general, she makes sure to still keep her nose in crimes that keep popping up in her small town. This time it involves a weird tree, conservation morals, and another mini showdown between the female and male witches/warlocks/shamans/whatever.

Unfortunately the love triangle is still show more drawn, and sadly the edges of the triangle are still too clearly felt and seen. There's glimpses of hope around the corner sometimes that it may end and she'll end up with one guy for good, but you never know. It kind of looks like she makes her decision finally, but of course it's the wrong guy no reader wants her to end up with anyway, so does that really help things? NO.

Besides the return of the fun coven who complement each other because they dare to be different from each other, Katie's mother visits and it turns out fun. She was made to sound like a harpy in previous phone calls from the other books, but in person? A sweet old lady shooting out overprotective mothering and wise womanly vibes.

I'd love to visit a bakery like the one in these books. It comes across so cozy and makes me crave herb-filled scones, jam filled croissants, and a whole bunch of other things my waist doesn't need. The trick of putting herbs and spices designated for certain magical intentions in the food brings its own charm. The mystery is the front focus of the book, but the setting of the bakery helps make the cozy vibe feel sensational, and the side stories of her relationships with others in the small town makes it more interesting. show less

First: Ms. Cates really does owe an apology to Druids everywhere. She briefly tells us that the secret society of quasi-Druids that is featured in the novel is not the norm. But then for the whole rest of the novel, the society and members are referred to as Druids. I found this really offensive, to tell the truth.

In fact, I see nothing Druidic about the society in question, and really, I sincerely wish she had not used that term at all for the group. The average cozy mystery reader is show more going to come away with a VERY unpleasant and deeply incorrect understanding of Druidry.

I would have bombed this rating as a 1-star because of it, but the rest of the story was kind of interesting in a "this has nothing to do with actual Witchcraft or Paganism or Druidry" way. I do like the protagonist and her coven, and tales of Savannah, but the whole spooky Samhain stuff was a bit much.

All in all, Ms. Cates is making me ache for the far more fun, accurate, and believable Dolores Stewart Riccio's Divine Circle of Ladies series. show less