Fiona escapes gang members with a small dog who was being beaten. She arrives, penniless, in Hillvale, only to see her former foster case worker run down and killed before her eyes. Mayor Monty Kennedy witnesses it too and begins watching over her. Fiona gets a job in the local cafe, and uses her supernatural talent to "smell" people and match foods to them... cautiously, for she is used to being thought of as weird. With the help of others in the town, they determine that the hit-and-run driver was after Fiona. There ensue entertaining adventures as Fiona becomes welcomed by the community. A fun read, with a bit of a mystery. ( )

How come I did not know Patricia Rice's books? I really have missed something.

The beginning of the book immediately gets you: an angry young woman, Fiona, seems to be sent away and seeks refuge in an empty cabin.
The second chapter shows us the rather heavy set mayor of the town and then leads us to a terrible accident.
The stage is set, the fun can begin.
I just loved the book. The way the mayor sees himself and the way Fiona sees him, the way they are attracted to each other, the Lucies and the Nulls..
It was all a lot of fun and I am planning to read the former books of the Crystal Magic Series as well. ( )

I have not read Books 1-4 in the Crystal Magic series, but this book seems to stand alone. The first half of the book was slow-paced, but I liked this pace. It gave me time to get to know the town of Hillvale's main characters and its quaint attitude. Around the halfway mark, the slow pace got even slower and I found the plotline somewhat confusing. Where did the kidnapped baby come into the mix all of a sudden? For all I knew, she was a figment of someone's imagination. The pace was sluggish almost to a crawl. I would try another book by this author, but I can't readily recommend this one. ( )

Former foster child Fiona arrives in the small town of Hillvale hoping to finally find a place to call home. Fee is a cook with the ability to smell what foods her customers need, and, more dangerously, which are hiding evil intentions. On her first day in town, she witnesses a hit and run. It soon becomes clear that this wasn’t an accident and is related to a crime Fiona witnessed in the city. With the help of the sexy mayor, a small dog, and a town full of characters, many who have powers of their own, can Fee stop the bad guys and find a forever home?

Azure Secrets is the fifth book in the Crystal Magic series by Patricia Rice. I have read, and enjoyed, other books by this author. I haven’t read the earlier books in this series, but that didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of this book. This small town was full of fun and quirky characters and I now have to get the earlier books in the series to read more about them, As in other books I have read by Rice, this book is full of humour, suspense, mystery and romance. I always enjoy her characters. She writes smart and independent women and strong, but not overbearing, men.

I would recommend this series for readers who enjoy romantic suspense with a some paranormal elements and a lot of humour. ( )

I received this book for an honest review. This is listed as book 5 of a series for which I haven't read the first books. That said, this was a very good story that appears to stand alone just fine. I had no trouble following the story, not sure what I missed but I will have to go back and start with book 1 now as I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This story is written following Feona, a troubled young woman who appears to have trouble following her. She has the ability to smell people and determine what food they need or what food combinations are needed to produce some desired reaction. This sounds very odd but her abilities and those around her make for a very good story. Definitely recommended reading. ( )