Brownies and Broomsticks by Bailey Cates

A few days ago, I was in the mood for something completely different from my usual reads. I wanted to read a cozy mystery so when I came across this book, which is in fact a cozy mystery with the added flair of supernatural elements, I jumped at the chance to try something new. Set in the quaint town of Savannah, Georgia, we follow Katie Lightfoot as she prepares to open a new bakery, along with her Aunt Lucy and Uncle Ben. But things go awry when a recent customer is murdered near the new bakery, and Uncle Ben is the main suspect because of the minor altercation he had with the deceased a few minutes before she was found dead.

Solving a murder was the last thing Katie thought she would do when she moved to Savannah. Since the police force seem to be concentrating their efforts on accusing Ben for the murder, Katie feels obligated to find the real murderer to exonerate her uncle. Her aunt's "book club" join in the search and to Katie's surprise, they start using spells and their witchy abilities to help. Little did she know her aunt was a practicing witch and Katie came from a long line of witches. Katie's mom had decided to raise her daughter without teaching her the craft, or even mentioning her possible legacy. Katie is surprised at first that she a born witch, then, after contemplating events from her past, and recognizing her ability to grow and care for plants, she realizes that she's always had a mystical connection to the world. I love the way she embraces her legacy. She did deny it at first, was skeptical, then progressively accepted her talents by learning a little more each day.

Having recently broken up with her fiancé, moving to Savannah is also a way for Katie to start off fresh. Dating and men were certainly not in the plans, especially with the bakery opening eminently, but because of her magnetism, Katie attracts the attention of two men, Steve Dawes, a local reporter, and Declan McCarthy, a firefighter. The tension between the two men makes you realize there is definitely a story behind that, but definitely makes the story interesting. For many reasons, I find Steve Dawes a little creepy. Showing up around Katie at unsuspecting time, almost like a stalker, is a little creepy, and calling Katie-girl all the time was kind of annoying. It was sweet at first but then it got overused. Declan seems like the more reasonable choice, especially since he's always there to help her whenever she needs the help. We can't forget to mention the other new male in Katie's life, Mungo the magnificent, a little terrier that wriggled his way into her life. She later learns from her aunt that Mungo is probably her witch's familiar and their attraction is probably because of their magical connection.

BROWNIES AND BROOMSTICKS is a quick read and a fun novel. The characters were pleasant and well developed for the length of the novel, but I definitely want to find out more about them in the rest of the series. With this first book in the Magical Bakery Mystery series, the author has given us a taste of her magical world. This isn't your hardcore magic novel. The characters have a more practical and natural approach to their craft so you can't expect it to be full of magic and action. In fact, there's probably more mention of food than magic, which is totally fine by me! The two recipes included in the book sound amazing and I might just try baking scones for the first time. Bakery/Food/Restaurant mystery series seem to be quite popular with some readers but I haven't read many, so I have very little to compare to. The supernatural aspects adds a little flair which is probably the main reason I would continue reading the series. Bailey Cates has pleasantly introduced me to a new type of cozy mystery and I can't wait to read this book's sequel.

Posted by Tynga at 02:55

 A Magical Bakery Mystery, Bailey Cates, Library, Magic, Mystery, Obsidian, Paranormal, Penguin, Review, Witch  10 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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