Truthfully, I was a little disappointed when I read Charms and Chocolate Chips, book 3 of this series. However, this fourth book has redeemed the series and I find myself looking forward to the release of the next book. My main concern with the previous book was that Katie Lightfoot was newly aware of being a lightwitch, but had no clue what it meant. She speculated about it, wondered about it, but didn't try to find out what it meant. Now, in this book, at least she's trying to find out what it means and has learnt to accept that she's different from other witches. Her investigation into lightwitches doesn't go very far unfortunately because the one that revealed her ability, Detective Taite, seems to have disappeared. We might not know more about what it means to be a lightwitch, but at least Katie is trying to find out more.
The murder mystery of the story was ordinary but still fun to follow. It was definitely a mystery since I never suspected who the murderer was until the very end. The motive was kind of hard to understand but all in all, I think it came to a nice close. I especially liked the fact that the victim was part of the crew that was filming a movie in downtown Savannah, Georgia. Obviously Katie gets involved in yet another murder investigation since her bakery was hired to cater the movie set. She seems to be attracted to murder mysteries, and always finds a way into the investigation.
What I found interesting in this book is the fact that we don't actually see lots of magic being performed. The author decided to introduce us to a new character instead and Ursula Banford just so happens to be a psychic, someone able to communicate with the dead. The coven decides to hold a séance to find out more about who the murderer was, and while the séance doesn't reveal much about the killer, it does reveal something unexpected about one of the participants of the séance.
This next paragraph contains a slight spoiler so you might want to avoid it (however it won't spoil too much). One thing I was not expecting was Declan having some magical powers. From the start of the series, he hasn't been very understanding about his girlfriend Katie's magic and her dedication to learn more about it, but in time, he has learnt to accept it. It came to a total shock when we were made aware that one of his ancestors had some magical power and was rumored to have been a leprechaun. This magic or spiritual power has more or less manifested in Declan in this book. He is not happy with his new (latent) ability, that's for sure. However, it does bring a new and interesting twist to the series.
I'm glad the ending wasn't rushed. In the previous books, I found that once the mystery was solved, the booked ended a few pages later. This time around, we were able to see how everything fell into place. It also answered a lot of questions. SOME ENCHANTED ÉCLAIR might just be my favorite of the series. I really hope we see more of Bailey Cates's Magical Bakery series because to me, while not being exiting or riveting, her books are a nice change of pace and always get me out of a reading rut.
It's good that the author ironed out some of the kinks from book 3 while still managing to add to the A Magical Bakery Mystery universe. The ending is a very important aspect IMO because it leaves readers with a lasting impression for future installments. I have yet to try a cozy mystery, but these actually have a paranormal side, so onto the maybe pile they go.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I'm hooked on these, even if they aren't the greatest in suspence/action. There just something about the books that keep you coming back for more. Maybe it's because I spent so many hours in cafés/bakeries when I was in university....
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