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Magical Bakery Mystery #2

Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti

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A WITCH WITH A WHISK
As a new witch, not to mention owner of Savannah's most enchanting bakery, Katie Lightfoot is still getting used to casting spells, brewing potions, and mastering her magical powers. But that doesn't mean she can't find time to enjoy a picnic with firefighter Declan McCarthy…until she stumbles upon a corpse.
The dead man's tattoo reveals he was a member of a secret society—and it turns out he's missing an object that was very important to the group. When Katie learns the killer was after more than the man's life, she and her Aunt Lucy leave the baked goods on the rack to cool and set off in hot pursuit of a killer.

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2012

267 people are currently reading
3256 people want to read

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Bailey Cates

13 books1,457 followers

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5 stars
2,056 (28%)
4 stars
3,082 (42%)
3 stars
1,796 (24%)
2 stars
244 (3%)
1 star
47 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 621 reviews
Profile Image for Yodamom.
2,208 reviews215 followers
February 7, 2017
Do not read this if you are on a anti baked good diet. The bakery is at the center of this fun little mystery series and the delights are in mouth watering detailed. This is the series you either break down and hit the local bakery or you put on your apron and make your own, no worries recipes are included. ; p I'm a sucker for bakery settings. I went the bake it myself route, mmmmmmm. The biscotti was scrumptious dipped in my coffee.
The characters make this series a double winner for me. There are quirky witches, wicked witches, druids, wicked druids, sexy firemen, sexy/funny/wicked non magical people, cute animals, and maybe more. They have a history, well developed and written just right for this reader. (doesn't go on forever and ever) The mystery is mysterious and leads into deeper waters, dark and deadly. Who doesn't love that right ? It's not a slam dunk one step easy breezy solve mystery.
I can't tell you anything that happens, it would ruin it for you. If you enjoy a cozy mystery, witches, love triangles and flakey baked goodies you may want to give it a try.
Profile Image for ✨ Gramy ✨ .
1,382 reviews
August 27, 2019

..
Bewitched, Bothered, and Biscotti is the second book of A Magical Bakery Mystery series by Bailey Cates.

This cozy paranormal series provides light and quick reads without much depth in characters or plotlines. Kate's aunt, along with the rest of her book club is helpful in many ways.

Between brewing magically spiced treats at Honeybee Bakery and volunteering with a local conservation group, Katie Lightfoot barely has time to see her firefighter boyfriend, Declan McCarthy, much less delve further into her destiny as a witch. But avoiding her fate won’t be as easy as whipping up a new recipe—especially when Katie finds herself once again mixed up in murder.

I felt Katie was way more committed to the volunteer job than the job she is responsible for as a co-owner of the bakery, and she made rash and irresponsible decisions. Her nosy neighbor perturbed me beyond belief.

When a fellow volunteer for the conservation group is found dead, Katie’s mystical senses tell her that there’s more to the death than meets the eye. Her suspicions are confirmed when members of her coven are targeted next. Katie will have to embrace her powers quickly...or she may find herself chewed up and spit out by some serious black magic.

Each installment is able to stand on its own. However, you will be introduced to the characters that remain from book to book and experience the development of the story much more clearly if you read the entire series in order.
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Profile Image for Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee.
1,107 reviews268 followers
September 11, 2018
I listened to this as a audiobook. It was pretty good. Some of the voices were kinda weird but didn't ruin the book.it was a good cozy mystery. I enjoyed all the talk of delicious food as well. A light read for a change of pace!
Profile Image for Lisa Cornelius Ashby.
126 reviews7 followers
April 6, 2021
This book was amazing! It is book#2 in the series. It delves more into the protagonist and her magical abilities and the magical component of her life. I love her relationship with her dog Mungo, who is her familiar in the magical world. The murder mystery was excellent. Looking forward to continuing the series!
Profile Image for Emmalynn.
2,938 reviews29 followers
June 30, 2022
In addition to not liking the love triangle troupe, the MC did not come off as likeable in this book. She constantly keeps mentioning that she is just out of a bad relationship and wants to work on herself, yet is stringing both these guys on 🙄🙄. Additionally, Steve’s behavior is just a big NO! He’s a jerk, aggressive, entitled, and creepy and one minute she’s not okay with it then the minute is suddenly okay with it and makes excuses 🙄🙄. Katie also is a know it all who keeps putting people in danger with her antics, even knowing she’s a fledging witch- get. Over. Yourself !!
Profile Image for Vicky Marie.
268 reviews16 followers
October 28, 2015
I'm really liking this series. I'm starting to think of it as a light urban fantasy rather than a cozy. The supernatural aspect plays a huge role because the murder is based around a society of druids. The mystery was not that great, though, mainly due to the fact that the murderer was so blatantly obvious. Every scene they were in was like a giant sign with flashing red lights basically informing the reader of their strangeness.

What's stopping me from loving the series, however, is that darn romance. No more love triangles, please. Although I don't like Steve whatsoever and there is hardly any Declan for me to feel anything for him, I feel sorry for them both. Katie's reason for not choosing either is because she isn't ready to be in a relationship after her disastrous engagement. Which is totally understandable, but that doesn't mean she has to drag them through the mud. She should have told them upfront that she wanted nothing serious at the moment. Instead she chooses to lead them along, flirting and making out with them while she "takes some time for herself." Girl. No.
Profile Image for Berit☀️✨ .
2,095 reviews15.7k followers
October 8, 2017
Sure would be nice to have breakfast tomorrow morning with Katie and all that delicious food she cooks up, I’d also like a little sprinkle of magic as well....

It is October and I am kind of on a witch kick.... this is the second book in the series and I think it was just as good as the first if not better, I’m really enjoying these characters.... and along with fantastic characters we got a really interesting murder mystery, I really like how the author brings the magic into it all.... The only thing that stopped me from giving this book a perfect five stars is the very troublesome love triangle.....These are both really good guys, and she is sending all kinds of mixed signals, I don’t even have a clear favorite, maybe that’s what irritates me the most about it??? Hope this gets resolved sooner than later, I will definitely be reading more books in the series....

*** narrator: Amy Rubenate another of my all-time favorite narrators... she did a fabulous job as usual, love her southern accent💛
Profile Image for Kevin.
1,990 reviews34 followers
July 22, 2017
This was a lot edgier then the first book in this series and I recommend reading this to fans of Kim Harrison's Hollow series. If you are a fan of the Hollow's I'd recommend skipping book 1 and reading this right off, then if you like this and want a lighter more introductory story then try book 1 which I also enjoyed.
Profile Image for Penny Raspenny.
330 reviews71 followers
March 11, 2015
Yes guys! This one takes place on Halloween!



I am afraid I knew who the killer was since they were first mentioned. There was a dead giveaway in my opinion (pun intended). We learned something more about what Katie is and we also found out about another magical team. Although I must admit that the best part in these books is the baking! Oh my God, I can actually smell the stuff she makes and all I can think about is that I must immediately start baking and begin my own personal grimoire full of delicious recipies!



Well, actually I did but the recipe book idea is new. ^_______^

Anyway, I enjoyed it. And I was glad that our dear Katie finally had some trouble with trying to handle two guys -who are in love with her- at once. I mean, not to be a buzz-killer and all that, but you can't exchange kisses with both of them and expect them to be your friends and do you bidding when you can't make up your mind about who you want to be with. Especially when you haven't explained to them why you can't commit to a relationship right now. Oh! And did I mention they hated each other even before they met Katie? For me though it is pretty clear who she should choose. And that would be Declan. And Katie honey, if you don't want him...



P.S. Yes guys, I was watching "Hocus Pocus" tonight! I had even more amazing gifs but they couldn't all fit so I'll surprise you with them later on!
Profile Image for Debbie.
920 reviews77 followers
February 26, 2016
I am enjoying this series. I did not think I would enjoy the magical spin to the mysteries, but I feel it is well done and gives the whole story an edge. This book is based around Halloween and I like to read seasonal books during the season, but I wanted to contine on and I didn't want to wait for 8 months to read in this series again. Yes I know I'm a little crazy about my reading lists.....
Profile Image for Alice.
272 reviews
January 6, 2013
I thought book two was much better than book one. Much better detailed mystery and better use of magic in the book. Recipe for Coca Cola cake looks intriguing. Nice job with character development. All the baked goods sound yummy
Profile Image for Brooke.
955 reviews458 followers
October 10, 2019
A cute continuation! I think I enjoyed the first one just a little bit more but this is just a fun fluff series for Halloween. 🙂
Profile Image for Linnéa.
120 reviews5 followers
October 16, 2018
I cannot believe I managed to finish this book. The writing was terrible, the characters were even more shallow than in the last book and the story was hideously obvious and boring. The only good thing about this experience was the complete elation I felt when I could return to reading real literature afterwards.

"What makes this book som bad?" you might ask,
"What about all the delicious cakes??" you'll wonder.
Well, truth be told, I'd rather spend two hours watching meringue bake in the oven than read this again.

First off: Katie Lightfoot. She's an elitist Mary Sue to the nth degree, constantly boasting about her perfect life and never being bad at anything (What surname is "Lightfoot" anyway? Ridiculous.). I particularily despised
Next up is the love triangle. Lastly, I'd like to make it clear that the mystery wasn't a mystery at all. It was such a blatantly obvious plot twist that it's possible to figure out who's the villian right when all the characters have been introduced, about 1/3 into the book. I'll leave that up to you to judge though.

My last comment is a word of caution: do not pick up this book if you can't stand reading through detailed descriptions of characters' clothes and their troubles deciding what to wear. It adds nothing whatsoever to the story and is completely uneccessary.

There were too few cakes or cookies to grant this review another star.
Profile Image for Diane ~Firefly~.
2,201 reviews86 followers
August 8, 2015
I like the setting and the "spell" book club members a lot and Mungo is awesome. But I hate love triangles and this one doesn't seem to be getting any closer to being resolved. Poor Katie seems to stumble over dead bodies and her wiccan group tends to think she then has an obligation to investigate. This time around they get involved with another magical group who doesn't like being known.

Katie is going to drive me crazy by not choosing between the guys and I'm not sure why they are willing to be played against each other unless it is also a competition thing since they seem to hate each other. Either way, I'm over it and it needs to go away.

3,182 reviews
April 24, 2020
Katie Lightfoot, bakery owner and novice witch, stumbles across a corpse while on a picnic (don't you just hate when that happens??)

This is the type of fun cozy series where each book builds on the characterizations. I enjoyed the bakery details (I've made and enjoyed Coca Cola cake before, but I'll have to try this recipe which includes Coca Cola frosting) and the Halloween touches. This volume adds in a secret druidic society that is massively patriarchal in a very annoying way.

This was a joint read with my 88-year-old mom. She liked it, but she was able to keep herself from reading more than our agreed upon number of chapters so she didn't think it was very suspense-filled. We'll read the third in the series.
Profile Image for Amy the book-bat.
2,378 reviews
April 10, 2017
The second installment in the Magical Bakery mystery series lets us get to know the coven a little better. It also reveals a secret about Steve. I am loving this series and can't wait to read the next one.
202 reviews
October 17, 2024
I have enjoyed this series, but this book is a big darker than the first one.

Also, the narrator changed and isn’t as good.
Profile Image for Fred.
1,012 reviews66 followers
January 5, 2013
B, B, and B is the second in A Magical Bakery Mystery series by Bailey Cates.

This is a very enjoyable series that doesn't delve deeply in magic, ghosts or witches. I feel it is just enough to make for and interesting story and food for thought.

Katie Lightfoot and Declan McCarthy, along with Mungo(her familiar) are having a delicious breakfast picnic at the park when it is ruined by the discovery of a dead man. She sees a tattoo on the dead mans arm that appears to be tied to witchcraft. Katie soon contacts Steve Dawes, who is a witch himself, and learns that the man is a member a secret society which has ties to witchcraft. Steve knows the group and warn Katie to not go looking into the group. But having found the dead man, this is not something she can do.

It is soon learned that a book called Spell Of Necretius is missing form the dead man's library. The book contains a spell that can summon a very dark spirit. add to this, some pumpkins fell off a balcony, narrowly missing Katie and an episode where spirits had gotten into her mind, convinces her to get help from the spellbook club.

Very exciting book and delicious sounding recipes are included.

Looking forward to book three.
Profile Image for ❂ Murder by Death .
1,071 reviews150 followers
January 16, 2013
A really interesting read. This is the second book in the series and a bit of an intriguing surprise. I figured this series would be a bit light and fun and well, maybe fluffy. But this book has me thinking not-so-much - the magic goes a bit deeper and a bit darker, making me think that this series will turn out to be delightfully complex instead.

The murder plot itself was fairly obvious to me - the culprit stuck out like a sore thumb, but it didn't detract at all from the book (this is a relief, as I seem very good at guessing the bad guys) or my enjoyment of it. I loved reading about the characters and learning more about them. The interplay between Katie and Steve is electric, but Declan is just as worthy - I hope the author can find a balance between these three that works without a stupid love-triangle-who-is-she-going-to-choose thing developing. The Savannah setting is absolutely perfect for a story like this, less obvious than New Orleans but just as appropriate.

Overall, a really great story and a really enjoyable read. I am so looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Chaitra.
4,489 reviews
November 3, 2020
Ick. I generally hate love triangles, and I especially hate the ones which have a jerk for one of the angles. Why am I rating the book based on the love triangle when it's supposed to be a mystery? It's because the whole book is mostly Katie Lightfoot roaming around wondering which hot guy she's going to choose while also continuously assuring us that she wants nothing but "friendship" with both of them. I think she's stringing them along. I find it generally icky to go around with two men, but if everyone involved with it is okay, I wouldn't want to judge. But in this case, both men aren't okay. So, ick. I'm tired of Katie (who shames Cookie, who's at least honest about what she does), and it doesn't seem like she does a better job in the next book either.

So. Maybe I'll read the next one, but most probably I'll not.
Profile Image for Jeannie and Louis Rigod.
1,991 reviews39 followers
March 19, 2013
This novel is a murder mystery within the magical lives of baker Katie Lightfoot. As Katie strives to learn the full extent of her own magical 'powers,' she also tries to balance her personal life with the non-magical world. This is not easy and it finds her having to make choices in her love life.

While on a 'date,' Katie and firefighter Declan McCarthy discover a body in the square. Not only is that horrible, but the body is sporting a magical tattoo. No one wants to identify the victim and Katie quickly realizes that something is going on.

A new detective on the police force also has the community on alert. Katie and family/friends must join together with others to solve this murder and more.

A good solid murder mystery, cozy and paranormal. This is the second book in the series.
Profile Image for Michelle.
774 reviews4 followers
October 24, 2018
This series is quickly losing its charm. Katie is getting dumber and the characters are all a bit over the top. But the real low point for me was the love triangle, natch. Also, what is up with the nosy neighbor? I totally thought she was going to be the killer because she is written so poorly.

We still have the bakery and all of its magic, but Katie was trying to investigate a crime, and doing it poorly. She has a knack for putting herself and others in danger. I'm quickly tiring of the insta-love between Declan, Steve, and Katie. Calm down, all three of you.

I'm not sure how many more I'll read. 2.5 stars.
Profile Image for sjams.
337 reviews10 followers
December 6, 2019
Any series where a dude stalked a woman, showed up to her house uninvited and forced his way in to have a date with her, and she won't say he's not her boyfriend when people assume and she doesn't see how bad his behavior is ("Stop calling me Katie girl," he continues calling her that, later she thinks she likes it: that's definitely bad behavior and practically gaslighting.); anyway any book with all this is a book that I cannot keep reading. Especially when he kissed her after something bad happening. No. He is bad and you should keep him away. And I will not read any more of this series.
Profile Image for Jen.
138 reviews9 followers
November 1, 2016
It was ok but I didn't enjoy it as much as I did with the first in the series. I just simply got bored. Nothing wrong with the book.
Profile Image for oshizu.
340 reviews29 followers
October 30, 2019
3.5 stars rounded up.
This series is quick, light, and fun. It also has witches, druids, and lots of yummy descriptions of baked goods.
Profile Image for Christina.
91 reviews12 followers
March 16, 2014
Wow and Interesting! The coven is made up of wonderful Character! Can't wait to read more!
Profile Image for Colleen.
30 reviews
December 9, 2024
Really struggled with how to rate this one, but I would say this was probably around a 3.5 star read for me (but we rate up around here). This was a nice easy read that I randomly borrowed from Libby because I had so many books on hold and I just really wanted something to read ASAP.

Was I slightly confused at some points? Yes. Was that my own fault for not realizing it was the second book in a series until I started reading? Absolutely. I will say, the author did a great job of giving lots of context to any references to the first book which was great for me since I didn't read it, but probably would have pissed me off if I did. I did love the mystery element of this and it was a fun way to combine some of my favorite things: small town vibes, magic systems woven into an otherwise regular world, magic systems that aren't really described a whole ton, but rather just are, and a murder mystery. I did not love the love triangle. Maybe it's better if you read the first book, but I wanted Declan out of the picture, he did nothing this book and Steven is obviously better. Plus, Katie is literally making such a mess of it all and keeps saying that she feels bad, but then she keeps leading both of them on!! Make a choice girl!

Anyways, if you're looking for an easy read with a murder mystery with a touch of magic, this is the book for you (but maybe read the first book first....) I will probably keep reading this series intermittently between other reads because they seem like great palate cleansers and honestly, I really need to see how this love triangle bs ends.
Profile Image for L.M..
Author 4 books22 followers
Read
April 12, 2025
I like this author. Her home crafting series was really good and I like her writing style in general.

BUT this book didn't do it for me. I didn't like the first in the series but I'll be honest, this might be the least enjoyable cozy mystery I've ever read. I don't like witchy books and I absolutely hate it when there's a secret society (especially when it's something that EVERYONE knows about except the MC). This book has both. And druids? I don't know. I don't know who the victim was (I know the name but not what they had to do with the story or the MC). Ditto on the killer. The main character embodied all my least favorite characteristics in a cozy MC, mainly she was brand new to being a witch and yet she was running the show and bossing witches who'd been in the game for years. I would definitely have DNF'ed this book if I weren't reading it for a group challenge (and might have selected another if I didn't own this book and want it off my shelf).

If you're someone who enjoys witchy books and secret societies this might be a book you'd enjoy (again, I do like the author and don't think this book was poorly written). It just wasn't my cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 621 reviews

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