When a suit of armour walks into Annie’s family restaurant and confesses to murder, she knows two things: that the knight inside the armour sounds very attractive, and that her life is about to get messy.
Annie’s been hiding a gift (or a curse, in her opinion). She has an affinity with magical objects – she feels them, communicates with them, and senses their history, whether it’s good or bad. When she meets Sir Blake Bingley (AKA the suit of armour) it soon becomes clear that she’s able to control these objects, too.
Hugo Murray, Assistant Curator at the Museum of Magical Artefacts, is struggling to get the armour back to the museum. The last thing Annie wants to do is get involved, because getting involved attracts notice. But Hugo begs for Annie’s help – and offers her a job at the museum while he’s at it.
Working at the museum is nothing like Annie expected. The boss is absent, her workmates are rude, and some of the artefacts are … odd. But Annie’s going to stick it out for a while. She’s the only one who can control Sir Blake, and she could be the only one who can solve the murder, too. Sir Blake has confessed to the killing, sure. But as far as Annie is concerned, the realkiller is the person who brought him to life…
A.A. Albright lives in the Irish countryside with her husband.
She loves reading in every genre, but writing cozy mysteries is just about the most fun she's had in a decade.
To keep up to date with the latest news from A.A. and to be the first to hear about new releases, you can join her mailing list: http://www.subscribepage.com/z4n0f4
What a wonderful start to this new series. I love how all of Ms. Albright’s books stay in the same realm. It gives the stories a consistency where the supernatural rules don’t change from series to series. We are introduced to characters that have their own unique abilities and quirks. A flaky father that is the leader of a cult/coven and thinks that food should have no flavor and be healthy, yet drinks like the wine will never run out. A mother who finally grows a backbone to say and do what she needs to stand up to her ex. A knight that is supposed to be a suit of armor artifact, yet comes to life and admits to a murder. A vegetarian werewolf who is trying hard not to be a werewolf. There is even one character that can blend into his surroundings so well that no one notices his comings or goings. Then there is our main character, Anne, who has her own extremely rare ability that she has to keep hidden to stay safe. And then there is Dora. To where does she keep disappearing and how does her cup and saucer go with her? There are more, but these are the most memorable of the bunch. This story kept me on my toes and guessing the entire time. I never guessed what or who the real killers were. So much fun!
A original, intriguing kind of cozy Although this book is described as a cozy fantasy and the main character, Annie has no super evil to combat, the story is still very intriguing. The characters are magical/ supernatural but have very human trades. Both good and bad, that makes them very relatable. I really like the fact that Annie has both very down to earth human problems and magic problems to deal with. Her gift is kind of special, not super powerful and a little weird. But unfortunately its the kind that would put her in danger if it is discovered. She has to find balance in helping people and staying safe. There is a kind of murder mystery going on that kept me on my toes, and which developed in a way I didn't see coming. So even though he book is cozy, it's also a page turner. I am looking forward to reading more about Annie's adventures
I enjoyed this as my introduction to A.A. Albright's works. The main character, Annie the witch, was enjoyable to spend time with, and I liked the museum setting. There were magical secrets galore, and I'm sure there are more to be revealed in future installments in this series. As this is a first book in a new series, we had the expected introductions to the characters and their magical world that exists unknown to humans/non-magicals. We have werewolves, vampires and witches, as well as a challenging family dynamic and unknown history for Annie. Her magical specialty is similar to psychometry, in that when she touches inanimate objects she can communicate with them and ask them to do things for her. A fun and unique type of magic to explore.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Annie is a Witch she helps her Mother run a restaurant when her Grandmother retires. Her Father returns and he has a cult of followers. He is a health nut and when he starts throwing out all the food he considers unhealthy, the restaurant takes a turn for the worse, the customers leave because the food is unappetizing and the stove refuses to cook the food. Annie fed up leaves her Mother to deal with her Father and runs into a suit of Armor fighting modern cars. There is an entity inhabiting the Armor and the Museum Curator wants to hire Annie to work at the Museum to work with the magical Artifacts. It appears the Knight in the Armor has killed someone at the Museum and Annie along with her familiar a Mouse in a Tea Cup has to find out why the Armor has reanimated since the owner was killer in the Vampire Wars. This was so fun I recommend it.
Annie is a witch with a secret power, one that can cause a great deal of trouble for her if the wrong people knew. So despite her love of history, she turns down an assistant professorship at the college and instead works in the family restaurant. When a suit of armor shows up and confesses to murder, Annie might be the only one who can uncover the truth. Taking a job at the Museum of Magical Artefacts, Annie is up against distrustful coworkers and strange objects in her quest to help the knight.
A.A. Albright’s new series is off to a great start in this light paranormal cozy. Annie is an engaging heroine, desperate to keep her quirky powers under wraps. Sir Blake Bingley feels wholly alive despite being a reanimated suit of armor. His tragic history will tug at your heartstrings. The cast of characters at the museum are entertaining and I look forward to seeing their further adventures.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The book started pretty slow and was a little difficult to follow. It took quite a while to connect with Annie, the main character. The reason for her to not be working in her "dream job" any more was pretty nebulous. It was also hard to really picture the human side vs the supernatural side of the town. The explanation wasn't very clear. Once things settled a bit, the story progressed pretty well but I just couldn't figure out some of the decisions made or why Annie was hiding her abilities. The work with the Wayfarers captain seemed interesting. I'll try book 2 to see if it works for me a little better.
Borrowing one of Jake's sentence: "Murder, intrigue... yeah, I guess you could call it interesting."
I'm always excited to start a new series. So many new characters, stories, mysteries to uncover... I really liked that the story of this book is based in a museum. I enjoyed meeting Annie and her coworkers and I thought it was a nice touch to include a character from a previous series. It's like a wink to diligent readers. I will for sure read the next story.
I received this book as part of an ARC team and this is my honest review.
This was a great read. I enjoyed the characters. The magic in it was really interesting. I'd love to have the powers of the main lady. Her dad sounds like a kook. The museum seems like a wonderful place for a history nerd. Fee kept me guessing: sweet one minute, trying to get her to leave the next. Dora sounds adorable, and I'd love to see Jake's character develop more. I'll definitely be getting the next one.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It all starts with a suit of armor, add more magical things and people and end with a friendly get together. Great start to new series. The story flows nicely. You really get invested in the characters and you want to see justice done. The end is amazing. I would have nope my way out of there after the discovery of the Loony Lungers besides them great book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I had preordered this one and I read it straight through as soon as it arrived on my kindle this morning. I just loved it. Jake is a new fave of mine (how does he "blend in" the way he does?), and Hugo with his monocles and fussy suits. Oh, I loved Sir Bingley so much too, and the Griffin. It was warm and funny and poignant in parts, and I had to keep guessing as to whodunnit. I look forward to more adventures from Annie and the gang at the museum.
This was a fascinating and fun paranormal mystery/romance. There is a decent amount of world building considering you are thrown right into the plot. The intrigue and subtleties around the family drama is fascinating. I love that it is a Museum and that 'it protects its own'. The characters felt fun and the plot moved along quite well. This is one of those series where if you get really invested in the main character you will want to read the entire series in one sitting.
This is a fun, quick, easy read, perfect for a bad weather day, sitting by the fire sipping a hot drink. The story is well plotted and the characters interesting. On a plus side, as the story continued it draws you in more and more, which is a sign of a good read.
I always enjoy AA Albright books and this new series is no exception. Her characters are so charming and the world that she writes in is so cute. She also writes a good mystery. They move fast and end satisfyingly.
Albright's books are perfect for when your brain is tired, but you want to read something anyway. I enjoyed the kick-off to this new series, and will look forward to the next instalment! (And given they seem to publish a book every few months, happily won't have long to wait.)
I love the fact that A. A. Albright uses the same magical world, a touch of romance, fun and quirky characters you love, and a mystery with lots of plot twist. I am looking forward to reading more of A. A. Albright's books.
I so enjoy the lovely world/conclave A.A. Albright has created, and really enjoyed the first of this new series! This is a feel-good read, always well written with fun, quirky characters!
A little bit lighter than my usual reading.i loved it. Funny and slightly scary. Annie doesn't want anyone knowing her secrets while she detects all theirs to find the murderer.
Interesting concept about a witch with a secret ability who can make contact with inanimate objects just by touching them. She is called a Divine and her ability is kept secret from others. Very interesting concept and totally worth reading.
A QURIKY yet AWESOME who -done- it magical tale that had me trying to nab the killer when a suit of armor came to life and murdered a man at the museum. I loved Annie witch with unusual powers.
Once I started, I felt the need to finish simply because it was a very different story than what I’d typically choose and didn’t require too much of a commitment. There were minimal moments that drew me in - enough to make me see it through. In the end, I don’t understand the five star ratings but perhaps it just isn’t my genre.