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Library Witch Mystery #3
Sorcery & Stories
It's the holiday season in the town of Ivory Beach, and Rory Hawthorn and her new magical family are preparing for the festivities. But when a group of strange werewolves materialises in the library, it kicks off a series of bizarre events which appear to be lifted directly from her aunt's bestselling novels.
Not only is Rory left to hold the fort when her family falls under the effects of the spell, her growing relationship with Xavier, the local reaper, lands her in hot water with his boss -- the terrifying Grim Reaper.
Can Rory fix the damage, stop the rampaging spell and find the culprit before her life turns into a horror story?
Not only is Rory left to hold the fort when her family falls under the effects of the spell, her growing relationship with Xavier, the local reaper, lands her in hot water with his boss -- the terrifying Grim Reaper.
Can Rory fix the damage, stop the rampaging spell and find the culprit before her life turns into a horror story?
6 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 10, 2019
473 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
About the author
Elle Adams
79 books272 followersElle Adams lives in the middle of England, where she spends most of her time reading an ever-growing mountain of books, planning her next adventure, or writing. Elle's books are humorous mysteries with a paranormal twist and tons of magical mayhem.
She also writes urban and contemporary fantasy novels as Emma L. Adams.
She also writes urban and contemporary fantasy novels as Emma L. Adams.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
February 24, 2025
3.5 stars
January 14, 2021
I really wish this author had an editor. The story is good. I want to find out what happens next and what the deal is with the journal. But there are missing words, sentences that don’t make sense, and blatant continuity errors. I’m not in any rush to pick up the next one.
May 15, 2019
A wonderful flight of fancy
A great read. A plot of the magical events portrayed in books coming to life, a thief, a curse and a reporter bent on causing havoc. Our heroine plays a pivotal role in causing the mayhem to stop but in doing so exposes her relationship with the apprentice reaper to the Grimlocks Reaper with disastrous consequences.
Her wand shopping is a disaster. No wand seems to fit her and now the library is under attack from space werewolves. More and more mayhem occurs as more and more plots (in the books her aunt wrote come to life). Plus there is also the problem of a thief at large and a reporter who is better on causing as much mayhem as she can not only to the town but also to the Library. Can she do anything to stop it? Who is the thief? Then there is the problem of Xavier - the Grim Reaper is not amused to find him in her presence on several occasions. Will she stop the manifestations? Will she find the thief? Will the reporter be stopped from her belligerence? Will she find a wand? What about Xavier?
A great read. A plot of the magical events portrayed in books coming to life, a thief, a curse and a reporter bent on causing havoc. Our heroine plays a pivotal role in causing the mayhem to stop but in doing so exposes her relationship with the apprentice reaper to the Grimlocks Reaper with disastrous consequences.
Her wand shopping is a disaster. No wand seems to fit her and now the library is under attack from space werewolves. More and more mayhem occurs as more and more plots (in the books her aunt wrote come to life). Plus there is also the problem of a thief at large and a reporter who is better on causing as much mayhem as she can not only to the town but also to the Library. Can she do anything to stop it? Who is the thief? Then there is the problem of Xavier - the Grim Reaper is not amused to find him in her presence on several occasions. Will she stop the manifestations? Will she find the thief? Will the reporter be stopped from her belligerence? Will she find a wand? What about Xavier?
May 15, 2019
Rory Hawthorn is really settling down in the magical town of Ivory Beach with her new family. The holidays are here and the Hawthorn family is preparing for the festivities when a curse breaks out in the library causing Rory's aunt's books to come to life. When the curse takes a deep hold on the family and the library it's up to Rory to set things straight.
I read this book in one sitting and loved it. It's well-written and the characters are well-developed. We get to know some more people in this book. I highly recommend the book and the series; I'm looking forward to another.
I read this book in one sitting and loved it. It's well-written and the characters are well-developed. We get to know some more people in this book. I highly recommend the book and the series; I'm looking forward to another.
May 14, 2019
Delightful!
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Engaging characters and entertaining plots. An adventure for the imagination. Although I wonder if Jet is ok?
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Engaging characters and entertaining plots. An adventure for the imagination. Although I wonder if Jet is ok?
January 29, 2021
I think I might have been soured on this one from the opening pages by just how much of the setting felt like it was lifted from other sources, although certainly recombined into an overall new environment. ("The wand chooses the witch" is a very specific reference, for one.) I enjoy the series but this book just didn't quite hang together or have a satisfying throughline.
July 8, 2024
I'm sad to give this book 2 stars but it was so hard to get through. I feel like this series has so many things taken from harry potter. This was just disappointing. It unfortunately was boring to me.
May 15, 2023
I just can't get past how annoying the characters are. It's just meh.
March 23, 2020
I honestly wasn’t expecting this series to get any more imaginative, but from this book alone I can see that Elle Adams has such a creative mind. I think she did an amazing job with this one, I honestly couldn’t fault it. There’s so much that happens, and whilst it has everything you could ever ask for, I couldn’t help but feel for Rory. Even Cass is learning to be a little nicer to her. But still, in this book Rory goes through a hell of lot and you can tell that from the writing and ideas that Elle had quite a lot of fun writing it. I’m really intrigued to see what happens next, and I hope that The Grimm Reaper changes his mind about things, because it would just be unfair to Rory. Seriously, this series is only just getting more and more amazing with each book and I can’t wait to see how creative Elle has gotten in the next book.
Rory has passed her exam and is able to get herself a wand, but when she goes looking for one she can’t seem to find one that fits comfortably. After deciding to give up and try another day, both Estelle and Rory go back to the Library and decide to help search for their Aunt Candance…. However, when they step into the library things don’t seem to be normal in there. It seems that someone has decided to bring some of the elements of her Aunt Candance’s books to life… With each day passing, it’s clear that it’s a curse but they have no idea who started it, but if they don’t hurry up soon everything will get infected and they may not end up existing. Will Rory be able to figure out the truth in time before they all disappear or the curse spreads into the town? What will happen when one of Candace’s old friends from university comes back and wants to get gossip on the Library?? Will everything work itself out or will they be too late???
Rory has passed her exam and is able to get herself a wand, but when she goes looking for one she can’t seem to find one that fits comfortably. After deciding to give up and try another day, both Estelle and Rory go back to the Library and decide to help search for their Aunt Candance…. However, when they step into the library things don’t seem to be normal in there. It seems that someone has decided to bring some of the elements of her Aunt Candance’s books to life… With each day passing, it’s clear that it’s a curse but they have no idea who started it, but if they don’t hurry up soon everything will get infected and they may not end up existing. Will Rory be able to figure out the truth in time before they all disappear or the curse spreads into the town? What will happen when one of Candace’s old friends from university comes back and wants to get gossip on the Library?? Will everything work itself out or will they be too late???
June 3, 2019
Another book that is not only about the people involved but about an amazing living library that, to me, would be worth spending hours and hours in.
Rory is the main character along with her familiar Jet (a crow.) Also, the reaper Xavier is there.
Now, what is the problem she and the others have to solve? Well, one of the people is a prolific writer in a variety of genres. For some reason her stories are partly coming to life in the library and outside of it. So, what do you do with knights on horses? How about gravity going wonky? Let's throw in some nasty space aliens while we're at it.
If that's not enough of a problem there's Rory's inability to find a wand she can use, a journal her father had which is the target of a very powerful vampire, a party that is basically kind of out of control, a wedding she needs to stop and some dead people that suddenly show up.
The stories the author does are really neat with a lot of really odd things happening, fascinating characters and did I forget to mention how much I like the library?
Rory is the main character along with her familiar Jet (a crow.) Also, the reaper Xavier is there.
Now, what is the problem she and the others have to solve? Well, one of the people is a prolific writer in a variety of genres. For some reason her stories are partly coming to life in the library and outside of it. So, what do you do with knights on horses? How about gravity going wonky? Let's throw in some nasty space aliens while we're at it.
If that's not enough of a problem there's Rory's inability to find a wand she can use, a journal her father had which is the target of a very powerful vampire, a party that is basically kind of out of control, a wedding she needs to stop and some dead people that suddenly show up.
The stories the author does are really neat with a lot of really odd things happening, fascinating characters and did I forget to mention how much I like the library?
November 5, 2019
Great urban fantasy cozy mystery series
And entertaining cozy mystery urban fantasy series. A young woman who worked in a book shop that was owned by her father and his partner before her father died ends up getting fired by her father’s former partner. Some weird things happen and lo and behold she finds out she has a couple of aunts and cousins she did not know about. Besides that she finds out she is actually a witch. Her family takes her back to a supernatural town where the family owns the local magical library. The family also resides in this library. As she begins to learn how to use her powers and gets to know her family. She begins finding mysteries murders and trouble to solve. Follow along as her and her cousins an aunts and a couple of friends try and figure out and solve the mystery‘s. You’re very entertaining and well written Series. Great cast of characters with funny interactions at times and serious at others. Check it out
And entertaining cozy mystery urban fantasy series. A young woman who worked in a book shop that was owned by her father and his partner before her father died ends up getting fired by her father’s former partner. Some weird things happen and lo and behold she finds out she has a couple of aunts and cousins she did not know about. Besides that she finds out she is actually a witch. Her family takes her back to a supernatural town where the family owns the local magical library. The family also resides in this library. As she begins to learn how to use her powers and gets to know her family. She begins finding mysteries murders and trouble to solve. Follow along as her and her cousins an aunts and a couple of friends try and figure out and solve the mystery‘s. You’re very entertaining and well written Series. Great cast of characters with funny interactions at times and serious at others. Check it out
March 23, 2020
A curse on the library..
.. or a curse on the books?
Rory, her family, and in fact most of the town, are drawn into Aunt Candace's most vivid stories when an old "friend" from her youth returns to write an article about Ivory Bay and the Library. Ursula is digging for dirt, always jealous of Candace she's desperately trying to find a way to get the library shut down.
Meanwhile "the Magpie" has been out and about stealing from everywhere. Captured on camera Rory knows he looks familiar but where is it she's seen him?
Candace writes under several names and genre's so they are not quite sure what might be coming next. From courtly romance and knights to trolls and elves and thence to space with some rather horrible aliens each turn of the page brings more reality. Rory can almost guarantee that the next round will bring back her parents love story.. but can she survive it to save the day? And will she lose her own budding relationship in the crossfire?
.. or a curse on the books?
Rory, her family, and in fact most of the town, are drawn into Aunt Candace's most vivid stories when an old "friend" from her youth returns to write an article about Ivory Bay and the Library. Ursula is digging for dirt, always jealous of Candace she's desperately trying to find a way to get the library shut down.
Meanwhile "the Magpie" has been out and about stealing from everywhere. Captured on camera Rory knows he looks familiar but where is it she's seen him?
Candace writes under several names and genre's so they are not quite sure what might be coming next. From courtly romance and knights to trolls and elves and thence to space with some rather horrible aliens each turn of the page brings more reality. Rory can almost guarantee that the next round will bring back her parents love story.. but can she survive it to save the day? And will she lose her own budding relationship in the crossfire?
January 30, 2025
If you follow my reviews you've probably guessed that I'm hooked on this series. Rory is trying to learn more than just word magic but she can't get a wand that suits her. She's also dealing with her growing attachment to Xavier, the Reaper apprentice. Xavier's boss, the Grim Reaper, is not happy with their evolving relationship and keeps threatening to completely forbid it. In addition the vampire queen poses another scary threat since she can read anyone's mind. Again Rory experiences another murder investigation. (This series is a murder mystery so we can expect at least one murder per book.) In this one, we also learn about werewolves who cause trouble in town using parts of Aunt Candace's books.
April 10, 2020
Plenty of surprises
A curse, a murder, a thief, a muckraking reporter, an illicit romance...and Aunt Candace! Poor Rory is too busy to enjoy the holidays in Book 3 of this entertaining series. Untangling the many threads to determine which criminal goes with which crime makes this a worthwhile diversion. Certain elements (such as how the murderer's limitation could allow the chaos that was created, how the thief was able to leave the mark, and why Rory didn't ask about her father's book when the opportunity presented itself) should have been addressed; nevertheless, this is a fine read, and the ending has this reader eager for Book 4!
A curse, a murder, a thief, a muckraking reporter, an illicit romance...and Aunt Candace! Poor Rory is too busy to enjoy the holidays in Book 3 of this entertaining series. Untangling the many threads to determine which criminal goes with which crime makes this a worthwhile diversion. Certain elements (such as how the murderer's limitation could allow the chaos that was created, how the thief was able to leave the mark, and why Rory didn't ask about her father's book when the opportunity presented itself) should have been addressed; nevertheless, this is a fine read, and the ending has this reader eager for Book 4!
January 25, 2021
Good
At first I thought oh no what did the author do...I really didn't like the storyline..one of Rory's aunts writes books and one of them has come alive in the library
Will Rory figure out what is going on? For the sake of the Hawthorne family and their library we hope Rory figures out what is going on...
As I read along because I really didn't want to quit reading the book I found myself enjoying the book more than I did at the beginning
At the end I'm like "What!?" How could the author leave me hanging like that!
Highly recommend the series I will be starting the 4th book shortly
At first I thought oh no what did the author do...I really didn't like the storyline..one of Rory's aunts writes books and one of them has come alive in the library
Will Rory figure out what is going on? For the sake of the Hawthorne family and their library we hope Rory figures out what is going on...
As I read along because I really didn't want to quit reading the book I found myself enjoying the book more than I did at the beginning
At the end I'm like "What!?" How could the author leave me hanging like that!
Highly recommend the series I will be starting the 4th book shortly
December 26, 2022
3.75 Stars
The last book ended with an exciting cliffhanger. I was excited to see the confrontation between the two characters. However, this book started a few weeks later and we learn that the new story claims the two characters meet for the first time in this book. Points off for that error.
Otherwise, the story was exciting and a real page turner. The plot is complicated. I had to go back and reread a couple of paragraphs to fully understand the action. If you are willing to give your attention to this story, I think you will love the plot and the action as much as I did. This magic system is getting more interesting with every story.
The last book ended with an exciting cliffhanger. I was excited to see the confrontation between the two characters. However, this book started a few weeks later and we learn that the new story claims the two characters meet for the first time in this book. Points off for that error.
Otherwise, the story was exciting and a real page turner. The plot is complicated. I had to go back and reread a couple of paragraphs to fully understand the action. If you are willing to give your attention to this story, I think you will love the plot and the action as much as I did. This magic system is getting more interesting with every story.
December 18, 2025
2.5 stars. Actually much better than the 2 previous books because it was more fun and finally made some use of the book/library theme.
You may be asking, "Ka, why don't you add tags to these books such as 'fun' or 'cute' that you sometimes use?" Well, mysterious reader, it's because those tags are intended to help me recall books I thought actually qualify for those labels, and while obviously many people disagree with me, I wouldn't put these books in either category myself.
I DID consider adding the "romance" tag to this series, but the romance aspect is just a tiny side plot. It's super clear the two people like each other (although WHY is beyond me), and that they will get together, despite how ridiculously uncertain Rory is about Xavier's feelings. I feel that a big component of non-porny romance stories (the ones that don't suck, anyhow) is supposed to be the reader's interest in how these two people get together, what draws them to one another, why they are a good match, etc, and none of that is really present in these books. Why does she like him? He's super hot, and also very nice and helpful. Wow, how interesting. And why does he like her? Fuck if I know! There doesn't seem to be any good reason, frankly.
Uh anyway this is technically a holiday (Christmas) book, but unusually for the cozy genre, the holiday has nothing to do with the plot and is barely mentioned. Normally, cozies seem to put Christmas on a pedestal and worship it as the most magical time of year or something, but in this book, it might as well not even be Christmas. I don't recall there even being the standard gift-giving scenes between ANY of the characters (either romantic or family). Why even bother setting it during the holiday? The only time it matters at all is that at one point, they need to invite the whole town to a party at the library, and as an excuse, they say it is a Christmas party.
You may be asking, "Ka, why don't you add tags to these books such as 'fun' or 'cute' that you sometimes use?" Well, mysterious reader, it's because those tags are intended to help me recall books I thought actually qualify for those labels, and while obviously many people disagree with me, I wouldn't put these books in either category myself.
I DID consider adding the "romance" tag to this series, but the romance aspect is just a tiny side plot. It's super clear the two people like each other (although WHY is beyond me), and that they will get together, despite how ridiculously uncertain Rory is about Xavier's feelings. I feel that a big component of non-porny romance stories (the ones that don't suck, anyhow) is supposed to be the reader's interest in how these two people get together, what draws them to one another, why they are a good match, etc, and none of that is really present in these books. Why does she like him? He's super hot, and also very nice and helpful. Wow, how interesting. And why does he like her? Fuck if I know! There doesn't seem to be any good reason, frankly.
Uh anyway this is technically a holiday (Christmas) book, but unusually for the cozy genre, the holiday has nothing to do with the plot and is barely mentioned. Normally, cozies seem to put Christmas on a pedestal and worship it as the most magical time of year or something, but in this book, it might as well not even be Christmas. I don't recall there even being the standard gift-giving scenes between ANY of the characters (either romantic or family). Why even bother setting it during the holiday? The only time it matters at all is that at one point, they need to invite the whole town to a party at the library, and as an excuse, they say it is a Christmas party.
May 29, 2019
Loved it!
I just love Rory! She's such a spunky character. Her Aunt Candace is definitely certifiable, but in a fun way. Aunt Adelaide and her cousin Estelle are the sane ones and cousin Cass is the snarky slightly mean one. All of them together keep the Library running. When a curse is let loose in the Library all heck breaks loose and it will take the whole family to contain it before it takes over the town. As if that's not enough, a reporter is trying to dig up dirt on the Library and the family and a notorious thief is breaking in all over town!
I just love Rory! She's such a spunky character. Her Aunt Candace is definitely certifiable, but in a fun way. Aunt Adelaide and her cousin Estelle are the sane ones and cousin Cass is the snarky slightly mean one. All of them together keep the Library running. When a curse is let loose in the Library all heck breaks loose and it will take the whole family to contain it before it takes over the town. As if that's not enough, a reporter is trying to dig up dirt on the Library and the family and a notorious thief is breaking in all over town!
June 13, 2022
Sorcery & Stories is the 2nd book in the Library Witch cozy paranormal series. It is Christmas in Ivory Beach. Rory and her family are busy with their magical bookstore especially after Aunt Candace's book characters come to life! Werewolves, elves, horses, and more! It creates big problems for the library and strange things are happening.. The characters are great and the mystery kept me guessing, although it was a little harder to follow than the previous 2 books. There are a few laughs and some fun antics. Quite enjoyable! #Sorcery&Stories
October 10, 2023
awesome magical series
Ok so am only on the third book. But I read the first two in one day and I plan on starting the next one today. I’m not one to give plot away or synopsis of the story, but I will tell you that you can start the series at any point. The plot of each book is different the only consistent plot is the romance line. Now for characters you got an smartass owl, gossiping crow, absent minded aunt, animal taming cousin, a vampire in the basement, the Grim Reaper and his apprentice and finally our heroine who needs to get catch up on the laws of magic quick.
Ok so am only on the third book. But I read the first two in one day and I plan on starting the next one today. I’m not one to give plot away or synopsis of the story, but I will tell you that you can start the series at any point. The plot of each book is different the only consistent plot is the romance line. Now for characters you got an smartass owl, gossiping crow, absent minded aunt, animal taming cousin, a vampire in the basement, the Grim Reaper and his apprentice and finally our heroine who needs to get catch up on the laws of magic quick.
May 15, 2019
Cliffhanger
It was great until the end. I hate books that end in a cliffhanger. Other than the cliffhanger, the writing was good, and the storyline was a little heart wrenching. I may or may not have cried. I didn’t know who the culprit was until the end (totally guessed wrong). Enjoyed Rory’s interactions with Xavier and the Grim Reaper. Still disappointed with the cliffhanger.
It was great until the end. I hate books that end in a cliffhanger. Other than the cliffhanger, the writing was good, and the storyline was a little heart wrenching. I may or may not have cried. I didn’t know who the culprit was until the end (totally guessed wrong). Enjoyed Rory’s interactions with Xavier and the Grim Reaper. Still disappointed with the cliffhanger.
February 10, 2021
The Wand Chose Her
Poor Rory: she can’t find a wand to work for her. She’s tried numerous wands in the wand shop, but none are the right one. If that weren’t enough, the library is under a curse. Have Kleenex at the ready when Rory saves the library and finds the right wand. A book not to be missed, even though I want to throttle Aunt Candace.
Poor Rory: she can’t find a wand to work for her. She’s tried numerous wands in the wand shop, but none are the right one. If that weren’t enough, the library is under a curse. Have Kleenex at the ready when Rory saves the library and finds the right wand. A book not to be missed, even though I want to throttle Aunt Candace.
July 28, 2023
Another good book
I have to admit, this author's imagination is amazing.
I did find the last chapter a little confusing in terms of why was where and doing what but it didn't detract from the story.
I know it can't happen, but I would love Rory to get some proper time with her mum and dad.
I have to admit, this author's imagination is amazing.
I did find the last chapter a little confusing in terms of why was where and doing what but it didn't detract from the story.
I know it can't happen, but I would love Rory to get some proper time with her mum and dad.
May 18, 2019
Crazy good mystery!
The author wrote an incredibly wild and crazy mystery! Throw in a lot of magic and it's fun too. I love Rory and her family. They are well written characters too. I didn't like the very end because of a small cliffhanger.
The author wrote an incredibly wild and crazy mystery! Throw in a lot of magic and it's fun too. I love Rory and her family. They are well written characters too. I didn't like the very end because of a small cliffhanger.
May 27, 2019
Easy read
This is a fun fast paced book that gets emotional
In the magical libary the books starts coming to life causing mayhem and madness with a witch and a reaper and cast of magical creatures what can go wrong lol
This is a fun fast paced book that gets emotional
In the magical libary the books starts coming to life causing mayhem and madness with a witch and a reaper and cast of magical creatures what can go wrong lol
July 1, 2019
Excellent! Great! Fantastic!
I totally love this series! The ladies are all fantastic and the storylines are hilarious. The town sounds perfect and the library sounds like a dream. I can't wait for the next book.
I totally love this series! The ladies are all fantastic and the storylines are hilarious. The town sounds perfect and the library sounds like a dream. I can't wait for the next book.
July 14, 2019
Spellbinding
This set of three books was amazing! I read them all in a weekend and was totally hooked, great characters and great stories I can't wait for the fourth book in September
This set of three books was amazing! I read them all in a weekend and was totally hooked, great characters and great stories I can't wait for the fourth book in September
February 4, 2020
I Love this series..
The who done it...Who did it..and where did everyone go..It's twist and turns and the surprising way it ended..Never knew if the curse was going to end or not..
The who done it...Who did it..and where did everyone go..It's twist and turns and the surprising way it ended..Never knew if the curse was going to end or not..
June 23, 2020
Newly Minted Witch Finds the Perfect Wand
Rory becomes caught up in a curse which threatened to destroy her whole family. She finally solves the mystery, ancestors order to the library. I loved the twists and turns that this storybtook.
Rory becomes caught up in a curse which threatened to destroy her whole family. She finally solves the mystery, ancestors order to the library. I loved the twists and turns that this storybtook.
November 16, 2021
A Pleasant Reading Experience
Rory continues her adventure but there is more telling than doing so the story although entertaining, is less interesting. I still look forward to the next story.
Rory continues her adventure but there is more telling than doing so the story although entertaining, is less interesting. I still look forward to the next story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews