Welcome to Spellford Cove, where the baking is sweet and the witches are wild.
Just when Robin thought things were settling down a bit in Spellford Cove, she finds herself mired in a murder investigation once more when a customer of hers is poisoned. Then just to make matters worse, a photo of Queen of Tarts cheesecake in front of the body is printed on the front page of the local paper.
Robin soon realizes that once again she has no choice but to try and find the killer, this time to save her business. But with the main reporter in town deciding to tank Robin's bakery, and that strange woman making another reappearance, Robin feels like a woman juggling too many muffins.
Can she find the killer and save her business? Or has Robin baked her last batch of brownies?
This is the second book in the Spellford Cove paranormal cozy mystery series.
Samantha Silver lives in British Columbia, Canada, along with her husband and seventeen-year-old dog named Terra.
When she's not writing cozy mysteries, Samantha loves travelling (she's most recently been to Egypt, Jordan and Florida) skiing, eating Dairy Queen, and complaining about how hard running is.
Last book of 2022 for me! And a very nice, quick listen too. I like this series.
I can't claim it's very original for its sub genre, but it is very pleasant and the characters are really easy to like and grow fond of.
There's apparently a lot of poisoning going on in Spellford Cove. Already in book 2 there's been so many deaths by poison that the writers of Midsomer Murders (TV version) would be proud, I think.
The short length of the story does come with a price though. Robin once again jumps to a very fast conclusion about the murderer and their motivations. And she's once again right.
A witch's intuition? Or just ... a rushed ending? The jury is sort of hung on that one, to be honest, because the murder does feel secondary in this book. The relationships between the core characters are a lot more enjoyable. I will probably binge this series!
WHAT A BREATH OF FRESH AIR IT IS TO GET TO GO BACK TO ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES IN THE WORLD SPELLFORD COVE!
This is the second book in the Spellford Cove series. I enjoyed the first one so much and was so intrigued to see what would happen in this one. Spoiler free, I thought it was done really well, especially considering it had been 6 months since I'd read book 1 - I worried it might take a while to get reacquainted. It didn't, it was back in this world really easily and quickly.
With more magic to learn, more great twists and turns, and better puns and fun from William Shakespaw then book 1, book 2 was an absolute treat.
This is the second book in the Spellford Cove series by Samantha Silver.
This story stars off with a bang. A gal comes into the Queen of Tarts bakery and wants a special sort of pumpkin cheesecake that Robin doesn’t have made for that particular day. The lady is very rude and eventually settles for a slice of Egg Nog cheesecake (doesn’t that sound good?). Not long later, this lady is found dead with Robin’s cheesecake half eaten and the Queen of Tarts bag lying on the ground next to her body. A pesky reporter takes a picture of the scene and the bag plus the cheesecake get into the photo. Now everyone thinks Robin’s cheesecake poisoned the lady.
This was a great story considering the limited amount of pages that the author used to describe everything. I wish it had been longer so I could have spent a bit longer in Spellford Cove.
Really enjoying the heck out of this series! Such a fun cozy romp into the mystery and magic of the Cove!
Loved so much about it. If you like magical cozy mysteries, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.
this is a fun, cozy mystery but my main (and biggest) complaint is that it feels like the mystery is almost more of a subplot than the main plot and the murdered is always revealed in the last like 15 pages and the conclusion does feel a bit rushed. while i have fun reading the first two, i feel like i need a large break before reading the next one because i fear i could get very bored very fast if i binge the series
Double, Double, Tart and Trouble is Book two in the Spellford Cove Series. This was a great follow up to the first book in the series. Robin is coming into her powers more and more every day. Someone that comes into her Queen of Tarts shop ends up dead by poison and now she is looking for the killer before she loses all her business.
I do really love this series, the characters are fantastic. I love Ella and Elsa, Robin's cousins. Jackie, Robin's grandmother is a strong witch with a snark attitude that I enjoy SO much.
The mysterious witch is back that tormented Robin in the first book and I know there is more secrets to be revealed in upcoming books.
Robin has been open for a fortnight and despite now having a broken arm is settling into the routine of the bakery and life in Spellford Cove. When Pauline walks into the bakery and kicks off because there are no more pumpkin cheesecake slices left demanding that one be made immediately Robin bites her tongue from her initial response and instead sells her the eggnog cheesecake telling her that she can buy the pumpkin one on Friday. She's reassured to hear that Pauline is not well liked and is pretty much like this with everyone she meets including the students she teaches science to at the high school.
When the bakery closes for the afternoon Robin is dismayed to see that a gathering outside the coffee shop is because Pauline has dropped dead in the street, her box of, now half eaten, cheesecake lying beside her on the pavement.
Local journalist Bianca, small minded and determined to crack into the big leagues, plasters a picture of the cake lying beside Pauline's blurred out corpse on the front of the paper and immediately everyone assumes that Robin poisoned Pauline. If Robin doesn't clear her name she's not going to have a business left.. so it's clichéd but there we go.. the first book in the series I kind of forgave the sudden I know who it is with no real investigation or thought process but this time it's worse with a giant leap and everything falling into place without the evidence to go with it.. no mysterious men hounding anyone.. no strangers in town.. no nothing really..
There's also a completely random thing going on with a witch who tries to take Robin away from Spellford Cove. This is beyond belief, it's poorly constructed, woodenly written and unfortunately ridiculous. I'd say it's comic it's so bad but it's not funny it just expects a suspension of disbelief that isn't backed up within the story itself, it lacks depth or any real form. It's just too much.
There's a lack of realism to the murder and its resolution that is really quite frustrating. We're also dealing with poorly constructed sentences, especially when multiple characters are conversing, and a lack of continuity.
In the first novel Diane was running the bakery when she was pregnant with Robin which would have been 30 year's ago. In this second novel one of Diane's niece's states that the business is only 15 years old, which either makes Robin 15 or leaves us with a gaping plot hole in the first book. It doesn't end there though as Robin herself says that the business is over two decades old, which is not what you would say if the business was established over 30 years ago. So which one is correct?
Three stars is generous.. but I wanted it to be better.. it could be better, it wouldn't take much to fix the errors and build a better introduction to the other witch thing..
This is the second book in a new entertaining supernatural cozy mystery series. A great cast of characters and a entertaining and fun storyline. Robin a 28-year-old woman who grew up with her adoptive parents knowing that she was adopted but also being loved by her parents. A couple years back her parents died and Robin is now working minimum wage jobs just to get by in Minneapolis. One day she comes home to find her apartment ransacked and a letter on her table introducing her to the fact that she has some biological family out living in Washington state. She soon decides what the heck nothing is holding her in Minneapolis and she wants to change. She drives her old beat up car out to the small town and meets her aunt and cousins. She soon thinks they are nuts as they try and tell her that she is a witch and so are they and that magic is real. All this is told in the first book and she soon finds out that they are telling the truth. In the first book while having a meal at the local diner a pompous jerk that would not leave her alone is eating next year at the diner counter and stands up gas collapses and dies. In the first book everyone thinks she is responsible. In the process of meeting her new family she also finds out that her mother at least her biological mother who recently passed away has left her a bakery. Well she tries to start her new life and run a business and learn magic she is stressed into solving a mystery to keep her new life from unraveling immediately. In a second book once again a crime happens and Robin must help solve the mystery to keep trouble at bay. There’s much more going on besides the main crime and you’ll have to read on to find out. Extraordinarily entertaining and fast paced with bits of action and humor thrown in. You will not be disappointed, so go check it out.
OMG!! One of the two most obnoxious people in town is now an equally unlikable ghost, Robin's business is on the verge of going under (thanks to the other malicious person), the purple woman is back with nefarious intent, and Robin is still recovering from her last run-in with a killer...this must be life in Spellford Cove since she's only been here two weeks! The story is action-packed, Robin's newly discovered family is so entertaining, and it's a pleasant change to have a series centered on a fledgling witch who is ACTUALLY INTERESTED IN LEARNING TO WIELD HER MAGIC. The teaser regarding Robin's origins is deftly handled, and that ending...! I look forward to Book Three!
Seriously liking this series. Robin ends up in the middle of a murder once again after arguing with the person who ends up dead. Needless to say, business does not boom when a newspaper article features a very prominent bakery logo and names Robin's bakery as being the possible responsible party to poison said dead person. More hijinks with her cousins and she lets Hunter in on the secret of their breaking and entering and what they find while doing so. Amid the murder investigation, she's kidnapped! Robin really does NOT have the best of luck! But she has great friends/family in her cousins and Jackie. While not unexpected, the twist at the end, once again, leaves you wanting to dive immediately into the next book. Which I think I will do now.
I enjoyed this book but had the usual problem with books about new witches trying to solve murders...why do they do something illegal (such as breaking in and entering a house) to try to solve the mystery? And...author please note - I do NOT like books that end in cliffhangers! If your book is good I will read the next one in the series. Don't introduce a new character in the last few pages go the book and leave their story for the next book! Arghhh!
Amazon synopsis: Just when Robin thought things were settling down a bit in Spellford Cove, she finds herself mired in a murder investigation once more when a customer of hers is poisoned. Then just to make matters worse, a photo of Queen of Tarts cheesecake in front of the body is printed on the front page of the local paper.
Robin soon realizes that once again she has no choice but to try and find the killer, this time to save her business. But with the main reporter in town deciding to tank Robin's bakery, and that strange woman making another reappearance, Robin feels like a woman juggling too many muffins.
Can she find the killer and save her business? Or has Robin baked her last batch of brownies?
Double, Double, Tart and Trouble by Samantha Silver is a delightful addition to the Spellford Cove series and a quick read. I have thus far enjoyed this series, and while it may not break new ground in its subgenre, it's undeniably pleasant and full of characters that you can't help but fall in love with. You know, the ones you just can't help but get attached to.
In this installment, we find ourselves knee-deep in yet another murder investigation in Spellford Cove, and it's clear that the little town has more than its fair share of poisonings.
The only downside of this book is its brevity. The story unfolds quite rapidly, and, much like the protagonist, Robin, we're quickly led to the conclusion about the identity of the murderer and their motivations. The murder plot seems to take a back seat to the relationships between the core characters, which are much more enjoyable to explore.
Ultimately, Double, Double, Tart, and Trouble is a delightful and enjoyable addition to the Spellford Cove series. It may follow some familiar tropes, but the camaraderie and charm of the characters keep us coming back for more.
I enjoyed being back in Spellford Cove and hanging out with the characters in this second book. There were some writing issues that pulled me out of the story and there were some obvious questions/leads that the characters missed that I don't think they actually would have missed--they're too smart to have missed these clues. So some character inconsistencies reduced my enjoyment as well. It was still cozy and there were some good twists regarding the supernatural side of the story. 2 stars out of 5 and 3 bottles of poison out of 5.
Not bad but a bit like reading the first book again. The writer, in a few cases, seems to forget things she'd previously written and which the editor should have picked up on. Also, her familiar doesn't appear to do much more than sleep, eat and read, yes it's a cat, but isn't a familiar supposed to do something helpful? Still, the book was free and quite innocuous.
The issues did not get any better. Still a great deal lacking. Why is there a familiar? It seems he's just there to talk to Robin and read. Another issue I have with this series... the dialog is repetitive. As in, one conversation with two people. I can't recall if it's this book specifically. And was Antonio introduced in this one? That story line is a disaster and super cheesy. The "mystery" is rushed. (Oh yea, is that why we're here? Oh, here's the murderer.)
Ends in a cliffhanger.Just when Robin thought things were settling down a bit in Spellford Cove, she finds herself mired in a murder investigation once more when a customer of hers is poisoned. Then just to make matters worse, a photo of Queen of Tarts cheesecake in front of the body is printed on the front page of the local paper. I borrowed this book from Kindle Unlimited. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
I really like this series about a newly discovered kitchen witch that is contacted by her birth family. She moves from Minnesota to Washington to start a new life running her deceased mothers bakery and learning magic. The plot and subplots move quickly,making it hard to put the book down. I can't wait for the next installment!
A very surly disgruntled person is murder and the Queen of tarts boxed cheesecake that was half eaten was on the ground, pictures were snapped and another mystery to be solved before Robin went bankrupt. The curry on top of the cheese cake was a woman who did not take no for an answer.
I enjoyed the book very much but really would like more development of the characters, especially Shakes. He’s a familiar yet really is only a talking cat. He could be so much more as part of the adventures instead of sleeping. The story line could be a little more smoothly developed. Definitely have the proof reader be a little more careful.
So I liked the first book but this one has been a rollercoaster ride from the get go. Wouldn’t you know it Robin served a cheesecake and the lady died. Now she just needs to prove it wasn’t her or her bakery is gonna be no more. We also meet so many crazies like Cassandra the witch obsessed with getting Robin to come with her. Now I am off to read the next book!
A 3.5 for me, but it deserved to be rounded up and not down.
Well, this one took a definite turn for the weird, even in a paranormal mystery. I still enjoyed it, and Robin cracks me up. I love how she's a bit clumsy, takes no crap, and has no filter. Her cat is awesome, but I wish he was given more to do.
While I have been thoroughly enjoying the books so far, I have to ask why the protagonist is stupid enough to not learn from her mistakes? Her arm is still in a cast from the last time and she does it again? I'm not sure I want to continue this series. The stupidity is annoying.
Robin just can’t catch a break! After solving a murder and clearing her name she finally starts to feel at home in Spellford Cove and in running her bakery. But disaster strikes again when a woman, who’s seemingly poisoned, is photographed with a dessert from Good to the Last Tart. Now Robin must find out what really happened before her bakery is blamed for the murder.
Robin begins to learn more about her powers and her lineage as she once again see is to solve a mysterious death by poisoning that threatens to bring down her bakery business.
Samantha Silver never fails to write a fun mystery with lots of twists. I like that the cat loves to read but he could get in on the action sometimes. I also love that the cat's name is William Shakespaw. That's just too cute. Great read!
Would have been good if there weren’t so many sloppy mistakes. One minute the victim has no kids then she suddenly has one named Henry. Then the victims best friend is named Helen until one scene where she becomes Heather. Whaaaat? Who proofread this?
Another exciting read by Samantha Silver. Shakes cat like as ever. Another killer on the lose to figure out who it is... And the ending spectacular. Cant say anything without spoiling that tidbit but it was amazing!
This is the second book in the Spellford Cove series, and it was excellent! Robin is an endearing character and the mystery has an interesting twist. Looking forward to the next book.
I enjoyed this mystery. The murder victim deserved her fate. The murderer was the least likely person I also like the continuing mystery about Robin's father.
I'm really starting to like the main character. The side characters don't really have much of a storyline but none are annoying. Can't wait to see where this series goes, I believe it'll just keep getting better.
Overall I liked this book. Some parts I didn't like. Such as the weird woman. I know she has magic but in a small town people would notice her. Also who doesn't explain why you needed to go with them and just kidnaps you straight off. I get that she's crazy but it was a bit too odd for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.