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Familiar Kitten Mysteries #31
Mischief and Merlot
Kinsley Wilson has enough on her a donut shop to run, two daughters to raise, and magical powers she can barely control. (The exploding toaster incident was THREE WEEKS ago, thank you very much.)
Plus, she's got Meri... a black cat familiar whose sarcasm could curdle milk, and Bonkers, an orange furball who considers reorganizing the pantry by "chromatic aromatic system" to be his sacred duty. Between Meri's cutting commentary and Bonkers' catastrophic enthusiasm, Kinsley's magical household barely needs actual spells to create chaos.
So when her mother drags her to a wine tasting at Elderwood Family Vineyard, Kinsley is just hoping to enjoy some fermented grape juice without accidentally levitating the glassware.
Instead, she gets murder.
When a notoriously harsh wine critic is found dead in the barrel room, Kinsley's empathic abilities sense something beyond ordinary malice at play. The vineyard itself seems to pulse with secrets. It's got archaic magical lineages, mysterious soil, and a hidden project someone would kill to protect.
Now Kinsley must work alongside her sheriff husband to solve the case before the killer uncorks another deadly vintage. And she's got to do it all while keeping Bonkers from declaring himself "OFFICIAL DETECTIVE FAMILIAR" and Meri from solving the case through the sheer power of withering disdain.
Some wines improve with age. Some secrets ferment into murder. Some familiars should never be left unsupervised.
Plus, she's got Meri... a black cat familiar whose sarcasm could curdle milk, and Bonkers, an orange furball who considers reorganizing the pantry by "chromatic aromatic system" to be his sacred duty. Between Meri's cutting commentary and Bonkers' catastrophic enthusiasm, Kinsley's magical household barely needs actual spells to create chaos.
So when her mother drags her to a wine tasting at Elderwood Family Vineyard, Kinsley is just hoping to enjoy some fermented grape juice without accidentally levitating the glassware.
Instead, she gets murder.
When a notoriously harsh wine critic is found dead in the barrel room, Kinsley's empathic abilities sense something beyond ordinary malice at play. The vineyard itself seems to pulse with secrets. It's got archaic magical lineages, mysterious soil, and a hidden project someone would kill to protect.
Now Kinsley must work alongside her sheriff husband to solve the case before the killer uncorks another deadly vintage. And she's got to do it all while keeping Bonkers from declaring himself "OFFICIAL DETECTIVE FAMILIAR" and Meri from solving the case through the sheer power of withering disdain.
Some wines improve with age. Some secrets ferment into murder. Some familiars should never be left unsupervised.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 9, 2025
120 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Sara Bourgeois
234 books343 followersSara Bourgeois is a Midwesterner through and through. She spends her time writing, reading, herding cats, and standing in her driveway during tornado warnings. (You can't see them from the basement.)
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 12, 2025
Not my favorite installment.
Too much repetition about wine (and I do mean repetition), and not enough substance. It felt like a story idea that someone added words to until it reached a required minimum. No feeling, just events mentioned.
And of course, nobody's smile "reached their eyes." It must be an epidemic because it happens so often, and sometimes in groups of people!
Too much repetition about wine (and I do mean repetition), and not enough substance. It felt like a story idea that someone added words to until it reached a required minimum. No feeling, just events mentioned.
And of course, nobody's smile "reached their eyes." It must be an epidemic because it happens so often, and sometimes in groups of people!
June 25, 2025
Sara Bourgeois does it again
Another entertaining escapade. This series of books are just fun to read. It always has a mystery to solve that really keeps me guessing. You won't be disappointed.
Another entertaining escapade. This series of books are just fun to read. It always has a mystery to solve that really keeps me guessing. You won't be disappointed.
May 28, 2025
Mischief and Merlot
Another mystery solved and wine coming from magic. Wonder wha that would really taste like. Sure would like a sip of it.
Another mystery solved and wine coming from magic. Wonder wha that would really taste like. Sure would like a sip of it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews