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ToadWitch #2
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're In Trouble!
Mara’s in hell! Neither one of the guys in her life is talking to her. Paul, her ex-boyfriend, is afraid she’s going to give birth to a baby demon—complete with horns and hooves. He wants proof that he’s actually the father. And her best friend, Gus, is so obsessed with his new boyfriend and his plans for the late, great, Lord Grundleshanks the Poisonous Toad, he has no time for anyone else.
After Gus flips the seasons and manages to bring summer into winter, everything starts going weirdly wrong. Summer refuses to leave. Household electronics start going haywire. When J.J., a local boy, vanishes from Mara's car, Mara begins to suspect he's been turned into a rat. But it’s such a crazy idea, who could she possibly talk to abut it? Then, her dead Aunt Tillie shows up to warn her that Gus is in trouble—big trouble—and it’s up to Mara to save him.
Before Mara can stop him, Gus opens up a portal to Hell and the Devil comes calling. Now, she’s got her hands full, trying to find out what happened to J.J., assure Paul she’s not going to give birth to a mythological creature, and broker a truce between Gus and the Devil before Gus becomes Hell’s newest resident.
After Gus flips the seasons and manages to bring summer into winter, everything starts going weirdly wrong. Summer refuses to leave. Household electronics start going haywire. When J.J., a local boy, vanishes from Mara's car, Mara begins to suspect he's been turned into a rat. But it’s such a crazy idea, who could she possibly talk to abut it? Then, her dead Aunt Tillie shows up to warn her that Gus is in trouble—big trouble—and it’s up to Mara to save him.
Before Mara can stop him, Gus opens up a portal to Hell and the Devil comes calling. Now, she’s got her hands full, trying to find out what happened to J.J., assure Paul she’s not going to give birth to a mythological creature, and broker a truce between Gus and the Devil before Gus becomes Hell’s newest resident.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2014
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479 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 8, 2014
Rating: 3.25* of five
The Publisher Says: Mara’s in hell! Neither one of the guys in her life is talking to her. Paul, her ex-boyfriend, is afraid she’s going to give birth to a baby demon—complete with horns and hooves. He wants proof that he’s actually the father. And her best friend, Gus, is so obsessed with his new boyfriend and his plans for the late, great, Lord Grundleshanks the Poisonous Toad, he has no time for anyone else.
After Gus flips the seasons and manages to bring summer into winter, everything starts going weirdly wrong. Summer refuses to leave. Household electronics start going haywire. When J.J., a local boy, vanishes from Mara's car, Mara begins to suspect he's been turned into a rat. But it’s such a crazy idea, who could she possibly talk to abut it? Then, her dead Aunt Tillie shows up to warn her that Gus is in trouble—big trouble—and it’s up to Mara to save him.
Before Mara can stop him, Gus opens up a portal to Hell and the Devil comes calling. Now, she’s got her hands full, trying to find out what happened to J.J., assure Paul she’s not going to give birth to a mythological creature, and broker a truce between Gus and the Devil before Gus becomes Hell’s newest resident.
My Review: I think there's something magical about these books. I mean that in the literal, not the figurative, sense. I was casting about for a Sunday review to tart up and post on my blog, and a random person "Like"d my review of the first Toad Witch mystery at Goodreads. Why the heck not, it's the weekend, thought I, some supernatural silliness will go down a treat. Part of posting reviews to my blog is finding a link to the publisher's information; that led to Amazon; and there was an enticement to pre-order the next book in the series, which just *happened* to be dropping onto one's Kindle the next day!
*hattip to Miller's efficacious spellmongering*
I've read it now, and found it fun, light, and charming. I enjoyed my time back in Devil's Point, Wisconsin, and was happy that Mara and Gus were sparring and bantering and charging ahead into uncharted waters (in winter, in Wisconsin!), heedless and hedonistic or hangdog and fearful, and not infrequently both by turns.
I've scored it a quarter point lower than the first installment because such annoyances as possessives used for plurals, almost-correct words (instance is used, instant is meant), and variant spellings within a line of each other (the character of Forrest is called Forest several times) should, by this second book, be ironed out by a better-paid proofreader and separate better-paid copyeditor.
Irascible and brimful of zest for living, Aunt Tillie the shade reminds me of a passed-away Ruth Zardo from Louise Penny's Three Pines. Gus and Mara are a lot like Olivier and Gabri from that series, snappish and loving by turns. These are compliments, as I'm sure most reading this would know; I'm invested in the characters. I like the ongoing problems Mara has, as a mom-to-be, with her baby-daddy, because the set-up for her pregnancy is...unusual...and caused baby-daddy "Post-Possession Stress Disorder." I like the way Miller is layering in future plots based on the Hellmouth's location under Mara's cottage and the struggle against De Debbil Hisse'f it provides.
It's kind of the anti-Garden Spells, in a way; all the sweetness ripped from the bones of the story, but left behind is the generational sisterhood of magical protectresses. If that's a trope that appeals to you, the reasonable cost of these paranormal suspense novels should make them a no-brainer one-click purchase.
It worked on me, after all.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: Mara’s in hell! Neither one of the guys in her life is talking to her. Paul, her ex-boyfriend, is afraid she’s going to give birth to a baby demon—complete with horns and hooves. He wants proof that he’s actually the father. And her best friend, Gus, is so obsessed with his new boyfriend and his plans for the late, great, Lord Grundleshanks the Poisonous Toad, he has no time for anyone else.
After Gus flips the seasons and manages to bring summer into winter, everything starts going weirdly wrong. Summer refuses to leave. Household electronics start going haywire. When J.J., a local boy, vanishes from Mara's car, Mara begins to suspect he's been turned into a rat. But it’s such a crazy idea, who could she possibly talk to abut it? Then, her dead Aunt Tillie shows up to warn her that Gus is in trouble—big trouble—and it’s up to Mara to save him.
Before Mara can stop him, Gus opens up a portal to Hell and the Devil comes calling. Now, she’s got her hands full, trying to find out what happened to J.J., assure Paul she’s not going to give birth to a mythological creature, and broker a truce between Gus and the Devil before Gus becomes Hell’s newest resident.
My Review: I think there's something magical about these books. I mean that in the literal, not the figurative, sense. I was casting about for a Sunday review to tart up and post on my blog, and a random person "Like"d my review of the first Toad Witch mystery at Goodreads. Why the heck not, it's the weekend, thought I, some supernatural silliness will go down a treat. Part of posting reviews to my blog is finding a link to the publisher's information; that led to Amazon; and there was an enticement to pre-order the next book in the series, which just *happened* to be dropping onto one's Kindle the next day!
*hattip to Miller's efficacious spellmongering*
I've read it now, and found it fun, light, and charming. I enjoyed my time back in Devil's Point, Wisconsin, and was happy that Mara and Gus were sparring and bantering and charging ahead into uncharted waters (in winter, in Wisconsin!), heedless and hedonistic or hangdog and fearful, and not infrequently both by turns.
I've scored it a quarter point lower than the first installment because such annoyances as possessives used for plurals, almost-correct words (instance is used, instant is meant), and variant spellings within a line of each other (the character of Forrest is called Forest several times) should, by this second book, be ironed out by a better-paid proofreader and separate better-paid copyeditor.
Irascible and brimful of zest for living, Aunt Tillie the shade reminds me of a passed-away Ruth Zardo from Louise Penny's Three Pines. Gus and Mara are a lot like Olivier and Gabri from that series, snappish and loving by turns. These are compliments, as I'm sure most reading this would know; I'm invested in the characters. I like the ongoing problems Mara has, as a mom-to-be, with her baby-daddy, because the set-up for her pregnancy is...unusual...and caused baby-daddy "Post-Possession Stress Disorder." I like the way Miller is layering in future plots based on the Hellmouth's location under Mara's cottage and the struggle against De Debbil Hisse'f it provides.
It's kind of the anti-Garden Spells, in a way; all the sweetness ripped from the bones of the story, but left behind is the generational sisterhood of magical protectresses. If that's a trope that appeals to you, the reasonable cost of these paranormal suspense novels should make them a no-brainer one-click purchase.
It worked on me, after all.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
October 29, 2021
This is a really fun series that can get dark which I love.
June 14, 2017
Fun kinda read. Held my interest, but predictable. Not dying to run out and get the first one in the series, or the next one. Good thing it's short
January 12, 2016
Well, Now I Know.....
"The Toad Witch Mysteries" is truly a series, not just a few related books, more than likely not a trilogy either. Ms. Miller could keep the series going for as long as she wants! She's laid the groundwork, now all she has to do is come up with the future plotlines. For instance, now Mara and Gus have to go to New Orleans, to help their friend, and Mara's baby has to be born eventually, what's going to happen with her partial baby Daddy, and just how much power will her baby have? Will it (because we don't know if it's a girl or a boy), have good strong magic, or will it be tainted by Lucien's part of it's make-up? Lots of questions still left unanswered! I wonder how many more books will star a pregnant Mara, and when her baby will appear. I hope it's a girl, like Mara has been imagining it is, and not a boy, like Gus is insisting it is!
All in all, very interesting, very knowledgeable, sometimes quite funny, a bit scary too, but it sure has me interested in reading more!
"The Toad Witch Mysteries" is truly a series, not just a few related books, more than likely not a trilogy either. Ms. Miller could keep the series going for as long as she wants! She's laid the groundwork, now all she has to do is come up with the future plotlines. For instance, now Mara and Gus have to go to New Orleans, to help their friend, and Mara's baby has to be born eventually, what's going to happen with her partial baby Daddy, and just how much power will her baby have? Will it (because we don't know if it's a girl or a boy), have good strong magic, or will it be tainted by Lucien's part of it's make-up? Lots of questions still left unanswered! I wonder how many more books will star a pregnant Mara, and when her baby will appear. I hope it's a girl, like Mara has been imagining it is, and not a boy, like Gus is insisting it is!
All in all, very interesting, very knowledgeable, sometimes quite funny, a bit scary too, but it sure has me interested in reading more!
January 14, 2018
I got the first book in the series because it was free on Amazon and came as one of the recommended books of the day sort of thing from ereaderiq.com. Started reading it, and I couldn't tell if I liked it or not, couldn't tell if it was good or not, and couldn't tell if this book would be offensive to my wiccan friends. I finished the first book in the series, and I still couldn't tell if I liked it, if it was good, or if it would be offensive to my wiccan friends. But it was sufficiently engrossing that I looked for the sequel.
This, the sequel, was not free. But I got it anyway. And I can't tell if I liked it, I can't tell if it was good, and I can't tell if it would be offensive to my wiccan friends. Elements were entirely predictable, and yet I had no idea exactly where it was going until the very end, and it kept me engrossed until the end.
This series confuses me.
This, the sequel, was not free. But I got it anyway. And I can't tell if I liked it, I can't tell if it was good, and I can't tell if it would be offensive to my wiccan friends. Elements were entirely predictable, and yet I had no idea exactly where it was going until the very end, and it kept me engrossed until the end.
This series confuses me.
March 6, 2016
i loved the first book so much, I had to get and read book two. Now we must wait for book three, I hope the wait isnt very long.
I cant believe some of that stuff that Gus got into. He definitely made me want to slap him sometimes. Especially when he threw away all the munchies in the house. bad gus.
i am looking forward to the next book. wow
I cant believe some of that stuff that Gus got into. He definitely made me want to slap him sometimes. Especially when he threw away all the munchies in the house. bad gus.
i am looking forward to the next book. wow
November 19, 2015
This was better than the first one as the language and the sex scenes were tones down quite a bit. Still a bit strange is a lot of ways. If you are into supernatural and witchcraft, this one is for you.
December 9, 2015
can't wait for the next one
This was even better than the first book, I can't wait until the next one becomes available. Toad Witch Rules!
This was even better than the first book, I can't wait until the next one becomes available. Toad Witch Rules!
Read
February 18, 2016It was ok
I really wanted a bit more...but hey I did enjoy it. Maybe a third book about baby would be really great.
I really wanted a bit more...but hey I did enjoy it. Maybe a third book about baby would be really great.
July 7, 2018
After being possessed by ancestors who were up to no good, Mara's now pregnant with a witch, possibly demon child. Mara may want the baby but that doesn't mean Paul, her boyfriend who is struggling from post possession disorder is on side. If that were not enough, Gus, the man that she can always count is obsessed with the remains of Lord Grundleshanks - a deceased magical toad. Aunt Tillie knows that things are about to go desperately wrong but can Mara figure it out in time to saver her best friend?
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're In Trouble is the perfect book to pick up to relax on a beautiful lazy S afternoon. It's light and it's fun and an extremely easy read. Don't go into expecting anything earth shattering and you should have a good time with it.
Miller did more world building in this second outing for Mara and Gus and we learn that Devil's Point is actually quite aptly named. Sure, living on top of a hellmouth means that Mara and Gus can work magnificent spells now but maybe just maybe there's a reason there are limits to a witches powers. Even though Mara and Gus have only recently gotten over their latest bit of trouble with the supernatural, Gus's stubbornness means that they are full steam ahead because after all, rules are meant to broken right?
What makes this book interesting is the constant bickering between Gus and Mara. They are like wild siblings who love each other but cannot seem to stop snarking. I love that Gus completely supported Mara's choice to keep her baby and even offered to step into the role of father figure in place of the deadbeat Paul, even though Gus constantly wishing for a boy was somewhat irksome to me.
I really want Gus to have his own life separate from Mara. As it is, he's already picked up his life and moved to Wisconsin because Mara did. Then there's his obsession with every morsel of food Mara puts in her mouth barbecue she's pregnant. It's a stark contrast to Mara's assertions about her body. Throwing out all of Mara's favourite foods because he didn't think she should eat them any longer is crossing a line. Then there's the issue that Gus finally got a boyfriend and of course, it's the devil. They both agree that they want happiness for the other and while their relationship is great, Gus being so intertwined in Mara's life turns him into GBFF and that's a trope. It is further problematic that Miller just had to come up with a reason for these two to kiss. Ummm nope. Let Gus be the gay man that he is.
Mara showed real backbone when she stood up to Paul declaring that since the baby was in her body that it was her choice. It's not often in media that we have such strong declarations of female reproductive freedom. I will however say that Miller only chose this stance because Mara had chosen to keep her baby. Media is generally speaking reluctant to take this tact when a woman is choosing to have an abortion. I liked that Mara not only justified her decision by claiming her body but that she also told Paul he could choose the level of his interaction with the child.
As for Paul, him going through post traumatic possession disorder while played for laughs at times is actually very important. Quite often, in this genre, characters go through unspeakable things and they seem to just magically bounce back from trauma after trauma with no ill effects. Paul recognising that he needed to seek mental healthcare when dealing with the after effects of having his body possessed is really important, even if he couldn't tell his psychiatrist the whole truth about what was troubling him. Where Paul's trauma did fall down was his concern about the baby having hooves or horns. Yes, to the medical staff it made him seem unstable and it was absolutely played for laughs; however, given that he was possessed by a demon, it's not an unreasonable concern.
Read More
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're In Trouble is the perfect book to pick up to relax on a beautiful lazy S afternoon. It's light and it's fun and an extremely easy read. Don't go into expecting anything earth shattering and you should have a good time with it.
Miller did more world building in this second outing for Mara and Gus and we learn that Devil's Point is actually quite aptly named. Sure, living on top of a hellmouth means that Mara and Gus can work magnificent spells now but maybe just maybe there's a reason there are limits to a witches powers. Even though Mara and Gus have only recently gotten over their latest bit of trouble with the supernatural, Gus's stubbornness means that they are full steam ahead because after all, rules are meant to broken right?
What makes this book interesting is the constant bickering between Gus and Mara. They are like wild siblings who love each other but cannot seem to stop snarking. I love that Gus completely supported Mara's choice to keep her baby and even offered to step into the role of father figure in place of the deadbeat Paul, even though Gus constantly wishing for a boy was somewhat irksome to me.
I really want Gus to have his own life separate from Mara. As it is, he's already picked up his life and moved to Wisconsin because Mara did. Then there's his obsession with every morsel of food Mara puts in her mouth barbecue she's pregnant. It's a stark contrast to Mara's assertions about her body. Throwing out all of Mara's favourite foods because he didn't think she should eat them any longer is crossing a line. Then there's the issue that Gus finally got a boyfriend and of course, it's the devil. They both agree that they want happiness for the other and while their relationship is great, Gus being so intertwined in Mara's life turns him into GBFF and that's a trope. It is further problematic that Miller just had to come up with a reason for these two to kiss. Ummm nope. Let Gus be the gay man that he is.
Mara showed real backbone when she stood up to Paul declaring that since the baby was in her body that it was her choice. It's not often in media that we have such strong declarations of female reproductive freedom. I will however say that Miller only chose this stance because Mara had chosen to keep her baby. Media is generally speaking reluctant to take this tact when a woman is choosing to have an abortion. I liked that Mara not only justified her decision by claiming her body but that she also told Paul he could choose the level of his interaction with the child.
As for Paul, him going through post traumatic possession disorder while played for laughs at times is actually very important. Quite often, in this genre, characters go through unspeakable things and they seem to just magically bounce back from trauma after trauma with no ill effects. Paul recognising that he needed to seek mental healthcare when dealing with the after effects of having his body possessed is really important, even if he couldn't tell his psychiatrist the whole truth about what was troubling him. Where Paul's trauma did fall down was his concern about the baby having hooves or horns. Yes, to the medical staff it made him seem unstable and it was absolutely played for laughs; however, given that he was possessed by a demon, it's not an unreasonable concern.
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December 18, 2018
3.75 for this fun and quirky book
Mara and Gus are at it again! Gus has it in his head that he needs to honor Grundleshanks for the sacrifice that psychedelic toad had made in book 1, and it lands them into a series of trouble that strangley only Mara seems to see coming. Gus loses faith in her, Paul is an ass, the morning sickness is out of control, and someone needs to change the litter box. What's worse, Gus's new beau is driving a rift between friends.
Here's what I didn't like: Holy scene breaks, batman! A lot of it felt like the author would write a couple hundred words, scene break, and then flow right into the same thing. Like I'm not sure exactly why the need for so many breaks were in this book. I don't even remember it being like this in the first one, but what was the point? The very next scene was just a continuation of the first scene. There wasn't a POV change, so that wasn't the reason. She went down the stairs? Is that why? I was thoroughly perplexed by the scene breaks, and it made the flow of a lot of the chapters choppy, and encouraged me to do something else instead of continually reading. Luckily, I'm as stubborn as Gus is. There's also some minor punctuation issues around dialog and action tags. (Paul's a real jerk in this book, and the rift between them feels natural, and I don't like him, but that's not a flaw). I pegged Forrest immediately, but only because I instinctively imagined him as a certain actor who has played that type of role a couple times.
Here's what I liked: It has the same easy, happy go lucky feel as book 1, and the same charm that... charmed me. I loved the toadstool, the banter between Gus and Mara. Grundleshanks, the on going aunt tillie theme.
Overall, this was a nice red, the plot was presented in a timely manner and had good pacing, but the unnecessary scene breaks hurt the flow of the books.
Mara and Gus are at it again! Gus has it in his head that he needs to honor Grundleshanks for the sacrifice that psychedelic toad had made in book 1, and it lands them into a series of trouble that strangley only Mara seems to see coming. Gus loses faith in her, Paul is an ass, the morning sickness is out of control, and someone needs to change the litter box. What's worse, Gus's new beau is driving a rift between friends.
Here's what I didn't like: Holy scene breaks, batman! A lot of it felt like the author would write a couple hundred words, scene break, and then flow right into the same thing. Like I'm not sure exactly why the need for so many breaks were in this book. I don't even remember it being like this in the first one, but what was the point? The very next scene was just a continuation of the first scene. There wasn't a POV change, so that wasn't the reason. She went down the stairs? Is that why? I was thoroughly perplexed by the scene breaks, and it made the flow of a lot of the chapters choppy, and encouraged me to do something else instead of continually reading. Luckily, I'm as stubborn as Gus is. There's also some minor punctuation issues around dialog and action tags. (Paul's a real jerk in this book, and the rift between them feels natural, and I don't like him, but that's not a flaw). I pegged Forrest immediately, but only because I instinctively imagined him as a certain actor who has played that type of role a couple times.
Here's what I liked: It has the same easy, happy go lucky feel as book 1, and the same charm that... charmed me. I loved the toadstool, the banter between Gus and Mara. Grundleshanks, the on going aunt tillie theme.
Overall, this was a nice red, the plot was presented in a timely manner and had good pacing, but the unnecessary scene breaks hurt the flow of the books.
October 6, 2021
Second in the Toad Witch Mysteries cozy paranormal mystery series and revolving around Mara Stephens and her relationships with Gus and Paul.
My Take
It's an interesting set of interactions. The more rational Mara trying to have a relationship with the erratic Paul who's suffering through Post-Possession Stress Disorder while living with the gay flamboyance of Gus. I guess it would make sense that Gus would interact with the Faery realm. And no, it has nothing to do with his being gay.
Miller is using first person protagonist point-of-view, so we always view it from Mara's perspective. From Gus' crazy choices to baby's unexpected abilities to the incredibly rude and interfering Aunt Tillie and the freaked-out Paul.
Mara is too gullible and accepting of Gus' antics. Nor do I understand why she's still interested in Paul. He is such a jerk. To be fair, I guess I can understand his worries about the baby: horns, wings, hooves, claws . . .
Gus . . . he is a crack-up and so very irresponsible. It's pretty accurate when the Devil says he's his poster child!
There are some fun observations about the Dobies. There is also a lot of back-and-forth about whether Aunt Tillie really is still around — Gus totally disbelieves her. I reckon it's because it doesn't suit Gus' plans.
I don't really get what is going on with Grundleshanks. He's dead? He's not dead? He's a ghost? He's got a bit of Lucien in him?
It's crazy magic
The Story
After Gus flips the seasons and manages to bring summer into winter, everything starts going weirdly wrong. Summer refuses to leave. Household electronics start going haywire. When J.J., a local boy, vanishes from Mara's car, Mara begins to suspect he's been turned into a rat. But it’s such a crazy idea, who could she possibly talk to abut it? Then, her dead Aunt Tillie shows up to warn her that Gus is in trouble—big trouble—and it’s up to Mara to save him.
Before Mara can stop him, Gus opens up a portal to Hell and the Devil comes calling. Now, she’s got her hands full, trying to find out what happened to J.J., assure Paul she’s not going to give birth to a mythological creature, and broker a truce between Gus and the Devil before Gus becomes Hell’s newest resident.
The Characters
The pregnant Mara Stephens, a.k.a. Miss Thing, is a witch who can see the dead and has inherited her aunt Tillie's cottage. Tillie McDougal is her very snarky, deceased great-aunt who lives in a skull. Mara has two Dobies: Aramis and Apollo. Adele had been her mother who lets slip about a brother.
The flamboyant, ego-driven Gus Andrakis is her best friend, a witch, who's a cross between Jack Sparrow and Harry Potter. He's also mad keen on organic foods. Lord Gundleshanks II is his otherly toad. (Lord Grundleshanks I is living with Gus' friend, Andwyn, in Utah.) Zed had been Gus' SUV that he traded to Mara for her red Mustang convertible, Sally.
Devil’s Point, Wisconsin, is . . .
. . . where Aunt Tillie’s wards-protected cottage is located — it had turned J.J.'s great-great-grandfather Jarvis into a rowan tree. Eleanor had been his wife. Paul, a writer, is Mara's off-again (mostly), on-again boyfriend, who just got a job as the Creative Writing professor in Old Main University's MFA program. Daniel is Paul's great-grandfather in a nursing home. Raoul is one of the nurses and a part-time barber/stylist/make-over artist; his wife is pregnant. Daniel's honeys include Gladys, Ruthie, and Carolyn. Mrs Norbert is another resident. Doc Brady. J.J. is the stoner clerk from the Trading Post; Anna is another clerk and J.J.'s cousin. J.J.'s buddies include Buddy, Moe, and Rafe. Duke Gronwy of Rattenshire is the rat who appeared in Mara's car.
Officers Brand and Chen are local police looking for J.J.
Los Angeles
Mama Lua is a Voodoo Queen who runs the Crooked Pantry.
Lady Lisette McDougal, Mara’s great-great-great-great-grandmother, is still being pursued by the Wild Hunt. Lucien Odega was one of the fallen angels, cursed to walk in a human body. They had possessed Mara and Paul in Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead , 1.
George Ewart Evans wrote a book on magics. Jack is a guy Gus met in Chicago. Forrest was a meet at the gas station, who pokes into their lives. Great-uncle Bertram is in the cemetery.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a cartoon graphic with a twilight sky of black to turquoise and a silhouette of a cottage, trees, and a cemetery on various ridges. Mara is on the left with her long, curly black hair, her green sleeveless T-shirt ballooning over her expanded tummy with tight-fitting blue shorts to the knees with a couple of skulls nosing up around her. On her right are three red-topped mushrooms studded with white. The biggest 'shroom is a tiny little house . . . for Grundleshanks?? At the top is the title in four parts: the top is a pale blue, the second line is white with the third and fourth lines in a bright yellow.
The title is quite the contradiction, for she doesn't need Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're In Trouble!, she already tried to warn 'em.
My Take
It's an interesting set of interactions. The more rational Mara trying to have a relationship with the erratic Paul who's suffering through Post-Possession Stress Disorder while living with the gay flamboyance of Gus. I guess it would make sense that Gus would interact with the Faery realm. And no, it has nothing to do with his being gay.
Miller is using first person protagonist point-of-view, so we always view it from Mara's perspective. From Gus' crazy choices to baby's unexpected abilities to the incredibly rude and interfering Aunt Tillie and the freaked-out Paul.
Mara is too gullible and accepting of Gus' antics. Nor do I understand why she's still interested in Paul. He is such a jerk. To be fair, I guess I can understand his worries about the baby: horns, wings, hooves, claws . . .
Gus . . . he is a crack-up and so very irresponsible. It's pretty accurate when the Devil says he's his poster child!
There are some fun observations about the Dobies. There is also a lot of back-and-forth about whether Aunt Tillie really is still around — Gus totally disbelieves her. I reckon it's because it doesn't suit Gus' plans.
I don't really get what is going on with Grundleshanks. He's dead? He's not dead? He's a ghost? He's got a bit of Lucien in him?
It's crazy magic
The Story
After Gus flips the seasons and manages to bring summer into winter, everything starts going weirdly wrong. Summer refuses to leave. Household electronics start going haywire. When J.J., a local boy, vanishes from Mara's car, Mara begins to suspect he's been turned into a rat. But it’s such a crazy idea, who could she possibly talk to abut it? Then, her dead Aunt Tillie shows up to warn her that Gus is in trouble—big trouble—and it’s up to Mara to save him.
Before Mara can stop him, Gus opens up a portal to Hell and the Devil comes calling. Now, she’s got her hands full, trying to find out what happened to J.J., assure Paul she’s not going to give birth to a mythological creature, and broker a truce between Gus and the Devil before Gus becomes Hell’s newest resident.
The Characters
The pregnant Mara Stephens, a.k.a. Miss Thing, is a witch who can see the dead and has inherited her aunt Tillie's cottage. Tillie McDougal is her very snarky, deceased great-aunt who lives in a skull. Mara has two Dobies: Aramis and Apollo. Adele had been her mother who lets slip about a brother.
The flamboyant, ego-driven Gus Andrakis is her best friend, a witch, who's a cross between Jack Sparrow and Harry Potter. He's also mad keen on organic foods. Lord Gundleshanks II is his otherly toad. (Lord Grundleshanks I is living with Gus' friend, Andwyn, in Utah.) Zed had been Gus' SUV that he traded to Mara for her red Mustang convertible, Sally.
Devil’s Point, Wisconsin, is . . .
. . . where Aunt Tillie’s wards-protected cottage is located — it had turned J.J.'s great-great-grandfather Jarvis into a rowan tree. Eleanor had been his wife. Paul, a writer, is Mara's off-again (mostly), on-again boyfriend, who just got a job as the Creative Writing professor in Old Main University's MFA program. Daniel is Paul's great-grandfather in a nursing home. Raoul is one of the nurses and a part-time barber/stylist/make-over artist; his wife is pregnant. Daniel's honeys include Gladys, Ruthie, and Carolyn. Mrs Norbert is another resident. Doc Brady. J.J. is the stoner clerk from the Trading Post; Anna is another clerk and J.J.'s cousin. J.J.'s buddies include Buddy, Moe, and Rafe. Duke Gronwy of Rattenshire is the rat who appeared in Mara's car.
Officers Brand and Chen are local police looking for J.J.
Los Angeles
Mama Lua is a Voodoo Queen who runs the Crooked Pantry.
Lady Lisette McDougal, Mara’s great-great-great-great-grandmother, is still being pursued by the Wild Hunt. Lucien Odega was one of the fallen angels, cursed to walk in a human body. They had possessed Mara and Paul in Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead , 1.
George Ewart Evans wrote a book on magics. Jack is a guy Gus met in Chicago. Forrest was a meet at the gas station, who pokes into their lives. Great-uncle Bertram is in the cemetery.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a cartoon graphic with a twilight sky of black to turquoise and a silhouette of a cottage, trees, and a cemetery on various ridges. Mara is on the left with her long, curly black hair, her green sleeveless T-shirt ballooning over her expanded tummy with tight-fitting blue shorts to the knees with a couple of skulls nosing up around her. On her right are three red-topped mushrooms studded with white. The biggest 'shroom is a tiny little house . . . for Grundleshanks?? At the top is the title in four parts: the top is a pale blue, the second line is white with the third and fourth lines in a bright yellow.
The title is quite the contradiction, for she doesn't need Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're In Trouble!, she already tried to warn 'em.
March 27, 2019
Action picked up quickly in this book, as Gus is dead-set to complete a ritual both Tillie & Mara do not want to see happen. However, somehow, he's tied the weather into the necessity of completing the ritual. While the rest of the country is having winter, they're experiencing a heat wave, with it continually getting hotter. The ritual would stop that, but at what cost? And the cost is pretty high. And to top it off, Gus has a new boyfriend who he is totally obsessed with...and Mara is not happy with his new boyfriend. Something seems a bit off to her about him. And then Mara's ex-boyfriend, Paul thinks she's going to give birth to some kind of monster with horns & a tail. What's a girl to do. At least the baby is on her side.
June 4, 2019
Mara Stephens - witch
Gus
Mara is now pregnant and Paul the father is freaked out the baby will be mutant since Mara got pregnant while he was possessed in the last book. Gus her best friend and also a witch has moved in with her. In this book Gus is focused on doing a toad bone ritual that will get him and Mara into trouble with the Devil. Aunt Tilly tries to warn Mara that she needs to stop Gus. This is another fun, fast read in this series. The book does have a bit of mystery and it is solved before the end of the book but there’s also a cliffhanger to get you ready for the next book. I would read more in the series.
Gus
Mara is now pregnant and Paul the father is freaked out the baby will be mutant since Mara got pregnant while he was possessed in the last book. Gus her best friend and also a witch has moved in with her. In this book Gus is focused on doing a toad bone ritual that will get him and Mara into trouble with the Devil. Aunt Tilly tries to warn Mara that she needs to stop Gus. This is another fun, fast read in this series. The book does have a bit of mystery and it is solved before the end of the book but there’s also a cliffhanger to get you ready for the next book. I would read more in the series.
April 5, 2021
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're in Trouble is the second book in Christiana Miller's The Toad Witch Mysteries Collection. Filled to the brim with magick and mayhem, twists and turns, danger, intrigue and subterfuge, this witty book will keep you on a rollercoaster with the lives of Mara and Gus. The storyline is fast-paced and well written. The characters are well developed and engaging, able to bring both humor and horror to the story in a very life-like manner. I am definitely looking forward to book 3 to see what new adventures will unfold!
May 19, 2023
Mara's adventures continue. This time, she's pregnant and determined to be a good mother, even if she has to raise the baby alone. After a mysterious young man appears in the town and becomes Gus' boyfriend, Mara and Gus go through a series of supernatural events and confront the Devil himself.
Like the previous book, this story is fun and entertaining. Mara is a very likeable character and her adventures are different from the ones you would expect of a girl her age, which makes this an interesting read.
Like the previous book, this story is fun and entertaining. Mara is a very likeable character and her adventures are different from the ones you would expect of a girl her age, which makes this an interesting read.
June 19, 2019
Fun and quick read
I found this book enjoyable and a quick read. I haven't read any of the other stories the preferred this book but found it easy to follow. It wasn't necessary to have read then to follow the characters and the story. There were times I felt the sarcasm between the two main characters annoying it did push me along in the story. Lots of twists and turns and subplots. I definitely enjoyed this book and will probably pick up more titles by this author.
I found this book enjoyable and a quick read. I haven't read any of the other stories the preferred this book but found it easy to follow. It wasn't necessary to have read then to follow the characters and the story. There were times I felt the sarcasm between the two main characters annoying it did push me along in the story. Lots of twists and turns and subplots. I definitely enjoyed this book and will probably pick up more titles by this author.
June 13, 2017
This is a fairly short story.
I enjoyed this book but not as immensely as I did the first one. This one is shorter or at least seems so. It is also so far fetched as to be hard to be campy. But it was cohesive, moved along quickly & resolved itself so overall not a bad read just not Christina Miller's best work.
I enjoyed this book but not as immensely as I did the first one. This one is shorter or at least seems so. It is also so far fetched as to be hard to be campy. But it was cohesive, moved along quickly & resolved itself so overall not a bad read just not Christina Miller's best work.
June 26, 2017
If you're into the supernatural I think you'll enjoy this story. It's a continuation of Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead. It's got white magick, black majick (no, I haven't spelt that incorrectly) and even the Devil thrown in for good measure. I love the way it's written, very witty and I certainly intend to read her next book in the series to find out what happens next!
May 18, 2019
This is the second book in the series and even more enjoyable. Everybody is acting strange and not talking to each other because they are angry all the time. Hmm...wonder what could cause that? When they are getting along, it is every bit the same enjoyable back and forth that Mara and Gus are known for. And Lord Grundleshanks is as awesome as ever. Definitely worth your time to read
July 21, 2021
So much fun!
I’m rereading this series. There’s so much research that’s gone into this that I may have to read them a 3rd time to get a truly complete picture. In some ways it’s painful watching Mara make every mistake. But I’m fairly sure I’d do the same things. I really enjoy the true blue friendship.
I’m rereading this series. There’s so much research that’s gone into this that I may have to read them a 3rd time to get a truly complete picture. In some ways it’s painful watching Mara make every mistake. But I’m fairly sure I’d do the same things. I really enjoy the true blue friendship.
January 24, 2018
AAARGH!
This one is even better than book 2. Mara and Gus find themselves in deep snow until Gus does something reckless AGAIN, then the real trouble commences. Dancing with the devil is one thing sleeping with him can change your whole personality, as Gus finds out.
This one is even better than book 2. Mara and Gus find themselves in deep snow until Gus does something reckless AGAIN, then the real trouble commences. Dancing with the devil is one thing sleeping with him can change your whole personality, as Gus finds out.
March 12, 2018
This book was even better than the first! I listened to the audio and for some unknown reason they changed the narrator (from the first book) who then changed Gus from an English accent which totally worked to old time gangster which was very disappointing. (I hate when that happens!)
July 28, 2018
Funny and lighthearted.
Like the first book the characters are a delight. I enjoyed the comedic interplay between the characters and the storyline. I look forward to the next in the series.
Like the first book the characters are a delight. I enjoyed the comedic interplay between the characters and the storyline. I look forward to the next in the series.
March 11, 2023
Boy were they in trouble
Book two in the Toad Witch mysteries, a lot is revealed even about the town itself. Enjoyable read, the added audio narration was good. I recommend the second book, looking forward to book three.
Book two in the Toad Witch mysteries, a lot is revealed even about the town itself. Enjoyable read, the added audio narration was good. I recommend the second book, looking forward to book three.
July 3, 2017
What can. Happened next?
I couldn't put down. The story line is very unique. A mystery with a surprise.Can there be a happy ending?
I couldn't put down. The story line is very unique. A mystery with a surprise.Can there be a happy ending?
July 9, 2017
Very interesting story
Good storyline, very supernatural. Has witches, demons, faerie spirits and the Devil in a humorous and event filled entertaining story.
Good storyline, very supernatural. Has witches, demons, faerie spirits and the Devil in a humorous and event filled entertaining story.
August 5, 2017
fun read, not as good as the first one but still entertaining
December 17, 2017
I really dislike Gus in this one.
June 9, 2018
Fun
Great read and so much great magick! I look forward to the next book!!! Keep it coming! Much witchy fun!
Great read and so much great magick! I look forward to the next book!!! Keep it coming! Much witchy fun!
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