The Coffee House Witch & The Grumpy Cat

The Cobblestone Coven #1

by Ariana Jade, Arizona Tape

Almost thirty, unemployed, and with a failed engagement. It seemed like all of witch Cassiopeia's prayers to the goddess of fortune had gone totally unanswered.

Down on her luck, Cassiopeia has no choice but to return to her grandmother’s coffee house where she grew up. The familiar neighbourhood brings back memories, both good and bad.

While she tries to find her feet, she meets a grumpy cat with a secret and reconnects with an old friend in the local antique store. Everything seems to be going well… except that her magic isn’t responding like it should. What’s a witch to do when everything in life seems to be going wrong? First step, make a good cup of coffee!
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The Coffee House Witch & The Grumpy Cat is first book in the Cobblestone Coven series and it follows witch Cassiopeia and her return to her hometown. It's a cozy fantasy with a sapphic romance in a magical world with talking animals and lots of light-hearted banter.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Lesbian, Cozy, LGBT

154 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2025

Reviews

[Michaela | bumblebeeslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Coffee House Witch & Grumpy Cat is a cute and cozy witchy novella.

FMC Cassiopeia has had to move back to her hometown after a bad breakup with her longtime girlfriend. She is back working at her grandmother's coffee shop, and is trying to find herself again.

This story has cute familiars, and they can talk! Her grandmother's cat Betty likes to take napping "breaks" that last quite a while. The coffee shop is called The Lazy Cat, such a cute and perfect name. Cassiopeia also runs into a grumpy cat, who she ends up being able to "hire" to retrieve her boots from her ex's house.

While Cassiopeia's magic may be on the fritz, she still has a degree in potion making that she hasn't been able to put to much use, but creates a wonderful hangover cure for her Gran, who then tells her friends about it. Cassiopeia reconnects with an old friend, and there may be a little something more going on there, but we only get a quick glimpse into The Cobblestone Coven, and I am excited to read what comes next for Cassiopeia and the grumpy cat.

Thank you to the author for a copy of this book!

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Balthazar and Betty are little scene stealers. They’re so cute! Talking cat familiars and they both have such big personalities. Cassie was a wonderful main character she’s back in her hometown working at her Gran’s coffeeshop with her cousin after a breakup. This was so cozy and laidback and I adored all of the characters. Gran was a riot. She’s so cool. She goes out to clubs drinking and partying all night with her senior citizens friends and she’s my hero honestly. This was so much fun and I cannot wait for book two because I’m loving this series already.

[Autumn Aria · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in the series. A cozy witch fantasy. It introduces all the main characters in the story.

[Lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

I love the cozy fantasy genre and I am so excited when authors I already know write in the genre. The Coffee House Witch & The Grumpy Cat is the first book in this series. It really reads as a first part of the story and there's a lot of introduction happening. Cassiopeia returns to her home town after a breakup and without a job, she starts working for her Gran at the coffee house again and tries to find her footing.

This book had some parts I really liked and others I enjoyed less. I liked Cassiopeia's banter with Faye and I assume that will turn into romance eventually, but for now they are just friends reconnecting. I really liked Faye, she was a fun character to read about and I would say even more interesting than the actual main character. I also liked Balthazar, the grumpy cat, he was just so grumpy and cute. And I can't wait to read more about him. I also liked Cassiopeia's interactions with her grandma and cousin.

I liked the cozy fantasy vibes, although I would've liked more of this. There is very little magic and even the cozy vibes don't come through as strongly as I wanted. Cassiopeia is still feeling down after her breakup and that influences how she sees her home town. I am thinking this will change in future books when she starts to feel more at home again.

Now for what I struggled with. I liked Cassiopeia, but it's like I never fully warmed up her. I felt bad for her with the breakup and such, but I always struggle with breakups in books like this when I just cna't see why the characters were together to begin with as it seemed her ex didn't treat her well. Either way there's a lot of sadness and Cassiopeia struggling with what to do now after losing her long term girlfriend and her job. And while this makes sense, I just didn't find it particularly interesting to read about. I hope this changes in future books.

Then there is the magic, with witch in the title I had expected more magic. But Cassiopeia is struggling with her magic and doesn't do much of it, except brewing a potion. I liked that scene and the potion brewing and it seems there will be more of that in the next book. It was interesting how the magic was tied to deities, but there isn't as much about it and I wanted to know more about how it worked. I also wondered if anyone could become a witch or not and how that works with the deities. Either way there's very little about the magic so far, but hopefully there will be more of that in future books. I also had expected there to be more progress on her magic struggles, but seems this will be continuing into the next book. I liked the familiars and the bit about them and how they can talk.

To summarize: This was the start to a new cozy fantasy series by this author and I am curious to see where it goes next. This one was a bit of a mixed read for me, with parts I really liked and others I liked less. I liked Cassiopeia's banter with Faye, her interactions with her grandma and cousin as well as the grumpy cat Balthazar. Cassiopeia is struggling being just out of a long term relationship and I didn't find this as interesting to read about. There isn't as much magic and the cozy fantasy vibes are subtle, but I think this will get expanded upon in future books. This book really felt like a part 1 of a larger story and I am curious to see where thing go next. I plan to check out book 2 and hopefully enjoy that one more.

[Susan Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve enjoyed all of Arizona Tape’s series, even when they are written under her new pseudonym of Ariana Jade. The new series is Cobblestone Coven, with the first book being The Coffeehouse Witch & The Grumpy Cat. Even the title lets the reader know this is another cozy fantasy book with cats and magic, so what’s not to like? The story is written from the perspective of Cassiopeia, the eponymous witch, as she returns to her home and the family’s coffeehouse. While Cassie views herself as a failure, the reader will see that she actually has a strong personality which will help her find what she wants in life. The cat in the title is Balthazar, and he makes several appearances before Cassie gets to talk to him. The area of Cobblestone is very much a small community, so Cassie runs into people she knows and often has a rocky backstory with. The author loves to write secondary characters who provide comic relief and Coffeehouse Witch is no exception. This was a quick read for me since the characters and the worldbuilding both captured my interest. I think this may be their best series yet!

[J.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a YA lesbian story. Nicely written.

Cass was feeling it when she returned home from a breakup with her ex girlfriend. Her girlfriend wanted things done a certain way and Cass was not ready or eager. So mutual breakup. Cass was some what happy, her younger cousin work at the Coffee house her grandmother owned and her childhood friend was working two doors down the coffee house. Cass discovered a cat who owner had passed away and the cat had a very good nose for finding items. Enjoy!

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very unimaginative book. The cosy fantasy-with-coffee-shop equivalent of the endless American Christmas films with completely meaningless characters and stories.
It is very a very short story and ends without an ending, in the middle of the story.
The main character is rather bland and the story is very standard. There is no development in any character or in the story.
What I personally find very irritating is that everything is grabbed instead of taken. She grabbed a coffee. It's such an unnecessary aggressive action. It will be a delete on my e-reader.

[TheresaK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very adorable reading!

I love Cassiopeia, her Gran, her friend, & her cousin/co-worker, as well as Betty the cat & Balthazar the cat. Having to return home after a breakup is hard, but it’s amazing how much better it is with a great band of good vibes! Put a smile on a sad face for sure!

[Marie Cordalis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Short Novel

I of course loved the talking cats ;). I'm not a big fan of books that are very clearly meant to entice the reader to keep purchasing the next however many that follow. The fact that this was one of those was my only complaint about it. Nice characters in what appears to be a nice magical world. Also the cover art is beautiful:)

[Kristen Berry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent cozy book. No huge plot twists or big bad guys. Pretty peaceful. I only gave it 3 stars because the protagonist was super whiny for about half of the book. It was written in a realistic way, but I found myself yelling at the character to stop moping and go do something. She eventually did, but I am past the age of listening to people sulk about breakups.

[Carolyn Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Homecoming and helping

This was a lovely story about a witch returning home after her relationship ends, and her quest to find a new direction. Good friends and a familiar who is on his own add sweet and sassy touches as well.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this! I actually found this latest offering from the amazing Arizona Jade a little hard to get into, I'm not sure why, but once I was in, I was hooked. The grumpy cat, magic not working, a beloved Gran and old/new friends are the perfect recipe for a brand new series.

[Divya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun and exciting start to the series. The main character Cassie, moved to her hometown to help with her granny's coffee shop after a break-up. The story is fast-paced with interesting characters. I really liked Balthazar's attitude, thought it was a great addition to the story.

[Sandy Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy

This is a nice quick cozy read with likeable characters and leaves you wanting to know more about where they are all headed...it is a bit predictable but a lot of cozy reads are...could be a nice pallet cleanser after a more heavy book...

[Sydney Wilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute, lighthearted sapphic cozy fantasy with a hint of romance. Nice short read. I loved Balthazar, as someone who owns an orange boy cat. Good deal on Kindle for 99 cents - I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and lighthearted

Loved how easy and carefree this book was to read. I started to bind with the characters. I did not realize how quickly I would finish this book though. It was a 2 hour read so that was kind of a bummer. But I will read others in the series.

[Christine Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what an incredible story I loved the foundation of the story along with the characters it was a perfect start to the series can't wait for more a must-read congratulations

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute story. I’m excited to see where it goes from her. I’m invested.

[Heather Teece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story

This book didn't capture my attention from the picture on the cover but I'm really glad I didn't pass it by. It was a very well written story

[Shannon👻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got to the end and was like ‘oh? Is that it?’
I would read the other books in the series, the book just seemed to end abruptly, but I enjoyed it.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

Interesting book. Its a quick read and fun to read.. I enjoyed this book. The characters are interesting love talking animals witches familiar s. .

[Odette Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Teresa Jurewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. The writing wasn't great and there were editing mistakes. I got it for free. I won't be reading any more of the series. Unfortunately it didn't catch my interest 😕

[Sydne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Excited about the premise but it all kind of felt unfinished. I know its the first of a series, but it still ended abruptly without very much romance or magic at all.

[Jen Keyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute book with cute characters. I imagine these cats walking in two legs. but Balthazar is by far my favorite so far.

[greyreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and cozy but it didn’t blow me away

[Rachel Stine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grump Cat Magic

This cute and cozy fantasy novel has it all. Coffee shops, talking cats, magic, and mystery. Four and a half stars

[Satine · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a lovely world to stumble into. The characters are loveable, the vibe is cozy, and Betty and Balthazar are absolutely wonderful. I'm excited to see where the series goes.

[Cath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book one of The Cobblestone Coven and the main character is Cassie (Cassiopeia) Greendale, who is a weak witch and after a broken engagement, she has had to move back home and in with her grandmother. She has to return to working at her gran’s coffee shop, somewhere she worked growing up, and the small town which brings back both good and bad memories. Cassie had grown up in the Lazy Cat and the Cobblestones coffee shop her gran owned with a lazy cat called Betty, her gran’s familiar, that loved to lie around while customers enjoyed their drinks and cakes. She is not exactly great at magic and unless she concentrated on what she was doing, her magic would fail. She hoped that moving back would give her a fresh start. She sets up her altar in her childhood room, but some of it was damaged in her move, and she isn’t quite sure if the gods will be happy with her not keeping the items safe. Her copper sound bowl is damaged and doesn’t produce the calming sound it should, but she doesn’t exactly have the money to replace it just yet! Her feather charm reminded her too much of her ex but would have to do until she could make a new one, as it was an essential item for her altar to the Allfather and Primal Mother. She was taught that magic was a reward and should be used lightly ad that praying at her altar was a key part of showing her respect to the gods. Her wand could be recharged on the altar as well, which was important for any magic she wanted to do.

Cassie had gained a degree in advanced magical mixology and had been great at making potions, but her ex-girlfriend Agatha looked down on that as being magic for the weak, something else she and her parents looked down on her for. No doubt everyone in town knows about her return and will be gossiping about her. A former childhood friend, Faye Li, comes into the coffee shop a few days after she returned, and they catch up a bit. Cassie finds out that Faye has now joined her family business as well, working in their family antique shop. Faye’s mothers had shown her how love should be, especially since her own parents weren’t basically there for her, hence why she ended up being raised by her gran! One night as she takes the rubbish out using her magic to levitate the bag, her magic fails just as she was trying to get it into the skip. That was a bit weird, as she was focussed on what she was doing, and it worked okay the next time round. She has a run in with a cat familiar shortly after and the cats calls her out for almost hitting him, scolding her, but she still finds him sort of cute. She hasn’t been lucky enough to form a contract with a familiar, or even find one, another factor that came between her and Aga, who already had a strong bond with her own familiar. She also runs into her cousin Blaise, who is getting married soon and that has her visiting Faye’s grandparents antique shop to look for a wedding gift for him. Faye has to hide her joy at the fact that Cassie is now single, as it will give her another chance at making her, her wife, something she had joked about when they were kids and made a promise about as a seven year old.

One night she finds the same ginger cat familiar she had almost run over, as he almost hit his head when she opened her window. She is having a tuna midnight snack that the cat can smell and wants to know if there is any left. That leaves her feeding Balthazar, who is busy running errands for his guardian, who is a private investigator. He helps locate things and makes good money doing so. Since coming back, Cassie has found her magic starting to go wonky and wonders if the gods were upset with her incomplete altar and her lack of attention to them recently. She feels that something could be wrong, filled with worry and dread in front of her altar, instead of the usual rush or tingle of magic. She continues to see Balthazar rushing about and wonders about him, so decides to check out his owner’s shop, Hallewell’s Bureau of Curiosities, but in doing so finds out a shocking discovery about his guardian Victor! She wonders if Balthazar actually realises this or not, and if he was the one that left a yellow flower on her windowsill. She has a dinner date with Faye, which her gran approves of, but she hadn’t even considered it was that sort of date, thinking it was just a catch up. She and Faye catch hold of the busy Balthazar, with Faye giving him a job, as Cassie wonders if he should still be working. A favourite item left behind at Aga’s in error, has Cassie make a deal with Balthazar for their collection, keeping him fed in tuna, with a spot for breakfast at the coffee shop every day. Lots going on and yet to be discovered about Cassie’s weakening magic, a possible new romance with Faye and more importantly, the question of Balthazar and the mysterious gift left for Cassie. I look forward to reading more of this series and seeing what happens to them all.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh this was cute!

To be honest I was sold with talking cats haha. “Putting a cat on a diet was not as easy as it sounded, especially one that could talk back.” LOL

I think I would continue this series!