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Candy, Cauldrons, and a Corpse
Talk about cut-throat competition!
Boo Boudreaux’s Halloween Boo-tique in offbeat Laguna Bay has its problems—a leaky roof, faulty wiring, and a talking shop cat who claims to be older than the pyramids.
One problem the place hasn’t had in its forty-year history is a rival. That is, until now—when a mysterious woman opens a spooky season-themed store across the street, luring away Boo’s customers and crushing her hopes of winning the town’s annual Top Haunt window contest.
It’s a monster-sized blow to Boo’s business, but her financial troubles take a deadly turn when the contest judges find her competitor’s corpse in a witch’s cauldron, and no one looks guiltier than Boo.
Trying to clear her name, Boo rallies her cranky cat and her circle of eccentric friends to help her dig into the stranger’s past. What they discover are troubling revelations that threaten to upend the peaceful community and expose the town’s most dangerous and closely guarded secrets.
Can Boo and her mysterious, quick-witted cat unmask the real killer before Laguna Bay loses its legacy—and before she becomes the next victim?
Boo Boudreaux’s Halloween Boo-tique in offbeat Laguna Bay has its problems—a leaky roof, faulty wiring, and a talking shop cat who claims to be older than the pyramids.
One problem the place hasn’t had in its forty-year history is a rival. That is, until now—when a mysterious woman opens a spooky season-themed store across the street, luring away Boo’s customers and crushing her hopes of winning the town’s annual Top Haunt window contest.
It’s a monster-sized blow to Boo’s business, but her financial troubles take a deadly turn when the contest judges find her competitor’s corpse in a witch’s cauldron, and no one looks guiltier than Boo.
Trying to clear her name, Boo rallies her cranky cat and her circle of eccentric friends to help her dig into the stranger’s past. What they discover are troubling revelations that threaten to upend the peaceful community and expose the town’s most dangerous and closely guarded secrets.
Can Boo and her mysterious, quick-witted cat unmask the real killer before Laguna Bay loses its legacy—and before she becomes the next victim?
253 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2025
17 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
DeAnna Drake
12 books322 followersDeAnna Drake writes charming, magic-touched cozy mysteries filled with small-town secrets, heart, humor, and feline companions who always know more than they let on. Her interconnected series—Purr-fect Relic and Laguna Bay Midlife Witch—blend twisty mysteries with enchanted relics, family bonds, and talking cats with centuries of history. If you love cozy escapes with found family, a touch of danger, and a whole lot of magic, you’ll feel right at home in the Magical Cats Universe.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 1, 2025
The owner of Laguna Bay's Halloween Boo-tique, Boo Boudreaux, keeps her shop open year-round. Boo, whose given name is Lucille Marie Boudreaux, has gone by Boo since she was 7 years old, when Halloween became her favorite day of the year. She lives with her younger sister, Delphine (nicknamed Del), and Khepeset (affectionately called Kheppy), a cat with magical abilities.
Boo aspires to win Laguna Bay's Top Haunt Window Contest. She is excited about maintaining her winning streak and has a unique idea for this year's window display. However, she urgently needs the prize money because her nemesis has orchestrated a surprise inspection of the Boo-tique, revealing a long list of costly city violations that must be repaired by an unreasonably short deadline. What else could possibly go wrong?
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which marks the beginning of a charming new series! The characters are quirky, and a host of magical powers swirl around the locals. Whether you're a local or a visitor, this beach town is definitely not to be missed, so prepare to be spooked for Halloween! The narrative is filled with humor, and the chapters include treats that sound so delicious you'll wish you had magical powers of your own to reach in and enjoy a treat while trying to match Boo's sleuthing skills.
I couldn't resist purchasing a Special Edition from the author's website, especially since it is the 1st story in the new series and was only available for 2 weeks before its release on Amazon. This edition includes several unique features: 11 full-color illustrations sprinkled throughout the book, character spotlights with full-color illustrations at the end, all created by the author, and a key scene from Khepeset's point of view. Additionally, the book contains recipes, complete with photos, for Boo's Favorite Lemon Curd Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting, Luna's Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Sissy's Spook-tacular Halloween Fudge, and Delphine's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.
After experiencing the magic of this Special Edition (which was my 1st purchase from an author's website), I am eagerly looking forward to purchasing any future special editions. The unique features and exclusive content make these editions a must-have!
Reviewer's Note: Deanna Cameron writes Historical Romance set in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, as well as Contemporary Romance. The author uses the pseudonym D.D. Croix authoring YA Fantasy Fiction and DeAnna Drake for the purr-fect cozy mystery series and "Mouse in the House: A Magical Mouse Caper Novella."
Boo aspires to win Laguna Bay's Top Haunt Window Contest. She is excited about maintaining her winning streak and has a unique idea for this year's window display. However, she urgently needs the prize money because her nemesis has orchestrated a surprise inspection of the Boo-tique, revealing a long list of costly city violations that must be repaired by an unreasonably short deadline. What else could possibly go wrong?
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which marks the beginning of a charming new series! The characters are quirky, and a host of magical powers swirl around the locals. Whether you're a local or a visitor, this beach town is definitely not to be missed, so prepare to be spooked for Halloween! The narrative is filled with humor, and the chapters include treats that sound so delicious you'll wish you had magical powers of your own to reach in and enjoy a treat while trying to match Boo's sleuthing skills.
I couldn't resist purchasing a Special Edition from the author's website, especially since it is the 1st story in the new series and was only available for 2 weeks before its release on Amazon. This edition includes several unique features: 11 full-color illustrations sprinkled throughout the book, character spotlights with full-color illustrations at the end, all created by the author, and a key scene from Khepeset's point of view. Additionally, the book contains recipes, complete with photos, for Boo's Favorite Lemon Curd Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting, Luna's Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Sissy's Spook-tacular Halloween Fudge, and Delphine's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.
After experiencing the magic of this Special Edition (which was my 1st purchase from an author's website), I am eagerly looking forward to purchasing any future special editions. The unique features and exclusive content make these editions a must-have!
Reviewer's Note: Deanna Cameron writes Historical Romance set in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, as well as Contemporary Romance. The author uses the pseudonym D.D. Croix authoring YA Fantasy Fiction and DeAnna Drake for the purr-fect cozy mystery series and "Mouse in the House: A Magical Mouse Caper Novella."
October 7, 2025
OMG, yay, we are finally getting Khepeset stories, she's just like her sister, but I feel like she's a little calmer and tamer. Boo is absolutely the grandmother I pictured when we met Luna in the other series. I love that she's all things Halloween, because well, hello, Halloween is the best holiday there is. I liked that this series has a supernatural twist and not the ancient artifacts from the other series.
This book didn't have as many plot twists that I couldn't see coming as others, but they were still really good ones. I can't wait for the next book to come out and learn more about Boo, Khepeset, and Laguna Bay.
This book didn't have as many plot twists that I couldn't see coming as others, but they were still really good ones. I can't wait for the next book to come out and learn more about Boo, Khepeset, and Laguna Bay.
October 1, 2025
My review for LAGUNA BAY MIDLIFE WITCH COZY MYSTERY SERIES Candy, Cauldrons, and a Corpse, book one.
This is a brand new series by Deanna Drake, author of the Purr-fect Relic Mystery series.
This new series is loosely associated with the Purr-fect Relic mysteries and occurs not far away from Citrus Grove where that series takes place.
The town of Laguna Bay, where Boo Boudreaux lives with her sister Delphine and Boo's cat Khepeset, is not your usual town... In fact, it's a magical town with magical people and also has "normies", who, of course, do not suspect that anything about their town is different.
Boo has hired an assistant named Sissy who is a very sweet girl, who is also adopted, but doesn't know that.
The town's mayor is quite a.... Not nice person, and is crooked and mean hearted. She has it out for Boo, altho Boo doesn't know why.
When a woman moves into the store across the street from Boo's Halloween shop, with a nearly identical set up, Boo feels uncertain about the upcoming competition for best store front.
But the new store owner will soon end up dead in Boo's shop and all eyes are suddenly on Boo... With a lot of help from the town mayor, no less.
But Boo is pretty quickly off the suspect list, but even so, she feels that she must figure out who the real perpetrator is, and with some help from the town's magical residents and of course, from her cat Khepeset, she will do just that. But with so many red herrings and possible perps to choose from, will Boo be able to figure out who it is before the man jailed for it could quite possibly expose the magical residents of Laguna Bay.... And in a very, very bad way?
I thought this story was so much fun and that it had amazing descriptions of the people and places within Laguna Bay.
As soon as I started this book, I was hooked and in no time, I was finished. I am so excited for the next book in the series and I highly recommend reading this!
Read it for yourself and beware .. you might just become well and truly hooked on Deanna Drake's fantastical stories, just like I have.
This is a brand new series by Deanna Drake, author of the Purr-fect Relic Mystery series.
This new series is loosely associated with the Purr-fect Relic mysteries and occurs not far away from Citrus Grove where that series takes place.
The town of Laguna Bay, where Boo Boudreaux lives with her sister Delphine and Boo's cat Khepeset, is not your usual town... In fact, it's a magical town with magical people and also has "normies", who, of course, do not suspect that anything about their town is different.
Boo has hired an assistant named Sissy who is a very sweet girl, who is also adopted, but doesn't know that.
The town's mayor is quite a.... Not nice person, and is crooked and mean hearted. She has it out for Boo, altho Boo doesn't know why.
When a woman moves into the store across the street from Boo's Halloween shop, with a nearly identical set up, Boo feels uncertain about the upcoming competition for best store front.
But the new store owner will soon end up dead in Boo's shop and all eyes are suddenly on Boo... With a lot of help from the town mayor, no less.
But Boo is pretty quickly off the suspect list, but even so, she feels that she must figure out who the real perpetrator is, and with some help from the town's magical residents and of course, from her cat Khepeset, she will do just that. But with so many red herrings and possible perps to choose from, will Boo be able to figure out who it is before the man jailed for it could quite possibly expose the magical residents of Laguna Bay.... And in a very, very bad way?
I thought this story was so much fun and that it had amazing descriptions of the people and places within Laguna Bay.
As soon as I started this book, I was hooked and in no time, I was finished. I am so excited for the next book in the series and I highly recommend reading this!
Read it for yourself and beware .. you might just become well and truly hooked on Deanna Drake's fantastical stories, just like I have.
December 15, 2025
"Candy, Cauldrons and a Curse" by DeAnna Drake is the first book in her new series, set in Laguna Bay. It is a cozy mystery I savoured from the very first page.
I enjoyed getting to know Kheppy, the litter sister of Aneksi, a beloved character from the author's other series, made settling into Laguna Bay an immediate pleasure. Her human companion and witch, Boo Boudreaux, is a delightful guide, introducing us to a vibrant and quirky cast of characters.
DeAnna Drake expertly weaves a plot that accelerates from a neighborhood rivalry to a high-stakes murder investigation. The threat of exposing the town's supernatural secret adds urgent, compelling layers to the mystery. With a surprising familial twist, a roster of plausible suspects, and a climactic showdown that puts Boo's life on the line, the story delivers satisfying tension right up to the final reveal.
I enjoyed getting to know Kheppy, the litter sister of Aneksi, a beloved character from the author's other series, made settling into Laguna Bay an immediate pleasure. Her human companion and witch, Boo Boudreaux, is a delightful guide, introducing us to a vibrant and quirky cast of characters.
DeAnna Drake expertly weaves a plot that accelerates from a neighborhood rivalry to a high-stakes murder investigation. The threat of exposing the town's supernatural secret adds urgent, compelling layers to the mystery. With a surprising familial twist, a roster of plausible suspects, and a climactic showdown that puts Boo's life on the line, the story delivers satisfying tension right up to the final reveal.
January 12, 2026
I truly enjoyed this story. The characters are wildly interesting, the plot is easily followed, and the premise is finding out who killed the competitor who moved in across the street and why. The talking cat is interesting, the premise the town is a haven for supernatural folks, more so, and tracking down all the clues was complicated with all these other factors. All in all, the story is quite good and I definitely recommend it.
October 25, 2025
Candy, Cauldron s, and a Corpse: Laguna Bay Midlife Witch Cozy Mystery book 1
This is a it of a spinoff of another series, but it is an interesting story of past events affecting current events. The circumstances of the murder are quite unique.
This is a it of a spinoff of another series, but it is an interesting story of past events affecting current events. The circumstances of the murder are quite unique.
November 3, 2025
More fun and excitement. I love this sister series to Purr-fect relic series. So great to get more Kheppest and Boo! wonderfully fun and exciting storyline and super characters.
November 8, 2025
surprises!
I was totally taken by surprise with how things ended up! Things I never saw coming at all. I’m going to love reading this series.
I was totally taken by surprise with how things ended up! Things I never saw coming at all. I’m going to love reading this series.
February 17, 2026
Entertaining and interesting
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews