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Witches, cats, and murder -- oh, my!

Socialite/Aromatherapist Ella Sweeting wasn’t expecting much for her twenty-second birthday, certainly not three magical Aunts (and their cats) who barge into her home and inform her she’s a witch. Which turns out to be a nice surprise, after all.

But just as she’s getting to know her eccentric Aunts and learn to harness her newfound magic, a shocking murder threatens the entire world she’s just uncovered. Her mother’s best friend is found dead, with her Aunts’ fingerprints all over the murder weapon, and Ella must act to save her family.

Combining forces with Rory, the cute mailman she’s been crushing on, Ella uses her skills of scent and sense to track the killer. But when clues cross social classes, Ella realizes that catching the killer could alienate Rory.

Will Ella catch the killer and still get her man?

102 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2015

354 people are currently reading
432 people want to read

About the author

Lisbeth Reade

5 books18 followers

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5 stars
193 (38%)
4 stars
156 (31%)
3 stars
114 (22%)
2 stars
28 (5%)
1 star
12 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
Profile Image for Katherine.
948 reviews179 followers
May 20, 2019
Ella sweeting was turning 22. She thought her day will be as usual. But it all changed when three aunts who she didn't even knew existed appeared at their doorstep along with two cats. Ella's mother didn't liked them and there was a reason behind her envy. Aunt Sarah, Joe and Hazel were witches whereas Ella's mom was just normal, no magical abilities whatsoever. The cats who accompanied the aunts could freely communicate through psychic connections. Ella was a bit skeptical when she was informed that she herself was a blooming powerful witch and since she turning 22, she has to sort of unlock the hidden ability to learn all ways of casting a spell without any backfire and just magic in general.

As if her mother wasn't shooting enough daggers at the decision of making the aunts stay ,the day after her birthday their neighbour Vanessa is found murdered in her house with a jewelled knife struck in her chest. This supposed murder weapon belonged to Ella's aunts. She knew that it was just an easy conspiracy as Vanessa's family was swimming in all sorts of rumours. As an aromatherapist,Ella when discovered the body of Vanessa pocked up on a peculiar cologne which may belonged to the killer. With the help of Rory, her crush she will find out who is the murderer and what was the ultimate motive behind the everything.
This was a funny, cozy mystery novel with sassy cats and a well established murder ploy.
Profile Image for Sandra.
3,341 reviews12 followers
July 13, 2018
Reasonably quick read. Nothing overly memorable but a good way to pass the train trip to work.
Profile Image for Ms. Cyn.
1,544 reviews
March 23, 2018
Nice and light

This is a fun read in a morbid way. Ella just finds out she is a witch by her 3 crazy aunts and their talking cats. Her mother has never told her about them since she thinks they're crazy with their talks of magic. I think that was my favorite part. Just meeting the aunts and Ella's mom's reactions. Too funny. I also enjoyed Rory a bit, however the awkwardness between them lasted forever. Overall, a nice light story.
Profile Image for ✨ Gramy ✨ .
1,382 reviews
August 15, 2017
.

I loved the title and the allure of the content. But I was disappointed by the lack of substance.

It was a cozy mystery, with bouts of humor and entertainment.

However, the aromatherapy and witchy aspects were so played down that it might as well as not have been a part of it at all. Too many parts of the story did not blend together.

Some grammatical errors distracted me, not alarmingly though.
.
1,047 reviews5 followers
December 11, 2017
Ella Sweeting is an aromatherapist and a socialite whose mother would really like her to find a nice, society man to marry and settle down with. Ella is rather taken with the mailman. All that is gravy, though, when her three aunts show up right before her 23rd birthday to activate her magical powers, which will become permanently dormant if she doesn't activate them before she's 23. Turns out, her mother has been keeping that a secret because she never cared for the magic. At the same time, Ella and her mother find her mother's kleptomaniac socialite friend and neighbor, Vanessa, dead, apparently stabbed in her bedroom. Ella, her mom, and the aunts join the suspect pool, along with Vanessa's cheating husband, the housekeeper (with whom he cheated and had a son), and their children. Ella tries working with the police and her Romeo mailman to get her family off the suspect list. Lots going on. Interesting start to a series. Oh, and Ella can now hear her cats talking...Now that's a magical power.
Profile Image for Jae.
879 reviews1 follower
July 21, 2018
On Ella's 22nd birthday, she is visited by three mad aunts, all of whom tell Ella that she is a witch. Ella's mother has tried to keep that knowledge from her, but she gives in and doesn't interfere when Sarah, Hazel, and Joe begin to teach Ella about her magical heritage. With the three aunties come two talking cats, Livvie and Trouble. Ella is enjoying her newfound family, until the neighbor lady is murdered. Ella discovers Vanessa's body, and while she is horrified, she is also curious about the odd perfume/cologne she detects at the scene. With her mother and her aunts on the list of potential suspects, Ella begins her own investigation, aided by Rory, the cute mailman.

Well. The story was alright for a quick, light read. It was charming for the most part, but the writing was rather juvenile. There were editing errors that distracted. Characters did have some depth, but there was a lot of flouncing and tantrums from supposed adults. I did love the cats.

Entertaining premise, flat execution, average score.
Profile Image for Lin .
223 reviews4 followers
February 1, 2017
Be careful what you wish for when you have a birthday. Ella Sweeting was turning 22; meeting her three aunts for the first time and two of their loveable all be it strange cats and finding out she comes from a long line of witches.

Ella’s mother, Jeanie, enjoyed playing cards with her longtime friend Vanessa Stewart. When Vanessa is found by Ella and her mom, everyone becomes a suspect for murder.

My first reading of this author and I will be reading more. The storyline is quite entertaining and very steady pace. Enjoyable!
Profile Image for Cheryl H..
68 reviews4 followers
September 6, 2018
A fun, quick read!

The book did a good job of introducing the main characters and setting us up to get to know the main characters, especially given the short length of the book. I look forward to hearing more about them, especially the cats and the aunts!

I did have a clue early on as to who might be the killer, but it didn't get in the way of me enjoying the mystery.

I love cozies with magic, aromatherapy, cats and endearing, older characters. So I figured this would be a series for me. And it is. I look forward to reading the next book.
10 reviews
August 2, 2017
An enjoyable mystery

This was a fun book to read !!! The characters were delightful, and I particularly enjoyed the little cats. In one of the last scenes , where one of them said to the other " lick as many as you can, so the humans don't want them " ( talking about little cakes or sandwiches) , was hysterical. 😼😼Lol. I will be sure to read the rest of the series.
Profile Image for T.M. Thomas.
144 reviews5 followers
January 20, 2018
A cozy read

I like a cozy mystery from time to time, and the time was right for this one. Long enough to make a good story but short enough to watch the % amount whizz by. There were a few spelling mistakes which interrupted my flow but apart from that a nice read, with more than one part that made me laugh out loud.
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews54 followers
June 20, 2018
Sense of smell to the rescue

A good start to the series. Could have been a bit more "witchy". Can her sense of smell, smell out the killer? The romance angle is well played but I hope the cats have a more active role next time. A very gentle, witch cozy mystery. Some proofing errors but all in all a solid read.
98 reviews1 follower
November 10, 2020
Outstanding and Interesting

Learning about a family sercet is duanting but finding out about your next door neighbor is even more so. Everytime I read a cozy mystery or a regular one, no one knows about the "sheep in wolf's clothing" until it's too late. Always pay attention to the people or places around you. You'll never know what type of surprise you'll get in the end.
318 reviews
September 22, 2021
Birthday #22

A light read with a few laughs along the way. Although witches are included, not much witchcraft is involved, except for two talking cats. Not too sure why the hype about the arrival at birthday number 23 was included since it had very little effect on Ella, the main character. Fortunately the other features of the book make it worthwhile reading.
Profile Image for Bertha Alicia .
649 reviews57 followers
March 4, 2024
Witches, cats and a murder... What more could I ask for?
Very fun story, the first in the Ella Sweeting Witch Aromatherapist series by Lisbeth Reade. It tells the story of Ella, a girl who discovers that she is a witch just one day before her 22nd birthday, which is the deadline to discover her powers or lose them forever.
I highly recommend it to spend a very entertaining afternoon.
Profile Image for Lisa Denn.
510 reviews2 followers
February 4, 2017

A fast-paced cozy mystery featuring talking cats, a trio of witches and a murder.
The suspects are numerous and the clues are somewhat sparse resulting in an unpredictable ending - at least for me.
Profile Image for Jennifer K..
93 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2018
Mixed bag of hi-jinx

I enjoyed this cozy a great deal. There is lots of laughs, a mixed genre ( cozy murder mystery and magic), and a story to keep you guessing. It was a very quick read and I look forward to the next one!
Profile Image for Sinead.
175 reviews7 followers
January 14, 2018
The plot was good, the writting was ok but lacked in some areas. I didn't like how their was talk of money and snubbing servants. It not that they were spoken of it was just how they were treated. Along with how the mother was a snob what made the book was the aunts
Profile Image for Tracey.
309 reviews
April 19, 2018
Really should have been edited better- some sentences didn’t make sense and some words were not even needed. Story was weak though I didn’t know who the killer was until the reveal. Light and fluffy for my train ride.
Profile Image for Dallass.
2,232 reviews
December 20, 2018
Not a bad start

This was a fun cosy mystery with a pinch of the paranormal thrown in. Ella’s discovery that she is a witch was amusing, but any witchy incidents take a back seat to the murder mystery.
43 reviews
December 22, 2018
Great witch cosy

I really enjoyed this book. Ella's three great aunts and two cats turn up just before her 22nd birthday to tell her about her witch heritage. A murder makes the situation more complicated. Wonderful story and characters.
42 reviews1 follower
May 14, 2019
Lovable characters

Refreshing to have a female detective who looks like she's going to be more of a mentor to Ella rather than have the usual female amateur sleuth pitting herself against a hunk of a male detective.
149 reviews2 followers
April 24, 2020
Great and Wow!

You know how to get a person hooked.The book was so good I didn't want to put it down. I stayed up half the night to tinier it. Thanks for sharing it with me keep them coming. You are a great!
Profile Image for Bernadette Hutton.
432 reviews1 follower
July 15, 2021
Still undecided

So an aromatherapist turns out to be a witch but she has never met her family, other than her parents, so at the grand age of 22 shes a lot to learn. Add a murder and some oversensitive friends and here is my problem.
196 reviews
November 3, 2021
A scented witch

Things were bound to happen when 3 aunties turn up and tell Ella she's a witch throw in a murder,talking cats, and a love struck mailman and stir the cauldron, a good first book inn a series.
Profile Image for Latricomtoise.
303 reviews3 followers
October 22, 2024
Une intrigue gentillette avec des personnages secondaires sympas. Cependant, les deux personnages principaux sont insupportables, leurs disputes permanentes agaçantes et ça manquait de rebondissements pour être vraiment réussi.
4,374 reviews28 followers
January 31, 2017
Good

the murder mystery that brought the aunts together and they were there to see there niece who did not know of there exsistance
Profile Image for Trish.
4 reviews
February 20, 2018
Quick afternoon read

Overall, a good story. A little too much time was spent on the characters' wealth when it really didn't impact the story.
1 review
May 25, 2018
Loved it

Lovely written easy to read, with a touch of humour to lighten the story, and a possible romance. Very good.
312 reviews4 followers
October 15, 2018
What a cute mystery. The characters are so very entertaining! Loved this book
Profile Image for Shannon.
110 reviews8 followers
October 31, 2018
Love

Very good book and can't wait to read the next book. I would recommend the book to any one that likes cozy mystery
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews

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