How the Witch Stole Christmas

Witchless in Seattle #5

by Dakota Cassidy

The game is afoot in Ebenezer Falls, Washington, and this time someone is trying to ruin Christmas!

With twists, turns, and suspects aplenty, amateur sleuth Stevie Cartwright is determined to find a murderer and her missing familiar before the silver bells tarnish!

USA Today bestselling cozy mystery author Dakota Cassidy serves up mayhem and murder in How the Witch Stole Christmas , Book 5 of her bestselling series, Witchless in Seattle Mysteries

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas--!

Er, not so much. . .

It's Christmas, and I, ex-witch, Stevie Cartwright declare this my favorite time of year! I love the decorations! The food! The Hallmark Channel holiday specials! This year promises to be better than ever because for the first time in a very long time, I'm going to have more than just Cheez Whiz, Triscuits and the wish to be surrounded by family and friends.

My carefully planned holiday bonanza includes all the usual suspects. My bat familiar Belfry, my dog Whiskey, my ever-present ghostly spy friends--dashing Brit Winterbottom, stalwart Russian Arkady and my parents.

However, nothing comes easy for this amateur sleuth, not even a neighborhood decorating contest. You know, the one I've been painstakingly prepping for months? Something goes horribly awry with my Christmas display (think bikini-clad carolers, pink flamingos and real, live turkeys) to start.

But the worst? The dead body of the famous Chef Pascal Le June in my nativity scene!

It becomes clear someone's trying to ruin my Christmas, and that someone must pay! But when Belfry goes missing, and the danger takes on a paranormal edge, I find I have more to lose than ever before. . .

This cozy mystery has a complete cast of oddball characters from witches to ghosts and bats to psychics. Witchless In Seattle Mysteries is a spin-off of Dakota Cassidy's bestselling paranormal romance series, A Paris, Texas Romance.

Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Fantasy, Audiobook, Witches, Cozy Mystery, Magic

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 12, 2016

About the author

Dakota Cassidy is a national bestselling author with over thirty books. She writes laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, grab-some-ice erotic romance, hot and sexy alpha males, paranormal shifters, contemporary kick-ass women, and more.

Invited by Bravo TV, Dakota was the Bravoholic for a week, wherein she snarked the hell out of all the Bravo shows. She received a starred review from Publisher Weekly for Talk Dirty to Me, won an RT Reviewers Choice Award for Kiss and Hell, along with many review site recommended reads and reviewer top pick awards.

Dakota lives in the gorgeous state of Oregon with her real life hero and her dogs, and she loves hearing from readers!

Connect with Dakota online: https://twitter.com/DakotaCassidy https://www.facebook.com/DakotaCassid...

Join Dakota Cassidy’s Newsletter The Tiara Diaries! Join here: http://mad.ly/signups/100255/join

Reviews

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars... Christmas has come to Ebenezer Falls and, of course, chaos must follow... When Stevie's house is vandalized, the pastry chef found dead in her nativity, and Belfry is missing, Stevie and friends must put on their sleuthing hats and solve the mystery in time for Christmas... With humor and heart, Dakota Cassidy gives her readers a holiday story to remember... An enjoyable and memorable cozy holiday mystery:)

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

How the Witch Stole Christmas by Dakota Cassidy

Book 5 in this paranormal cozy mystery series. Best to read them in order.
Full of kooky and bumbling mystery solving with characters that feel like family.
Amusing and entertaining.

Excerpt:
“And these tombstones? Can you explain why our names are on them? Are you mocking our committee and the contest? A contest that has been a tradition for fifty years in Ebenezer Falls, Miss Cartwright. Or need I remind you?”
I cocked my head at Mrs. Vanderhelm and her question, peering at her in the glow of the red light in an attempt to read her facial expression. “What? No! I would never—”
“Wouldn’t you, then?” she asked, lifting a penciled-in eyebrow as she tapped her clipboard with her red pen of death. “Wasn’t it you, in all your sarcasm, who asked all those questions about whether the stringent rules we take quite seriously for this contest allowed for one to breathe?”
Oh. Okay. Yeah, I had asked that. But they only had a million and two rules, and as Mrs. Vanderhelm had set about the tedious task of reading them aloud, I’d tried to lighten the boredom. Obviously, I needed to learn to read my audience better or shut up, the latter probably being my best bet.
I shot her a guilty look as another stiff breeze ruffled my thin caftan, slicing through the fabric and making my knees quiver.
“I did, but I swear to you, Mrs. Vanderhelm, despite my crass jokes, I took this contest very seriously and I adhered to all the rules. I adhered so hard, I was like Gorilla Glue. Swear it on my secondhand Kenneth Coles."
Excerpt From: Cassidy, Dakota. “How the Witch Stole Christmas."

[~~~Sue~~~ O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy these books!

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So our ex-witch is all excited about the upcoming holiday. Stevie is taking part in the local Holiday Home Decorating contest, and she's been cautious taking care to follow all of the rules. She even hired Chef Pascal Le June to make mouth watering pastries...only he ends up dead in her nativity scene. She comes home moments before the judges are scheduled to arrive, and her decorations have been replaced by half naked carolers, Mardi Grad revelers, a pooping Easter bunny and more. It was over the top hilarious. Of course, the judges are aghast, and Belfrey Stevie's familiar is missing.

Her roommates the ghostly Brit, Winterbottom, Arkady a former Russian spy (now deceased), and her dog Whiskey set out to help her find Belfry. Along the way, they will try to discover what happened to the Chef and uncover who sabotaged her Christmas.

This series is a lot of fun with character development and growth as Stevie begins to get some of her powers back. Within the story is a clever murder mystery whodunit and a missing familiar. Stevie has become quite the armature sleuth and is learning to trust her instincts. Her friendship continues to strength with Winterbottom. I loved their back and forth banter and his protectiveness. There is almost an air of romance, but of course, he resides on a different plan. The motley crew Stevie has surrounded herself with make me smile. 

The motley crew Stevie has surrounded herself with make me laugh. From cute names to advice they all care for Stevie but also add some humor and aid the investigation. The villain ties into the overall ARC, and I look forward to seeing it resolved. The current case was interesting with a few twists complicated by the paranormal factor. Stevie never has a dull moment, but she is growing on the town folks. I adore the name calling and snark between her and a certain local police officer.

Hollie Jackson continues to narrate the series, and aside from Belfrey's voice, I think she is perfect for this series. Her Winterbottom and Arkady accents are fun, and she nails Stevie. Belfrey is a little high pitched, but the little guy was missing throughout most of the story, so we got a reprieve. He is, however, a cute little fellow.

audio provided by the publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Brenda H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Review to come

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great.

[A.M. Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars - I am finding this series truly entertaining. Stevie and gang are funny and smart. I love the fact they work together to solve a problem.

[Sandee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone is trying to destroy Stevie's Christmas and doing it very well. All her efforts are being undone and now Belfry is missing, possibly batnapped! Another fun and exciting book in this delightful series. But this time I was disappointed in the ending. Yes, the story wraps up appropriately but I wish Dakota had spent the time to describe what happened after the mystery is solved. I would have enjoyed reading about the Stevie's perfect Christmas.

[VicciReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful way to spend a cozy winter night. I was wrapped up in this holiday mystery and could not put down until last page. Lots of giggles in this book. Great read.

[Lucy Dosch (EBookObsessed) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this series is adorable. Maybe it is just how the narrator plays with it. This was a much shorter story than the other and while it had fun aspects, there wasn’t much to it and yet it had a more convoluted plot.

This is a Christmas story which came out in December but the audiobook was just released and I do enjoy the narrator on this series so I waited.

In this story, our favorite magicless witch, Stevie Cartwright is looking forward to competing in this year’s holiday decoration contest. This is the first year in a long, long time that Christmas will be more than just Stevie and her familiar, Belfry. She almost has a full house with her dog Whiskey, two ghostly spy-guys in her heard and her parents coming in for the holiday. Stevie is really looking forward to Christmas this year.

That is until she gets home and finds all of her Christmas decorations have been replaced. Santa on the rooftop is now an Easter Bunny, shooting eggs out his butt, the carolers are not dressed in bikinis and singing Def Leopard, and why the hell are their scantily clad women on her balcony throwing Mardi Gras beads? As if this chaos isn’t enough, the very angry judges find something worse behind her trashed nativity scene…the body of the pastry chef who had prepared the treats for the judges.

Stevie is forced to keep to a budget set by the Judges so everything is fair between households. Stevie makes a paper mache nativity (in the snow?) but she has money for carolers?

Once more murder finds Stevie in the small town of Ebeneezer Falls, and it is up to the ex-witch and her two former spies to figure out who killed the pastry chef…and who is killing Stevie’s Christmas.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The holidays are upon Ebenezer Falls in this installment, which lends itself to hijinks and hilarity. Stevie has thrown herself into the local house-decorating contest with rather hysterical results that involve half naked singers, the Easter Bunny, and… murder. And to make it worse? Her beloved little bat familiar, Belfrey, goes missing.

I love a good cozy mystery, and Dakota Cassidy has created the perfect cast for this series. Stevie is strong and smart, still positive even after having to find a new normal in her life. Win and Arkady, once enemies in the spy world, are now best friends in the afterlife. Their banter is hilarious, even as they both care deeply for Stevie. And of course, Belfrey. I love his sense of humor! The townfolk are equally as delightful, each of them reminding me of someone I know in my own life.

The mystery in this book was interesting, just enough clues to keep me guessing. I appreciate that each book is a full mystery from start to end, but there are also threads of an overall arc to the series as a whole. A nice bit revealed in each novel to carry the reader to the next!

[Berls · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know I said the last one was one of my favorites, but this one beats it for sure. First of all, it's just ridiculous, in the best way. If you love Christmas, like I do, you can relate to Stevie's excitement over the holiday and all her plans for the town's decorating competition. And when it gets sabotaged in the most ridiculous ways, I both felt for her and laughed so hard I could cry. Until the murder of course. And even that was kinda ridiculous though.

The mystery element was really good in this one and I liked the way it brought the paranormal more to the forefront. Belfry was absent for most the book which was hard, as he's a favorite character. I'm loving the addition of Arkady, his butchery of American sayings cracks me up and the narration really breathes life into his great character.

[Miki Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these!

So waiting for Winterbutt" to be able to appear in the flesh! Will Stevie recover her full witchy powers eventually? Who's going to show up dead next? That Adam is getting pretty good at his attempts to kill Stevie. It'll be interesting to see what he tries next as well. I was suspicious at first of the reappearance of her father in the last book, but he seems genuine, and hope he shows up some more. These are sweet little mysteries and easy, enjoyable reads. Love Dakota's humor.

[Kate McMurry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious romp featuring Christmas as you’ve never seen it before!

Stevie has spent months preparing for Christmas. It’s her favorite holiday, no matter what, but she is thrilled that it’s going to be a thousand times better than ever before this year. It’s not going to be just her and her adorable bat familiar, Belfry, dining on Cheez Whiz and Triscuits. This Christmas her parents are coming, and she has her rescue dog, Whiskey, and her BFF Win, the ghost of a dead British spy, and her hilarious new ghost friend, a dead Russian spy named Arkady, to celebrate with her. Arkady was Win’s arch enemy in life, but in the spirit realm, they are now best buddies. Together the two former spies have been working with Stevie to continue her “mini-spy” training in physical fitness and self-defense.

Stevie has spent months decorating her home, determined to win the town’s annual Christmas contest. But on the day the judges show up, holiday hell has taken over her property. All her carefully crafted decorations have vanished, replaced by a garish mishmash of every kind of crazy holiday decoration—most of them not even for Christmas—and near naked carolers and live turkeys are wandering all over her yard. The judges are disgusted at the kitschy display, but they are utterly horrified when they stumble upon a dead body, lying among the ruins of what used to be Stevie’s nativity scene. It is the famous Chef Pascal Le June, who was Stevie’s caterer, hired to provide gourmet holiday treats especially for the judges. As awful as all that was, if these were the worst events of the day, it might have been bearable, but they are not. Her beloved Belfry has vanished!

This is not your typical holiday novel! What a romp! As always, Dakota Cassidy delivers a wild ride, with plenty of twists and turns in the murder mystery plot, and tons of laughs from the antics of the colorful cast of characters. Belfry is not on stage much in this book, because of his disappearance. But debonair Win is front and center in all his warm and witty glory, and Whisky the dog is on the scene. One of the best parts of this book is the hilarious new Russian ghost, Arkady, who first appeared in the previous book. He enormously contributes to the fun.

All in all, this is a another fabulous entry in the Witchless in Seattle, paranormal, murder mystery series, with another creepily evil villain for Stevie to vanquish. As always, when the terrifying fight for her life in the climax comes, Win is there to coach her to victory. And this time around we have Arkady jumping in, too, with humorously helpful advice.

The audiobook version that I listened to is narrated by the same excellent voice talent as the first four books, Hollie Jackson, who narrates the entire series, and is a joy to listen to. She is outstanding with every kind of foreign accent, but her rendition of Arkady’s Russian accent is particularly memorable, because it is absolutely fabulous. Arkady’s dialogue is amusing in and of itself, but when performed by Hollie Jackson, it becomes laugh-out-loud funny.

[Stormi (StormReads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Stevie wanted was to have a great Christmas but everything was going wrong. Someone had ruined her decorations that she had outside and traded some in for horrible ugly non Christmasy types. She was so distraught over this that she didn't even notice the dead body until after those coming to judge her holiday decor found him. 

Then Stevie realizes her bat Belfry is missing and she can hear him calling for help but has no clue where he is and she is the only one who can hear him. Neither of her ghostly friends Winterbottom or Arkady can hear him. The only thing they can think of is it must be the work of Alex, the witch that slapped her witchy powers out of her a while back. Though she has slowly be getting back some powers she is not getting excited about it as it could be a fluke. 

Meanwhile, she also needs to figure out what happened to Chef Pascal Le June and there are a few suspects but she is a little distracted by her bat being gone. 

I love Stevie, she is so funny! I almost feel as if she is a collector of sorts. It seems like she gains either an animal or ghost with each mystery. :) There is now two ghost, a bat, a dog and now a turkey. :) It's a fun combination and they are just fun characters to read about!

This was a short holiday mystery and I enjoyed it as much as the others. Is it bad that I was kind of glad that Belfry was missing cause his screech little voice is slightly annoying...lol. :) 

[Imjussayin · Rating 3 out of 5]

How the Witch Stole Christmas - Witchless in Seattle 5
Reading in chronological order is best.

This urban fantasy is whacky witty and wonderful. 🎉
I had to end the year and begin the year with the series. It's great. Here's a synopsis-review from book one which says it all.

😉
Connect with me on Twitter and FB
See all my reviews
Check out my blog on imjussayin

Book Rating
Sexual Content: U
Language: U
Violent: U
Would I read the next one or reread?: Yes

My rating system (* = star)
0* Could not finish this book (waste of time)
1* Finished the book but didn't like it.
2* Finished the book it was okay.
3* A good read worth your time.
4* An excellent read often with a novel concept or unusual plot.
5* A great read. A prominent example of the genre.r i

[Kelly at · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review will be posted at www.books-n-kisses.com .

NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4
Awe.... another grand adventure for Stevie, amateur sleuth and royal pain it the Eb Falls Police forces backside, Cartwright and crew. But this time around someone is trying to ruin Stevie’s perfect christmas. How could someone do such a thing? Well.... Stevie has a few people that are not quite her fans. But still dead bodies, Easter decorations, Mardi Gras bead and bikini clad carolers..... Someone is pulling out all the stops. But who and why. And where the heck is Belfry??
Another good story from Ms. Cassidy. I am loving all the adventures that Stevie, Win and Belfry go on. With each story I keep hoping that we are closer to a resolution for the Adam Westfield issue, the new Fakebottom issue and the Stevie and Win on different plans issue. At the same time that I am hoping for these to be solved I also don’t want this series to come to an end. Can’t wait to see what is up next.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Dakota Cassidy in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

[A.A.B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*s. Light reading-wise this book is marginally better than the previous two books in the series, mostly because it's shorter, and in some ways it is worse. One of those ways is, unfortunately, the core mystery. The main dynamic duo (now trio) had the correct theory early on, but then spent the whole story exploring other possibilities and talking to irrelevant people.

What was the point of introducing magic-welding parents and reconciling Stevie with them, if she is going to ignore their existence when she clearly needs magic-requiring answers? That aspect marches the whole story straight into the Unbelievably Stupid territory (with Stevie at the head of the procession!).

I don't expect cleverness or much intelligence when I read these books, but such outright stupidity is below even my lower than low expectations here.

[Hsu Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stevie joins the neighborhood festivities by entering on a decorating contest.
She is going to make the mansion a sight to behold.
Her Christmas display are going to put everybody else display to shame.
She definitely is going to win 1st prize.
She is also preparing a Christmas fest. She is going all out for this Christmas
Since we talking about Stevie, it would not be Christmas w/o a body, of course.
Where Belfry ?
He disappeared.
Now more than ever, Stevie has to solve the mystery.
It is he only way to get Belfry back.

[Janet Armentani · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's the most wonderful time of the year....or at least it should be. For our gal Stevie, this is the first Christmas with her father, mother and without her magick. Even, so she's intent on making it the best ever! When she gets home just before the judges arrive to find that all of her Christmas decorations are sooooooooo not what they were supposed to be (think every holiday on meth and then some),finds a very dead pastry chef in her garden, and a missing familiar she's afraid that Christmas this year just might be cancelled.
Another great, funny, cozy mystery read!!!!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a perfect time of year to listen to this book.
Stevie Cartwright, ex-witch, declares Christmas as her favorite time of year and has spent the last month getting ready for the decorating contest. Everything is set to perfection... until she gets home from work to find a living nightmare has taken over her house and decorations. To make it worse the judges are right behind her. As she attempts to usher them into the house where a beautiful holiday buffet awaits they find a dead chef in her hydrangeas.
The hunt is on not only for the murderer but also the fiend who stole her Christmas!

[Debby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Witchless in Seattle series is a fun, get lost in fantasy, series. Stevie Cartwright, a witch stripped of her powers, goes back to her home in Washington. She soon learns that she can still hear at least one ghost. Thus begins her escapades with murder, sluething and making herself a nuisance with the police and all things witchy.
Just a nice get away from the stresses of the day and have some laughs. I've been listening to the audio books and love how the narrator, Hollie Jackson, brings the characters to life.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas, Bah Humbug??

Christmas is upon Mayhem Manor!

Everything is perfect in Stevie's life, till she gets home and finds scantily clad carollers in her garden, rocking their way through Def Leopards Pour Some Sugar on Me.

More scantily clad women throwing New Orleans beads from a balcony.

Santa's done a runner off the roof and in his stead is the Easter Bunny!!

Then there's the live turkeys running around.

A missing Belfry.

Also, little problem of the dead chef in the bushes!?!?!

Just another day in their lives.

[Emilye · Rating 4 out of 5]

WitchlessSeattle5 (Hollie Johnson, narrator)

So much plot. And more questions.

Stevie has an arch enemy - a deceased warlock who covets her life, for seeing through his deceptions in Paris, Texas. Not content with having her driven out of town, he has determined to destroy her life in truth.

But, Stevie isn’t the single, magicless human Adam Westfield tried to make her. So, we still have to question how he got so powerful and influential, even in death. And, maybe we will get answers, soon.

[Lory · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story definitely has you on a emotional rollercoaster. Poor Stevie is yet again caught in another adventure that she didn't see coming but this time it's way to close to home. This enjoyable and entertaining story will have your emotions all over the place. Another great and funny read looking forward to the next book in the series. I voluntarily read and review this ARC no minority compensation was received the opinions I have expressed are my own.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella in one of my fave series was fun. A quick, easy-reading, fun treat.

All the things I love about the full-length books is here, Stevie being a disaster-magnet, the hilarious humour between Stevie, Win, and now the Russian ghost addition Arkady, the cast of characters in Stevie's little town of weirdness.

These books always make me laugh, and that is always a good read. I enjoyed this.

[Dann · Rating 2 out of 5]

A convoluted holiday tale, How the Witch Stole Christmas is an unusual mix of witchcraft and yuletide cheer. When former witch Stevie Cartwright comes home to find her caterer dead and her Christmas lights and displays sabotaged she begins to suspect that someone is attempting to kill her. Poorly written, author Dakota Cassidy spends nearly a third of the novel recapping the Witchless in Seattle series (of which this is Book 5) in long exposition dumps; going through the characters’ histories and past adventures. Also, Stevie Cartwright isn’t the most likable protagonist; coming off a bit narcissistic. But worst of all, the murder mystery really isn’t all that interesting or suspenseful. Feeling more like a middle episode in a season than a standalone story, How the Witch Stole Christmas fails to deliver any Christmas magic.

[Dianne Barskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who wants to ruin Stevie's Christmas? Her decorations for the Ebenezer Falls decorating contest get completely changed to a horrifying display. Another murder and the body is found in Stevie's flower bed. The gang works on solving it and trying to save Christmas. Twists and turns abound in this series and this book continues the pattern.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! I recommend this series of books as the stories are well written. You have a mystery, humor and family. Stevie, Win, Bel , Whiskey and even Stickler for Rules but you must not forget the Russian! The action from the ghosts helping Stevie is priceless! Read and enjoy as I am off to read the next book, " Ain't Love A Witch."

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg when a book starts with a comparison to clark griswold in Christmas vacation, bikini clad carolers, front porch stripper pole, and bikini ladies throwing beads like it's mardi gras from your top balcony..you know this is going to be good. This didn't let me down. This was crazy from start to finish and I can't wait for more from our favorite witch, bat, and spy guys