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ToadWitch #3

Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're Kidnapping Cupid

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Hold onto your hats, because the world has just taken a topsy-turvy spin! The Devil is hot on Mara's trail, while Paul's heart is on a collision course with Gus. Buckle up and prepare for a wild ride!

Mara and Gus are on a love-life rollercoaster that defies all expectations, thanks to the playful meddling of a mischievous Cupid. Love and chaos intertwine as the unrivaled master of passion and desire sets his crosshairs on this unsuspecting pair.

But don't underestimate Gus. Especially not when he's looking like a canary who swallowed a cat. When Mara returns home, she finds a triumphant Gus actually managed to imprison a seriously ticked-off Eros in a makeshift cage, in the middle of their living room.

As the calendar races toward Valentine's Day, Gus refuses to release the Love Assassin, setting the stage for an epic showdown.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any wilder, the Goddess of Love herself, Aphrodite, makes an unexpected entrance to reclaim her wayward son. Mara and Gus find themselves caught in the whirlwind of a love story they never saw coming.

Get ready for a romantic showdown of epic proportions, where love, mischief and destiny collide like never before!

129 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2016

182 people are currently reading
197 people want to read

About the author

Christiana Miller

23 books110 followers

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5 stars
212 (44%)
4 stars
161 (34%)
3 stars
83 (17%)
2 stars
17 (3%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
725 reviews1 follower
February 25, 2018
Wickedly zanny,

A wickedly zanny book. I truly enjoyed it. But I want more, of course. It did seem a bit short so I look forward to the next book.



Profile Image for leasia rolle-white.
1 review
October 30, 2016
Awsome

I chose this book because it is fun whimsical and talk about magic
I gave it a five star rating because it kept me interested
I would recommend to anyone that just wants to get lost in magic and mischief.
Profile Image for Daniell.
271 reviews4 followers
June 27, 2017
So funny

This was a great Novella. It is a little sexy, crazy and really funny all rolled up into a fun story. It has so many different elements that come together to make yet another Aunt Tillie story a fabulous ride.
Profile Image for Kathy Davie.
4,876 reviews738 followers
October 7, 2021
Third (a short story) in the Toad Witch Mysteries cozy paranormal mystery series and revolving around a couple of witches — Mara and Gus — who happen to be housemates.

It's also in Kiss and Spell: "Kidnapping Cupid" — Miller retitled it.

My Take
Miller's take on Cupid is an interesting mash-up of many of the mythical tales about him. Miller certainly has fun with him! And that includes stories about Aphrodite and Hermes. It does make sense of why people fall in and out of love so fast.

Mara does toss in her theories about the gods. Oh, yeah, I gotta agree with her, but I'll take it a bit farther and say they're the worst of us.

Eros certainly is demanding for being a prisoner. Still, I think Paul is worse. Wait till you read the date scene with dinner and a movie. Anyone treated me like this . . . he wouldn't be seeing me again. I don't understand why Mara is so hung up on him!

We hear all about stolen chocolate through first person protagonist point-of-view from Mara's perspective. That Gus sure is mean, hiding Mara's chocolate and forcing her to eat oh-so-healthy. He's right about the healthy, but leave a woman's chocolate alone!

Paul is still schizophrenic about Mara and the baby. He does have a right to be paranoid after events in Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead , 1, but geez, he does go over the top!

Oh, boy. Forrest has experienced a 180 in who he's attracted to. And he's even creepier.

Ooh, Aunt Tillie gives Mara a bit more about her brother — a half-breed!

As you can tell, there's plenty of action with some crazy characters. At least the pace is quick

The Story
Eros, the god of Love and Lust, is trapped in a cage, and Gus refuses to let him go. At least not until after his Lupercalia.

Meanwhile, Forrest has other ideas, but his past is catching up with him.

The Characters
The pregnant Mara Stephens is a witch who only tries to do good, although she is definitely not a Wiccan. She inherited a sentient cottage from her grumpy, snarky, murderous Aunt Tillie who now resides in a skull on the mantlepiece. The gay, chameleonic Gus is her housemate and believes he is the be-all, end-all of witches. She has two Dobes: Aramis and Apollo. Gus "has" Lord Grundleshanks, the toad. Adele is Mara's deceased mother.

Forrest is Gus' last boyfriend; he's also the Devil. Aphrodite is Cupid's mother. Cupid is the god of Love and Lust.

Devil's Point, Wisconsin
Paul, a writer as well as a creative writing professor, is Mara's reluctant boyfriend, suffering from Post-Possession Stress Disorder ( Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead ).

The Warriors of Witchdom is a coven Gus met in Chicago. Gus plans for his Lupercalia to be a Bacchanalic S&M orgy in the backyard. Andwyn is a friend of Gus' who lives in Utah and breeds toads.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a cartoon graphic with a black night fading to pale gray in the background against a blues-colored background of mountain and what appears to be a waterfall with trees in front of it and stars of magic. In the foreground on the right, Lord Grundleshanks, in a black witch's hat, perches atop a tombstone with the Dobes to the left, overlapping with the long, dark, curly-haired Mara, wearing a cranberry smock top and light royal blue trousers and burgundy flip flops, lounging on a dog crate containing a red heart. 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 author's name is in white at the bottom.

I don't really understand the first four words of any of the titles, Aunt Tillie knows what Mara and Gus are doing, almost before they do. So, why have Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're Kidnapping Cupid!?
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews55 followers
July 18, 2018
Cupid and St Valentine's tricks

Another great read but please note that this is only 71% of the page count. St Valentine's Day is approaching fast and things have been crazy. Paul has beeb blowing hot (well tepid) and cold, the Devil seems to have a crush on her and now Paul has tried to make a pass at Gus. Perhaps the problem is the one that's trapped in the cage? Will they be able to sort out all the misunderstandings that have plagued them? A fun read but really not a important part of the general series.
Profile Image for Mike Lewis.
1,761 reviews8 followers
January 3, 2021
Entertaining urban fantasy novella

And entertaining urban fantasy novella. A great cast of characters and an entertaining storyline. A young woman pregnant and living in a magical cottage with her quirky roommate who tends to at first before thinking. As well as her aunt Tilly’s Spirit which is trapped in a skull. Follow along as once again her roommate Gus cause Mayham on Valentine’s Day. Read on to find out what happens and enjoy.
Profile Image for Jeri Munoz.
59 reviews
January 31, 2018
Cute and funny book but I agree with many of the other readers, too short. It made me want to know what happened at the ritual, what happened with Paul and Mara. Too many questions. When I got to the end I was like, What, Thats it. Oh well on to the next, I like this series of books, they are an easy fun read.
Profile Image for Lyn Jenkins.
628 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2018
Accidents happen

Thanks to Gus hitting Paul with a salt shaker cupid is captured the day before Valentines. Is it a mistake to keep him or is there a reason Mara and Gus have been having bad love karma and Eros has the answers.
Profile Image for Lybo Buchanan.
259 reviews1 follower
March 27, 2019
Action started right away with her walking into her cottage & seeing a beautiful, but naked young man in her living room, in a cage. OMG, what has Gus done now. Flashback to catch you up, & then you're off on a romp.
Profile Image for Ann Klein.
32 reviews
June 19, 2020
Fun fun fun

All of these books in this series are a light and easy read. I love how Mara and Gus are always getting involved in otherworldly shenanigans. Fun for when life is too heavy.
Profile Image for Vanessa Frink.
39 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2016
Good book

This was a good book but too short!! Wish that it had been a couple of chapters longer with the Valentine's Day ritual that Gus was having included!!
Profile Image for Suzanne Homeier-poe.
491 reviews1 follower
June 16, 2017
Witchy tale.

I did wish there was more to the story. It was too short and also didn't seem to follow a storyline. I was disappointed. I loved your other stories so keep it up.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
28 reviews5 followers
July 29, 2018
Like the first two in the series, I found this one to be fun and playful. It was a quick read & kept me entertained the entire time.
Profile Image for Linda.
428 reviews15 followers
May 18, 2019
This story was really fun. With all the crazy, goofy characters that I love and the unusual plot, it really kept my interest. It was a good addition to the Someone Tell Aunt Tillie stories.
24 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2021
Cannot stop reading these.

Gus is the type of friend I could only be around for short periods of time. He just can't stay away from trouble.
7 reviews
February 14, 2022
This book was great, really funny. But I wish I knew it was a novella before I paid for it. I was so surprised when it ended
Profile Image for Rhonda Jones.
2,794 reviews17 followers
July 24, 2018
Insanely Good

I loved this story! You are never going to believe who ended up getting lucky on Valentine's Day. Awesome book!
Profile Image for Deb Barringer.
590 reviews4 followers
April 8, 2021
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie We're Kidnapping Cupid is a fun, quirky book filled with magick and mayhem, twists and turns, adventure, intrigue, subterfuge, danger and romance. The storyline is fast-paced and well written. The characters are well developed and engaging. I can't wait to see what adventures the next book brings!
Profile Image for Rose English.
Author 22 books183 followers
April 11, 2020
Book 27 of my Goodreads Challenge 2020

Another magical read

Well fancy that Cupid managed to be kidnapped by the witches, great story. I specially loved the appearance of Aphrodite and the author giving us her little insight into her research for the tale. I love the myths and legends of the gods. Another great read. Off to start the next in the series and hopefully meet the new baby in the next book.
691 reviews1 follower
February 5, 2017
I enjoy the series and its characters but this novella seemed bogged down with unnecessary information UNTIL you reach the end and in the authors note she is thanking us for reading the edited novella. She then states that when she began writing the novella she struggled with writing a "short story" and to continue reading to see her "unedited story" that was suppose to be the novella. I continued reading to see just how bad the unedited version could have been, and was glad I did. It appears the actual novella, which made better sense, was at the end of the ebook and not the beginning of the ebook.

After reading both I can see how Ms. Miller struggled with writing the shorter version as a creative process. I cannot wait for her next installment of the Toad Witch series.
Profile Image for Starla.
949 reviews
August 2, 2016
First I am reviewing the novella story and not the "original short story at the back of the book. (I want to read that at a later time as an independent story). I enjoyed reading this book and forgot how much I love Christiana Miller's writing style. I could not put this book down. This story is funny and fascinating to me at the same time. Due to her author notes and questions she answered after the novella I realized that we have a favorite author in common in Janet Evanowich & C. Miller writes like she wants to read a book. So it is no wonder I love her books. Also her notes answer some questions I have had about a few things. The fact she puts so much research into her books I think is the parts that fascinate me so much.
Profile Image for Julie Carter.
1,011 reviews13 followers
August 8, 2016
This novella was a great way to help us patiently wait for the next book in the series. All of our favorite, and not so favorite, characters are in the story. It was an interesting twist on a love story, and was a very enjoyable read. And I lied about patiently waiting for the next story, as I am ready for it now!
Profile Image for Pam Bales.
2,526 reviews12 followers
September 10, 2016
Nice addition to the series. I am ready for more. I know the author calls it Chick Lit which it is. Not that guys wouldn't enjoy it, but it is a nice, light read.
725 reviews8 followers
September 17, 2016
Great Valentine's Day story

This may possibly be the best humorous Valentine's Day story I've ever read. It takes a little time to build up, but be patient. It's worth it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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