When a stranger in Sweetland Cove asks for help... all hexes are off.
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Page Count: around 330 pages
Ava Fortune is not your average witch. Her friends and family keep telling her to stop sleuthing, But... she just can't help it when a crime falls into her lap... or her bakery.
When a stranger shows up at The Mystic Cupcake asking for her help, Ava doesn't know what to tell him...
Everywhere she looks, she finds suspects.
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She can't do everything, even though she wishes she could, So, for the first time, Ava says no. But she just can't stay away from the investigation, Especially when the killer isn't satisfied with just one death.
He's hunting down her friends and family, including Ava!
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Ava will have to enlist the help of her friends and family if she wants to solve this case, Without them, she can hardly make cake, let alone catch a criminal.Can Ava find the killer before he strikes again? Or will she be his next victim?
It was from reading Agatha Christie’s mystery books that inspired Zoe to write cozy mystery novels. Zoe liked the fact that cozy mysteries are able to offer readers a form of escapism that typical detective stories can’t.
Like what Marilyn Stasio, who has been the Crime columnist forThe New York TimesBook Review since the late 1980s, recently wrote: “The abiding appeal of the cozy mystery owes a lot to our collective memory, true or false, of simpler, sweeter times.” It is Zoe’s desire that her writings will evoke that nostalgic memory in all of us; those memories of the good old days.
What sets Zoe apart in her writings is her fusing of Mystery with Paranormal elements, a combination which will bring about fantasies that are intriguing and engaging. Her stories contain unexpected twists and sometimes light-hearted moments that will make one smile at Zoe’s quirkiness, fun and wittiness in her writings.
Six degrees of separation is definitely true on the island of Heavenly Haven. How many people knew Mack Heathrow and turned their backs on the owner of Mack’s Bar when he asked for help?
Ava may have her hands full with this mystery, but she must discover who is lying and why. My favorite episode to date. Read and see if you can solve the mystery. Challenge on!!!
Witches, Recipes and Murder by Zoe Arden is the next installment in the Sweetland Witch Series which revolves around Ava Fortune and her aunts, Eleanor and Trixie, and their bakery: The Mystic Cupcake. The story begins when Natalie Vargas, one of Ava's best customers as well as one of the most prolific gossips in town. Natalie is approached for help by her high school sweetheart, Mack Heathrow, who has a package he needs to hide and he would like Natalie to hide it for him. Meanwhile, Ava is trying to create a wrinkle reducer/complexion enhancer, but the results are not exactly what she wanted until Mack (yes, the same guy) gives her a hint that fixes the formula. Sadly, before you know it Mack ends up dead...
And someone appears to be trying to kill Natalie, and maybe Ava as well. Ava thinks it is Dean Lampton, director of COMHA and her boyfriend, Colt's, boss. Not many people like Dean but no one seems to thinks Ava's theory has any credibility. of course, Ava plunges headlong into the investigation, solves, the case, but not without putting herself and some of her friends into considerable danger.
Arden has created an interesting cast of character for this series: several vampires, a few humans, plenty of witches, some goblins, all endearing and all with way more human characteristics than paranormal. She has built an endearing small town-Sweetland Cove-with more and more business involved all the time. The mysteries are good ones, albeit nearly always paranormally based but simple enough to be interesting. She has grown as an author and turned this little series into one to be enjoyed more with each entry she makes. I highly recommend it.
The Sweetland Witch Series finds Ava Fortune mixing portions plus getting involved in solving a murder. This adventure is the murder of a bar owner who has something valuable that someone seems to want but no one admits to knowledge of what this could be. This is a well plotted story filled with mystery, magic, suspense, drama and danger from a hexed dagger. The characters are colorful, zany and creatively described even the three fur babies: Snowy the cat (Ava's familiar), Tootsie the cat (Trixie's familiar) and Rocky the wolfhound (Eleanor's familiar) add to the well written story. Although the book is part of the Sweetland Witch Cozy Series, it can be read as a stand alone. I volunteered to read this Advanced Readers Copy. Thanks to the author for the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
Cute funny mystery . Don't read on an empty stomach.
Interesting mystery. Typical of most of the recipe and food mysteries. But don't look for recipes. Not too scary or sexy. OK for teenage readers. More of a Nancy Drew mystery within a town filled with witches, goblins, vampires and such who all get along and live together in relative harmony. First of the series I read. Imagine the rest of the series is similar. A little bit too tame for my taste. I prefer a little more chills and thrills when I read about supernatural folks, even if the main characters are good guys. The story was good but not what I was anticipating.
The prologue..it sets up the story..then it sucks you in.this book is my favorite in the series so far. Ava is busy creating a new recipe for wrinkle cream when a strange man comes in to the bakery and asks her to hide something for him.She refuses and while visiting her friend the next day,she accidentally tosses her debit card in to the dumpster. An climbs up to see if she can see it and discovers his (Mack) body. Thus begins the mystery. What was it that Mack wanted A a to hide for him..and why her? As the mystery grows so do the secrets and suspects. I highly recommend this book/series to everyone who loves a good read. I received a copy of this book and my review is voluntary
You never know what people are going through or what burdens they are carrying. Sometimes you may just be surprised by the person that you thought you knew, but turns out maybe not so much. The folks in Sweetland Cove should never complain about life being boring. I think it would be fun to be able to do just a few spells now and again……..but maybe not. Mine would probably backfire. Now to wait for the next adventure of Ava, Colt, and crew.
This is a wonderful series you need to read! We are back with all the wonderful characters at Sweetland Cove and another crazy mystery murder Ava Fortune somehow gets into the middle of. Fantastic storyline and more insight to characters we have met before. Loved the story from start to finish and can't wait for the next book. Zoe Arden is so very talented! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
In this latest addition to lives of the witches of Sweetland there are secrets going around and these secrets are getting people killed. Ava has the misfortune to be around when a regular customer of the bakery almost gets killed, not once but three times. Ava decides she just needs to get involved and it leads to misunderstandings and people telling lies before the truth comes out. Really a good read and the ending will surprise you. Enjoy.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series and this book is another awesome read -- I love how Ava and her family stick together and go about solving mysteries and watching each other's back. The characters are so intriguing and the storyline is so well done, that you will find yourself totally suck into their lives and adventures. You will find lots of twists and turns and surprises along with interesting family ties and relationships. Zoe Arden certainly knows how to tell a story.
Just not my cup'a tea. Picked it up for a quick, easy read and it was just way to "easy" and way to predictable and the characters, likeable, but, one dimensional. Instead of savoring and being transported to their world, I found myself racing and skimming through the book just to get it done. Glad it was free... While I do love mysteries, I don't think "cozy" mysteries are for me, at least this one wasn't.
Zoe Arden did it again. I love reading Sweetland mysteries. Ava gets into the middle of a mess but always saves the day. Reading is so comforting. I always check on the next date for the upcoming book & buy it. Price is great & loads of wonderful pages to read. Thank you, Zoe & keep on writing Ava's adventures.
Love this series. It is just fantastic. The characters are great and it is a pleasure getting to know them. Each new story in this series is better than the last. Cannot wait to read the next book in the series. You will be thrilled that you tried this book, or any of the books in this series. Another homerun book.
I always enjoy the next book in this long standing series. Ava is a great character and the stories never get old. The writing is well done as is the mystery. I enjoy the characters and the world they live in.
A call for help has her sleuthing genes on high alert.
Sorry but this one seemed to have lost the spark from the earlier books in the series. It seemed a bit lacklustre. Okay the plot was a good one, the characters were as great as ever but the oomph wasn't there. A stranger coming into the bakery for help is not an everyday event. Drawn into sleuthing as she can't help herself is against her families wishes. Will she and the bakery come out on top or will she pay a price for her nosing around.
Read for my opinion. Love Ava, Trixie,Elenor, and the rest. I'm this adventure, a big secret, near death a " accidents", are happening. It's another easy cozy read by Ms. Arden. Enjoyable